Mule

[Neo]

Between mule MT26 en MT27 we had 3 years without a mule?
I'm really looking forward to buy a mule in magnacut, it would be my first because I was always late on the party for the interesting ones

 

[3fifty7]

and there have been 2 released earlier this year.

 

[yablanowitz]

Between mule MT26 en MT27 we had 3 years without a mule?
I'm really looking forward to buy a mule in magnacut, it would be my first because I was always late on the party for the interesting ones

Yep. The project was shelved for a couple of years due to slow sales. Some of the less popular steels took years to sell out. I thought it had run its course, but Sal decided to give it another chance.

 

[sgt1372]

These were released in the past year or so:

MT 28 SPY-27
MT 29 Z-Max
MT 30 Z-Wear
MT 31 S45VN

All sold out immediately. So, I don't know why Sal would think that the program lacked popularity.

My understanding is that production will be increased for future releases and that purchases will be limited to at least 2 max/person to give people a better chance of actually buying one on the release date for $50 instead of $150-350 in the 2ndary market which what most prior releases are selling for these days.

I've got 4 Mules: 20CV, LC200N, S45VN and Z-Max. I was never able to buy one for $50. Bought them all for between $100-200. Any others that I'd want have already been issued, for which I would have to pay as much or more.

 

[AdamFuzzyballs]

These were released in the past year or so:

MT 28 SPY-27
MT 29 Z-Max
MT 30 Z-Wear
MT 31 S45VN

All sold out immediately. So, I don't know why Sal would think that the program lacked popularity.

My understanding is that production will be increased for future releases and that purchases will be limited to at least 2 max/person to give people a better chance of actually buying one on the release date for $50 instead of $150-350 in the 2ndary market which what most prior releases are selling for these days.

I've got 4 Mules: 20CV, LC200N, S45VN and Z-Max. I was never able to buy one for $50. Bought them all for between $100-200. Any others that I'd want have already been issued, for which I would have to pay as much or more.

So, I'm not planning to buy any more Mules unless I can actually buy one that I want for $50.

This, the last one to be released was the first time I’d ever been interested. I was really looking forward to it. I kid you not, I checked the Spyderco website every other hour for at least three weeks because all it said was “coming soon”. Then one random day I got busy at work, and missed it within a two hour time span.

 

[yablanowitz]

I don't know why Sal would think that the program lacked popularity.

Because some of the previous models were still in stock two to three years after their release.

You also need to realize that there is a one to two year lead time between when Sal decides on a steel to use and when the Mule is released.

 

[sgt1372]

Because some of the previous models were still in stock two to three years after their release.

That's apparently not the case any more.

Which steel offering were the "dogs?" These steel offerings were probably at least one reason for the lack of demand previously.

• MT26 - Steel: Micro-Melt A11 (PMA11) | Released: August 2017
• MT27 - Steel: Micro-Melt PD#1 | Released: October 2017

However, the demand (and cost) for all knives (including Mules) seems to have risen dramatically in the last 3-4 years.

Fortunately, I started collecting when demand was apparently down and most of the knives I acquired in the past 4 years. I'd have a really hard time acquiring those knives if I was starting now and I would have to pay a lot more for them now than I did before.

 

[yablanowitz]

Those two were some of the last ones to sell out, but there were a couple of others that were around for a long time. If I remember right, MT 19 and 20 were very slow sellers as well. I believe the Covid layoff resulted in a lot of people with time on their hands becoming interested in the Mule Team Project. Once the old ones started selling out, Sal started the process of making new ones. It wasn't luck that I started "collecting" them within minutes of MT01 going live.

 

[Dergyll]

They sell out because of flippers, not because they're popular.

More flippers = more popular? Sure, I guess.

 

[yablanowitz]

Part of that is due to the special price on the restart releases. Previous Mules were priced based on material plus production cost. The recent four were flat rate $50 each, and I'd bet they lost money on them, especially the Z-Max. I expect the next round to go up in price as well as quantity available.

 

[woodysone]

Part of that is due to the special price on the restart releases. Previous Mules were priced based on material plus production cost. The recent four were flat rate $50 each, and I'd bet they lost money on them, especially the Z-Max. I expect the next round to go up in price as well as quantity available.

But at least the project is going again.

 

[airborne91]

This, the last one to be released was the first time I’d ever been interested. I was really looking forward to it. I kid you not, I checked the Spyderco website every other hour for at least three weeks because all it said was “coming soon”. Then one random day I got busy at work, and missed it within a two hour time span.

Adam, i will tell you that if you watch the forums on the spyderco site, they post the next release date and time about a week or two prior to the drop date.
i stop by and read the posts there too. The mule forum over there has some great info.
Airborne

 

[bleasure]

That's apparently not the case any more.

Which steel offering were the "dogs?" These steel offerings were probably at least one reason for the lack of demand previously.

• MT26 - Steel: Micro-Melt A11 (PMA11) | Released: August 2017
• MT27 - Steel: Micro-Melt PD#1 | Released: October 2017

However, the demand (and cost) for all knives (including Mules) seems to have risen dramatically in the last 3-4 years.

Fortunately, I started collecting when demand was apparently down and most of the knives I acquired in the past 4 years. I'd have a really hard time acquiring those knives if I was starting now and I would have to pay a lot more for them now than I did before.

this is the boat i'm in. not a collector, but like lots of knives and have plenty of different uses for different types. also enjoy trying out different models to try and settle into things i like and don't. i've been noticing exactly this in the video reviews or posts i'll look at from even 2016/17/18, where they'll say 'oh the X is a great knife at $100' and I'll double take, bc it'll be $150+ new now. Seriously a 20-40% increase in prices in some instances, where real wages for the working class haven't increased vs inflation in a meaningful way in the past 50 years. in the broad scheme of things definitely a first world non-problem, but def a barrier for me!

 

[Neo]

Between mule MT26 en MT27 we had 3 years without a mule?
I'm really looking forward to buy a mule in magnacut, it would be my first because I was always late on the party for the interesting ones

And I managed to miss the mule again

On the possitive I ordered a custom knife in magnacut and it would be ready in about 10 months.

 

[Bolstermanic]

Between mule MT26 en MT27 we had 3 years without a mule?
I'm really looking forward to buy a mule in magnacut, it would be my first because I was always late on the party for the interesting ones

The mystery is: Why were the mules so unpopular they were sidelined in 2017, and why are they so wildly popular that they're sold out in 2020-2021?

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Are they always limited release with some "oddball" steel, or are they ever actually stocked with something normal?

I think I've read it's like an experimental project?

I first heard about them a little over a year ago, and Missed this chance by an hour.... :/

But I'm curious about it's size and shape? looks like a good knife, and fun to add scales to , and beat on.

 

[rycen]

The mystery is: Why were the mules so unpopular they were sidelined in 2017, and why are they so wildly popular that they're sold out in 2020-2021?

No mystery. Limited quantities and flippers go hand-in-hand.

 

[ace]

The beauty of the mule project has always been that all the knives are exactly the same shape, so geometry is very similar. The factory edge has been done at different angles I believe, like maxamet I seem to remember was a bit more obtuse than some others. This can be changed by the end user. Great platform for testing different steels. Especially since you can get a nice pattern in an interesting steel for very little money. 0nly recently, last few years they started selling out like crazy, this seems consistent with everything else in knives. More people, bored buying stuff and getting into new hobbies maybe? These have been experimental steels usually, but some are not that far ahead of Spyderco starting to offer same steels in other models. Some are also very similar steels, such as Z-wear, cruwear, and pd1, basically the same steel. MagnaCut was actually produced in higher numbers than usual. The mule pattern itself is a pretty useful general purpose small knife. A good utility blade.

 

[yablanowitz]

Are they always limited release with some "oddball" steel, or are they ever actually stocked with something normal?

I think I've read it's like an experimental project?

I first heard about them a little over a year ago, and Missed this chance by an hour.... :/

But I'm curious about it's size and shape? looks like a good knife, and fun to add scales to , and beat on.

They have talked about doing a regular production Mule in a standard steel with a slightly different blade shape but the same handle so current aftermarket scales would fit, but it has not yet appeared. I think it would take some of the pressure off the new releases, but until we find a way to slay the dragon that is social media, I'm afraid they will continue to be in short supply. Up until now, they have always been a single run in some unusual steel, a way for steel enthusiasts to try new formulas. But since the global pandemic began interest has skyrocketed. How much of that is genuine interest in new steels and how much is "influencer" induced "fear of missing out" is anyone's guess. It's a whole different can of worms than the one Sal opened years ago.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

They have talked about doing a regular production Mule in a standard steel with a slightly different blade shape but the same handle so current aftermarket scales would fit, but it has not yet appeared. I think it would take some of the pressure off the new releases, but until we find a way to slay the dragon that is social media, I'm afraid they will continue to be in short supply. Up until now, they have always been a single run in some unusual steel, a way for steel enthusiasts to try new formulas. But since the global pandemic began interest has skyrocketed. How much of that is genuine interest in new steels and how much is "influencer" induced "fear of missing out" is anyone's guess. It's a whole different can of worms than the one Sal opened years ago.

Thank you for the honest reply.

I'm a user, not a collector.

I'm not a steel snob, or a fanboy here (yet)...... But I respect this group. I know Sal takes good care of you people, someday I'd like to try out His knives. Haha.
(I'm a fixed blade kind of guy) Maybe one of my New Year's Knife Resolutions should be to track one down on the secondary market in a steel I feel comfortable with?