IMO, if you're gonna buy a Yaxell VG-10 core knife, buy either a Zen or Tsuchimon. The fit and finish is just as good as the Ran line, for about 1/2 the $, you just get fewer layers. Yaxell's heat treat on VG-10 is as good as it gets. My sharpest VG-10 knives are Yaxell.
If you like carbon...