Buzz, I'm having the same problem with some of the back-orders I'm holding for my clients.
You'd think in this economy the vendors would be tickled to get any business and ratchet up their customer service. That's not what I'm hearing.
The usual excuse is, "Well, guy, Japan is a long way away..."
And that's bull. I once got an 'over-nighter' directly from Japan. One side of the mailer was covered in yen stamps--probably worth more than the knife.
Chico, I think the delay on my knife is due to production schedules. Sakai Takayuki has a large product line and probably only makes a few types at a time. Look
here. The importer I use is a small company in NYC and they don't buy in large quantities so I assume their orders aren't a priority.
eTailers like
JCK carry a large inventory and get product out the door fast. Furthermore they only charge $7 shipping per order. I've received knives from them in Japan to me in Florida in as little as five days.
I think my knife will prove worth the waiting. I already have two 150mm Petties of the same model, one a gift for my daughter. They are only half as thick as my smaller 140mm Aritsugu "A" Petty. If this geometry applies to the Gyuto it should cut like a Suisin or a Takeda. In addition, the blade is Swedish stainless Uddeholm AEB-L razor blade strip steel containing the smallest carbides in the industry. My Petty is sharpened left handed on one side only and is literally sharper than a razor. Not only that, the hardness is only R58 so there is little tendancy to chip nor does it roll, the best of all worlds in my opinion. If the Gyuto turns out to be what I think it is you'll be hearing lots more about it because it might just possibly be the world's best Chef's knife.
The only drawback I can see is that edge retention won't be up to typical Japanese standards because of the low relative hardness. That doesn't mean squat to me because I don't use the knife all day like a pro and I love to sharpen. I'm a regular Alfred E. Neuman - "What! Me worry?"
My petty on a strop.