I've had three Meiji aeb-l 10" 8" 6", and two Damascus SG2 10" and 6" so far ... sadly no personal experience with carbon, yet!
I hear carbon one is an amazing cutter, though on a heavier side of things. Don't know about food release. I did hear from several people that if you're good at thinning it you can get to near-real-kramer perf. Apparently holds an edge longer than even damascus sg2 one .. or I should say 'feels' sharper for longer.
Damascus acid etch does have friction through food .. goes away after months of use though. Don't try to polish it off faster, it will ruin the look. SG2 is great for me, though grind is a bit fat, it does wedge. The handle is fine, though there's a slight step in pins. It is, most certainly, striking to look at.
Meiji, while thinnest of all 3 types (only by a little) and isn't really thin, also slightly wedges through food. Amazingly comfortable handle for me though. Good looking to my eyes.
10" models have a great 5.5" flat spot (should be the same on carbon, so consider that if you need some flat)
8" are quite nimble for their weight, great balance, flat spot is smaller, but still there. The belly is usable, even though I like flat knives.
6" is too curvy on Meiji for me, but not so bad on Damascus, thought I'd prefer flatter still.
The height on all models is addictive .. anything less then 45mm now feels like a petty.