I recently acquired about a pound of raw pine nuts. They were collected and are smaller on average than the pine nuts I can buy.  They are a pain to shell. The shells don't come away easily and since they are small there is a lot of work to do for a small reward.  What is the best way to shell these? Should I roast them in their shells first? 
For a normal user, probably not.  One of the thing that you might find better on the Japanese knife is that the blade will hold its sharpness better.  The price difference is due construction, both from the blade and the handle  Is it worth 3 times the cost ? only you can decide. 