Sorry for the mambo jumbo but I wanted to share my experience and start by telling you a little about myself.
I cant recall when I started using knives as a kid but I did and cant recall many specific models very well. As an adult in my early 20’s I fell in love with a G10 Spyderco Police that I carried for about 8 years as my only knife. Then I tried an Emerson CQC-7 that I used for another 3-4 years.
Then the Internet and the forums… I was doomed.
After that I got into the usual high-end mid techs like Strider, Hinderer, CRK, ZT/Spyderco Sprint runs, Todd Begg Field Grade Bodega, etc. and then I got a Shirogorov.
For some reason I couldn’t see other knives the same way. I felt I reached perfection in the “Production” area and I decided to give the custom world a try. After having knives for over 20 years, I knew I was ready to appreciate it and I knew what I sort of wanted and not wanted for this custom.
The knife in case: These were my criteria.
It had to be attractive but not overly pretty that I would be scared to use it. (My knife philosophy is to use what I have. That is why I bought it!)
It had to come from a maker with a good reputation. Anyone can make a custom knife but will they be approachable by the customer if times arise?
It had to be a max of 3.5 inches, preferably in the <3.5 because I already have a longish 3.75 inch blade. Also had to have a useful profile (no “nightmare” grinds, no choil). I wanted a good slicer.
I’m planning to keep this one and pass it to my nephews one day so it had to be “timeless” (no crazy design, too tactical, etc) and a knife that would actually look good with some battle scars but would not scare people.
I started looking at Enrique Pena and realized he was a TX knife maker so that made me more interested (always support local if you can). I reviewed everything I could and decided that the new Mula was the one. 3.25" blade 7.75" overall 4.5" closed., Mokuti clip.
I received it in 2 days and when I received the package I was actually scared to open it. What if it was not what I thought it would be? I sat there with the nice Pena pouch in my hands just trying to enjoy the moment and the expectation/anticipation for a few minutes before opening it.
I’m adding the link to the Bladeshow 2018 were you can see a spectacular picture of the knife by
SharpByCoop
and enjoy some great maker’s knives. He is also in here I think.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/...1588682/page-4 (scroll down on page 4)
Anyhow, let me tell you about this knife because the pictures I can take wont do it justice.
It feels SOLID. You can tell there is some weight to it, which I love. Being a 3.25-inch blade I was scared it would be too light and not feel like much but its around 4.3 oz. Pretty much the same my Shirogorov Hati (3.75 inch blade).
The Knife has an awesome amount of work and details, even being a “simple” design. The blade has a nice drop point Hollow-grind with a cool swedge, an awesome hand rubbed satin finish, and has a machined thumb stud as a nice little detail. The area where the jimping goes has an angle /ramp to it which makes for an angled protrusion where the thumb rest giving positive traction. The jimping is adequate and not overly sharp.
The blade, once you get the hang of it, FLIES open (took me 5 minutes). That is very impressive as I was looking for the hidden spring. The detent let you preload it and bam! You can open the knife smoothly if you choose to do so.
The lock closes with authority and is very consistent with each opening. You can tell the tolerances are very tight.
The handles, even though they are square, have been sanded to avoid any sharp edges, as you would expect from a custom. The titanium slabs have been beautifully contoured if you see the knife from the side horizontally and has been drilled to add some visual to it and to maybe for weight reduction?
It has other nice contoured areas near the front of the knife
The ergos are great for my large (glove size) hand but this is the smallest I’m comfortable with for EDC so you know. Anything small would be a “micro knife” for me.
It has a couple nice details that added to the appeal of the design. The purplish titanium Back spacer and the Mokuti clip.
The clip has a nice design, not just a generic looking clip. Its my first experience with the Mokuti and time will tell how the material holds. The clip has enough spring to it that it keeps the knife in place and goes in/out of the pocket with ease. Sseems like over extending the lock bar would make contact with the clip, so I wonderer if that is made on purpose to prevent it? (Overextension)
If you have been thinking about getting a Pena, I can vouch for his spectacular work.
Cheers and I hope you enjoy.
B.
I cant recall when I started using knives as a kid but I did and cant recall many specific models very well. As an adult in my early 20’s I fell in love with a G10 Spyderco Police that I carried for about 8 years as my only knife. Then I tried an Emerson CQC-7 that I used for another 3-4 years.
Then the Internet and the forums… I was doomed.
After that I got into the usual high-end mid techs like Strider, Hinderer, CRK, ZT/Spyderco Sprint runs, Todd Begg Field Grade Bodega, etc. and then I got a Shirogorov.
For some reason I couldn’t see other knives the same way. I felt I reached perfection in the “Production” area and I decided to give the custom world a try. After having knives for over 20 years, I knew I was ready to appreciate it and I knew what I sort of wanted and not wanted for this custom.
The knife in case: These were my criteria.
It had to be attractive but not overly pretty that I would be scared to use it. (My knife philosophy is to use what I have. That is why I bought it!)
It had to come from a maker with a good reputation. Anyone can make a custom knife but will they be approachable by the customer if times arise?
It had to be a max of 3.5 inches, preferably in the <3.5 because I already have a longish 3.75 inch blade. Also had to have a useful profile (no “nightmare” grinds, no choil). I wanted a good slicer.
I’m planning to keep this one and pass it to my nephews one day so it had to be “timeless” (no crazy design, too tactical, etc) and a knife that would actually look good with some battle scars but would not scare people.
I started looking at Enrique Pena and realized he was a TX knife maker so that made me more interested (always support local if you can). I reviewed everything I could and decided that the new Mula was the one. 3.25" blade 7.75" overall 4.5" closed., Mokuti clip.
I received it in 2 days and when I received the package I was actually scared to open it. What if it was not what I thought it would be? I sat there with the nice Pena pouch in my hands just trying to enjoy the moment and the expectation/anticipation for a few minutes before opening it.
I’m adding the link to the Bladeshow 2018 were you can see a spectacular picture of the knife by
SharpByCoop
and enjoy some great maker’s knives. He is also in here I think.https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/...1588682/page-4 (scroll down on page 4)
Anyhow, let me tell you about this knife because the pictures I can take wont do it justice.
It feels SOLID. You can tell there is some weight to it, which I love. Being a 3.25-inch blade I was scared it would be too light and not feel like much but its around 4.3 oz. Pretty much the same my Shirogorov Hati (3.75 inch blade).
The Knife has an awesome amount of work and details, even being a “simple” design. The blade has a nice drop point Hollow-grind with a cool swedge, an awesome hand rubbed satin finish, and has a machined thumb stud as a nice little detail. The area where the jimping goes has an angle /ramp to it which makes for an angled protrusion where the thumb rest giving positive traction. The jimping is adequate and not overly sharp.
The blade, once you get the hang of it, FLIES open (took me 5 minutes). That is very impressive as I was looking for the hidden spring. The detent let you preload it and bam! You can open the knife smoothly if you choose to do so.
The lock closes with authority and is very consistent with each opening. You can tell the tolerances are very tight.
The handles, even though they are square, have been sanded to avoid any sharp edges, as you would expect from a custom. The titanium slabs have been beautifully contoured if you see the knife from the side horizontally and has been drilled to add some visual to it and to maybe for weight reduction?
It has other nice contoured areas near the front of the knife
The ergos are great for my large (glove size) hand but this is the smallest I’m comfortable with for EDC so you know. Anything small would be a “micro knife” for me.
It has a couple nice details that added to the appeal of the design. The purplish titanium Back spacer and the Mokuti clip.
The clip has a nice design, not just a generic looking clip. Its my first experience with the Mokuti and time will tell how the material holds. The clip has enough spring to it that it keeps the knife in place and goes in/out of the pocket with ease. Sseems like over extending the lock bar would make contact with the clip, so I wonderer if that is made on purpose to prevent it? (Overextension)
If you have been thinking about getting a Pena, I can vouch for his spectacular work.
Cheers and I hope you enjoy.
B.
