Anyone have an opinion.........
Thin yes, but Takeda is equally on even thinner and we don't see as much verbage on Takeda problems (and some of my Takedas had swells and swalls in all 4 directions!)
In my humble opinion there are three problems with Moritaka blades....
First, in our community we have elevated the image and expectations of Moritaka knives above and beyond the reality...Moritaka is an artisan or craftsman in the genre of village blacksmith capabale of producing multiple styles of household, field and hunting knives plus farm implements and general hardware, quickly and at a reasonable price. When we confuse his product with that of the craftsman who only produces a highly refined kitchen knife aimed at the elite kitchens and chefs, we have created a problem.
Second, when these problems started to surface, the PR or customer service side of the equation failed. It's probably part language barrier, part cultural differences, part failure to understand 'the market', whatever, but certainly the way this issue has been addresed or not addressed would have to be called a failure.
Finally, there is a member of the community who early on became very involved with and passionate about, even enamoured with Moritaka. This individual is extremely articulate and verbose. If you ever have an opposing opinion this individual tends to rain down chapter and verse detailing both why you are wrong and why you are an idiot. And this individual believes there is no problem with Moritaka blades, or no problem that someone of his own skill level can't easily fix. And if you have a differeing opinion...chapter & verse on your head.
So anyway, thats my opinion on the problem with Moritaka blades....they seem to cut well, many owners love them, some have a flaw - maybe - or not. All of that "is what it is". But it's hard to go 90 days without the issue of Moritaka blades popping up, so there obviously is an issue...a contentious one!