Ish, if that's the case, it seems like a QC issue. How far down would the localized annealing reach on an improperly ground blade?
To my understanding, I believe it would likely only be the thinnest part of the edge that would be annealed.
This would likely result in a quickly dulled edge with use, but by sharpening again on a stone you should be able to perceive an immediate improvement in performance regarding edge holding once you've removed the annealed metal.
IF this was the issue, it would make sense that you are seeing it on a thinner stock knife as the thicker stocks would be harder to anneal at the apex of the edge.
