2500 Posts: Paying It Forward!

[phillipsted]

I realized this morning that I just made my 2500th post to this Forum. :) It got me thinking about all the great experiences I've had with you folks - and I wanted to pass along a quick story and then start a "Give Away Sign Up" to pay it forward:

On a recent thread, I made a casual reference to my search for a Titanium Salsa - given that I'm both a titanium fan and a compression lock fan. Lo and behold, I get a PM from one of our long-standing members who offers to send me his Ti Salsa. Gratis - out of the goodness of his own heart. It arrived yesterday and it is one sweet little blade:





The generosity and kindness of the members of this Forum continually amaze me. Despite all the recent discussions we had about decorum - this is still one of the most civil and collegial forums on the entire Internet.

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So today, I'd like to "pay it forward" and offer a Give Away Thread for the members of the Forum.

HOW IT WORKS. Please respond to this thread and tell us about your favorite Mule. If you don't have a Mule - tell us about why you want (or don't want!) a Mule. On Monday, I'll pick one of the posts at random to be the lucky winner.

ELIGIBILITY. To keep the Trolls at bay - I will only count members who have 50 posts or more. I'll make some exceptions to this rule for new members - but you'll have to PM me first.

THE PRIZE? A set of my own hand crafted Mule scales. I have several sets to choose from (e.g., Claro Walnut, burgundy micarta). I made these myself and they are fully removable using 3/16" bolts. They will fit on any Mule blade except for MT01. I'll post some pictures when the winner makes his/her selection next week.

Thanks everyone for your friendship, wisdom, and good spirits! And for the Member who sent me the new Ti Salsa - I am humbled by your kindness. Thank you.

TedP

[Invective]

Awesome giveaway! That's a beautiful Salsa too!
I only have one mule so far, the CTS B75P mule so I guess it'll have to be my favorite! I use it in the kitchen when I'm not putting a patina on my SuperBlue Caly 3.5 , so it admittedly hasn't seen as much use as it should but when it does it performs absolutely splendidly! CTZ B75P to me is a great kitchen steel, it is stainless so I don't have to be as vigilant as I am with Super Blue, takes and holds a keen edge, although it is harder to put the edge on that others. My CTS B75P is clad in carbon fiber scales from GatorScales in Florida, designed by me and expertly crafted by Don Smith.

I am planning to pick up the K390 mules as well when they come out too, and looking forward to them! If even half of what I have heard about it is true, I should be able to get by with sharpening them maybe once a year :p

Anyways, thanks for the GAW and good luck to all who enter!

Editing to add some pictures as well!





As you can see, I drew some influence from the Techno handle shape, fitting I thought seeing as they are both CTS steels.



The original mock-up I drew for the scales. I was very pleased with how the actual scales turned out in relation to how I drew them.

[ZL1]

wow that looks pretty sweet!
congrats to you and cheers to the person who sent it! :)

[xceptnl]

Awesome giveaway Ted. I will play as I love the look of the handle scales you have made for your mules. My love for the mule platform is not limited to just the uber steels we get to try. I like the platform shape (probably because it resembles the Manix 2 shape which drew my closer into the Spyderco fold so long ago) as well as the concept behind the great project. It's beta testing for steel junkies and I ARE ONE!

If I had to pick a current favorit of my 8 (listed in my signature) it would be either the B75P:

I really love the toothy edge it takes and look forward to seeing how low the bevel will go in the near future.

or the Cruwear:

This masterpiece of metallurgy has really made me look at outdoor use fixed blades and camp knives in a different light (love it's toothiness as well).

or the Cobalt Special:

This underrated little gem is a fine example of Japanese steels. It doesn't have the wear resistance of ZDP, or sharpen as easy as Superblue, but I really do love the superfine edge it takes. Mine sees 99% of it's work in the kitchen, but a future sprint in this would really make me happy.

Thanks again Ted, always look forward to reading one of your 2500+ posts.

[Shakyamuni]

Thanks!

I don't have one, but I think I would want a Mule in Elmax, that seems like a very interesting steel.

[DeathBySnooSnoo]

That is pretty spectacular. But is also the type of action that seems to be a fairly regular occurance around here. Which is part of what makes this place so great. So congrats to both of you.

As for the contest.

At first my answer was to be M4...but I don't have that Mule (insert pouting face here). My next answer was going to be S90V...but I had to sell that one a while back to make ends meet.

So...M390 is my answer. It is a very good steel, does well in the yard as well as in the kitchen. I'm eager to get my hands on some of the K390 too.

[CarbonFiberNut]

I only have a single Mule - the CTS-BD1. I like the fact that it's modeled after G2. G2 was a classic workhorse steel that was plenty good enough for us before all the latest whizbang supersteels hit the market, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. I still have my old Aus-8 Endura and Rescue, but sadly lost the Delica in G2 that I had from around the same time period, so having a knife in a similar steel today is pretty cool. I just sharpened up my Gen 1 Endura today, and one of the things that struck me is how easy those old steels were to put a nice edge on. Modern steels are great and all, but the classics worked well for us for many years.

[gbelleh]

Hey look! This is my 2,500th post too!

Very nice contest, but I don't have a mule. However, now I'm considering getting one for kitchen use.
Good luck to all!

[Ferris Wheels]

My favorite mule so far is the Cruwear mule but that is because I have not gotten around to playing the CTS - XHP mule I have. Thanks for such a great giveaway!

[GoodEyeSniper]

I came into the mule game late, missed out on the one I really would have wanted (CPM M4) and found out about them right before the 9cr18yaddayadda came out (can't keep all the numbers and letters straight). I snatched two since they were so inexpensive, they both came with the sharpest edges out of all my spydercos which is really saying something. Instead of merely shaving arm hair like most, they *popped* the arm hair right off.

Due to not having scales or sheaths they have remained mostly unused. I did up a little paracord handle on one and used it a bit around the kitchen, but would prefer scales. The idea was to craft my own scales, but I moved and had no room for any type of workshop and I was a little hesitant to do it all with hand tools.

So, I guess that's my favorite Mule, though I lust after the CPM M4 version (especially after EDCing the CPM M4 Military for 2+ years) and the Super Blue version.

[GTPowers]

Since I've been blessed by one of these threads this year I will wish you all luck and blessings for this contest! Enjoy!

[Pockets]

My favorite Mule is the (blemished) MT16, which is the only one I have. I bought it because I've made scales for several cheaper knives, and decided it was time to put my efforts into something with good steel. Right now, I have removeable white G10 scales on it. I'm going to try to make a few more scales of different materials and styles. Hopefully, I'll have the money to buy the MT17 or MT18 when they are released.


Thanks for the giveaway!

[gaj999]

My favorite Mule is the CPM M4. Followed by the Super Blue.

Thanks, Gordon

[ricechrispy]

Thanks for the opportunity! Not sure if it counts, but my favorite is my Woodcraft Mule. The Native 5 is my favorite folder and I love how the Woodcraft Mule is shaped very similarly. If we're restricting this to the normal Mule team, I'm going with the Cruwear mule I just barely finished making a handle for.

[chuck_roxas45]

Great story Ted, thanks for sharing. I wanna get the coming K390 mule and if I win your scales, it would just hit the spot for that one. :D

I'm in obviously and thanks for the chance.

[endgame]

What nice move I have nonmule and haven't been here long enough so go guys go

[OldSarSwmr]

Not an entry, Ted I just wanted to congratulate you on your 2,500 posts and the Ti Salsa. The winner is in for a real treat, your scales are awesome!

[tvenuto]

My favorite mule is MT-15 in CTS-B75P, as it's the only one I have. It sits on the counter waiting for any random task I don't feel like flipping a folder out for. Thanks for keeping the year of the giveaway alive!

[Blerv]

Kudos Ted and congrats on the new spicy toy :D

[phillipsted]

Thanks for all the kind words, guys.

Just to stoke the fires a bit - here are the four scale sets that the winner will choose from

Have a great Holiday weekend, everyone!

TedP


Orange Corian:


Gabon Ebony:


Tri-Color Linen Phenolic (micarta)


And last, but not least - a very dark, flamed Claro Walnut: