Best first Mule?

grimace · #1

Hi Everyone, I am going to get my first Mule and I am trying to decide between the Cobalt and the M390 that are both still available. Any advice on which to get? How do these two steels compare to each other?

Thanks.

jtoler_9 · #2

Welcome to the forum. I'm new to the forum also. I also happen to have just purchased my first mule. I went with the M390. Can't say I really know much about the differences between the Cobalt and M390. I do know that M390 is very hard steel so it should hold a super edge. The M390 is also made in Golden CO. Which is good with me. Good luck with your choice. You really can't go wrong with the mule. They are all good.

DCDesigns · #3

M390 will blow CoS out of the water, one of the best steels offered yet IMO. Go with the M390 microclean as it is a 3rd (most recent) generation martensitic steel produced using powder metallurgy. It is VERY tough stuff, just a handful of steels out perform it. It is commonly compared to Cpm S90v (although it falls just short IMO). The high carbon, high vanadium powdered steels coming out of Bohler, Carpenter, and Crucible are the ones to watch.

Snag a m390 as it will probably sell out soon, you should have plenty of time to buy a cobalt special. The CoS has been on sale since February, and they still have a good supply left. (bad seller) No one has posted much about this steel, it appears somewhat brittle but the jury is still out. Hope this helps!

DCDesigns · #4

jtoler_9 wrote:Welcome to the forum. I'm new to the forum also. I also happen to have just purchased my first mule. I went with the M390. Can't say I really know much about the differences between the Cobalt and M390. I do know that M390 is very hard steel so it should hold a super edge. The M390 is also made in Golden CO. Which is good with me. Good luck with your choice. You really can't go wrong with the mule. They are all good.

ALL mules will be marked "made in golden colorado, earth," because that is where the mules are "made." M390 is an Australian steel made by Bohler Uddeholm... The CoS is a Japanese steel made by Takefu. Both will say made in colorado.

jabba359 · #5

I think the M390 is going to be a better overall steel. The Cobalt is going to show scratches easier (due to the softer steel that is on the outside of the cobalt "sandwich") and less corrosion resistant, at least along the cobalt steel edge. I haven't seen to much info on the Cobalt, but the feedback on the M390 has been excellent and Spyderco seems to have gotten the heat-treat just right to maximize performance (at the price).

jabba359 · #6

DCDesigns wrote:ALL mules will be marked "made in golden colorado, earth," because that is where the mules are "made." M390 is an Australian steel made by Bohler Uddeholm... The CoS is a Japanese steel made by Takefu. Both will say made in colorado.

Not all of them. The 9Cr18Mo was marked from China and the Damascus, ZDP-189, and Super Blue are from Japan.

edit: Just checked my Cobalt Special and it's marked as Japan.

grimace · #7

Thanks for the quick input everyone. I was already leaning toward the M390 and you confirmed by instincts. I have no patience, so I already ordered one. I can't wait to get ahold of it. Any recommendations on where to get custom scales and sheaths?

toomzz · #8

M390 over Cos3, no doubt.

DCDesigns wrote:M390 is an Australian steel made by Bohler Uddeholm...

Make that Austrian, there still a place exists called Europe...

jabba359 · #9

grimace wrote:Thanks for the quick input everyone. I was already leaning toward the M390 and you confirmed by instincts. I have no patience, so I already ordered one. I can't wait to get ahold of it. Any recommendations on where to get custom scales and sheaths?

Halpurn Titanium has pre-made scales at good prices: http://halperntitanium.com/knife.htm

You can also try your hand at making your own with a few simple hand tools, if you're so inclined.

mongatu · #10

Imo the M390 is superior even to S90V/20CP mainly because I find it takes a superior edge that seems (in my hands at least) to get sharper and to cut things better. The only steel I've used that takes a better edge, imo, is Super Blue which is a high quality carbon (non stainless) steel. For a stainless, M390 just takes an awesome edge! It may (or may not) have slightly less edge retention than S90V/20CP . . . I haven't used it enough to come to a conclusion on that aspect. I can say that it has shown excellent edge retention so far, however, and it wouldn't surprise me if it turns out in tests to be very close to S90V/20CP.

DCDesigns · #11

jabba359 wrote:Not all of them. The 9Cr18Mo was marked from China and the Damascus, ZDP-189, and Super Blue are from Japan.

edit: Just checked my Cobalt Special and it's marked as Japan.

Ahh I stand corrected! I guess thats what I get when I ASSuME. I could have sworn I saw a golden tang stamp on a CoS, but I must have been mistaken. Good to know.

DCDesigns · #12

toomzz wrote:M390 over Cos3, no doubt.

Make that Austrian, there still a place exists called Europe...

Hahaha, now thats just funny. My selective dyslexia strikes again!

I knew that, Im just always confusing Eurofighters for Kangaroos... lol

dbcad · #13

Welcome Grimace :) Cool you chose to go for one of the Mules.

Don't have the Co special but the M390 reprofiles and sharpens easily to a wonderful edge. I've only broken down a couple large boxes with mine so far which didn't seem to faze the edge at all. Don't think you can go wrong with the M390.

Halpern type4 handles are my low cost favorite. You can get a really nice sheath through JLS on the forum.....Enjoy your Mule :)

xavierdoc · #14

I have both cos3 and M390 as users (and spares); I concur with the advice given already. The only advantage of the cos3 is the lamination line, if that's your cup of tea.

I posted some pics in the "experiences with cos3 mule" thread showing the scratched surfaces. Not an issue for me and I may have made the kydex sheath a bit snug. It's a nice "steel" but not as good as M390 for my purposes.