MT12P featuring Cru-Wear Release Date

The Mastiff said:
Jack, let us know how it does at work. It should be one of the tougher mules.

Joe
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After using it for a week, my assessment is it doesn't hold an edge worth a damn, but at least it's easy to sharpen. I thought maybe it was just a stubborn burr, but after flattening the edge completely, cutting new bevels and examining the resultant edge at up to 100x magnification (five times), I've concluded that it wasn't a burr. It hasn't chipped, but it rolls if I look at it too hard with anything below about 50° included. I'll be carrying something else next week.
 
yablanowitz said:
After using it for a week, my assessment is it doesn't hold an edge worth a damn, but at least it's easy to sharpen. I thought maybe it was just a stubborn burr, but after flattening the edge completely, cutting new bevels and examining the resultant edge at up to 100x magnification (five times), I've concluded that it wasn't a burr. It hasn't chipped, but it rolls if I look at it too hard with anything below about 50° included. I'll be carrying something else next week.
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Did you see the guy that bent his...it's possible his missed the heat treat. Maybe a small batch missed the treat and you ended up with one as well.
 
After using it for a week, my assessment is it doesn't hold an edge worth a damn, but at least it's easy to sharpen. I thought maybe it was just a stubborn burr, but after flattening the edge completely, cutting new bevels and examining the resultant edge at up to 100x magnification (five times), I've concluded that it wasn't a burr. It hasn't chipped, but it rolls if I look at it too hard with anything below about 50° included. I'll be carrying something else next week.
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Yep, it shouldn't be rolling at 35-40 degrees. Wear resistance can be subjective especially to someone who uses S90V but what you are describing isn't really what you should be seeing. Even thinned out a bit it should not be rolling, folding, or any such thing.

Oh well. ? :(
 
I don't have access to a Rockwell hardness tester, but it feels awfully soft on the diamond hones. I recut the bevels again at 45° included with a 50° microbevel. Checked with 100X microscope and could see no burr, just a clean edge. Trashed the edge peeling about a fourth of a square foot of bark off an ash tree branch. I give up on this one.
 
Hi Jack,

That's not right. I'll begin testing tomorrow. Can I get you to send yours to me?

sal
 
I thought it was dulling fast when I was cutting some vinyl cove base for an apartment where I just replaced the floor tile. When I needed to trim down the end of the kick panel on the kitchen cabinet (1/2" particle board) the edge rolled in seconds each time I tried. My M4 Military had no problem finishing the job. Stripping the bark off the ash branch is a piece of cake for the O-1 BushcraftUK at 20° included, but it has trashed the Cruware in a couple of minutes at a much larger angle. Twice. Either I've forgotten how to sharpen a knife, which I admit is possible, or there is something wrong with this one.
 
I lowered the angle on one of mine: seemed pretty easy compared to most of the other mules. I will test it when I get home. I'll try and remember before and after pics, too.

Hope it's ok as I already epoxied the Halpern scales on (I always do with the non-stainless mules).
 
Jack, the wear resistance should not be up to the CPM M4. It should, however be better than the 52100 mule,Super blue mule, knives you've tried in 1095, D2 ( all at whatever hardness) etc. It's substantially tougher than steels like D2. Not quite 3V tough, but getting at least half way there. As I've stated I've used mine ( old custom I had) to scratch/carve my initials in a steel I beam.

I don't know what if anything is going on. It just might be I've talked it up too much, but maybe not. Sal will know more after he tests a few of them.

Here's a test that Wayne Goddard did comparing a few steels we know. Substitute Vascowear for Cruware : http://sharpeningmadeeasy.com/edge.htm
 
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This one isn't even close to the 1095 in my 8OT stockman. Maybe I should get the other one out and test it as well.
 
This one isn't even close to the 1095 in my 8OT stockman. Maybe I should get the other one out and test it as well.
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I've been looking around for some wood to shave and whittle, and pry sideways out of. It's got to be something I can do sitting down though.

I've got yellow oak, beech, maple, walnut, and some beautiful old mahogany I doubt I'll use. I used to make custom nightsticks out of it. It's a deep red color when finished without stain. I'll probably start with oak, the most familiar for me. I want to see how it does with different kinds of stressing on the edge.
 
Naive question here - isn't it possible to quickly check if a blade is sharpened by using a sharp/new file? From what I remember reading, the file is harder than non-hardened steel, so if the steel is not hardened, the file will easily "eat" or bite into the steel. If however the blade is hardened, the file will simply skip over - a file can't cut/bite too much (or at all) on hardened steel. Maybe checking on the back of the mule would be a quick test to see if the blade is hardened?

Will
 
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As in my post above, I had noticed the MT12 Cruwear Mule seemed a little soft. I did the "file test" comparing it to the Aogami Superblue and M390 mules and there was a marked difference:

M390 Left; Cruwear Middle; Aogami Superblue Right.

DSC02411filetest.jpg


I took a video of the test and it is uploading (slowly...)

I'll be interested to see what Sal finds as mine seems v soft. Wish I hadn't done the scales now. I'll post some usage pics for comparison, too. Anyone got access to a calibrated Rockwell machine?

I still think the Mule program is a credit to Spyderco, BTW.
 
xavierdoc - I got two MT12 blades, and I have only tested the first one so far, but pretty much you got the same results that I got. I tried a sharp file on 3-4 places in the MT12, and it was easy for the file to eat metal away. I then put some halpern titanium handles, and proceeded to sharpen the edge with a mouse pad and sandpaper to start giving the blade the convex grind that I like, and to my surprise I found it was very, very easy to sharpen, even though the sandpaper sheet was not new. I would have expected sharpening the Cruwear to be a lot more difficult/time consuming, based on my recent experience with my MT9 and my PM2 with CTS-20CP, which take a great edge, but take some time to sharpen.

Will
 
Well, I cord-wrapped the second one, sharpened it up and did some whittling on the same piece of ash that tore up the first one. The second one did much better, but still rolled some. I guess I'll box them both up and send them in.
 
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