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By my estimates, 87% less useful.
Who the fuck is ever going have a £1,6k knife on them? Let alone use it?
It's going to be used to cut string twice a year when you happen to be in the same room as the draw it's kept in.
Like most things Japanese you're paying for their high cost of living multiplied by Western fetishization of the Orient.
hugo7-
I bought a Rockstead partly as a bit of a treat (see the post) but mostly for the cutting edge. I do fine leather and woodwork. I have knives that are much sharper than a cut throat razor needs to be, and they take a lot of time and skill to get that way. Some days I like to start off by honing them before I start work, some days I want to get to work and not faff around. Some days I do something dumb and because the edges are so fine they damage quite easily (I use metal rulers as cutting guides, I commonly snag the blade or tip on it, and that means at least 15 minutes of work to rest the edge.
The Rockstead is so hard (and sharp) that it doesn't need any attention, so far despite a lot of cutting it hasn't needed any honing, and I just take it out and start cutting right away. It makes me smile it is so effective.
Worth £300? To most people, no. It's the plainest knife out there. To me it certainly is.
adroit
That's why I asked how much more useful, not how much better. The other rockstead knives on HH all look amazing too.