Page 9 of 11

Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 5:41 pm
by RobC2
Looks like a great steel. I am in! I think they only have a few left. Get them while they are hot.

Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 7:22 pm
by razorsharp
if theres any left on tuesday, ima buying one :D

Posted: Sat Jul 20, 2013 9:45 pm
by sir_mike
DunninLA wrote:^ I don't know if it would make senseanymore to use CTS 204P in a Mule Team project since Spyderco already released the Southard in CTS-204p. Isn't the Mule Team project suppose to precede a release of a production knife using the same steel?
Dont forget that they (Spyderco) also released a PM2 with CTS-204P, just a short time ago! :D

Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 10:24 am
by Brock O Lee
10 left, who will grab them?

Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 1:24 pm
by Holland
couldn't hold out any longer, had to get a second one

Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 7:45 pm
by VashHash
Good idea holland they were getting pretty low today. At least on the website. I find this mule to be quite exceptional. Only wish they would last long enough for the limit to be lifted. I would definitely buy more. Wonder when we'll see our first K390 sprint. I'm thinking a military would be nice or a para at least.

Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 7:57 pm
by DougC-3
Can I assume that Mules come without anything on the blade to reduce corrosion? I've regretted missing out on anything with CPM M4 steel, and have been hoping that, since K390 is a similar tool steel, it might also tend to develop a nice patina over time. Now Salimoneous, DunninLA, and others have said their corrosion characteristics are similar and I'm excited to see what will happen if the blade is left uncoated, unoiled, etc.

This has also made me curious as to whether regular production knives come with blades just lightly oiled or coated with something corrosion resistant or if this would depend on which blade was involved. Anybody have any ideas or information about that?

Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 11:59 pm
by thurin
DougC-3 wrote:Can I assume that Mules come without anything on the blade to reduce corrosion? I've regretted missing out on anything with CPM M4 steel, and have been hoping that, since K390 is a similar tool steel, it might also tend to develop a nice patina over time. Now Salimoneous, DunninLA, and others have said their corrosion characteristics are similar and I'm excited to see what will happen if the blade is left uncoated, unoiled, etc.

This has also made me curious as to whether any regular production knives come with blades lightly oiled or coated with something corrosion resistant or if this would depend on which blade was involved. Anybody have any ideas or information about that?
My K390 Mule was oiled. You can see it pictured earlier in this thread in post #89. After those shots I cleaned it up for some more pictures and then put some mineral oil on it. I'm contemplating putting it to some use in the kitchen to answer the patina question.

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 12:07 am
by DougC-3
thurin wrote:My K390 Mule was oiled. You can see it pictured earlier in this thread in post #89. After those shots I cleaned it up for some more pictures and then put some mineral oil on it. I'm contemplating putting it to some use in the kitchen to answer the patina question.
It'll be very interesting to follow different people's experience with this in future weeks.

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 3:10 am
by Senate
DougC-3 wrote:Can I assume that Mules come without anything on the blade to reduce corrosion? I've regretted missing out on anything with CPM M4 steel, and have been hoping that, since K390 is a similar tool steel, it might also tend to develop a nice patina over time. Now Salimoneous, DunninLA, and others have said their corrosion characteristics are similar and I'm excited to see what will happen if the blade is left uncoated, unoiled, etc.

This has also made me curious as to whether regular production knives come with blades just lightly oiled or coated with something corrosion resistant or if this would depend on which blade was involved. Anybody have any ideas or information about that?
any spyderco (folder, mule or fb) that has a tool steel comes with a light oil coating to prevent in box rust/patina.

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 10:36 am
by DougC-3
Senate wrote:any spyderco (folder, mule or fb) that has a tool steel comes with a light oil coating to prevent in box rust/patina.
It would be interesting to see a list of Mules broken down into tool steel and other types of steel. And as for protection of corrosion-susceptible steels, I remember the protective paper for the Super Blue Calies. I wonder if other Spydies have shipped with protective paper (and is there some sort of a reduction agent in the paper?).

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 11:42 am
by DunninLA
sadly, sold out. I knew I should have ordered one Friday!

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 1:21 pm
by JNewell
DunninLA wrote:sadly, sold out. I knew I should have ordered one Friday!
I'm actually very surprised by that. Most of the Mule series have taken weeks or longer to sell out. I guess this one was hot. It probably also helped that you could add one to the Forum Native and get free shipping.

However, heads up - the web inventory is manually loaded. Call SFO and ask by phone whether they still have some - there's a chance they still do. :)

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 1:52 pm
by DunninLA
JNewell wrote:I'm actually very surprised by that. Most of the Mule series have taken weeks or longer to sell out. I guess this one was hot. It probably also helped that you could add one to the Forum Native and get free shipping.

However, heads up - the web inventory is manually loaded. Call SFO and ask by phone whether they still have some - there's a chance they still do. :)
Direct from Kristi by phone this morning that they're sold out. Too bad, as I was very keen to see how K390 compared to s110v, especially as they are very close in composition except for a lot more Tungsten in the k390 (1% vs. .2%), and a lot more chromium in the s110v (15% vs. 4%), and maybe the most important, 3% niobium on the s110v vs. none in the k390. I have no idea what niobium is, but I wouldn't want to run into it alone in a dark alley.

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 2:21 pm
by toomzz
That is fast, but K390 was a hot discussed steel last months so I am not suprised they are sold out already. :o Pity though... Just got word that mine are shipped to fortress Europe couple of minutes ago. Already cut some lignum vitae yesterday so they can already pre-shrink before I bolt and epoxy them on the tang.
Knowing German customs it will take a couple of weeks before the mules reach me, so I just lay back and enjoy my new Barkie Bird 'n trout :D

Enjoy summer in the mean time guys
:rolleyes:

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 2:22 pm
by DM11
I was call by Spyderco this morning and told my order was cancelled as they were all ready sold out. They sold out some time this week end. They must not have made every many of them. I was told my name would be held in case there were more made. One can only hope for more to be coming.

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 2:34 pm
by DunninLA
DM11 wrote:I was call by Spyderco this morning and told my order was cancelled as they were all ready sold out. They sold out some time this week end. They must not have made every many of them. I was told my name would be held in case there were more made. One can only hope for more to be coming.
That's cool that they called you. NOt a call I would want to have to make as a retailer! Indeed, hope springs eternal. So much for the theory that they don't load all their available inventory into the website ordering system. It appears the opposite... inventory still showed late last night in the system around midnight mountain time.

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 2:37 pm
by DunninLA
toomzz wrote:That is fast, but K390 was a hot discussed steel last months so I am not suprised they are sold out already. :
Indeed, the more you look at it, it appears to behave just in between s90v and s110v, without the stainless quality... a non-stainless s100v if you will. -or- like a CPM-10V with added tungsten.

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 4:18 pm
by Ankerson
DunninLA wrote:Indeed, the more you look at it, it appears to behave just in between s90v and s110v, without the stainless quality... a non-stainless s100v if you will. -or- like a CPM-10V with added tungsten.
Not really....

It's more like:

CPM 10V
K390
S110V
S90V

In that order, but really CPM 10V, K390 and S110V are all in the same general class performance wise.

Cpm 10V has the highest percentage of Vanadium at 10% on average.... That and a very high HRC range 63-65 range....

K390, S110V and S90V all have 9% Vanadium with K390 and S110V having a higher Carbon content so they can be pushed to a lot higher HRC range, that gives them the advantage over S90V.

Posted: Mon Jul 22, 2013 4:30 pm
by JNewell
DM11 wrote:I was call by Spyderco this morning and told my order was cancelled as they were all ready sold out. They sold out some time this week end. They must not have made every many of them. I was told my name would be held in case there were more made. One can only hope for more to be coming.
Most of the Mules were 600 pieces, if I recall correctly. All have been one-and-done, no second runs.