Mcusta

Mcusta Tactility Review

Last Updated: August 3, 2019
I recently reviewed a Mcusta MC-1 and I was impressed by this relatively little-known Japanese knife manufacturer. Based out of Seki, Japan, Mcusta is part of the city’s proud cutlery making tradition that began hundreds of years ago. If you haven’t checked out my MC-1 review yet, I loved the high end materials and modern manufacturing integrated into its classic design.

Buy the Mcusta Tactility at BladeHQ

Buy on Amazon

Today I am looking at another knife from Mcusta, the Tactility. I had high hopes for the Tactility and it didn’t let me down, so lets dive right into the review.

Purpose

As the name suggests, the Tactility is designed to be a tactical knife. However, I would narrow that down to “fighting knife” or “emergency tactical” – I would reserve it as a last ditch defensive tool. It is a very well made knife, but it is slim and lightweight and has a fragile tip. This isn’t a knife you would want to bring into the dark heart of war. Rather I see this as a highly specialized fighting blade.

Also, because this knife is so beautiful, it easily fills the role of a collectible. It’s an exquisite knife, balanced and light. Many people will want the Tactility just for their collection.

I do not recommend this knife for EDC. The blade is almost 4″ long and has little belly. The choil is set back on the handle and is designed to maximize reach. Sure, nothing is preventing you from EDCing this knife – and I certainly wouldn’t try and stop you, but to me this is not an EDC knife.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The Tactility has an overall length of 8.2″ and a weight of 3.4 ounces. The 3.75″ blade is a modified drop point design with a partial hollow grind. The blade design has a very sharp point, ideal for for piercing movements, while the long swedge reduces weight and provides strength down to the tip. The hollow ground blade is pretty thin, which makes this knife an excellent slicer. This knife practically melts through paper, the point is so fine and the edge is so keen. It cuts like nothing I have seen before.

You have a couple options for the blade steel, both of which center around VG-10. You can get plain VG-10 or a laminated blade; damascus over a VG-10 core (shown in the photographs). VG-10 is a proven steel that I have written on at length. Suffice to say, I like VG-10 a lot. Mcusta applies an excellent heat treat so the extreme sharpness, edge retention and corrosion resistance that you expect from a VG-10 blade is in full effect with the Tactility.

Handle, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip

The handle of the Tactility is ultra slim and can come in a variety of different handle scale materials (various colors of corian or micarta in addition to several hardwood options) over solid steel liners. The handle is a pillar, or flow through design (which I love) that is held together by 3 torx bolts and provides for a clean look and easy maintenance. The liners haven’t been milled out, which would typically be a complaint, but the knife is still a mere 3.4 ounces so I can’t complain. One thing I like about liners that aren’t milled out is that they are very easy to clean.

One thing to notice is the absence of a lanyard hole with this knife. I would never put a lanyard on this knife, but I know some people like the option so I wanted to mention it.

As far as ergonomics are concerned, when you consider the primary purpose of the Tactility, Mcusta did a good job with this knife. The handle is spacious allowing for comfortable forward and reverse grips. I like how the wood has been nicely contoured and features 4 finger grooves that fit the hand very well. There is a large choil that sits about an inch back on the handle. It makes choking up on the blade unnatural but it maximizes reach – critical for a tactical knife like this.

There isn’t much of a thumb ramp, and the only jimping is found on the liner. Given the position of the choil, I find the jiming more than adequate.

The Tactility has a very nice pocket clip. I like how it allows for reversible tip up carry. It rides ultra deep and has a classy decorative look to it – more of that laser cut steel for you. I found clip retention to be very good.

Deployment and Lock

Depeding on if you get the VG-10 or Damascus version the Tactility has either dual thumb studs or a nice “modified spyder-hole” for deployment. The hole looks something like a half moon and allows for very easy ambidextrous one hand opening. The thumb studs (shown) are oversized and mine were made of blued titanium. Mcusta uses their signature teflon washer system for “buttery smooth” opening. This knife deploys quickly and quietly. While the teflon washers may be a departure from what we are used to seeing, they do an excellent job getting the blade out of the handle.

The Tactility uses a very strong liner lock. Mine locked up super early and there was no blade play at all. When you deploy the knife it makes a soft “click” – very stealthy. I was super impressed with the lockup and included a picture to show you what I am talking about.

Mcusta Tactility Review – Final Thoughts

The Tactility is just an outstanding knife. The tolerances, finish and materials are all top notch. It’s going to be hard to find a deadlier folding knife in this price range. If you are looking for an all out weapon of a knife and enjoy extreme craftsmanship, the Tactility could be the knife for you. That said, for those seeking a “hard use” folder or tactical knife, I don’t think this would be the best fit. I don’t think it’s a fragile knife, but find this knife better suited to the collector or someone wanting a high end EDC or a gentleman’s folder tactical knife.

As far as value is concerned, at the time of this article this knife can be found in the $130-150 range depending on configuration. At that price I think this knife is a great value. I would liken the build quality to a comparably priced Spyderco (which is superb), and I rank these among the highest quality production folders money can buy. For those on the fence, I suggest taking the plunge because you will not be disappointed with this knife.

Mcusta MCU122DR Damascus Tactility

Crafted from the highest quality materials
Built for performance and durability
Made in Japan

I recommend purchasing the Mcusta Tactility at Amazon or BladeHQ.

Mcusta MC-1 Review

by Dan Jackson 4 Comments

Nestled in the heart of Seki Japan, Mcusta has been a part of Japan’s renown knifemaking industry since 1964. Often compared to Solingen, Germany, Seki is a knife-nut’s dream. Rich in resources such as iron sand, charcoal and water, Seki has been the center of Japanese cutlery production for over 780 years.

Buy the Mcusta MC-1 at BladeHQ

Buy on Amazon

The odd thing is, when most American knife enthusiasts hear about Seki-City, Spyderco is often the first company to come to mind. Indeed, Spyderco has recently been producing some beautiful knives in Seki City, but their roots are 100% American. On the other hand, Mcusta’s roots run deep into the Seki-City soil, and the company has only recently arrived on to US market.

Today for your consideration is the Mcusta MC-1 series knife. This is actually their “Basic Series” folder although what you get is anything but basic. For those seeking a gentleman’s folder or a high end EDC option I highly recommend the MC-1. There are some interesting nuances that differentiate this knife from the typical “American Style” folder. Follow along as I share with you what I like so much about these simple Japanese blades.

General Dimensions and Blade Details

The MC-1 has a 4.25″ handle, a 3.25″ blade, an overall length of 7.5″ and a weight of 3.4 ounces. To me these are almost ideal proportions perfect for EDC, and the knife is large enough to potentially be used as an emergency tactical knife (not recommended, but it’s better than nothing). The MC-1 features a plain edge drop point blade with a fine tip and a flat grind starting 3/4 of the way up the blade. This blade, like all of the metal components in Mcusta knives, is laser cut for a precision fit.

For blade material Mcusta gives you the option of solid VG-10 or the handsome laminated damascus and VG-10 option shown above. This laminated knife is actually a core of VG-10 sandwiched in between 2 pieces of 33 layer nickle damascus and heat-treated to a Rockwell hardness of 59-60. This results in a visually stunning blade that is also very functional. As far as the steel goes, I love VG-10, it’s a very tough steel that can get wicked sharp and has excellent edge retention. Some find it a bit of a chore to sharpen, but I have never had a problem unless I let the knife get way too dull.

Handle, Ergonomics and Pocket Clip

Mcusta offers a wide range of handle scale materials including micarta, Corian (an interesting option) and a variety of exotic hardwoods. The knife featured in this review has African Ebony scales and the photograph below shows some of the other options. These scales are fitted over more laser cut steel and are hand finished. The simple pillar construction is a clean look that allows for easy maintenance. The knife is bolted together so if you wanted to, you could take it completely apart for a full cleaning. I’ve noticed that the liners aren’t milled out, but at 3.4 ounces the weight of this knife is still more than acceptable to me.

As far as ergonomics are concerned the handles feature some deep finger grooves for comfort and control. These grooves provide good grip in both forward and reverse holds. One thing to notice is the distinct lack of jimping on the thumb ramp (to dismay of some I am sure). In fact, there isn’t much of a thumb ramp at all. For a classier knife, I don’t think you really need it, but Mcusta does make some other models with these features (I’ll be reviewing a tactical version soon) if you want something with a little more utility.

Pocket clips are almost always a source of issues and the MC-1 is no exception. The good news is that this clip is both sturdy and elegant. Also, the clip is positioned at the very top of the handle so the knife practically disappears into a pocket. The bad news is that the clip is absolutely not reversible and only accomidates tip down right pocket carry. Notches have been cut into the handle to accommodate this “low rider” clip so flipping it over for left pocket carry is simply not an option. This is disheartening for me and the other lefties out there, but thankfully Mcusta offers other knives with a reversible clip (better than nothing).

Deployment and Lockup

The MC-1’s blade is deployed with a flick of a thumb stud. Deployment is silky smooth thanks to a teflon washer system. Teflon is a departure from the phosphor bronze washers found in most high end knives, but the deployment is still incredibly fast. I haven’t heard of any issues (either short term or long) with these teflon washers. The blade is locked in place with a thick liner lock. This is a very solid liner lock that is capable of taking some abuse and there is zero play in the blade.

Mcusta MC-1 Review – Final Thoughts

One thing that needs to be commented on here is value. Depending on the materials you can pick buy a new MC-1 for as low as $90 and they top out at around $140. When you consider the materials and workmanship involved here this strikes me as an incredible value.

Also, I have to say that it’s been a while since I’ve been so moved by a knife. You really need to see one of these in person to understand where I am coming from. I’ll admit that I am a sucker for hardwood handles, but the simple design and beautiful craftsmanship really hits home with me.

Of course, the MC-1 isn’t without fault, and my main contention is the non-ambidextrous pocket clip. Others may like to see more jimping, milled liners and perhaps even phosphor bronze washers (I’m curious to see how the teflon washers will stand up to the test of time). I’ll concede that these are valid concerns however, lets not forget the purpose of this knife and also consider the potential differences in the Japanese knifemaking industry. My guess is that the physical disconnect between Mcusta and the American market is largely to blame.

In my Mcusta Tactility review I explore a knife that addresses some of my perceived issues with the MC-1.

Mcusta Basic MC-14DR Indian Rosewood Dasmascus w/Clip

I recommend purchasing the Mcusta MC-1 at BladeHQ or Amazon. BladeHQ has a great selection of Mcusta knives in general, and their customer service is bar none. Buying anything through any of the links on this site earns the site a small commission at absolutely zero additional cost to you. This is how I keep the site running. Thank you very much for any and all support.