I've handled a couple. As a general rule, unless you want something very definite you're not going to get a lot of bang for the buck from a custom knife compared to a better mass-produced knife.
Decent but not spectacular ergonomics. The grip is comfortable, but nothing to write home about. MAC, Masamoto, and Misono are better. Alphabetical, too.
Decent, but not spectacular geometry. Okay, better than a Wusthof, but not what you'd call really agile. Actually, your Global is better in that respect. So are a lot of other knives.
A little thicker than average compared to the better Japanese knives, so they don't have the edge capacity which super-thinness (like a Tadatsuna) lends.
CUT's longest semi-customs are too short for a "go to gyuto," at least to my taste. Personally, I want something 10" or better, and in most of the good technicians I know want the same.
He uses CPM 154 almost or entirely exclusively, like it or don't. A lot of people like metallurgical powders because of their capacity to be taken to high Rockwell Hardness numbers and their relatively fine grain. But they have their problems, some more than others. I'm not thrilled by any metallurgical powder, although Crucible's current production CPM154 is one of the least objectionable.
If I were spending $350+ for a semi-custom knife from a western maker I'd rather have a Harner, Haslinger or a Kramer (to name just three) than a CUT. That's not a criticism so much as a statement of personal taste. The real point is that for that kind of money, you should get exactly whatever it is that you want. No compromises. None. Of course, I'm not about to spend that kind of money on a knife.
What else do you want to know?
BDL
