Z-Max Initial Impressions

A place to share your experience with our Mule Team knives.
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DFD04
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Z-Max Initial Impressions

#1

Post by DFD04 »

Hello all!

I was blessed in getting one of these coveted pieces from the SFO, and today I completed it with some G10 scales and a sheath. I have been wowed recently with everything K390 and I think this steel looks to keep up with it.

I have a tree that is dying in its upper branches and some aspens that needed trimming in my yard. The dying tree has some thick and very dry branches along with some branches that are still green inside. The branches were thin to an inch thick. I sawed them, push cut them, and did some battoning (sp?) on them, too. I went to the Aspens in the back yard and did some finer cuts with no issues. Along with taking out some roots. Finished up pruning some bushes.

The knife shaves still, no edge rolling or chipping. I used a VG10 to do the same tasks, and the knife is now good for buttering bread currently.

My example was perfect, no warping or burn marks at all. I’m really impressed at the steel thus far…and also thankful for the reasonably priced scales and sheath, too.

Here’s a pic after wiping it off.
67128A87-4FC3-4F0D-913D-1C64769E3FAB.jpeg
dlum1
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Re: Z-Max Initial Impressions

#2

Post by dlum1 »

Took my z-max mule camping over 2 nights this past weekend. I added a belt-dangler to the spyderco mule-team leather sheath and the whole system worked beautifully. The mule-team leather sheaths are surprisingly high quality (given the low cost). I used the knife (with the contoured g10 scales) for general knife chores over 2 days – namely carving firewood for tinder and kindling which included making feather-sticks and some light batoning to make kindling from larger pieces. Generally I’m quite careful when processing wood and make sure I’m not making harsh blows to the very tip of the knife. The wood processed was some type of aged hardwood – significantly harder than pine. Interestingly enough, the knife came home with just a few scratches, is still very sharp, and was very comfortable in hand without gloves. Given the hardness of the steel, I was surprised to find some scratches (likely from sand). Surprisingly, there was no rolling or chipping or staining (I oiled the blade before leaving home). The knife is not shaving sharp, but it can still scrape-shave and has a very sharp toothy edge great for slicing. I won’t be hitting any diamond stones until the edge loses more of its bite. I forgot to check if the factory edge could easily shave before I left. For reference, I also brought a cpm-s110v military that a friend used to carve with and both had similar sharp edges when I left. The s110v could easily shave before leaving home. However, the mule saw far more use than the military. Would I try and cut up a large tree with the knife? No. But for typical cutting and processing tasks on a leave-no-trace camping trip, I can say both s110v and z-max are durable enough to leave a sharpening stone at home. The plan is to take this knife fishing over the next few months and see how it handles the water and fish bones. I finally managed to stain (but without pitting) a k390 delica from sweat and I already know spyderco's M4 can go clear through a trout's spine without rolling. Curious to see how the z-max fares.
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DFD04
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Re: Z-Max Initial Impressions

#3

Post by DFD04 »

Got some more time on the blade today made 50 cuts on cardboard about 20” long. Took out lots more aspen saplings too. No discernible loss of the edge yet.
Team Sick
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Re: Z-Max Initial Impressions

#4

Post by Team Sick »

I took my Zmax Mule camping, along with the SPY 27 and S45VN. The Zmax did a great job on cardboard breakdown, better than the others, but the SPY 27 did better at food prep, maybe because I used it more due to the stainless properties. Also, the S45VN has a paracord Strider wrap, which is not as comfortable with hard work such as wood processing. I like the edge better on the Zmax, but all are still sporting semi-sharp factory edges. I will continue to work with them all, but need to sit down and do the same work with them as a controlled comparison. Later Mule Skinners.
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DFD04
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Re: Z-Max Initial Impressions

#5

Post by DFD04 »

Got ahold of some of our condemned fire hose for testing this weekend. I’m excited!
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Fireman
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Re: Z-Max Initial Impressions

#6

Post by Fireman »

DFD04 wrote:
Tue Jul 20, 2021 6:58 pm
Got ahold of some of our condemned fire hose for testing this weekend. I’m excited!
What kind of hose?
Stay safe brother.
:winking-tongue Mule Team Army 001
MNOSD 008 :usflag
Image Stable Mules; Z-Max, Z-Wear, Magna Cut, SRS13, Rex 76, Rex T15.
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DFD04
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Re: Z-Max Initial Impressions

#7

Post by DFD04 »

Fireman wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 4:23 am
DFD04 wrote:
Tue Jul 20, 2021 6:58 pm
Got ahold of some of our condemned fire hose for testing this weekend. I’m excited!
What kind of hose?
Stay safe brother.
Some double jacketed 1 3/4” stuff that was heading to the dumpster.

You stay safe, too!
Last edited by DFD04 on Wed Jul 21, 2021 5:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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DFD04
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Re: Z-Max Initial Impressions

#8

Post by DFD04 »

Double post
Last edited by DFD04 on Wed Jul 21, 2021 6:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
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DFD04
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Re: Z-Max Initial Impressions

#9

Post by DFD04 »

Triple post, lol.
Leksy
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Re: Z-Max Initial Impressions

#10

Post by Leksy »

Can't wait for my vacation, will have some time to make a handle for my Z-Max Mule and to give it a test.
DFD04 wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 5:58 am
Triple post, lol.
Triple safety! :cool:
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Fireman
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Re: Z-Max Initial Impressions

#11

Post by Fireman »

DFD04 wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 5:52 am
Fireman wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 4:23 am
DFD04 wrote:
Tue Jul 20, 2021 6:58 pm
Got ahold of some of our condemned fire hose for testing this weekend. I’m excited!
What kind of hose?
Stay safe brother.
Some double jacketed 1 3/4” stuff that was heading to the dumpster.

You stay safe, too!

That will be a good steel test for Firefighters. How many cuts of double jacketed 1 3/4” hose it will cut on a fresh edge.
Inquiring minds want to know.
:winking-tongue Mule Team Army 001
MNOSD 008 :usflag
Image Stable Mules; Z-Max, Z-Wear, Magna Cut, SRS13, Rex 76, Rex T15.
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DFD04
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Re: Z-Max Initial Impressions

#12

Post by DFD04 »

Fireman wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 12:41 pm
DFD04 wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 5:52 am
Fireman wrote:
Wed Jul 21, 2021 4:23 am
DFD04 wrote:
Tue Jul 20, 2021 6:58 pm
Got ahold of some of our condemned fire hose for testing this weekend. I’m excited!
What kind of hose?
Stay safe brother.
Some double jacketed 1 3/4” stuff that was heading to the dumpster.

You stay safe, too!

That will be a good steel test for Firefighters. How many cuts of double jacketed 1 3/4” hose it will cut on a fresh edge.
Inquiring minds want to know.
New thread should be live in a few! Hope you like it…it was fun.

ETA: Here it is: https://forum.spyderco.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=90293
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