Any opinions on the Spyderco Murray Carter kitchen knives?

Daniel L

Daniel L

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I posted a thread in the Spyderco forum... There's not much online feedback about these knives.

I'm personally interested in the nakiri and/or the funayuki, in the Wakiita range, which is plain black G10 handles with stainless CTS BD1N steel.

With names like Murray Carter and Spyderco involved, I'd expect a lot from them (and reflected somewhat in the price.)

Any thoughts or owners out there?
 
Been working with a cross section of models for about 6 months now. Not real happy with them compared to either real Carters or a lot of the better lines coming out of Japan. If you want a good nakri get a Watanable 180.
 
I've got the full set; I'm also a Spyderco fan so it's fitting to my other collected knives. I've been using them for about a month and find they are great cutters. I able to find them for less than their standard pricing which is below below MSRP. I'm not certain how they compare to the upgraded Murray Carter collection from Spyderco. They are high quality knives and I expect them to last for the rest of my life and be handed on to family. The Nakiri is really nice for push cutting and I use if for all my vegetable prep. It's so pleasant to use I've noticed I've started using more veggies in my meals because of it. I've not used the Funayuki yet but it looks perfect for smaller chores.

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Overpriced is the first thing that comes to my mind Haha, sorry...

If you can get them discounted (KC has kitchen sales frequently) then they're good to go!
 
I've had the Superblue Funayuki for about a year and it's performed well, but I agree that the price is too high. I intended to get the set, but I've found a better balance between price and performance in custom pieces.
 
Dergyll said:
Overpriced is the first thing that comes to my mind Haha, sorry...

If you can get them discounted (KC has kitchen sales frequently) then they're good to go!
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Discounted is the way to go; the more the better. Aside from price any complaints? BTW, sorry to open an older thread.
 
Easy_rider said:
I'd love to get opinions on those too
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We've had the knives for a bit over a month. Not everyone who buys kitchen knives is willing to pay the price for Spyderco high end blades. As with all their knives Spyderco has different price points for their kitchen cutlery. I was looking for some higher end knives and I'm a Spderco fan so these were a natural. As far as performance they cut like crazy and so far they are the sharpest kitchen knives I've ever experienced. Everyone in our household loves to use them. My daughter was preparing green beans for Easter dinner and commented how much easier the task was with these knives. I cut onions in paper thin slivers for inclusion in omelets which is something I've never experienced prior. Basically if there's a kitchen cutting chore they're up to the task. (Carving Easter dinner was a breeze for example.) So as others have said, there are more cost effective solutions for kitchen cutlery but none that I'm aware of which are as prestigious for the knife collector (perhaps I'll get educated on this). There are also more expensive Spyderco offerings but for this collector these well serve my purpose.
 
Purchased the Super Blue Gyuto when they were first released and I absolutely love it. It's the first knife I reach for anytime I'm cooking dinner. Nice and thin stock, with a heat treat by Spyderco, so you know it's good. The Super Blue steel performs exactly as expected. It doesn't hold an edge for all that long, but it is ridiculously easy to get and keep razer sharp. It cuts like a freaking laser. At $400, the Super Blue version is a bit pricey but I got mine with a 20% off coupon that brought it down to $320. If you could find a similar deal on the BD1N version, I would jump all over that. They have a lot more competition at full price.

The Gyuto is a LOT more patinaed these days, lol.
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I like the Carter blade over the Kramer, esthetics-wise. I also like the shape of the blade a little more on the Carter. Kramer's heel/choil looks funky and breaks up the flowing lines of the blade. I'm not big on all that gold bling either. Carter's Wa handle is pretty sweet looking as well.
 
Bestech just came out with a new line called the Xin with very similar aesthetic at a good price, go check it out.
 
Dergyll said:
Bestech just came out with a new line called the Xin with very similar aesthetic at a good price, go check it out.
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I just looked these up... 304 stainless in a knife? Am I missing something??? Bestech typically has my respect when it comes to careful execution, but on top of being a rip-off of a collaboration I respect the lack of care in specifying materials is pretty worrying. If you can't afford the mid-tier factory-made Spyderco version, there are a thousand better choices than a clone made of mystery steel.
 
I actually have both the small and large, they're pretty nice! It's 304Cu and noticed it's not very magnetic so I couldn't stick them onto my knife magnet. I'll report back if theres something weird about that steel.
 
Dergyll said:
I actually have both the small and large, they're pretty nice! It's 304Cu and noticed it's not very magnetic so I couldn't stick them onto my knife magnet. I'll report back if theres something weird about that steel.
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The specs i have seen for 304Cu isn't quench hardenable it has so little carbon that the amount can be considered negligible, practically no nitrogen, and no other elements that could be used to increase the hardness to any significant degree. So unless the 304Cu is just the cladding( any 304 stainless would make an excellent choice for cladding) the edge retention would be abysmal, so if your knife holds an edge at least as well as a knife made out of rebar(which almost always is going to have more than the .08% carbon of 304Cu) then it probably has some other mystery steel for the edge material.
 
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Dergyll said:
Bestech just came out with a new line called the Xin with very similar aesthetic at a good price, go check it out.
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Hard pass on those. If you want cheap Asian styled kitchen knives you can hit up Amazon and find stuff that looks just like those for less money. Then you can be happy that you have a knife that has "a similar asthetic" to a high quality knife.

But don't stop there; you can fill your whole life with knockoffs if you try hard.
 
No problem Danke. I feel like bestech is not so bad with quality so I bought a pair to give to my mom, she loves trying new kitchen knives.

Speaking of that, I just noticed TwoSun starting a line of kitchen knives as well! Haha, now if only WE Knife Media WE Knife Media would make one too :P
 
Daniel L said:
I posted a thread in the Spyderco forum... There's not much online feedback about these knives.

I'm personally interested in the nakiri and/or the funayuki, in the Wakiita range, which is plain black G10 handles with stainless CTS BD1N steel.

With names like Murray Carter and Spyderco involved, I'd expect a lot from them (and reflected somewhat in the price.)

Any thoughts or owners out there?
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I know this is a bit of a zombie thread, but thought I'd post as I have used a couple of these knives for a few months now. I have the bunka bocho, funayuki, and petty. The Funayuki is my most used one of the three. Works very well for most of my use. The G10 handles are classy and understated. I massively prefer it to the pakkawood that is common on some other Japanese knives that I have used. The balance and comfort of all 3 knives are excellent. I am no expert in kitchen cutlery, and especially Japanese style knives, but I have been completely satisfied with these knives. They maybe aren't the best value but they seemed like what I was looking for and so far have lived up to that.
 
Going to add that I have the BD1N versions. I don't have the patience to deal with non stainless steels in the kitchen. No complaints with the BD1N so far.
 
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