Carter Cutlery

A very unexpected shopping experience, in the best way possible. I happened to be coming through Council and while stopping for lunch I saw Carter Cutlery was open. I had done some basic research on Carter when they moved to Idaho and knew they made very high end handmade knives, but was otherwise fairly ignorant to their allure. Since all I knew of Carter Cutlery was that Murray Carter was world renowned in his craft, I’ll be brutally honest in saying that I had low expectations for my anticipated shopping experience, I.E. mostly a gallery of items that are not for sale, guarded by a bored shop attendant who didn’t really know much; Luckily my assumptions couldn’t have been farther from the truth, and instead of a bored shop attendant, one of the Muteki Bladesmiths, Taylor Shields, came out from the shop and began showing both his extensive knowledge and the obvious passion for his craft. I have never carried a fixed blade knife, so I had lots of questions, and honestly I wasn’t expecting to buy anything, but after talking with Taylor i was so fascinated by the knives that it felt wrong not to leave with one (or two). As Taylor answered my questions, he took me to the back shop area, talked about their forging and shaping process, and went through different blade materials, grinds, shapes and size. My budget took me away from the stunning Master-Crafted Damascus blades (which are well worth their cost and which I hope to someday own) but when a dedicated craftsman is standing at the counter showing you beautiful knives that he has made himself, it is impossible not to be drawn in. Ultimately I picked up two knives handmade by Taylor, a unique Signature for myself, and a Muteki Mini-Aviator for my wife. With the sale already made, Taylor’s dedication to his craft showed again when he carefully sharpened both of my knives, talking me through their world famous sharpening process as he did so. I can think of no higher praise than to let the beauty of the knives speak for themselves, adding that any cost barriers are easy to leap when you consider that they are hand made in Idaho by a dedicated craftsman, be that Murray Carter or one of his dedicated Appreciates. In Summary, thank you Taylor, both for your amazing knives, but also for making my overall in-store buying experience so memorable. It’s too soon to give a proper review of the knives, but I have very high expectations!

World class, artful craftsmanship. We watched Murray forge a knife live in the workshop. A truly amazing experience. He holds live demonstrations and knife sharpening courses. Incredible craftsmanship on display. Every knife has a story.

We drove up to Carter Cutlery from Mesa, AZ visit and see Murray’s knives after seeing this on CBS Saturday morning news show. It was not a disappointment in any way! We actually had a very nice tour of his place by Murray himself. I had no idea there was so much to making a hand forged knife. We actually purchased two of his beautiful knives!

We got to watch a great video of what it takes to make a knife. Very nice walk through of the processes of becoming a knife. Worth the time to take the tour.

You really can't get any better than a Murray Carter knife. His knives are hand-made with the highest degree of skill and craftsmanship, learned over decades of experience. Murray himself is a good man, fair and generous. I am proud to own one of his knives.

I have purchased a few of Murray’s knives and razors even bought a spoon from him over the years and I can say all his stuff is 100% top notch. But what I really like about Carter Cutlery is the family feeling that we as customers get to enjoy. I am in the process of getting another knife from them and to my surprise I was able to talk to Murray’s son Tetsuo. Who is very patient and professional with his customers. That to me is a big plus in this day age Thank you again Tetsuo.👍

The knifes at Carter Cutlery are exceptional. You can not only see the quality with your eyes but feel it in your hand. A custom knife is a perfect gift for any big occasion. Graduation, promotion, retirement, birthday or even Christmas. I would recommend checking them out 10/10

Proud to own one of his knives, very light, extremely sharp, and its stayed that way for the few years I've had it. I was extremely disappointed when I seen Murray on Forged in Fire and didn't win the contest. You'd think a master smith would be a slam dunk especially because there are so few in the world.