Mule Team

A place to share your experience with our Mule Team knives.
MacLaren
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Mule Team

#1

Post by MacLaren »

Did the Mule Team program get put to rest?
I still have my K390 mule. That was such a great program.
Would've liked to have got the Cobalt Special and some others.
Wander if Sal might consider some re-runs of select Mules...
TomAiello
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Re: Mule Team

#2

Post by TomAiello »

I think there was a lot of fluctuation in demand. Some models would be gone in seconds (and get flipped on eBay minutes later), and some would sit around in inventory forever. I felt like the production numbers might have been pushed up later in the series as an anti-flipping measure (more total knives so flippers couldn't buy them all out and mark them up), which left Spyderco with a bunch more inventory sitting around.

I bought every one from about 12 onward. I really liked the program.

I'm still hoping that Spyderco revives the program with something like a UKPK handle, so more people could EDC them, and to make the steel less of an investment for them.
MacLaren
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Re: Mule Team

#3

Post by MacLaren »

Thanx Tom. I appreciate the info man.
I'm with you in hoping that it gets revived.
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legOFwhat?
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Re: Mule Team

#4

Post by legOFwhat? »

I was late to the MT party and really hate that it's ended. I picked up 6 PD#1's and 2 PMA11's and enjoy them as kit knives and making different scales for them. I'm now around 25 different sets now for no other reason but to learn the different handle materials, ergonomics and figure out which materials I like best. It's a fun little hobby.

I would love to get other mules like Maxamet, 4v, Damascus, M4, M390, K390 and superblue. Would it be hard to do sprint runs with mules of old?
-Larry
Hebrews 13:6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
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Tucson Tom
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Re: Mule Team

#5

Post by Tucson Tom »

Yes indeed, it is too bad the project has been mothballed. I have never heard an official statement as to why, but there has been lots of plausible speculation. For that matter, I don't think there has been any real statement that it is over and done (but I am probably wrong about that).

I was late to the Mule Team party and enjoyed my brief involvement. I still fully intend to work up some of the blades I have. There is/was a great thread with people showing the amazing work they had done with their mules. I have often wondered if it went a different direction than was intended. The intent was to get different steels in the hands of end users and get their feedback. I don't think there was much feedback. There was lots of collecting, and some flipping. They became poker chips in a collectors game. The best thing I saw out of it was some of the superb craft work in the thread I mentioned.
MacLaren
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Re: Mule Team

#6

Post by MacLaren »

I think I wound up with 2 maybe 3 mules.
As mentioned before, I still have my k390 version and, use it a lot.
I love k390 & 10V. ( k2 )
The other I remember having was the Maxamet. But, I sold it as new. Since I decided against using it, I wasnt gonna go to the trouble of getting handles and a sheath.
I may of had a 3rd mule but, I dont recall which it was.
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legOFwhat?
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Re: Mule Team

#7

Post by legOFwhat? »

Tucson Tom wrote:
Mon Mar 04, 2019 11:48 am
Yes indeed, it is too bad the project has been mothballed. I have never heard an official statement as to why, but there has been lots of plausible speculation. For that matter, I don't think there has been any real statement that it is over and done (but I am probably wrong about that).

I was late to the Mule Team party and enjoyed my brief involvement. I still fully intend to work up some of the blades I have. There is/was a great thread with people showing the amazing work they had done with their mules. I have often wondered if it went a different direction than was intended. The intent was to get different steels in the hands of end users and get their feedback. I don't think there was much feedback. There was lots of collecting, and some flipping. They became poker chips in a collectors game. The best thing I saw out of it was some of the superb craft work in the thread I mentioned.
That thread is what started me wanting to learn! Hope to get half as good at making handles as the folks in that thread.
-Larry
Hebrews 13:6 So we may boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”
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yablanowitz
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Re: Mule Team

#8

Post by yablanowitz »

Well, Sal has referred to the Mule Team project in the past tense, so I'm guessing it has run its course. He cited slow sales for the last few releases as the reason they were not doing anything more with it. I was in on it from the beginning and have two complete sets.
TomAiello
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Re: Mule Team

#9

Post by TomAiello »

The k390 Mule was really an eye opening experience for me. It was the first time I had used a steel with really good edge retention. I still carry mine from time to time. I was actually thinking of sending it to Josh at REK to get it DLC'd, and trying to put together some nice blue/black contoured G-10 scales like the Bradford 3D scales (I have a guardian 3 in v4e with DLC and blue/black 3d scales that I really enjoy, and I'd love to put some of those touches onto my k390 Mule).
koenigsegg
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Re: Mule Team

#10

Post by koenigsegg »

Sal should run a kickstarter and see if it has enough traction lol
S30V, VG10, M4, XHP, BD1, Cruwear, Elmax, Maxamet, 204P, H1, K390, A11, Rex45, LC200N, M390, 20CV, BD1N, S45VN waiting to afford MagnaCut
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Bloke
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Re: Mule Team

#11

Post by Bloke »

MacLaren wrote:
Mon Mar 04, 2019 11:58 am
I still have ...
Image
A day without laughter is a day wasted. ~ Charlie Chaplin
Kyle8734
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Re: Mule Team

#12

Post by Kyle8734 »

Yea I'm pretty sad it has ended. I didn't start buying Spydercos or any other good quality knives until about two years ago so I missed out on a lot of the different mules. On the upside tho I am very happy that I was able to pick up three of them, RWL-34, LC200N, and CPM-20CV. They are very good slicers I will say, I use them alot in the kitchen.
MacLaren
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Re: Mule Team

#13

Post by MacLaren »

Bloke wrote:
Mon Mar 04, 2019 4:45 pm
MacLaren wrote:
Mon Mar 04, 2019 11:58 am
I still have ...
Image
Hehehe.....my main man Bloke! :D
MacLaren
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Re: Mule Team

#14

Post by MacLaren »

Kyle8734 wrote:
Mon Mar 04, 2019 5:51 pm
Yea I'm pretty sad it has ended. I didn't start buying Spydercos or any other good quality knives until about two years ago so I missed out on a lot of the different mules. On the upside tho I am very happy that I was able to pick up three of them, RWL-34, LC200N, and CPM-20CV. They are very good slicers I will say, I use them alot in the kitchen.
Dude! Your post jogged my memory. I had an RWL-34 Mule too.
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Tucson Tom
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Re: Mule Team

#15

Post by Tucson Tom »

The LC200N mule is my regular kitchen knife. I use it pretty much every day. I used the PMA11 mule in the kitchen for quite a while until someone mentioned that you should check under the scales for hidden rust -- and sure enough, there was a fair bit of rust going on entirely out of sight. Not much chance of that with LC200N.
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shunsui
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Re: Mule Team

#16

Post by shunsui »

I could be wrong, but it seemed like sales stagnated after they started selling the handles and sheaths on spyderco.com. I think people got sticker shock at the total price instead of the good deal the knives were.

I use an S90V mule in the kitchen for a paring knife/steak knife with no handle and it works great. Been using it for a few years now and one of these days I should sharpen it.
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Crux
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Re: Mule Team

#17

Post by Crux »

Sad, I liked the program a lot. I think it's a good solid design.
Attachments
Mule CF_.jpg
Can you find it and can it cut? :eek:
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sal
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Re: Mule Team

#18

Post by sal »

Nothing lasts forever. I believe we still have inventory of older Mule Teams.

sal
tjsblade
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Re: Mule Team

#19

Post by tjsblade »

sal wrote:
Wed Mar 06, 2019 7:30 pm
Nothing lasts forever. I believe we still have inventory of older Mule Teams.

sal
I think only #22 and #27 on the website show as in stock. I haven't looked for a while.
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swigert
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Re: Mule Team

#20

Post by swigert »

sal wrote:
Wed Mar 06, 2019 7:30 pm
Nothing lasts forever. I believe we still have inventory of older Mule Teams.

sal
What exactly does this mean? Do you guys have stock of the early steels?
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