BLOWN Away!!!

D

DWRW

Joined
Jul 21, 2005
Messages
1,615
HOW can it be that there are still M4 Mule teams left???????? :confused:

I bought one and loved it so much so quickly that I quickly bought another and I was surprised at the time that it was still available then. - that was 4 weeks ago and my first was almost 6 weeks ago. :eek:

I remember being upset as I found out about the 1st 52100 Mule a few days after the release and they were all gone. The first Mules sold out VERY FAST. :eek: :(

I like 52100 and was sorry I missed, but luckily I have quite a few pieces of 52100 and have a feel for what it can do. Now that I have this M4, I have to believe this M4 is nicer IMO so far. - No final verdict... just preliminary impressions.

I CAN'T believe the M4 Mules aren't sold out.

You guys that are on the fence need to snag one quickly.

I have noticed over the years that knife purchasing seems to slow down around the holidays. But, don't let this one pass you by. You will regret it.

Also, if we don't do our part to buy out the Mule blades, what is Sal's motivation to bring us more??? :confused: :(

I get that the M4 Mule was a LOT more expensive than the 52100 Mule. And I admit, I was hoping for closer to $50 or so. But, it is still a pretty darn good value. Consider that for about $30 - $50 in materials, you can put a few hours effort into creating a knife worth well over $150 if you take your time and put some effort towards fit and finish. ;)

For those of you bothered about having to put scales on, it really isn't that hard. There are some good step-by-step tutorials with good pictures out on the forums that should really help understand that the process itself is fairly simple and doesn't require high end tools. - although, granted, it can be a slow and tedious process with certain basic hand tools and sandpaper.

Anyway, if you haven't built your own knife, this is a great opportunity to try it. The end results can be very satisfying. And Sal is providing a VERY HIGH END "PREMIUM" steel with well known and respected heat treating as a foundation.

Plus, the Mule blade is a VERY good user design! :thumbup:

.
 
I'd hafta say price point. In my years in retail, many people would say price is not an issue, but when push comes to shove, it is. I have a feeling that many people can justify $20-30 this time of year, but once the price goes to $70 they begin to crave a finished product for that money. I agree with you that it is a hell of a value, and I will continue to buy my two, but the execution of this program hasn't been the greatest in my opinion.
 
Well I don't think you can ever make everyone happy. I do think that the CPM-M4 Mule is a good value at $70. I did crave a finished product and now I have about $150 in total spent for my Mule with handles and a sheath. I do think that the knife is worth that in a way. I also in a way think that if it were to cost $150 with a sheath and handles that I wouldn't have bought it.

I kind of got carried away with the fact that I had never had a Mule and wanted one. Now I have a $150 worth of CPM-M4 and awesome handles and a sheath that I'm not so sure I'll use. I want to use it but I have rare opportunities to use a fixed blade daily.

I think that it's awfully nice that Sal and the Spyderco Crew have done this Mule team thing. Many people have wanted different steels to mess around with for a long time and really Spyderco is the only company doing that. Actually Kershaw does a good job of offering some cool new steels in their knives. The Blur and Leek come to mind here.

All in all I think that the $70 price is the stopping point for most folks in this current economy. If it were $50 there would be less left. Supply and demand I guess. :)
 
DWRW said:
HOW can it be that there are still M4 Mule teams left???????? :confused:
Click to expand...
Perhaps because there are really not all that many "steelheads" out there and the collectors, speculators and guys just looking for a decent unfinished blade who got bashed for depriving them of the first run of Mules passed on this one.
 
The most obvious answer is that one-third of the first Mule run (200 pieces out of 600 total) went to the Collector's Club as a new model. Only those for the "All variants" collectors were taken out of this run, and even they had to opt in after the first one to continue receiving them. That puts quite a few more into circulation.

Many who were not interested in the project jumped at the chance for a fixed blade Spyderco for $39.95. Now they have theirs, and they don't need another one, especially at almost twice the price.

On the bright side, Sal didn't think there were enough left to lift the two piece per customer restriction. Wait a minute...that's a bright side?
 
I can't speak for everyone but I bought my mule on impulse hoping that some day I will be able to have a handle and sheath made to fit it. after a few weeks I've come to regret the purchase. I'm no craftsman, I do not have the tools or knowledge to do it myself, and the simple reality is that I will not be able to afford to have a handle and sheath made in the near future. My money would have been much better invested in one of the closeout D'Allara drop points or some other knife. Maybe this is the case for some other people as well? For my part, lesson learned. I won't be purchasing another Mule. I appreciate what Sal and the guys are doing and I think its a great idea but as I have said its just not for me.
 
I can sympathize a little there, but at the same time, I feel I should show you a little something.

CIMG0227.jpg


Handle wrapped with fifty cents worth of 550 cord, sheath made of cardboard and duct tape, total investment about a dollar in material and an hour of labor. It is the first cord wrap I ever attempted and I had no instructions. I don't consider myself greatly talented (I'm still working on whittling out a set of wooden scales) and I know it is no dream knife, but it is functional. You don't have to spend a ton of money to make that Mule a worthwhile working knife.
 
It's for me, that's for sure. If Sal lifts the limit per person, they'll disappear shortly. I'll do my part after payday. Joe
 
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