Mule Team™ 52100

This model is no longer in production. 

Spyderco’s Mule Team™ Series is an ongoing project that enables steel-obsessed knife enthusiasts to test different blade materials using the same exact fixed-blade design platform. Sold without handles or sheaths, Mule Team blades are also ideal for aspiring knifemakers and hobbyists.

This expression of the Mule Team concept features 52100, a high-carbon steel used primarily for ball bearings. It has a good amount of carbon (0.98 - 1.10) and very few other alloys. Ball bearing steels usually have to withstand a great deal of force in a very small area. Traditionally, ball-bearing steels make good edge steels because an edge also has to withstand extreme force in a small area. 52100 serves that function well.
A very fine molecular structure permits very sharp edges, even at thin angles. Toughness is good, corrosion resistance isn't. It is not a stainless steel and will have to be cared for.

All Mule Team blades are sold consumer-direct and available only at the Spyderco Factory Outlet or through Spyderco.com. 

Released: January 2008