Has anyone come across kamimoto.co (not to be confused with kamimoto.com) for sharpening stones

[Simon Bence]

I'm looking to invest in a nice set of sharpening stones and I came across the sight kamimoto.co and was wondering if anyone has come across them or used their site before?

They have various stones at slightly lower prices than elsewhere, in the region of £5-£10 difference depending on the stone vs the Japanese sellers I've found. So not so low it's too good to be believed but low enough that when buying a set it would make a difference. The reason I'm looking at this sight is some of the stones I'm interested in, (Morihei Hishiboshi or Fire as I've seen them referred to in places), I can't find in the UK. This company appears to be based in Poland, charges a similar price to sellers based in Japan and can ship to the UK. The only other seller in Europe I've found wants approximately €30-€40 more per stone, plus €40 for shipping and then whatever the import fees are. Bit that makes me suspicious is every item I've checked says on back order, expected in 4-12 weeks, and when I wrote to them to see if they had dates they ignored that question and just said 'delivery to UK is very hard but I think we can make an exception. Delivery might be about €20. I can reserve for you and let you know when they are in'

 

[KenHash]

Sounds very questionable. First I'd wonder why this company would choose the same made-up name of a Chinese knife manufacturer widely known to try and pass itself off as Japanese. Second the response you've gotten raises doubts. If the prices are "similar to sellers based in Japan" then I'd suggest you get it from someplace like Hitohira, etc. At least you will know you will get the real thing.

 

[Simon Bence]

Thanks KenHash much appreciated. Had not realised that re the Chinese knife manufacturer. Only reason I was entertaining the above site was, perhaps incorrectly, I figured delivery and import fees would be substantially higher from Japan. Also being impatient and excitable I wanted them as soon as.

Yeah one of the alarm bells that made me question the site was also that the colour, or more accurately the tone/shade, seemed off compared to pictures I'd seen elsewhere of the same stones but I put that down to picture quality. But I think I'd be concerned that even if I got something it wouldn't be legitimate, just wanted to post on here in case someone could outright say yes that's a decent site.

I've come acros Hitohira a couple of times, are there any other sites you'd recommend?

Thanks again.

 

[KenHash]

I could recommend places but they are all in Japan and don't ship overseas. Even Morihei itself won't ship overseas. That's why I usually suggest Hitohira. Carbon Knife Co in Colorado carries them, as do a couple places in Australia.
As an aside, last year I bought a couple of knives from Bernal in San Francisco and had them shipped to London, because the sellers in Japan were all out of stock. Smooth as silk and no problems. They carry Synth and Naturals but no Morihei.

You might want to ask over at KKF (Kitchen Knife Forums). Bunch of guys there in the UK who might be able to steer you in the right direction.