I'd say the news is both good and bad. I bought one about 6 months ago and have carried it extensively. It is one of my most carried knives.
The size and shape are just about perfect for me. The pointy blade is much more useful than I had expected. As far as overall design goes, it's great. I saw some real Koji Hara's at the knifeshow last week--and am now lusting after an original.
The action of the knife is great, it is very smooth and easy to open (mine needed adjustment) and locks up very tight. My lock goes a bit far across so I can't say how it will age.
The metal to metal and metal to wood finish is excellent, and both the wood and the metal are beautiful. Unfortunately the finish on my wood scales was poor with tooling marks and machine errors present. It took a fair bit of careful sanding to even and smooth things off in a proper way.
The blade too, is both good and bad. The shape is very usefully pointed, and there is enough curve for the knife to be successfully used at dinner. The blade is very 'clunky' and thick much too close to the point. The hollow grind is poor with tooling marks evident through the high polish--which is so heavy it has rounded all the contours, leaving the blade quite a strange combination of delicacy, mismatched curves, and a thick heavy feel.
The steel seems well heat-treated and took a fine edge that is lasting well. I had to completely re-profile to get a reasonable angle, the initial angle must have been 30 degrees a side, although fairly sharp.
In summary I would say the design is first rate, the mechanics work well, the finish is adequate, and the blade is both useful and too 'clunky'. I have very few folders in that price range so I can't say how it compares but parts of the execution disappointed me.
People who see it usually admire it, and it seems non-threatening in a non-knife environment.
Hope this helps.
Greg
