Mule Team XL?

[HolySteel]

I am a huge fan of the Ed Schempp- Rock knife since getting mine and the single biggest thing is the size and shape/design of the grip on this knife.

It would absolutely be an awesome design ijmo for the machete Big Sal is trolling around bringing to the market too. It would absolutely be perfect for this knife as well...

You can swing this knife very easy and the knob on the end of this grip is perfect to help a hot, sweaty and/or bloody paw hanging on to the knife.

The beanie here in my mind, is Spyderco may have the molds for these scales still around, so that cost could be absorbed from that. A 2'fer lol.

I spend lots of money guys and on lots of things too, so saving any like this, long as it's got other benefits; I am all over that so I can use that money else where... here is my Ed Schempp- Rock for a look/see...

I feel very lucky to have found one of these. Aesthetically, the only Spyderco I like as well is the Schempp Bowie.

[Jeb]

I just braided up a totally new style of a lanyard for my Schempp-Rock... it allows me to put a wrap around my wrist to use this like a chopper if needed. Going to be playing around with it for a while, see just what I come up with.

This lanyard will be more targeted towards the machete that Big Sal is making us lol... but it's going to get the bugs worked out on the Rock...

[mokele]

I'd have to disagree.

negative angles are nice for utility work, and knives without knuckle clearance make poor kitchen knives.

$10 Kiwi #21 or a Spyderco zcut would work much better than a Mule for such work.

This is exactly what I meant. It's not for kitchen.
And many thanks to you, that Kiwi is now my favorite.

[JoviAl]

Before grinding the leaf to a straight spine I thought I’d test to see how much of a difference a nicely chamfered/rounded and polished spine would make when cutting thick media like banana palms, etc.

I’ve just finished the job and have given it a few test cuts and it does seem less inclined to stick/wedge. I’ve got some major chop and drop to do tomorrow so that will be the real test, but for now it still makes a magnificent tactical spoon for brewing up on tea break (something which straight spine knives are definitely inferior for).

[vivi]

I'm excited to try one of these out for bushcraft and see how it does VS my Temperance 2.

[Jeb]

I like the looks of this XL just as is. I like the thumb choil. Great looking knife...I would be down for one of these for sure.

[JoviAl]

I'm excited to try one of these out for bushcraft and see how it does VS my Temperance 2.

It’s quite a different kettle of fish compared to a Temp 2 - the lighter, longer blade and slimmer handle make it feel somewhere between a Temp 2 and a 6 inch chef’s knife. Not in a bad way, just different.

In other news, have you been drawing in wet concrete near my apartment in Singapore? (And who is ‘Mel’?)

[Wartstein]

I'm excited to try one of these out for bushcraft and see how it does VS my Temperance 2.

It’s quite a different kettle of fish compared to a Temp 2 - the lighter, longer blade and slimmer handle make it feel somewhere between a Temp 2 and a 6 inch chef’s knife. Not in a bad way, just different.
...

Curious if - after more testing - you could define the perfect niche this knife sits in... like which area(s) it covers well.

Sounds a bit like more of an "allrounder", jack-of-all-trades tool: Can chop, can cut, can do a lot of things well, but is not specialized and thus not really "great" in one (single) capacity...??

Do you feel like the performance is a bit determined (NOT in a bad way!) by this being more or less an enlarged version of an already existing smaller model?

[JoviAl]

I'm excited to try one of these out for bushcraft and see how it does VS my Temperance 2.

It’s quite a different kettle of fish compared to a Temp 2 - the lighter, longer blade and slimmer handle make it feel somewhere between a Temp 2 and a 6 inch chef’s knife. Not in a bad way, just different.
...

Curious if - after more testing - you could define the perfect niche this knife sits in... like which area(s) it covers well.

Sounds a bit like more of an "allrounder", jack-of-all-trades tool: Can chop, can cut, can do a lot of things well, but is not specialized and thus not really "great" in one (single) capacity...??

Do you feel like the performance is a bit determined (NOT in a bad way!) by this being more or less an enlarged version of an already existing smaller model?

Thus far it is very much the all rounder, although it is really excellent at shredding cardboard as it happens (not something I often do to be honest). I wouldn’t say it is compromised per se, but like the standard mule it is not specialised in any one direction through its design features.

[sal]

Hi Al,

Thanx for helping out and being part of my R&D team. Appreciate.

I'm curious as to how the straight spine version will compare?

sal

[WilliamMunny]

I'm excited to try one of these out for bushcraft and see how it does VS my Temperance 2.

It’s quite a different kettle of fish compared to a Temp 2 - the lighter, longer blade and slimmer handle make it feel somewhere between a Temp 2 and a 6 inch chef’s knife. Not in a bad way, just different.
...

Curious if - after more testing - you could define the perfect niche this knife sits in... like which area(s) it covers well.

Sounds a bit like more of an "allrounder", jack-of-all-trades tool: Can chop, can cut, can do a lot of things well, but is not specialized and thus not really "great" in one (single) capacity...??

Do you feel like the performance is a bit determined (NOT in a bad way!) by this being more or less an enlarged version of an already existing smaller model?

Thus far it is very much the all rounder, although it is really excellent at shredding cardboard as it happens (not something I often do to be honest). I wouldn’t say it is compromised per se, but like the standard mule it is not specialised in any one direction through its design features.

I like the idea of a jack of all trades design. After all the main goal of the mule is to test steels and this would give you the ability to test them in a lot of situations, especially ones that the smaller mule was never ment to handle like chopping.

[JoviAl]

Hi Al,

Thanx for helping out and being part of my R&D team. Appreciate.

I'm curious as to how the straight spine version will compare?

sal

@sal It is a pleasure to support the development of something I’m sure our community will enjoy.

As for the straight spine I’m very excited to try it out too. Beveling and polishing the spine on the leaf shape made it perform noticeably better in ‘all the way through’ cuts, so I suspect the stock height removal for the straight spine will make it an absolute laser in softer materials and highly nimble at the tip. My main challenge at the moment is actually regrinding the heat treated Magnacut into a straight spine - it is incredibly wear resistant stuff, to the point where I’ve abandoned my belt grinder in favour of a 100 grit diamond plate. I’d be interested to find out what Rockwell you guys have run the Magnacut in this prototype as it still takes a beautiful edge and sharpens nicely, but it is laughing at the belt abrasives I normally use to modify knives.

[sal]

The straight spine will lose some thickness if you grind it down. If we were to make a run with a straight spine, the spine will have to be fill thickness and the bevel less acute, by a "smidge'.

I'd also be interested in if there is demand for a run of these, full curve or straight spine and what material is preferred?

sal

[JoviAl]

The straight spine will lose some thickness if you grind it down. If we were to make a run with a straight spine, the spine will have to be fill thickness and the bevel less acute, by a "smidge'.

I'd also be interested in if there is demand for a run of these, full curve or straight spine and what material is preferred?

sal

I’ll buy either blade shape, although aesthetically I prefer a straight spine.

As for material I’m amenable to almost anything in this format. For a larger blade like this I’d be most excited by something tough like 3V (especially if there is the option of SE!) or something unusual and a bit interesting like REX76, AEB-L or even 14C28N.

[Wartstein]

Curious if - after more testing - you could define the perfect niche this knife sits in... like which area(s) it covers well.

Sounds a bit like more of an "allrounder", jack-of-all-trades tool: Can chop, can cut, can do a lot of things well, but is not specialized and thus not really "great" in one (single) capacity...??
....

Thus far it is very much the all rounder, although it is really excellent at shredding cardboard as it happens (not something I often do to be honest). I wouldn’t say it is compromised per se, but like the standard mule it is not specialised in any one direction through its design features.

Thanks Al for the reply and generally the reporting on your testing!

Really sounds (and looks) intriguing....

- One thing I´d want (and most likely add diy) on a fixed blade of that size and larger would be a lanyard hole.
If I bring a 6" blade (or larger): Chopping definitely is on the list of things it has to do ("just" for cutting I go shorter and lighter) and at least with my technique (probably yours is different and better...) a lanyard used with the "thumb through the loop, than wrap around your hand" method makes chopping more efficient.

- Another question I have, if I may: How do you feel about a finger choil or elongated handle on this XL or generally knives in that size?
To me at 6" blade length I start tending to like a choil, IF the knife is meant to be a true allrounder (!) (and not mostly a dedicated chopper): When chopping usually the last part towards the handle is not utilized anyway, so a choil does not hurt then, while in more finer cutting tasks I tend to like the more balanced feel "finger in choil" can give a larger knife.
Not at all a "must" though, since the XL still is not that big and I always have at least a folder with me anyway for delicate tasks.

[Jeb]

I have had some MagnaCut on a beltsander of mine here too, it was a laughing in a matter of minutes, when it was reduced to a cloth polishing belt lol...

My vote for these super nice sized Mule XL's would be the MagnaCut, MagnaMax from your new steels. Other choices for me would be 3V, M4 and Maxamet if you would do them in the DLC coating.

I think to even offer the MagnaCut and the MagnaMax in the DLC coating would be really cool too, but that does add a lot to ask for... sorry to be such a problem Big Sal...

I tend to really like different stuff from most here and I just flat out love the larger knives lol. I have grown to really like the polished DLC coating here lately as well, if I am not a big enough problem lol...

Edit: I too would be all for the big lanyard hole and a big thumb and finger choil. Excellent points made by Wartstein...

[Bill1170]

I vote for no finger choil, just like the standard Mule Team.

I also prefer the aesthetic of the straight spine. We can round or bevel our own spines if we want, to keep costs down on the factory product.

A lanyard hole near the butt is probably already available in the steel tang. I’m not looking at a raw Mule right now but I remember many holes, and even the smaller holes are large enough to take a functional lanyard.

[JoviAl]

Curious if - after more testing - you could define the perfect niche this knife sits in... like which area(s) it covers well.

Sounds a bit like more of an "allrounder", jack-of-all-trades tool: Can chop, can cut, can do a lot of things well, but is not specialized and thus not really "great" in one (single) capacity...??
....

Thus far it is very much the all rounder, although it is really excellent at shredding cardboard as it happens (not something I often do to be honest). I wouldn’t say it is compromised per se, but like the standard mule it is not specialised in any one direction through its design features.

Thanks Al for the reply and generally the reporting on your testing!

Really sounds (and looks) intriguing....

- One thing I´d want (and most likely add diy) on a fixed blade of that size and larger would be a lanyard hole.
If I bring a 6" blade (or larger): Chopping definitely is on the list of things it has to do ("just" for cutting I go shorter and lighter) and at least with my technique (probably yours is different and better...) a lanyard used with the "thumb through the loop, than wrap around your hand" method makes chopping more efficient.

- Another question I have, if I may: How do you feel about a finger choil or elongated handle on this XL or generally knives in that size?
To me at 6" blade length I start tending to like a choil, IF the knife is meant to be a true allrounder (!) (and not mostly a dedicated chopper): When chopping usually the last part towards the handle is not utilized anyway, so a choil does not hurt then, while in more finer cutting tasks I tend to like the more balanced feel "finger in choil" can give a larger knife.
Not at all a "must" though, since the XL still is not that big and I always have at least a folder with me anyway for delicate tasks.

In use I find as the blade stock is not very thick on this (compared to say a BRK Bravo 1.25 in the similar length category) it doesn’t really feel too tip heavy and as such I haven’t had any issues with the handle or lack of finger choil. Some of the bigger guys at work have mentioned they’d like a longer and thicker handle, but they’re all massive blokes with hands and forearms like hams - my friend Deacon for example is an ex professional rugby captain for Fiji, so these considerations are definitely one extreme end of the ergonomic spectrum. I find it as it is a workable proposition, although I do prefer a hook on the end of the handle like the JM2 has for hacking (which I’ve considered just making as part of an integral scale set for the mule handle bolt spacing). Plus it will hack, but at this blade stock thickness I’d definitely not be hacking hardwoods or batoning anything without first whispering an apology to the knife’s spirit. I don’t abuse my tools out of principle, but it seems to be increasingly en vogue for people (particularly when doing ‘reviews’ online) to use knives for things other than parting materials and expect them to shrug it off we’ve all misused knives in extremis I’m sure, but I’d hope folk would use these with the care they deserve (or accept personal responsibility when they break it trying to pry open a car bonnet or whatever).

[Wartstein]

I vote for no finger choil, just like the standard Mule Team.

I also prefer the aesthetic of the straight spine. We can round or bevel our own spines if we want, to keep costs down on the factory product.

A lanyard hole near the butt is probably already available in the steel tang. I’m not looking at a raw Mule right now but I remember many holes, and even the smaller holes are large enough to take a functional lanyard.

"Choil" was more of a general thought...iin allrounder knives a 6" blade is the size I begin to consider one (or an a bit elongated handle).
But really in no way a must and it would actually somewhat ruin the iconic Mule - looks.

[horzuff]

The straight spine will lose some thickness if you grind it down. If we were to make a run with a straight spine, the spine will have to be fill thickness and the bevel less acute, by a "smidge'.

I'd also be interested in if there is demand for a run of these, full curve or straight spine and what material is preferred?

sal

I'd definitely be interested in the leaf shape. MagnaCut sounds fine. Good balance of properties.