Haven't tried Watanabe and Kato, but I have 3 Shigefusas: a Western gyuto, an ajikiri, and a KU santoku. If I had to sell some knives tomorrow, the santoku and ajikiri would be on the short list to go. The santoku has great balance, but the F&F was a little disappointing compared to my other Shiges and I'm not sure that I like a KU knife--feels a bit like fingernails on a blackboard as it goes through the food. If it had been my first Shigefusa, I might not have gotten a second. The ajikiri is a nice little knife, just not used as much as some others. Great F&F, great balance once I watched one of Jon's videos and figured out how to hold it correctly. Then we get to the Western gyuto. I love this knife. It fits my hand, is wonderfully balanced, and is a cutting fool. Cutting potatoes with this knife feels as good as mixing up cornstarch and water with your bare fingers. The only negative thing about it is that it is as badly reactive as its reputation would suggest--the absolute worst knife I have for reactivity. So based on my VERY limited experience, there's variation within a maker's knives, as well as variation between makers.