Kramer knives have some unusual shape when it comes to knives, and these Meiji are no exception. Whether you like it or not is a matter of taste. I like taller knives, so I love the look of these. The Santoku cuts fairly well, but it's thicker than your typical japanese Santoku (as in other Santoku made in Japan). As such, don't expect it to slice just as well, as your produce could wedge a little bit if it's too big. Bigger carrots will wedge, so will harder, crispier apples, for example: You won't be able to get smooth cuts despite using proper technique and I find it to be mildly irritating because it's an otherwise superb knife when it comes to the overall shape and design.
However, the worse thing about those knives, very high cost aside, is the relatively poor quality control and fit and finish on the blade themselves. The handles are usually top notch, but the blade damascus effect is all over the place. I've had 4 different Meiji knives in the last months, and none of them arrived in perfect condition.
My first Chef's knife arrived with a bent tip. Not a big deal, but I returned it, sadly. The first Santoku I bought arrived with a weird "zigzag" of missing Damascus effect on top of a bent tip and a crooked handle (i.e. the handle isn't in the correct angle and goes too far to the right, while being too rotated). I bought another one to replace it, and got a Santoku with the very same missing zigzag, a proper handle, but with a weird bump in the edge near the choil, as if it wasn't sharpened properly. Then comes the Bread knife, which has the same missing zigzag effect but otherwise looks and function perfectly.
For the price those knives retail for, you expect something a bit more premium with a proper edge, proper handle placement and no missing damascus that makes it look "synthetic" instead of "organic".
That might be why they're getting phased out / discontinued, at least in Canada.
