Deciding between 3 Sujihikis--Konosuke, Hattori, Moritaka

I can't say much about the Konosukes except to say they have a stellar reputation.  I've had several each of the Moritakas and Hattoris.  The Hattori knives have really terrific fit and finish, both the HD and the FH/KF.  The steel Hattori uses is a pretty pedestrian VG-10 (albeit with a great HT).  Personally I won't pay Hattori pricing for vanilla VG-10 anymore.  It's not bad by any means but it's been surpassed IMO.  VG-10 is somewhat difficult to sharpen (takes a long time to develop a burr, then longer to de-burr). The ultimate sharpness is mediocre, and edge retention won't blow you away.  Still, if you're coming from a German knife you'll probably be very impressed.

Moritaka knives (at least the Supreme line that you generally see) uses Aogami Super for the hagane, a far, far superior steel to VG-10 performance wise.  The Moritaka will sharpen more easily, get sharper and stay sharp longer.  It will also patina easily and develop red rust if you leave it wet.  While I don't want to overstate it, I do have to say that it's not at all uncommon to find quirks or minor flaws with the grind of a Moritaka.  They sometimes require a little TLC to get 'em ship shape.  A Hattori will be perfect out of the box. 

You may want to check into the Kagayaki CarboNext from JCK, too.  I have a 300mm CarboNext suji and couldn't be happier.  The edge wasn't great out of the box but it will take a fantastic edge with a bit of work.  It gets within a whisker of as sharp as any carbon I've seen (White #1, White #2, Aogami or Blue #2).  Edge retention is very, very good and it's not difficult to sharpen.  It's not full stainless but it doesn't rust easily.  It's semi-stainless tool steel that will take an attractive patina with time.

I hope someone with some hands on experience with the Konosuke will come along.  I've never heard a single bad word about them.

If I wanted a fairly low-maintenance knife for line use I'd go with the CarboNext.  If I wanted a razor and was okay with babying it a bit I'd opt for the Moritaka.

What Phaedrus said is gospel.  Let me add the best wa suji I've used is a 300mm Konosuke HD, and the best yo suji was a 270mm Masamoto Sweden.  The Konosuke shirogami is as good as the HD; but is, of course, carbon.

• Are "monosteel" carbon knives a possibility? 

• Wa or yo handles? 
• Price range?
• Current sharpening kit and skill level?
• Do you use a suji much? 

BDL

The Hiromoto is also a superb knife.  The hagane (the core that actually cuts) is Super Aogami that's clad with stainless.  This gives you the best of both worlds, in a sense- only the edge is exposed so it resists corrosion.  Of course, being clad it's a tad thicker than some.  And some people claim that clad knives are "dead" feeling.  I respect that some knowledgeable guys (such as BDL) feel that way but it doesn't bother me at all.  Fit and finish is pretty good overall on the Hiromotos.  I eventually sold mine but it was just because I had an itch that I couldn't afford to scratch without selling a few knives off.

"Monosteel" just means one steel.  Many knives, such as the Shun lines, are laminated.  They use a hagane (core) steel and clad it with a softer steel.  This increases durability and flexibility and makes the knife cheaper to make.  Mono-steel knives are made out of just one steel.  The CarboNext (as well as the Ichimonji TKC) are mono-steel knives.

A yanagi and a suji really serve different roles, so I'm not sure you'd replace on with the other.  But the suji is great for carving, slicing, meat cutting and general line use.

The CarboNext is exclusive to JCK (link:  http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/KAGAYAKICarboNextSeries.html ).  In my neck of the woods I have to order everything.