Mule Team™ Micro-Melt® A11 (PMA11)

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 Carpenter® Technology Corporation's PMA11, a particle metallurgy version of A11 tool steel. Also known as AISI A11, K294 (Böhler-Uddeholm), and CPM® 10V (Crucible®), PMA11 is an extremely wear-resistant tool steel that is capable of achieving a high working hardness. One of the world's premier steel choices for highly wear-resistant industrial tooling, in its CPM 10V form it is also one of the favorite steels of renowned custom knifemaker and Spyderco collaborator Phil Wilson.

PMA11's alloy composition is as follows: Carbon: 2.45%, Manganese: 0.50%, Silicon: 0.90%, Chromium: 5.30%, Molybdenum: 1.30%, Vanadium: 9.50%, Sulfur 0.08%. Its large volume of hard vanadium carbides provides substantially better wear-resistance than typical high-carbon, high-chromium die steels such as D2 and D7. In knife blades, this translates to outstanding edge retention and good toughness, especially in shorter knives. These properties are maximized through the particle metallurgy process, which greatly reduces alloy segregation and ensures a homogenous microstructure. Please note, however, that PMA11 is a tool steel and must be maintained properly to safeguard it against corrosion.

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

Released: August 2017