Schtoo
Wiley wrote;

I wasn't trying to steer you to Hida. There's benefit to you in developing the relationship you already have. (My reason for mentioning Hida was to clarify hardwood set vs. hard point for the benefit of other forumites.)

What does Stu say about the 300mm Z-saw combination tooth kataba, w/11tpi? Is it tapered from tooth line to back?

Wiley

Hard point and hardwood set are the same saw. I know that because I asked the man who's name is on the saws...

Pretty much every decent Japanese saw is capable of sawing most NA hardwoods without trouble. Every saw I list is good for NA type hardwoods (as well as Europe and here in Japan), otherwise I won't touch them. The idea of modern mass/semi-mass production, good quality Japanese saws being unable to handle hardwoods is bovine excrement. Yes, some genuine 'hardwood' saws do exist, but the designation of 'hardwood' is stuff like ipe, bloodwood, ebony and the like.

No production Z Saw or Gyokucho saw has a tapered/hollowed saw plate. Every Tatsumi, Mitsukawa and Nokogiri-kobo saw (that I'm aware of) does have a hollowed/tapered saw plate and hammer set teeth. These better saws have most of the elements of a hand made saw, without being hand made and without the price tag.

However, I'd not ever consider willingly sending a hollowed/tapered plate saw to anyone who hasn't built up enough experience with a lesser saw like Z Saw or Gyokucho, simply because these higher grade machine made saws are brittle and will snap if abused. Abuse a Gyokucho will shrug off without protest will snap a hollowed plate saw.

I don't use 300mm Z Saws, and never a combination type saw except for their 250mm 'Hardwood' variant. The only Z Saws I actually have are the 250mm rip, the 250mm hardwood and a small dozuki type saw (I think). I've used nearly everything they make, but don't like them enough and don't have enough use for their saws to actually own many of them. I prefer Gyokucho where a Tatsumi, Mitsukawa or Nokogiri-kobo saw won't meet the need.

(Or when I need to rip down some chunks of something very hard. I'd rather chew up a cheap blade than an expensive one.)

Stu.