Whimsical

My take on tools is that name does not mean crap. In reality, its all in the metal content and the craftsmanship. From what I have seen, most Japanese tools are from the same few manufacturers, but with different name brands on them. This does exclude Roth and Masakuni tools among others I'm sure. Never buy anything imported from China. If the dealer can't give this information, then aviod buying it. If they were quality tools and/or the dealer knew what he was selling, this would certainly be mentioned as a selling point. What you are really looking for is the carbon content in the cutting edge. The carbon allows for a sharper harder edge. However, many tools use less carbon in the rest of the tool so that it retains a more flexablility to prevent breaking. That is why most decent tools have a silvery edge and with the rest black. As for Kiku, Fujiyama, etc and most other mid-class "professional" quality tools. They are all probably near identical if not identical in quality. They are what I use, and I have no complaints.