The Canadian Bushcraft Test

A place to share your experience with our Mule Team knives.
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FullScaler
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The Canadian Bushcraft Test

#1

Post by FullScaler »

I finally got a chance to get out and give my SPY27 Mule its first good usage. I gave it a quick wrap with some tarp twine I had but plan on putting a proper handle on it soon.

The factory edge came pretty sharp out of the box but it is definitely a very striated edge. If it is anything like my Para3 in SPY27 then it will definitely perform better with a finer edge on it.

It didn't get any seriously abusive work done with it, but I shaved a bunch of feathersticks, battoned a bit of wood, and chopped a few chunks at a pretty obtuse angle. I was mostly working with cedar but also some pretty sappy Douglas Fir Fatwood that was pretty hard.

Overall it did good, no discernable rolls or chips. The ergo's are ok but the handle is a bit small for my hands. I much prefer my Military sized handle but once I put some wood or stone scales on it I am sure it will be better.

I want to use it a few more times for similar tasks so I can start to get an idea of its overall edge holding ability for bushcraft type tasks.
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Swincher.2
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Re: The Canadian Bushcraft Test

#2

Post by Swincher.2 »

The spy27 seems to be giving the s30v a run for its money.
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FullScaler
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Re: The Canadian Bushcraft Test

#3

Post by FullScaler »

Swincher.2 wrote:
Sun Apr 04, 2021 9:02 am
The spy27 seems to be giving the s30v a run for its money.
Definitely! I have quite a few knives in S30V and think it is a very well balanced steel overall for the price. After carrying the Para3 in SPY27 for a couple months I think it compares well and actually outperforms S30V in a few areas. It is pretty subjective but so far I am really liking it.

I am looking forward to testing the SPY27 Mule some more to see how it holds up to more bushcraft related tasks vs my everyday tasks the Para3 was used for.
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sal
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Re: The Canadian Bushcraft Test

#4

Post by sal »

Hi FullScaler,

Good stuff! Thanx much for the effort and Thanx fer sharin'

sal
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Re: The Canadian Bushcraft Test

#5

Post by FullScaler »

sal wrote:
Mon Apr 05, 2021 7:27 pm
Hi FullScaler,

Good stuff! Thanx much for the effort and Thanx fer sharin'

sal
You betcha Sal. That's what it is all about right? Real world experience of different people using Mules for all kinds of different tasks.

Thanks to you too for the opportunity for us knife afi's to get our hands on all these different cool steels.
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Bolster
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Re: The Canadian Bushcraft Test

#6

Post by Bolster »

Another thank you for the test!

Comment: If the grip isn't filling your hand sufficiently, why not size up your cordage? Or double-wrap? I think Yab has a cord-wrapping how-to somewhere in this sub-forum, no?

For the record, the mule grip is a bit *large* for my hands and I have liked the results when I shave off some of the pregnant-cow shape in the middle of the grip...

...no disrespect to pregnancy or cows, they're both awesome...
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FullScaler
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Re: The Canadian Bushcraft Test

#7

Post by FullScaler »

Bolster wrote:
Tue Apr 06, 2021 5:17 pm
Another thank you for the test!

Comment: If the grip isn't filling your hand sufficiently, why not size up your cordage? Or double-wrap? I think Yab has a cord-wrapping how-to somewhere in this sub-forum, no?

For the record, the mule grip is a bit *large* for my hands and I have liked the results when I shave off some of the pregnant-cow shape in the middle of the grip...

...no disrespect to pregnancy or cows, they're both awesome...
Thanks man. I will definitely size up the scales once I do it properly but I have been so busy these last couple weeks and had an impromptu getaway so I just did a quick wrap with what was on hand.

The belly feels ok in my hand but for me, the handle length is just a little short. I like a fixed blade to fill my whole palm instead of just a 3/4 fit.

No big deal though, It is the steel that is important with mules, not the handle ergonomics. I have some ironwood in the garage for one that may get fitted up soon. I am also a stone carver and have a nice set of nephrite jade scales planned for the other one. I will be sure to post pics when the are done.
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Re: The Canadian Bushcraft Test

#8

Post by FullScaler »

Got out for another day with the MT28.

Still didn't make time to dig out any proper paracord or put a proper handle on it but I did wrap some 1/4 nylon rope around it and it really filled the handle out to where it filled my hand nicely and felt way more natural using it.

I spent a ton of time just slicing and batoning wood to really put it to the test. I was burning a bit of red cedar which is pretty soft but also some nice hard maple which took quite a bit of work to break down.

I even used the spine to throw the sparks off the ferro rod. Sparking a ferro rod with a knife spine is an interesting test of blade steel. Softer blades like an old buck in 440 really feel soft and after a few strikes you can really see the 90 edge rolling over or small divots appearing.

On the SPY27 I could not even tell where I had struck it. It will take a few more trials to really tell how it holds up but so far it looks good. It also felt really "crisp" when striking.

I made sure to beat through quite a few big sticks of maple that were at least 2 inches plus. I probably broke down enough kindling for at least 5 or 6 fire starts and did a lot of work I would normally use my axe for.

Overall this was a pretty good torture test as far as bushcraft and fire starting duties goes and I am happy to say the SPY27 help up really well.
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Re: The Canadian Bushcraft Test

#9

Post by FullScaler »

Another night and another fire with the Spy27 Mule. But, this time it is sporting its new Ironwood scales.

Tonight's work was pretty easy with just some quick feathersticks out of dry cedar. But, I did continue using the spine for striking my ferro rod, although, it only took two strikes to catch. That said, there is still no discernable marks from striking the ferro rod.

I must say too, that this little knife is really growing on me. Especially with its new handle that makes it much more comfortable to use. So far it has been out for 4 trips and helped start about 10 fires, all on the factory edge. I can feel it working a bit harder on hard wood like maple but on tonight's cedar it is still plenty sharp to do the job.
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Re: The Canadian Bushcraft Test

#10

Post by Bolster »

Nominating these ^ for Most Stunning Photos of a Mule in Action...wow, what a wilderness.

Am enjoying your real-world field tests here. Good work, man.

The angle of your second shot had me contemplating what a Mule would look like with a false edge swedge on the blade...
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