I love good kitchen knives and for those that don’t know KAI is the Japanese parent company for Shun, Kershaw and ZT
Before our house fire I had quite a collection including ones I had made myself and many Japanese like Hattori etc. I’ve slowly bought some stuff here and there but the prices vs 10 years ago are obviously a bit different.

 Last month an accidentally ended up with the Kai Seki Magoroku. I came across them on a JP knives site then saw they were on Amazon.   I thought I had put it in a wish list to look over but had added it to my cart instead. Wife hit the order button assuming I wanted it when she bought whatever.

  Anyway for the $65 I paid( $69 now)  I have been extremely happy.  Like most Japanese blades it is extremely thin and sharp. The style is not for those with a heavy hand.   Anyway it got me looking at the Shun knives that I’ve basically stuck my nose up at.  I suppose because they were common and not as desirable.
  What I found was that the Shun Classic and the Morgoroku are near identical.   If you look at the pics the blade seems to be the same with the Shun having a different wood handle and flat vs slanted butt . It also has a small accent ring at the bolster.  
From what I can tell the KAI has the same VGmax steel.  For all I can see it’s the same blade at a 1/3 of the cost.  It makes for a killer deal IMO.     For anyone wanting to dip their toe into what a high quality Japanese blade is like without the cost this is it.  For anyone that already owns and appreciates them this is great way to add to your collection.
It seems the KAI is more in the $130 range if ordered from Japan. It makes me wonder if these were an overrun or maybe not intended for our market.     I just bought a second one a few min ago. A Santotoku to go with the  Gyutou I have.
Take a look.
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The internet photo of the KAI makes the Damascus pattern look brighter and waver, but you can see mine is closer to the Shun photo.     If I’m wrong which I doubt I am it wouldn’t change my opinion of the KAI at all.

While I do like knives I think the point of diminishing returns comes rapidly on kitchen knives

Cutting fruits, veggies, dressing a chicken is not quite hard use
Decent blade geometry, passable steel, full tang

Now, I can see paying more for something that is going to be batoned into hardwood for an hour, cut cordage for another hour, field dress and butcher a deer/pig and still stay sharp enough to make a fire stick AND not rust too fast

Maybe a butcher knife might justify some additional expense

   There is definitely diminishing returns for knives.  The nicer knives are a joy to use though.  If we only bought the minimum of what we need it would be a boring world though.

From my experience, most people are more inclined to spend money on custom kitchen knives over field knives.  I think the thought is that a knife used on almost daily basis is more practical than once used a couple times a year.  I typically sell about 3 kitchen knives to 1 field knife.  It all comes down to the consumer though, although cooking with a nice knife does make it a little more enjoyable to me.

You have never seen either one of my parents in the kitchen.

 I think the kitchen knives also make for great gifts. Especially if it’s a custom that’s given to someone that loves to cook

not a fan of these type of knives - edge is too thin and not durable especially at the price point

 That is by design.
If you’re experiencing durability issues you’re not using that style of knife properly.   They are made for effortless push cuts.
   Price has nothing to do with it. If anything it’s more expensive to make not less.     The Japanese knives are very specialized so definitely not for everyone

I can see that.

My philosophy on gift-giving (which has always made people super happy that got them), is give somebody a gift that they wouldn't necessarily buy for themselves but would really enjoy owning.

I love to cook but I don't buy expensive kitchen knives, if someone gave me one as a gift though it would be a great gift that i'd enjoy and use often.

  Sometimes people won’t buy something expensive until they’re gifted one and realize how much they enjoy something
    There are times where I don’t particularly want to cook, but I enjoy using my knives therefore I do

Seems like a budget brand and not really targeted for US market. You think you found an inexpensive analog to Shun classic, but I'm doubtful. Shun classic aren't that great anyway and are overpriced.

Separate issue is
I don't do Amazon, at all, not sure how to determine authenticity of anything there?

Sorry I'm negative and skeptical. I hope they work well for you

I hope it's good.  I took a chance and got one to mix in with my Wusthof set.  I knew this one was 7 inches (180 mm) versus the 8" Shun it was compared to, but it's really surprising how diminutive it is compared to my 8" Wusthofs.  I mainly got it for tough skinned veggies, so I think it's actually a pretty good size/shape.  The wife likes it too, she's not as fond of the big 8-inchers for smaller tasks.

We should be whacking up some Roma tomatoes soon, so we'll see how it does.