Enso SG2 8-Inch Chef's Knife

“The reason a lot of people say they are overpriced is that there's a general expectation about performance that a lot of the SG2 blades are known for. By that, I mean the handle is light, the spine is thin, and the edge is ridiculously thin. Takamura, Shibata, Kobayashi are typically known as the true lasers but even other makers like Ogata, Shiro Kamo, Kato, Makoto Kurosaki, Hatsukokoro, etc still generally offer fairly thin blades with aggressive edges. Miyabi is decently crafted, but the handle is much heavier, the spine is thicker, and the edge has a bit more heft to it. It also tends to have much more belly, similar to western knives. So when you compare it to the alternatives people are commonly looking at, it's just no contest it doesn't have the same amazing cutting performance out of the box. With some thinning and work at home, you probably could get it pretty close to those knives, but now that's additional work you have to do at home to "improve" the knife. This all is just for the standard SG2 line though. I've heard the birchwood line is done thinner and nicer, but the pricing on that is ridiculous and not worth considering unless it dropped from like $300+ down to the $220ish range on the longer blades.”