Spyderco Forums

Anyone else been using the M398 lately? I've swapped it to my primary use knife and I've been more impressed as I use it more. Stays sharp a long time, zero corrosion problems so far, and my favorite thing is it cuts frozen meat without much wear. It was a bit of a learning curve to figure out how t...

I'd definitely be interested in a mule along these lines. Really enjoying peformance of SRS13/SUS405 and AEB-L mules. Larrin's tests suggest potential and Spyderco has shown to deliver excellent quality.

Some additional thoughts after another field test with a pre-Christmas buck harvest: As discussed above, K294 would be a good field knife for the start of the process. Great for cutting but lost sharpness very quick on aggressive scrapes and chops. I would definitely carry a secondary knife that's s...

Some thoughts after a recent doe harvest (woohoo!): SRS-13/SUS405 is a fine field knife for dry conditions. Easy opening cuts and even made it through the sternum of a yearling doe with minimal edge damage. Lasted field to freezer last year but wanted to give another steel a chance. This time around...

So, did tried to force a patina with cranberry juice yesterday. Four hours, clean and dry, another two to get some depth. Here's what it looks like compared to REX 76: https://i.postimg.cc/rR94fQy3/IMG-20230907-205432232.jpg Experiment to see if it helps with corrosion resistance as I plan to get th...

Looking for a little guidance on how to handle rust underneath scales. Located in warm coastal area with higher humidity (five miles inland) and they are stored in climate controlled area. Mules are used in kitchen work, box cutting, woodwork, camping, hunting, etc but are usually home inside at the...

Found this little gem of a quote from Phil Wilson in a link from Larrin's article on 10V (aka K294 coming soon): "This is a steel for an avid hunter or guide who wants a blade for field dressing, skinning and boning, that cuts and holds an edge above everything else." In terms of real life...

I don't have a lot of defined testing but tend to agree. I've kept the already thin factory edge have probably gone a few degrees more. It maintains a polished edge very well for things like splitting smoking wood chunks down into smaller sticks. Taking it out into the woods or backyard to work in a...

Thanks Traditional Sharpening! A plain 36" x 24" x 8" box showed up today that wasn't shipped far and didn't have much tape, so it was time to test the M398 mule. With 25% chromium and 5% vanadium carbides (according to the zknives website) and sharpened to 17dps, and I planned to see...

https://i.postimg.cc/8fs28Pcy/IMG-20230603-102525733-HDR-01-03.jpg The Mule Team blades are a great way to learn about and get hands on experience with new steels. Sure it'd be more efficient to just use a hatchet, but trying to baton oak with a 3.5" AEB-L leaf blade teaches you about yourself...

Brought the mules on a camping trip and had a chance to baton the AEB-L on cedar and oak firewood. Cedar was quick and pleasant, while the oak took a bit more work. No observable damage so far, even hammering on the tip because the blade is a bit short for the wood. Will post more images and updates...

Finally got a cardboard box without too much ink, glue, labels for the compost. Was pretty impressed with this morning's box so first to sharpen the AEB-L... Sharpening No way to measure the angle so used the sharpie method. Came off with pretty easy work on the medium BenchStone. Maybe 5-10 minutes...

Awesome write up weeping minora. Learned a lot by reading about your tests and sharpening steps. No chance to resharpen yet but did have a nice shipping box arrive: https://i.postimg.cc/DJTWbXZv/IMG-20230502-144610382.jpg Very easy to turn into this: https://i.postimg.cc/62f8Vp2d/IMG-20230504-092555...

Just a quick update on the BenchStone arrival. Magnificent performance on a quick resharpening of SRS13/SUS405 mule. Excellent feedback from the stone and the steel was very easy to sharpen. Hoping to get a bit more time to properly polish, but pleased with the quick time and effort put in vs result...

Thanks, Sal. Ordered one of those as well with the BenchStone. Your knives are also superb at making order receipts disappear very quickly :)

Really appreciate all the help from the Mule Team!

I plan to, tcarltonw. Believe me. Thank you for the CPM Rex 76 data point.

Thanks to you, too, Greg! And if she does at least you know the knife will be sharp!

Thanks for the response. I definitely appreciate that point of view. Plenty of experience sharpening various hand tools with all sorts of files, grinders, stones, etc. Never really gave consideration to angles much before or had particularly nice steels like this where it seems to make a difference ...

Wanted to inquire about sharpening angles before this BenchStone arrives. Most of the mules have stayed far too sharp for my beginner status but it's really looking like time for a proper sharpening on my Mules. Specifically I have a SRS13/SUS 405, CPM Rex 76, M398 and the new AEB-L and was wonderin...

Thanks weeping minora for confirming the edge might need some work. Just hadn't had a chance over the busy weekend and need some quiet time to make sure I keep all my finger tips on. Ordered a BenchStone as it's time to really start sharpening and not just maintaining these mules with what I have ly...

Definitely on par with all the other mules received from Spyderco. Very nice fine grain structure by visible. Performed spectacular on the taco prep test. Very curious to test it with the more acute edge. Want to keep it at the factory edge for now to compare with the other mules. Also maybe a corro...