MT25P - Mule Team Fixed Blade with LC200N

[TomAiello]

Does anyone know what the screws and posts that come with the scales will be made of? Or what size they are?

I'm thinking that I want it as stainless as possible. If I could get Ti hardware on this one it would be fantastic.

[Katahdin]

My guess is Spyderco has bought a quantity of the Halperin scales and will be selling those at the same cost as through Halperin, but saving us on shipping. Those use SS screws. Hoping the contoured handles are offered and there are some good color choices, but whatever will be offered is set already.

I expect the leather sheath to be similar to the Tenacious one, which looks nice, but I think I will need a kydex one.

Two things give me pause. 1, Guessing $140-50 for knife, scales, sheath, shipping and that is a lot for me. 2, I read a comment that the Mule is like a fixed blade Matrix and realized that is why I am drawn to it (really like the drop leaf blade shape) and why I hesitate a bit as there is quite a bit of overlap in function with my Matrix (I would purchase this as a working knife).

Price for this Mule steel seems to be as low as Spyderco goes and has me thinking it is a steel Spyderco is looking to expand heavily into its lineup. From what I have read, it seems like a steel I want.

Question: How does this steel fare as a fire starter?

[Bill1170]

I used a Mule Team in my kitchen for several years. It excelled at some food prep tasks, but was inferior to regular kitchen knives for the majority of tasks that I perform in the kitchen. The reason comes down to geometry. The blade is too short for many vegetables, and too thick for deep cuts in, for example, potatoes or squash. The handle position gives no knuckle clearance for working on a cutting board. What it excelled at were tasks like clearing pits from dates, where the short blade plus big handle and high lateral stability are all helpful features. Unfortunately, these tasks were only a tiny subset of regular kitchen duties around here and the MT's place on the knife rack was taken by a Spyderco 4.5" bladed thin kitchen knife.

None of the above should be construed as criticism of the Mule Team design. It's a great design for general utility use. It just isn't optimized for food preparation tasks in my experience. I have a MT in my wood shop that is very frequently used. I suspect it'd be handy while backpacking but no experience there.

[Katahdin]

Thanks for your thoughts, helpful

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Has anyone purchased one of these LC200N MT's yet and what do you think of it?

[mattman]

Has anyone purchased one of these LC200N MT's yet and what do you think of it?

They're not available yet, SEF.

[SpyderEdgeForever]

oops, thanks, matt, I just went and looked, yeah on Wed. April 12th.

Thank you for the correction :)

[Brock O Lee]

I used a Mule Team in my kitchen for several years. It excelled at some food prep tasks, but was inferior to regular kitchen knives for the majority of tasks that I perform in the kitchen. The reason comes down to geometry. The blade is too short for many vegetables, and too thick for deep cuts in, for example, potatoes or squash. The handle position gives no knuckle clearance for working on a cutting board. What it excelled at were tasks like clearing pits from dates, where the short blade plus big handle and high lateral stability are all helpful features. Unfortunately, these tasks were only a tiny subset of regular kitchen duties around here and the MT's place on the knife rack was taken by a Spyderco 4.5" bladed thin kitchen knife.

None of the above should be construed as criticism of the Mule Team design. It's a great design for general utility use. It just isn't optimized for food preparation tasks in my experience. I have a MT in my wood shop that is very frequently used. I suspect it'd be handy while backpacking but no experience there.

This has been my experience too with an Elmax mule in the kitchen. It is a good utility blade, but I prefer it for breaking down boxes etc rather than food prep.

[archangel]

MT25P will be available for sale on Wednesday, 12-Apr-2017 at 0900 (MST)

Someone please post a link, cause I don't see it... not sure what 0900 MST is for us here at Europe. :o

[JRinFL]

MST or Mountain Standard Time is -7 from GMT or Zulu.

[JRinFL]

Live now.
https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/MT25/1035

[JRinFL]

My guess is Spyderco has bought a quantity of the Halperin scales and will be selling those at the same cost as through Halperin, but saving us on shipping. Those use SS screws. Hoping the contoured handles are offered and there are some good color choices, but whatever will be offered is set already.

I expect the leather sheath to be similar to the Tenacious one, which looks nice, but I think I will need a kydex one.

Two things give me pause. 1, Guessing $140-50 for knife, scales, sheath, shipping and that is a lot for me. 2, I read a comment that the Mule is like a fixed blade Matrix and realized that is why I am drawn to it (really like the drop leaf blade shape) and why I hesitate a bit as there is quite a bit of overlap in function with my Matrix (I would purchase this as a working knife).

Price for this Mule steel seems to be as low as Spyderco goes and has me thinking it is a steel Spyderco is looking to expand heavily into its lineup. From what I have read, it seems like a steel I want.

Question: How does this steel fare as a fire starter?

Scales are any color as long as it's black. Your guess on pricing was pretty close, only off by a few dollars!

[425KRS]

I ordered mine just after 8:00am PST today! What was impressive was that the Spyderco store had sent shipping confirmation with tracking only 45-50 mins later!

[JRinFL]

Mine was shipped super fast as well. Kudos to the Spydie Team!

[AlwaysTomboy]

ETA Monday for me, which is awesome because Mom's been using my RWL-34 Mule since Christmas and apparently that steel isn't quite stainless enough for regular kitchen duty, even when diligently washed and dried between uses. There's definite discoloration and rust spots on the blade and under the scales. She loves the knife in general; the size, the blade shape, the sharpness, etc., so I foresee Mom getting permanent custody of an LC200N Mule. :D

[SF Native]

Is the MT25 page not working for anyone else?
I keep getting an error page when trying to buy.

[Tdog]

My mules are on the way. Can't wait to try the LC200N :spyder:

[KnickKnackCity]

Beautiful day to visit the outlet store. Brought home a new blade to take out on the river this summer and a new sheath to carry my MT24 in while doing projects around the house. For anyone who's curious, its the same sheath maker who does the current Temp 2 ones. The handles shown in my pics are Halpern Option 4.

[yablanowitz]

Mine arrived today, and I have one wrapped with GITD paracord and stuck in my leg pocket sheath right now. We'll see how long it stays. I try to give each new Mule a fair shake, but Maxamet is going to be a tough act to follow.

[Katahdin]

I was real excited about this knife, but ultimately decided it was out of my price range for what I was looking for. Hoping to hear some reviews from the regular mule testers. Know it is stainless, but how hard is it to get an edge, how long does it keep it, prone to chipping relative to other ss?

Still looking for this in a delica size folder down the road