Nothing Like It?

A place to share your experience with our Mule Team knives.
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Bolster
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Nothing Like It?

#1

Post by Bolster »

I would like to practice my mod skills on some other knife blanks, other than valuable Spyderco mules.

Problem is, I haven't been able to find any made of what I (and most of my Spy bros) would consider worthy steel. If I'm going to put in the time, I don't want to invest it on 8Cr13, 420, or 1075. Not thrilled with ingot D2 either.

Does anybody make quality knife blanks out of PM steels, other than Spyderco? I'd like my practice to at least be on worthy steels that are worth the time investment.
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#2

Post by JRinFL »

Brisa.fi has some blanks that you might deem worthy.
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Bolster
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#3

Post by Bolster »

I should have added where I've looked...

Alpha Knife Supply - did not find hardened knife blanks
Maker Material - some military blanks (bayonets) steel unknown
USA Knife Maker - lots of blanks! Most offshore 9Cr18, a few D2, a few CPM154 for bird knives.
Brisa - Mostly scandi grinds, but maybe a few here. Need to investigate deeper.
Jantz - Lots of blades, but if quality or PM steel, I missed it… for many, steel not even specified…
Lamina - haven’t found the blanks. Confusing website. Finland.
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Xplorer
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#4

Post by Xplorer »

This is one of the biggest reasons my knife making journey began with Mules and not some other blanks. I was a knife collector and steel geek first, and from my standpoint all the blanks available were crap steel (by my admittedly snobbish standards) ...with one exception :spyder: .
Thanks to the fact that Sal is also a steel geek Mules exist and give us a chance to play with a blank that's made from a steel that is "worth the effort" to this steel snob/geek/nerd whatever you want to call me :) .

If you do somehow find any other high-end steel knives without handles, I'd be very curious to know the source. I wouldn't actually be interested in buying any myself, but I would be interested to know if someone is selling anything on par with a Mule. I doubt it. :cool: :spyder: :spyder:
:spyder: Spyderco fan and collector since 1991. :spyder:
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TomAiello
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#5

Post by TomAiello »

Brisa is my go to for non-Mule blanks to practice with. I've done _lots_ of them.

Good quality, absurdly fast shipping, amazing customer service (I once had a package from them that got held in customs, and Brisa contacted me to let me know about it).

https://www.brisa.fi/supplies/brisa-knife-blades

If you want FFG, Brisa has some good options. I've bought a lot of their bobtail and necker blanks, and they have some larger FFG blades as well. I can't count how many of the bobtails I've made for practice (and many that I've gifted to friends and family).

Be aware that Brisa sells blanks from a bunch of other manufactures (many of them the same ones you can buy from USA based suppliers) as well. I tend to buy only the Brisa branded blanks, and usually in 12c27, 14c28n or 80crv2.

There is nothing else like the Mules though. No one else sells blanks in high end steels. My strategy is to practice on cheaper Brisa blanks and then build nice handles onto Mules, and then beat the Mule into submission cutting stupid stuff. My desire for other 'high end steel' blanks is actually what led me to start making my own blades. I wanted a Vanadis 8 blank, and couldn't find one, so I started with 1095, then AEB-L, then 14c28n, and finally worked up the courage to start grinding on my (pricey) bits of Vanadis 8.

But if you just want some decent but not too expensive (and not irreplaceable, which is my real issue building onto Mules) blanks, go look at Brisa.
Last edited by TomAiello on Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:00 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#6

Post by TomAiello »

Bolster wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 11:08 am
Lamina - haven’t found the blanks. Confusing website. Finland.
Lamnia is a good source, with fast, free shipping to the USA. I've bought a lot of stuff from them over the years, and been quite pleased. You can find their blade blanks by navigating to All Products -> Knives -> Blades.

https://www.lamnia.com/en/sc/156/knives/blades

In my experience, the Finns (there are several good web sites selling knives there, because it's part of their traditional culture) do an amazing job at online retail and shipping.
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#7

Post by TomAiello »

Two other decent blade blanks I've worked with are Kizlyar and Real Steel (I particularly like the Real Steel 14c28n FFG bushcraft blank, because it's so plain that I can run wild working on handle curves), both of which are available from KnifeCenter (the Real Steel I've also gotten from BladeHQ and a couple other places).

If you want a really high end blank, have you looked at the Roselli UHC blanks? I think they have them on Lamnia, but you can also buy direct from Roselli (https://roselli.fi/collections/blades). They're traditional carbon steel that performs more like a modern super steel in my use. They're expensive though.
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#8

Post by JRinFL »

Great information and almost, but not quite off-topic. I hope.

Practicing on less expensive blanks makes great sense since the Mules are limited and instantly collectible.
"...it costs nothing to be polite." - Winston Churchill
“Maybe the cheese in the mousetrap is an artificially created cheaper price?” -Sal
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TomAiello
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#9

Post by TomAiello »

JRinFL wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:08 pm
Practicing on less expensive blanks makes great sense since the Mules are limited and instantly collectible.
I think that's one of the only weaknesses of the Mule program. The difficulty in getting your hands on them means that people are reluctant to really test them the way they were intended to be tested. It's hard to convince yourself to epoxy a handle on and beat up a $300+ (eBay price) knife blank.
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AlexRus
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#10

Post by AlexRus »

TomAiello wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:24 pm
It's hard to convince yourself to epoxy a handle on and beat up a $300+ (eBay price) knife blank.
Agreed. That's one of the main points.
If Mule runs get bigger, they will become more available for testing and crazy aftermarket prices will get down.
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#11

Post by RustyIron »

I had no problem whatsoever paying fifty bucks, slapping on some scales, and the slashing my way through the kitchen, yard, and workshop. A pristine Mule blade sitting on the shelf brings me no happiness... Except for the prospect of putting it to work.
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#12

Post by TomAiello »

RustyIron wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 2:05 pm
I had no problem whatsoever paying fifty bucks...
Same here. But if you're paying eBay prices, it becomes much harder. And if you are holding one NIB, the lure of eBay pricing makes it harder to justify using it the way it was meant to be used.
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Josh Crutchley
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#13

Post by Josh Crutchley »

Bolster wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 10:50 am
I would like to practice my mod skills on some other knife blanks, other than valuable Spyderco mules.

Problem is, I haven't been able to find any made of what I (and most of my Spy bros) would consider worthy steel. If I'm going to put in the time, I don't want to invest it on 8Cr13, 420, or 1075. Not thrilled with ingot D2 either.

Does anybody make quality knife blanks out of PM steels, other than Spyderco? I'd like my practice to at least be on worthy steels that are worth the time investment.
Jantz has some blanks available in Cpm S30v, Cpm-3v, and Cpm-154(patterns 37 and 42 among others) at a reasonable price .
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VooDooChild
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#14

Post by VooDooChild »

Fallkniven used to have some blanks available.

It would be cool if they did that again.
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Bolster
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#15

Post by Bolster »

Thanks all.
Joshcrutchley1 wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 4:42 pm
Jantz has some blanks available in Cpm S30v, Cpm-3v, and Cpm-154(patterns 37 and 42 among others) at a reasonable price .

I missed those. Thanks for the heads up. I've not found a vendor that allows a sort-by-steel for blanks.
TomAiello wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:24 pm
I think that's one of the only weaknesses of the Mule program. The difficulty in getting your hands on them means that people are reluctant to really test them the way they were intended to be tested. It's hard to convince yourself to epoxy a handle on and beat up a $300+ (eBay price) knife blank.

And how! Which is one reason I've gone the route of screw-on, replaceable scales. I don't have the confidence for epoxy on my own knives (perfectly willing to glue up a friend's 8Cr13 the other day, came off without a hitch...but said friend is now wedded to that handle for life...)
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#16

Post by TomAiello »

Bolster wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:30 pm
...but said friend is now wedded to that handle for life...)
You can break them off and rebuild. I've done it on two knives--an older one with a failure in the handle and one that I did and didn't like how it came out, so I decided to dismantle it to see if I could.
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#17

Post by TomAiello »

Bolster wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:30 pm
TomAiello wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:24 pm
I think that's one of the only weaknesses of the Mule program. The difficulty in getting your hands on them means that people are reluctant to really test them the way they were intended to be tested. It's hard to convince yourself to epoxy a handle on and beat up a $300+ (eBay price) knife blank.

And how! Which is one reason I've gone the route of screw-on, replaceable scales. I don't have the confidence for epoxy on my own knives (perfectly willing to glue up a friend's 8Cr13 the other day, came off without a hitch...but said friend is now wedded to that handle for life...)
It's also why I'm eagerly awaiting Spy27 'Mule' blades (that aren't supposed to be quite the same as Mules). I'll gladly switch to buying those instead of the Brisa blanks, once they are available.
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#18

Post by JRinFL »

Bolster wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 10:50 am

Does anybody make quality knife blanks out of PM steels, other than Spyderco? I'd like my practice to at least be on worthy steels that are worth the time investment.
I found an interesting Elmax skeletonized blade at DLT Trading, the Ambush Sidekick. $50 is not too bad.
"...it costs nothing to be polite." - Winston Churchill
“Maybe the cheese in the mousetrap is an artificially created cheaper price?” -Sal
Friends call me Jim. As do my foes.
M.N.O.S.D. 0001
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Bolster
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#19

Post by Bolster »

JRinFL wrote:
Sun Jun 27, 2021 2:26 pm
I found an interesting Elmax skeletonized blade at DLT Trading, the Ambush Sidekick. $50 is not too bad.

Thanks! I ordered one, could not pass on USA-made Elmax for $50 with an overall weight that low (for backpacking of course). AFAI can tell, and some guesswork is involved here, Ambush was a short lived experiment by DLT where they were dabbling in a house brand. The knives were made by Bark River. The experiment ended years ago, so these must be a few remainders. No word on the Sidekick specifically, but at least one of the Ambush knives reportedly was thick BTE and got criticized for its geometry.

OK folks, I know this isn't a Spyderco knife, so won't make a habit of it. Purpose here is to find knives worthy of practice, so my skills can be in decent shape when I work on the Spyderco Mules. Therefore I claim it is related, in a roundabout way--that's my story and I'm stickin' to it. ;)
TomAiello wrote:
Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:41 pm
It's also why I'm eagerly awaiting Spy27 'Mule' blades (that aren't supposed to be quite the same as Mules). I'll gladly switch to buying those instead of the Brisa blanks, once they are available.
I'm of the same mind as Tom ^ I'll be much relieved when I'm not working on irreplaceable Mules...!
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Re: Nothing Like It?

#20

Post by ykspydiefan »

This thread has helped me. Saved hours of internet searching.
Spyderco: Tenacious G10, Waterway, Para 3 Spy27, Pacific Salt H1, In the Mule Team Stable(Z-Max, Z-Wear, S45VN, Magnacut, SRS13/SUS405, M398, Aeb-l, 15v)
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