Spyderco Southfork vs. Spyderco Mule S110v

D

drebs

Joined
Dec 6, 2014
Messages
86
Hey, Long time viewer and reader of the site.

I have learned alot from guys like Ankerson, Gun Mike, Knarfeng and everyone else on here.

I'm looking to get a good knife to have to chop food when camping, Dressing deer and elk, Fish. And depending on the prognosis , A general
Camp knife would be a nice bonus, however the dressing of game is #1.

My question is how does the Phil Wilson Southfork stack up against the Mule s110v. I know s110v is to some considered an updated/upgraded
s90v, HOWEVER I also understand how the knife is treated, the thinness and profiling of the edge can make a big difference. I do want it to
hold an edge at least through a whole deer.

However if the Mule S110v wasn't too far behind the Southfork it would make a better general woods Carry knife for me being more stainless,
the shape and size would be easier for me. While at the same time the Southfork shape looks superior for dressing. I'm also assuming the
S110v from thickness looks like it could take a little more abuse if one was to say get stranded in the woods for a bit and had to rough it for
3-4 days.

Also as a side note I know my way around sharpening however not good enough yet to reprofile an edge just yet.

Thanks, Drew
 
And apparently I can't keep all my words on the same line. Thanks in advance
 
I have the Southfork and a Mule in K390. The Southfork would definitely make the better hunting/fishing knife, due to the overall shape and the thiness, the Mule a better all around camp knife (being more robust) As far as edge holding, I would think they'd be difficult to tell apart, S110V does have an advantage in carbide, but the thinner grind of the SF would make up for it. I'd say get one as a dedicated fishing/hunting and the mule for camp. ;)
 
michaelm466 said:
I have the Southfork and a Mule in K390. The Southfork would definitely make the better hunting/fishing knife, due to the overall shape and the thiness, the Mule a better all around camp knife (being more robust) As far as edge holding, I would think they'd be difficult to tell apart, S110V does have an advantage in carbide, but the thinner grind of the SF would make up for it. I'd say get one as a dedicated fishing/hunting and the mule for camp. ;)
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You just brought up a great question for me and I already did a bit of research as to if I want a Mule in a k390, m390, m4, or s110v. Correct me if I'm wrong but the k390 isn't as robust as a camp knife, more prone to chipping than the m390... So assuming that correct the m390 vs M4 vs S110v? How does the weather resistant, wear resistant, edge retention and blade toughness break down on those 3? Givin the RC's on Mules for these particular steels.
 
drebs, you are missing the point.
The Southfork was designed to dress game, the mule wasn't.
Steel choice is secondary to design as far as answering your question is concerned.
 
Oh no I'm getting the southfork but Michael talker me into getting a mule as well for my camp and woods knife. :) there is no such thing as too many guns or knifes only too little.
 
I have used a Southfork in the kitchen for more than two years and only have stropped the edge. Sweet knife! Only change I would make would be to roughen the scales.
 
Southfork is a great thin knife. Ideal design for light woods work; field dressing.
Mules are tougher; would stand batonning much easier.
 
The Southfork is a top of the line knife but is designed for uses that don't necessarily have pounding, batoning or prying in the description. The Mule can be much more versatile if one wants it to be with the leaf blade, thickness and size. It also has the benefit of being made in so many different steels it can be chosen for the attributes one needs. I would probably use the mule in Cruwear or CPM M4 for the other tasks you require that might include working bones apart and such. They are a good bit tougher than the stainless versions and still have very good abrasive wear resistance.

Still not designed for chopping down trees but hopefully you have the tools for that and use knives as the tools they are.
 
Awesome thanks for the info Mastiff, I have read your posts in the past and enjoying reading your knowledge. So I'm in between the M4 and Cru Wear mules, What advantages do they hold over eachother and which one is easier to work with as far as sharping goes... I've read that the M4 can take a wicked thin edge however I'm not re profiling yet, But I've also seen from Ankerson's test it seems the M4 likes a rougher finshing at 600 grit that will outperform the same knife at a higher grit in edge retention, I do not know much about the Cru Wear sharping process or how picky it is about edge factors

Finally if I got an Edge Pro Apex sharpener could a novice at edge reprofileing throw a 20 degree inclusive on a M4 after doing a bit of learning into the pressure and other factors for doing so successfully. Again thanks for the wisdom and advice
 
Finally if I got an Edge Pro Apex sharpener could a novice at edge reprofileing throw a 20 degree inclusive on a M4 after doing a bit of learning into the pressure and other factors for doing so successfully.

Yes.
 
If you want a mule to use as a camp knife, you may want to consider the current one in B70P.

From Spyderco:

"...you’ll find that B70P’s closest cousin is Cru-Wear®—a very highly regarded Crucible®*steel that provides higher wear resistance than D2 and greater toughness than M2*high speed*steel. Although B70P does not include Cru-Wear’s tungsten and has less vanadium, it has nearly twice the chromium content (making it a true stainless steel) and adds niobium, manganese, and silicon."
 
I have a mule in S90V and one in Elmax. Truthfully I find the mule blade shape a real compromise, meaning it can do a lot of things but do none of them particularly well. Too short and thick to be a great slicer, too fat to be a good game or general purpose knife.
 
drebs said:
You just brought up a great question for me and I already did a bit of research as to if I want a Mule in a k390, m390, m4, or s110v. Correct me if I'm wrong but the k390 isn't as robust as a camp knife, more prone to chipping than the m390... So assuming that correct the m390 vs M4 vs S110v? How does the weather resistant, wear resistant, edge retention and blade toughness break down on those 3? Givin the RC's on Mules for these particular steels.
Click to expand...

Best to least
Edge Retention: S110V...M390...M4 (depending on the material you're cutting of course, M4 being tougher can hold up better like a hard knot in the wood to something that my chip out S110V)
Corrosion Resistance: M390...S110V...Small Gap ... M4 (not a stainless)
Toughness: M4...Gap... M390...S110V
 
Awesome thanks for the info Mastiff, I have read your posts in the past and enjoying reading your knowledge. So I'm in between the M4 and Cru Wear mules, What advantages do they hold over eachother and which one is easier to work with as far as sharping goes... I've read that the M4 can take a wicked thin edge however I'm not re profiling yet, But I've also seen from Ankerson's test it seems the M4 likes a rougher finshing at 600 grit that will outperform the same knife at a higher grit in edge retention, I do not know much about the Cru Wear sharping process or how picky it is about edge factors

Finally if I got an Edge Pro Apex sharpener could a novice at edge reprofileing throw a 20 degree inclusive on a M4 after doing a bit of learning into the pressure and other factors for doing so successfully. Again thanks for the wisdom and advice
Click to expand...

Hi Drebs. Thanks for the compliments. I consider myself more of a learner than any kind of expert. That is why I come here. Lots of knowledge around here to benefit from.

As far as the mules go I'll limit it to the two you mentioned.

Cruwear mule. Though the later folders were made of a powder steel version of Cruwear the mule was a ingot ( non powder steel) steel. It won't be as tough as the CPM M4, nor as wear resistant. The differences won't be all that much though and both will do what you are asking of them. The CPM M4 Mule will have slightly better resistance to corrosion though they are not stainless steels and should be treated like a carbon steel care wise.

I like both equally well and feel either can be used in place of the other for the purposes you describe. I wouldn't pay much more for the CPM M4 mule because of that.

The steels in other knives might have different results because the heat treat, and geometry can change things around a great deal and make one out perform the other. Mule to mule is easy though as the whole batch of mules were given the same heat treats and are made of the same stock with variations in the edge from human hands doing the final sharpening and polish. ( runs for each steel were 600 to 1200 depending on which mule)

So, for the same price grab the CPM M4 first, then the Cruwear. If the M4 is higher cost only you can decide if the slightly higher wear resistance and possibly toughness from the powder processing is worth it to you. I could use either and be happy. Both might be difficult to find so if you do run into one available that could help decide.

I don't have the B70P mule so I can't comment on it's performance. It does look like a good stainless steel.



Joe
 
Thanks guys, As it stands on right now I have opportunity to buy a k390, m390, cru wear, s110v, and M4 all mules right now . I already have a GB, and manix s110v (just got them so no working on em yet) so i'm wondering if i should mix it up or stick to M4's as i will likely learn how they like to be worked and sharpened. That would leave me prob looking at the m390, If i choose to mix it up, if not the M4.

Although I will be giving up some toughness it might be the most well rounded blade between wear, corrosion, and toughness. Anyway ill mull over the pros and cons but thank you for all your inputs and time to respond it has helped me get down to deciding whats going to be best for me.
 
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The Mastiff said:
Cruwear mule. Though the later folders were made of a powder steel version of Cruwear the mule was a ingot ( non powder steel) steel. It won't be as tough as the CPM M4, nor as wear resistant. The differences won't be all that much though and both will do what you are asking of them. The CPM M4 Mule will have slightly better resistance to corrosion though they are not stainless steels and should be treated like a carbon steel care wise.

I like both equally well and feel either can be used in place of the other for the purposes you describe. I wouldn't pay much more for the CPM M4 mule because of that.


So, for the same price grab the CPM M4 first, then the Cruwear. If the M4 is higher cost only you can decide if the slightly higher wear resistance and possibly toughness from the powder processing is worth it to you. I could use either and be happy. Both might be difficult to find so if you do run into one available that could help decide.

I don't have the B70P mule so I can't comment on it's performance. It does look like a good stainless steel.

Joe
Click to expand...

Hey Joe, as a point of clarification, if looking at CPM-Cruwear vs. CPM-M4 wouldn't the Cruwear be expected to be (very generally) tougher and more corrosion resistant? Rationale being that is has a lower overall carbide volume, more silicon, and nearly twice the chromium content? I know the OP was looking at the ingot mule, but I didn't exect it to be so different from the PM version.

Still think the B70P at $80 is a no brainer for a well-rounded stainless, but I don't have any "pull" on the forums, lol.
 
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