Punto y Aparte: Cuchillos MUELA

I received a catalog from MUELA knives. Their blades are really beautiful. Many elegant folders and fixed blades made from "Molibdeno Vanadio" in Spain. I didn't get a price list with the catalog but I am arranging to have one sent to me. I also see a few on EBay. Does anyone know anything about MUELA? I am going to have to get one of their Siglo XVIII's or Navajas Classicas with a 9" blade (gotta love big folders). Some of the blades are marked INOX.
 
J

JH225

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Feb 7, 1999
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Muela makes 3 different lines of knives. They have a low end production line, a Handmade/Machine made line and a Handmade line. The better ones are stamped with Molibdeno Vanadio, Made in Spain.

The top line of knives are very nice and top out at over $1000. The mid-level knives are semi-hand made and are also very nice. They are well made knives and are priced from $100-400(est). The low end knives are just that, low end knives.

There used to be a guy who was a Muela dealer and had a very nice web site, but he has taken the site down.I spoke with him and he was very knowledgeable. If you want to try and contact him, e-mail me and I will hunt down his #.

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C.O.'s-"It takes balls to work behind the walls "
 
And the low end stuff can be utter crap...almost bought a couple until I handled them. But the middle-range knifes can be ok....it mystifies me that most (as far as I can determine) of the bigger 'net dealers don't stock them (the good ones) ......and those that do don't seem to have a range.

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BrianWE
ICQ #21525343




[This message has been edited by brian w edginton (edited 12 December 1999).]
 
Brian, we've talked about this before. I have been fighting the urge to buy a Navaja folder but they sure look great in the MUELA catalog. Imagine, a 19"+ Navaja folder, if I read the catalog correctly. And the 13"+ spearpoint siglo XVIII folders make me drool.
Of course a small folder is great too but I always tend to go bigger when possible. I don't want to buy one through the internet and then feel like I was kissing my sister but, the folders, the leaf bladed daggers, the Machete,Combate and Alcaraz...OK, I'll just breathe into this paper bag for a minute or two.

[This message has been edited by UPSTARTCROWE (edited 12 December 1999).]
 
Crowe

Yeah, I remember.
The Siglo......I remember a Muela with a name like that in a magazine Fathers' Day gift spread a couple of years back. Not sure it was 13 in +, though.
I asked about it on rec.knives and a dealer gave me a price on it. It was quite expensive and I couldn't afford it then. Lost track of the dealer. Doesn't matter...money is even shorter, now
smile.gif

But it looked like a really nice knife.
Does the catalog list a price ?

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BrianWE
ICQ #21525343


 
Tactical Knives, July 1999, page 60-63.

VERY favorable review of the lower end of the Muela line.

Steven Dick says this of the Muela line: "All are made with first class materials and workmanship that will stand up to years of serious field use."

Later,
John
 
The MUELA catalog is full of beautiful full color, high gloss photos but is totally without prices. Jailhack gave me a lead on a possible dealer but nothing so far. If the giant Navajas (the big one says MANGO 270MM
HOJA 230MM THAT'S HANDLE 10 3/4" BLADE 9 1/16"...19"+???) don't melt in my hand or fall to pieces while I look at them I'll buy one just for the sheer shock value. If I can put a decent edge on it so much the better.

[This message has been edited by UPSTARTCROWE (edited 13 December 1999).]
 
I saw a lower line Muela in the US. Cavalry catalog; for $19 I'm very tempted! It says it's 440C with RC58, and I like the configuration.

P.S. Does anyone have a copy of that Tactical Knives article that they can email me?

Thanks
 
Hmm... I've not heard of Muela before. Is there ANY info available online?

Also, can someone say more about the steel? Jailhack notes, "The better ones are stamped with Molibdeno Vanadio, Made in Spain." "Molibdeno Vanadio" is, of course, "Molybdenum Vanadium" -- which is also a common description for a German stainless steel used by many of the brand-name kitchen cutleries (Messermeister, Grohmann; Henckels steel is "proprietary" but apparently a variation).

I tried to find out about this mystery steel while researching new kitchen knives. To the best of my knowledge, it is a German stainless identified as "4/30" or possibly "4/40" steel. 4/30 closely resembles AUS-8A: has 0.7% carbon and slightly higher amounts of the same alloying elements. I take this to mean that it is probably slightly less "tough" than AUS-8A but takes a slightly finer edge (which makes sense for kitchen knives). 4/40 has slightly higher carbon content -- I'd speculate around 0.9-1.0%.

Happy Camper notes that the low-end Muela is made from 440C, treated to 58 RC. At $19 I'd be highly skeptical of that claim. I don't know US Cavalry but it may be casual labelling on their part. Quality of heat treat notwithstanding, if the "Molibdeno Vanadio" used in the high-end Muelas is indeed the same "Molybdenum Vanadium" used by other European manufacturers (i.e., Euro version of AUS-8A), then I doubt Muela would use a higher quality stainless in its lower-end line.

Curious --
Glen

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Y2K complacent
 
My advice: stay away from low end Muelas! I bought one 3 years ago, when I didn't know enough about knives, and I will not do it again.
The sheath came apart the first time I took it outdoors (it was some thin crap, not leather). The rubber handle already starts deteriorating, though I haven't used it a lot. The blade is so-so, at least useable. But it definitely is NOT a good stainless like AUS8 or 440C (obviously softer, not very good edge holding).

Alex.
 
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