Spyderco Forums

I'm going to make this short and sweet, so we can commence the discussion.

I have been using the Caribbean daily for a while now. It has been, by and large the best designed knife I have used. The handle ergonomics are great, the locking system is excellent and the blade, don't get me started.

The way the tang is below flush with the scales, awesome! It was made to cut and cut it does. I first saw it and thought, "No forward choil? Why not?" Because you(me) are a stupid who knows not what he needs. That's why!

So much for short and sweet, eh?

Anyways, I feel the Caribbean design lends itself to being the successor to the Mule Team Project. Maybe using the larger Caribbean frame, make different models with a new steel and scale color each time.
It seems like it would be a great test bed to try out steel performance in a standard design, just like the Mule Team. But, in a more appealing package for the average knife buyer. Most of the time a fixed blade doesn't lend itself well to being an EDC.

That's my proposal, what do you think?
We can call it the Spyderco Royale. :cool:

Glad you’re liking (loving) the Caribbean but I suspect the model is probably too expensive to serve as a folding mule.

Personally I’m still hoping for a UKPK mule. Less expensive, made in Golden, legal most places in the world, classic Spyderco blade shape.

It would make more sense to make mule blades of a common folder. PM2 would work. Ignoring the warranty issue, swapping a blade to test out a new steel makes a lot more sense than buying a $175 folder for each steel.

The Military has already sort of done this over the years it's been around. The problem with this idea is cost. Part of what makes the Mule project so cool is offering steels to try out in a relatively cheap platform. You would have to use a folder that is cheap, and the Caribbean is not cheap (and could cost even more with different steels). Another advantage of a fixed blade for a Mule is that you can use it harder without fear of damaging pivots and locks, and since the idea of a Mule is to try out and experiment with new steels, you need to be able to lean on them without worry. This idea would basically just be Caribbean sprint runs, which I'm ALL for. I think it's an excellent design that would be great even if it wasn't a Salt oriented model.

The cost would be a factor, as with any new model. But, with a different set of scales and a nice new steel like Vanax or unclad HAP40, a knife like the Caribbean should fly off the shelves. 600 pieces per run with eveything the same, except the blade steel.

I have also thought about a mule blade, but then you potentially open up a warranty nightmare.

I do love this knife, I believe everyone should own one.
Also, I think it gets passed over a bit because of the scales. They are a love it or hate it kind of thing. This design deserves more than "just" a salt version.

Sumdumguy wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 04, 2018 5:00 pm

Also, I think it gets passed over a bit because of the scales.

I can deal with the scales, but the real issue is the cost. With a $165 street price it won’t “fly” off of any shelves.

The LC200N steel is getting a lot of love. At least while it’s new and there aren’t many other LC200N options it should be a strong attraction for this model. A sprint in a random supersteel probably doesn’t make this much more attractive.

They could do a lower cost version with plain G10 and some decent steel. But at that point there’s lots of other great models in that size/price range. Might be best to enjoy it for what it is.