Which one (or two...) is missing?

Hello everybody! I decided to join here so that I get some help into completing my kitchen knives collection. I'm just home cooking, but appreciate the use of good quality knives. Here in my country Global is a brand that offers such good quality for an affordable price. Therefore, a few years ago I decided to switch to Global completely. Now I have come to the idea that something in my collection is missing, but I cannot decide exactly what?!

Mostly, I do European style cooking and generally prefer smaller type knives. My mostly used knives are the small Santoku and the vegetable chopper. Apart from the knives I have kitchen shears and a peeler. I probably wouldn't find any use for a cleaver.
So, I will appreciate some wise thoughts. Thanks!

This is what I currently have:

 

A few whetstones to keep your set sharp is all you need

 

I would let a need drive that decision of a next knife. In other words is there a task that you do that might be more efficient with a different knife?

I dont see a long slicer in your kit?

 

Anton, currently I have a minosharp wheel sharpener. I find whetstones intimidating, I'm afraid I will ruin my knives, because I don't have the skill to use them. If I do get some, is the Global set with 220 and 1000 grid a good choice?

Jim, I probbaly miss something in the 15-16cm length range. Doesn't the 8.5" Slicer look good for slicing to you?

 

If a 220 mm slicer works ok for what you do then there is no need. I prefer much longer slicers like 300mm+.

 

Freehand sharpening isn't a rocket science and you shouldn't be intimidated by it. There are tons of very good videos about all aspects of freehand sharpening on youtube. You might want to look JKI videos as a good starting point.

I believe you could also find something interesting in our sharpening subforum

 

This is a bit lengthy, but there's not really a TL;DR summary for sharpening. It's an effort to get into, but it's worth it. Plus, you'll impress your (male) friends!

The things I found work best to start sharpening are these:

1. I'm just some jerk on the internet, take or ignore what I say and lump it in with everything else you start to learn until it works for you. Definitely watch Jon Broida's videos (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEBF55079F53216AB). He's good at explaining, and very patient and methodical.
2. Start sharpening with good/decent steel. You can work for hours on crappy steel (like an old Buck folder) and go nowhere, getting no real feedback for your efforts. Very frustrating. Global is good/decent steel.
3. Sharpen with the goal of getting a burr. Get the burr from tip to heel. Watch the videos mentioned above (eg Jon from JKI) for more on that. I'd hate to badly parrot an actual professional's words.
4. Start with a COARSE stone (~220-400 grit). It's the easiest way to know you're forming the burr.
5. Don't skip the coarse stone. It ensures you get the burr quickly, which means the two bevels of your knife have actually met in the middle to form an edge ("V" shaped). If you start with a grit that's too fine, the risk is polishing the bevel of a dull edge ("U" shaped), but never ACTUALLY making a sharp edge ("V" shaped). Starting at a grit that's too fine will turn a 10-15" task into an hour-long task. Ask me how I know. Avoid frustration.
6. Once you have the burr, move onto another stone, 1,000-2,000 grit. This should go quicker than the coarse stone. Since you already created a true "V" edge, now you're just doing some polishing, like sandpaper on a wood surface.
7. There are good 2-sided stones that you can do both tasks with (Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/King-home-wh...&qid=1516642705&sr=8-3&keywords=king+220+1000). I won't claim it's the best stone, but it's a solid, inexpensive starter to see if you like doing this. This is a cheaper version of the same, but you'll need to put it on a wet towel to keep it from sliding (Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/KING-1000-Gr...rd_wg=jjHQj&psc=1&refRID=VSHVG8TPHG07X11J7739). Whichever you choose, soak it for 10" in water before you start. When you use it, it should get 'muddy'.
8. You can go to a higher grit stone if you like, but you can also stop here if you're just getting into sharpening. You'll have a good 'toothy' edge with some good bite. You might not want to shave with it, but food prep isn't shaving.
9. REMOVE THE BURR AT THE END. You can do this with a leather strop, or on a stone (Jon at JKI has a good video). I like a leather strop - it seems a bit more forgiving for beginners. You can also finish by dragging the edge LIGHTLY across the edge of a wooden cutting board a couple times. If you don't remove the burr, it will fold over your nice new edge and get in the way of cutting. This can lead to frustration, as your knife won't cut like you expect.
10. Keep a consistent angle by 'locking' your wrist, and start with trailing edge strokes (don't dig the edge into the stone).
11. Don't forget to work the heel and tip of the knife equally with the middle of the blade. This is a common beginner stumbling-block.
12. Don't be afraid to use solid pressure (2-4lb). You're not wearing as much steel as you might think.

Hope this helps, and don't forget to heed point #1 if you're ever in doubt.