True. I am going by what the hardcore looneys do over oaths side of the pond. My understanding is that Shigefusas are not exactly know for being thin whippy "lasers". You say USED to think that thinning behind the edgewas the ticket? When did they stop doing that over here? LOL As for the "factory" edge, in many cases is that an issue of economy in that a maker can't really afford to spend a couple hours putting a highly polished final edge on knives if he expects to make enough to sell? I know that you can pay extra for retailers like JCK to put a "proper" edge on your knife before shipping.
Quote Originally Posted by mainaman View Post
There should be micro bevel on the ura side, that defeats the purpose of the grind, same reason we do not put micro bevels on the ura side of Kamisori. The Omote side should have no microbevel as well, but many put one to increase the edge longevity, however the edge fails fast because of lack of cutting technique.

The knifes usually come 50/50 and most of the time not even sharpened to potential, the smiths in Japan believe that one should put their own edge on their knives to tune them up to one's preferences. As for the asymmetry, I think it is a fad people like to think that that improves cutting, just like people used to think thinned blades are bestter cutters. Ever since Kato was introduced in America, it became apparent that geometry and grind matter a lot more than how thin a blade is. All those are related to food release, and that plays into the cutting action. So IMHO 50/50 is just fine if the knife is made correctly.