China
can make as good a steel as anyone. It all depends if the brand name is 1: paying for it, and 2: They did not bait and switch on them. Most manufacturing sent to China is done so for lowest price, so pretty much assured the brand is not specifying or managing quality like a company dedicated to making the best. LN, Narlex, etc.
The offset handles on a Japanese chisel lets you clean out further into a dado or joint where a western chisel you would need a crank-neck. I just grab my router plane. I do not know if the angled handle helps compensate for the bevel trying to pull you off line when chopping. A couple thousand years of tool-making, maybe they discovered something.
Bob makes a very good point. Before buying a "set" , buy one each of the contenders and see. With premium tools, they all work but personal feel comes to play. I have three 1/2 inch bench chisels. All sharp as can be, but I do a better job with the Narlex. Magic you know. Magically I cut a better line after reshaping the handle on my cross-cut back saw. Maybe we just do a better job when smiling than frowning.
I like my Narlex Richtor so well, I would be afraid to pick up a L-N for fear it somehow feels even better.
I was watching some Japanese joinery and saw them using a very wide chisel to tune the joint where I might have grabbed a 1", maybe there is a reason for an inch and a half with the larger registration. ( and their very complex joints) I made the mistake of buying a L-N pocket plane, now it has me rethinking all my Stanley's, even my Bedrock.
One idea is to get a cheap "beater" set. Primary @ 35 degrees for rough work, then primary your good ones @ 25 for hand paring and light tapping. I have heard of 20 and even 15 degrees. I reground an old 1/4 inch into a 1/8, and ground another old 1/4 to remove the side bevels for dovetail cleanout. These functions do not need durable, just sharp as they may cut a few inches of wood in a year. One can regrind a couple of 3/8's into skew chisels pretty easy too. After all, every woodworker already has a low speed grinder with a CBN wheel don't they?
PS: Cosman has a business relationship with Wood River and IBC. Mostly he is helping improve them, but the end result is going to be a bias, even if not intended.