# Carter Muteki



## Mucho Bocho (Nov 25, 2014)

I haven't seen any of these on the "show us your new knife buy" thread and was curious if anyone has experience with them? From what I've read, Murray used to make this knife line but stopped. I've been wanting to pick up one of his high grades for a while and noticed he started making this Muteki line but they sold very quickly.

I woke up at 4:00 this AM and couldn't get back to bed so I browsed over to Carter Cutlery and boom he had seven Muteki knives listed. I'm pretty pumped as I grabbed a 5.68 Sun. All knives seven knives sold by 8:00AM. 

Did anybody else buy one, or has one? I'm expecting it to be a little rough around the edges but a very good cutter. Curious if anyone else has an feedback?



Here is what Murray's says:

What are the differences between Muteki and Carter knives?

Carter Knives are precision forged to within 95% of their final shape, heat treated in pine charcoal fire, and have all the metallurgical work done personally by Murray. Murray also does the bulk of the remaining work to finish the knife. Carter knives include premium handles with contrasting liners, mosaic center pins, and the famous scary-sharp "Carter" edge that Murray does by hand. Carter knives include composite handles made out of premium synthetics and exotic woods ranging from G10, Carbon fiber, Micarta and natural stabilized woods. 

Muteki knives are forged to within 80% of their final shape. They are heat treated in a coke fire. The work is done by Murray's apprentices under his close supervision (including the sharpening). They include functional Ironwood handles with no liners and functional riveted pins. In simpler terms the Muteki series offers the incredible cutting performance Carter Cutlery is known for at a lower price point.


http://www.cartercutlery.com/muteki-kitchen/


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## TurdMuffin (Nov 25, 2014)

I've never used one but it seems like a heck of a deal. Half the price of the other knives he has listed, and you know he wouldn't let a knife out the door if it wasn't up to his standards


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## XooMG (Nov 25, 2014)

Looks like a decent deal if one wants in on the brand or the size/shape.


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## KCMande (Nov 25, 2014)

I was thinking of picking one up the other day but the one I was really interested in got sold before i could decide. I will be looking forward to hearing your thoughts on this line


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## apicius9 (Nov 25, 2014)

They certainly are great values. I have a small honesuki from the muteki line and love it. Works well as a muteki but doubles as a petty on hard cheeses etc., whish I had more of them. I did not realize he was making them again, definitley something to keep an eye on.

Stefan


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## Mucho Bocho (Nov 25, 2014)

Stefan, I saw that old thread from back in 2010. Is yours white #2 with SUS 440 clad? Looks like so far he's only producing them in gyutos, I wonder if he'll expand the line. Either way, I've been looking for a fun easy 180 gyuto for a while and this seemed to fit the bill.


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## Matus (Nov 25, 2014)

I just ordered one of his new ones and should have it in about a week. It is stainless clad white#1 with ironwood handle with blade length of 172mm and blade width of 41mm. I plan to use it as a cooking knife when traveling. Since I also have one of his kurouchi funayuki knives I will be doing a comparison review in ... soon


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## Krakorak (Nov 26, 2014)

I also ordered one recently, almost a copy of that of Matus...only its 2 mm narrower...I am really happy that I was sitting at the computer at 3 a.m. (here in Europe) when Carter put them on the website...at 10 a.m. when I usually come to the computer almost all of them were already sold..I also aim to share my opinion, although I don't have any other Carter for comparison..


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## Krakorak (Nov 27, 2014)

Three of them are still available here: http://knivesshipfree.com/carter-cutlery/?sort=alphaasc
And particularly the last one is nice!


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## CoqaVin (Nov 27, 2014)

nice site never knew of that one before


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## XooMG (Nov 27, 2014)

Yeah they look alright. I would consider snagging it but I already have two Carters and am waiting on a bunch of other knives, so hopefully more worthy customers can snag them.


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## Krakorak (Nov 27, 2014)

CoqaVin said:


> nice site never knew of that one before



That's a discovery of Matus...few months ago, I also didn't know it yet...


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## Matus (Nov 28, 2014)

Krakorak said:


> That's a discovery of Matus...few months ago, I also didn't know it yet...



I feel so proud of myself ... I have discovered an online shop :laugh:


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## mark76 (Nov 28, 2014)

Matus said:


> I feel so proud of myself ... I have discovered an online shop :laugh:



Well... It can be pretty hard. I recently discovered a webshop that's located less then 10 km from my house. It already exists for a couple of years, and could be the biggest in Europe, but I never found them before. If a shop hasn't got at least their basic online marketing right these day (SEO), you need some pretty ingenious Google queries to find them.


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## Krakorak (Nov 28, 2014)

mark76 said:


> Well... It can be pretty hard. I recently discovered a webshop that's located less then 10 km from my house. It already exists for a couple of years, and could be the biggest in Europe, but I never found them before. If a shop hasn't got at least their basic online marketing right these day (SEO), you need some pretty ingenious Google queries to find them.



I believe I know which one do you mean when I see you are from Holland..Its maybe not the biggest in Europe, but probably one of the three biggest...And, most "suprisingly", I know that reference from Matus as well:-D...he is really good in the discipline you described;-)..


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## mark76 (Nov 28, 2014)

Krakorak said:


> I believe I know which one do you mean when I see you are from Holland..Its maybe not the biggest in Europe, but probably one of the three biggest...And, most "suprisingly", I know that reference from Matus as well:-D...he is really good in the discipline you described;-)..



What are other big J-knife stores in Europe? I know JNS, of course. Top quality, but I wouldn't call them big. http://www.japan-messer-shop.de/ is a relatively big German site I know, though I never bought from them. And I know a Swiss site (which is not really interesting to me at least, because of the exchange rate of the Swiss Franc).


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## Krakorak (Nov 28, 2014)

mark76 said:


> What are other big J-knife stores in Europe? I know JNS, of course. Top quality, but I wouldn't call them big. http://www.japan-messer-shop.de/ is a relatively big German site I know, though I never bought from them. And I know a Swiss site (which is not really interesting to me at least, because of the exchange rate of the Swiss Franc).



Yeah, these two you mentioned (except JNS) are exactly those which I had in mind...Both have a quite extensive selection of J-knives, about comparable to that offered by the shop in Holland...But particularly in the Swiss one, the prices seem to me to be quite high...of course, partly also due to the not very favourable exchange rate of the SF..


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## turbochef422 (Dec 2, 2014)

If anyone cares I picked up a 7" muteki from knives ship free. They have like 3 or 4 more if your looking for one


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## stereo.pete (Dec 2, 2014)

Guys, let's get back on topic and talk about how these knives are performing :hungry: . I'm very eager to find out!


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## Matus (Dec 5, 2014)

OK, mine just arrived. Since I only picked it up this morning and still have a working day to get through, I can give only very basic description:

The blade looks nice finish on bevels is similar to 'normal' carter. The knife arrived shaving sharp. The finish on the ironwood handle is lovely - the tang tappers towards the end of the handle - that is a nice touch and IMO something that every full tang western handle kitchen knife should have to shave off some of the weight. The handle sits well in hand. The wood was probably treat with some oil - feels lovely to touch. The balance point on my knife is at the very beginning of the handle. The choil edges were eased, but the spine will need a little work as it is not rounded. The blade on mine is 41mm tall at the heel. I have yet to test whether that will allow for knuckles to clear cutting board comfortably. There is rather little kurouchi left on it - I may consider removing it all together. The lamination line looks very nice and is more prominent than on carbon clad Carter knives.

This knife is primarily meant as cooking knife on the go, but should my wife like it, than it will see more use.

Give me a few weeks and I will make a more detailed test of the knife. First impressions are positive.

EDIT: if that 7" Muteki on KSF were not sold already, I would have bought it too. Great shape and size.


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## Mucho Bocho (Dec 6, 2014)

I've had mine for about two weeks now:

172 blade length
41mm heel hight
143g weight
Balance is right in front of the handle

This is my first Carter. I was expecting a great cutter with low fit and finish and that's exactly what I got.

The spine had such a sharp burr on it it almost cut my hand, certainly could have with enough pressure. The choil was also very rough. Not a big deal cause I've preformed this procedure on many other knives: Takeda, Moritaka, Tadfusa. Only took about an hours worth of hand work. with file and paper. I

'm usually a WA guy but as Matus pointed out, the handle has a nice hand feel.

The blade came good and sharp OOTB. Has a decent flat spot to the profile for small knife but rocks well too. 

I would describe this knife as being scrappy. Its hard to describe but as Matus said its a "cooks knife". Its small but not tiny but is profiled like a larger sized knife. It has some weight, isn't t crazy thin behind the edge, nor is it thick. It has perfectly ground faces, no waves, just a fluid consistent reflection of light. It's a knife you just grab and get into to work.

I prefer tall, very light and thin behind the edge knives. But this Carter is more like a mini-workhorse. The White core is very hard and as one would imagine and keeps a nice edge.

I was holding out for a Gengetsu in a sub-210 length, but I'm really happy this Carter popped up. Its exactly what my kit was missing. 

A sub 210 heavy gyuto, with a tall heel, in sanmai Carter White/stainless. The core is starting to get a nice contrasting patina too. 

Me likey.


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## Mucho Bocho (Dec 6, 2014)




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## Pensacola Tiger (Dec 6, 2014)

Mucho Bocho said:


> I've had mine for about two weeks now:
> 
> 172 blade length
> 41mm heel hight
> ...



Nice catch!


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## mark76 (Dec 9, 2014)

In case someone is interested: Carter put up a new batch on his site. http://www.cartercutlery.com/muteki-kitchen/


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## Matus (Dec 10, 2014)

Just a heads up - I have been using my Muteki quite a bit recently and hope to have review before Christmas. So far the knife makes very good impression.


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## johnstoc (Dec 10, 2014)

These look tempting. I'm almost ashamed of the fact that I live ~10 minutes from both Carter's shop and Knives Ship Free storefront. Need to pay them a visit, though my wallet might take a serious hit... Thanks for sharing!


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## marcf (Dec 10, 2014)

Especially for the longer lengths, those look like a deal.


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## Matus (Dec 14, 2014)

A few photos of the Muteki I got:





Next to carbon clad funayuki from Carter:




BW conversion seems to show the difference in the surface finish better (and looks more artsy  ). Left: carbon clad funayuki, Right: stainless clad Muteki:




These two knives are staying with us :happymug:


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## XooMG (Dec 14, 2014)

Bloody hell...I was abstaining totally fine, but then one kinda resonated with me and I foolishly ordered it.


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## Lefty (Dec 14, 2014)

XooMG said:


> Bloody hell...I was abstaining totally fine, but then one kinda resonated with me and I foolishly ordered it.



Oh yeah. That's resonating all the way over here, in Canada too! Beauty.


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## SolidSnake03 (Dec 14, 2014)

Really like the wood used for the handles on these, how it gentle swirls from one color to the next is pretty neat!


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## XooMG (Dec 14, 2014)

Lefty said:


> Oh yeah. That's resonating all the way over here, in Canada too! Beauty.


Pretty sure it's just the ironwood talking, but it's one of my favorite-looking little knives to pop up on his site in a while. Actually saw it yesterday and checked a few times hoping someone would buy it and give me some peace, but nooooo. Hopefully it'll only need a little cleanup work.


SolidSnake03 said:


> Really like the wood used for the handles on these, how it gentle swirls from one color to the next is pretty neat!


Yeah, desert ironwood has become a little cliché for knives but the stuff really can be beautiful.


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## Matus (Dec 14, 2014)

Those ironwood handle are not only great looking, but also feel great in hand. I would only add that the handles on the Mutekin knives are a bit on the small (short) side - something to consider for those with larger hands.


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## eto (Dec 14, 2014)

Just got this little banger! Not a kitchen knife, but neck knife made by one of Murray's apprentice (Muteki). Finish is nice. A good usable knife at a good value. 




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## SolidSnake03 (Dec 14, 2014)

Beautiful! Been lusting after one of these as well, they look quite well done and would serve as a great all purpose knife (outside the kitchen). Cutting up an apple at work?


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## Livlif (Dec 20, 2014)

He added some new ones up. Just in case anyone was looking. At those prices I may order one just cause. Lol


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## apicius9 (Dec 20, 2014)

Some really nice ones out there. That said, I paid $69 for the honesuki from the original older series... Just shows that I am old, I guess.

Stefan


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## Mucho Bocho (Dec 20, 2014)

The handles are shorter than my other knives but I like it. I think that's what makes the Muteke so light and quick in the hand. I prepped a garden salad for one last night and my 172/42 made short work of it. Herbs, radish, carrots, mushroom...zip zip zip

It's my 10YO daughters favorite knife, she says it just feels "best" Daddy. Who am I to argue.


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## RobinW (Dec 21, 2014)

apicius9 said:


> Some really nice ones out there. That said, I paid $69 for the honesuki from the original older series... Just shows that I am old, I guess.
> 
> Stefan



I think I paid $45 for my 5.7Sun Funy (second hand) of the old series.... Guess i'm as old as you!


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## XooMG (Dec 23, 2014)

Just received mine.

Need to decide if I should return or offload on BST.


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## MowgFace (Dec 23, 2014)

XooMG said:


> Just received mine.
> 
> Need to decide if I should return or offload on BST.



Not your thing?


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## XooMG (Dec 23, 2014)

MowgFace said:


> Not your thing?


Yeah I could work with it, bit it's a bit too handle-heavy for me to really want to invest time and energy working on. Some people call it nimble, but I never cared for that kind of balance.


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## XooMG (Dec 23, 2014)

On second thought I think I might give it more of a chance before I dismiss it entirely. Have had a few too many disappointments lately so I'm giving new stuff short shrift.


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## XooMG (Dec 27, 2014)

Looks like mine is staying with me for a while...there's a bit of unevenness to the edge but now it's covered in 100-grit scratches and has a rounded spine/choil and a thinner edge. Took a lot of work and is still not done, but it might turn out pretty decent.

How's everyone else feeling about theirs after some more experience?


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## chinacats (Dec 27, 2014)

It's been a while since I owned a Carter, but wouldn't have thought they'd ever need much thinning to perform well.


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## Mucho Bocho (Dec 27, 2014)

Xoo, I thought your original concern was the knife was too handle heavy? Personally I'm very happy with it. I like light and nimble for certain things. 

How flat are the back bevels? At some point I'll flatten them and was curious if they were concave at all? The right side looks convex and the left mostly flat.


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## XooMG (Dec 27, 2014)

chinacats said:


> It's been a while since I owned a Carter, but wouldn't have thought they'd ever need much thinning to perform well.


These are made by an apprentice, I think. Thickness was acceptable, but I wanted a bit closer to my bigger Carter which is very thin behind the edge. Mostly I wanted to fix some grind wonkiness and improve the finish a little.


Mucho Bocho said:


> Xoo, I thought your original concern was the knife was too handle heavy? Personally I'm very happy with it. I like light and nimble for certain things.
> 
> How flat are the back bevels? At some point I'll flatten them and was curious if they were concave at all? The right side looks convex and the left mostly flat.


Yeah I was initially concerned about the handle-heaviness, but moving my grip back alleviates it somewhat. The handle is pretty comfy for such a grip. I'd still like it balanced a tiny bit further out, but it's totally manageable.

The hira (above the shinogi) on mine are flat, and much wider on the stamp side. Carter & al. don't seem terribly interested in nuanced compound geometry. I am still undecided as to how to work with the hira, as there's some hammer deformation that would take a while to flatten out. Just removing the grind marks from the cladding behind the edge took quite a while.


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## Matus (Dec 28, 2014)

I would only add that my Muteki is indeed slightly thicker (and not only behind the edge) than the Carter funayuki I have, but I would still not call it thick. Now that the core steel got some grey patina from acid foods, it actually looks really nice. The handle is heavier than on the WA Carters what makes the blade of the knife feel 'weightless' up to some extent and probably not everyone likes that, although it does add to the 'nimbleness' of the blade. I like using mine.


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## salmonkiller (Dec 28, 2014)

I snagged one from KSF.So far I am very pleased.There are others up on the Carter site for anyone interested.


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