When I wrote about these styles not having a western equivalent, I meant just that there is literally not a similar style in western knives. I in no way hoped to infer that these knives are unrivaled by western knives. They're just a totally new style for western chefs. I'll work on that wording though!
Somebody else said something similar about hand-made. I'll write a post today or tomorrow to elaborate the benefits of generational makers or experienced makers. Where would you like to see this information on the site?
Carbon steel knives are largely better than stainless in all ways (other than preventing oxidation). This is not a necessary truth, as some recent modern stainless steels have great capabilities, but there are extremely few makers capable of utilizing stainless steel in a way that rivals the performance of carbon steel. I'll be replying to the other poster but, in short, a lot of what they wrote is misinformed.