Glad I can assist. Think about the future and when you look back... if it were me and I knew the "end game" of SRs... I'd be pleased to have the orba.
I think about all the tools I own and the decades it has taken me to achieve precision using large knifes with the precision of a scalpel, something that I aimed to achieve and still continue to develop when possible.
I'll share a story. I worked in one of the most exclusive Japanese fine dining restaurants in the world, I was the only Westerner in the kitchen and the knives were complete foreign, fragile and razor sharp... surgical. The only reason I got the job was because people saw how I could work at 20 years of age and thought I was talented... I wasn't talented at all... I just grew up a 3rd generation chef, my bedroom was above the kitchen in the resturant and my step Dad worked in 3 star Michelin places in Europe and was German. The guy started his apprenticeship at 12 years old. My grandfather use to be the Head for the Royal Family in Monaco. Cooking was like walking or talking to me, it is just what we did.
So I help out in this Renowned Japanese restaurant for a few weeks when I was working in a 5 star hotel... I was doing my morning shift and would go there to help out in the afternoon and stay for service at dinner. One day I just stopped going to help out... they kept asking for me but I was exhausted. I told them they weren't paying me but I'd love to work there but it's unlikely my Western Boss would allow it. (Oh I speak some Japanese and had done Karate from 6 yo). I ended up in the office of the big boss who ended up having to talking to my boss and had massive fight to get me but I got the job.
Anyway, everyone in the kitchen had freaky level skill as in you have to see it to believe it. I was in awe constantly. Deft movements I've not even seen on youtube by so called masters, whom I still respect mind you. But these guys were hand selected by the boss, the father, the head Chef isn't called "Chef" in Japanese but "Father" literally Dad. And he was incredible... he could use a long sashimi knife tip to devain a fish without touching the fish at all with the other hand. Surgical.
Actually far far far beyond Surgical with a big long heavy knife at a distance, unsupported with just the tip... I couldn't believe seeing it for the first time.
So there is a technique called "Katsuramuki" using a Usuba knife which I was fascinated with. It's not easy to really master at all... plenty can do it badly, but most wouldn't know, not even a lot of Japanese chefs. This kitchen was super elite like out of a super hero group but Chefs. So I started with soft easy to cut things like cucumbers... you can really hurt yourself with this technique if you don't take it slow and respecting the process, remaining calm... I had to take breaks to breathe as I was so use to be able to do things with easy and quickly. I felt like my this technique was kicking my behind when I move to dikon raddish which is harder in texture and harder to perform.... "Frustration"... People especially Westerns just think sure create a wave of raddish... BUT NO!
The wave of raddish tells the story... you can see each movement and cut etched onto the wave of raddish with close examination, the few millimeters of cut, the angle the thickness of the slice at the top and bottom and middle must be even and small differences are easily detected. Even the thickness over the course of just a few millimeters. If it has broken bits in it. We can tell a lot about someone's technique by watching them and their result to the finest detail. Nothing went unnoticed.
Katsuramuki on a carrot is probably the hardess thing to do... so one day I hand my boss a carrot as he walks in the door. He gave me a perplexed look. The boss hardly ever talks to anyone except to demonstrate or reprimand. To go up to the boss is a big deal. He holds the carrot, looks at me, like what's going on? I say nothing. Just stand there. He tilts his head... then looks at the carrot he's holding... notices an edge on it... and unrolls it, bit by bit, it was unbroken without splits in it and edge to edge and even... and THIN like rice paper and long (not a short bit but a really long carrot like a dikon size katsuramuki). His face BEAMED with pride... he examined it... carefully rolled it all back up and handed it to me... with one word... "Good!" and a bowing nod of acknowledgement. It was my way of saying "thanks" for giving me the job and that I had dedicated myself to learning the skill. Can't express everything in words... as somethings go much deeper. This had a profound impact in the kitchen too.
My point...
Learn the skill.
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