A somewhat dated review, but useful for those who may not have heard of the Ogasaka brand. This is from an older [ post over at EpicSki ], copied here since I made the post.
Ogasaka KC-RV 175cm (2005)
Snow Conditions Used In:
Hard, early morning Eastern spring conditions ...0-1cm light granular sugar on top of hard-"leave no tracks" base groomed the night before...
Number of Days Used: 1
Your Ability: Expert - Masters Racer Type - Race Coach
How Many Years Have You Been Skiing: 42
Avg. Days per Year Skiing: 30
Other Skis You Like: Nordica World Cup Race-Stock K-series..11,12, doberman.. GS
Your Height/Weight: 5'10" 175lbs.
Comments:
..175cm 18m Radius 105x65x95..
A non-FIS compliant GS ski.
This ski is billed for "hobby racers and experts looking for race ski quality but more versatility"
The pair I tried had their riser plate under the Look demo bindings...I would definitely put the riser on this ski if I was to buy it...
Very nice, very versatile ski with a desire to make GS turns...as QuickK9 mentioned in his post earlier, it is not as lively as some other skis, but that is not a bad thing...It reminded me of the Volkl 5 star...but with more GS-feel to it, therefore capable of more high-speed cruising and carving nice, big arcs. You can definitely vary your turn shape at any time, as well as start any shape you want at any speed. Nicely damped, no vibration...handled very, very well. The more I skied it...the more I liked it. I would buy this ski for an all-mountain expert ski. Definitely has the muscle under the hood to handle pressure, without the "rock you into the backseat" snap at high speeds which some skis can get you into trouble with. The ride is very plush and grippy, and given any kind of surface depth to sink into, really comes around in awesome carving style, capable of digging trenches with no problem. I really liked this ski and found it has a huge range of abilities, with serious grip and oomph if you want to use it...but it is EASY to ski...no demands of the driver at all...definitely a modern marvel of ski design...and it looks dead-serious in black-and-white motif...Fit and finish were superb...some of the best workmanship I have seen (like the Triun GS reviewed above). I would choose the Ogasaka KC-RV over the Volkl 5 star for this type of ski category. It just grew on me more and more. Wicked fun. Get yourself on a pair and try them. Now, if they would only put a bit more tightly wound fiberglass in it, and maybe a bit more wood in the tail for some spunk and explosive power...they might have a supercross ski on their hands....hmmmmmmmm.....
Note: Some people think this ski has a narrow "sweet spot", making it unremarkable unless you can find its zone. I agree. If you don't like finding a ski's sweet spot and adapting to it, this ski may not be the one for you. Nice, but you have to pressure it where it wants to be pressured, otherwise, it doesn't "click" for you.