KA-BAR Mule Folder  

Looking for a big folder with a small price tag, then you might want to look at the KA-BAR Mule.  Designed as an all purpose utility lockback, the Mule (Military, Utility, and Law Enforcement) measures just over 9" open, with a 3-13/16" blade.  KA-BAR markets this knife as the folding answer to their famous fixed blade knives.  A lot of people prefer the liner lock type folders, but if you prefer a traditional lockback type mechanism you'll be at home with this knife.

With a closed length of 5-1/4", the Mule is better suited to a sheath than a pocket clip, so its probably not the best choice as an every day carry knife.  KA-BAR offers three different sheaths; Black, Foliage green or Desert tan, nylon/cordura, each of which can be mounted horizontally or vertically on a belt or tactical vest, and feature velcro and snap closures.     

The handle of the KA-BAR mule is zytel with kraton inserts for a comfortable non-slip grip and stainless steel liners.  Configuration options include straight or combo clip point blade, straight or combo tanto blade, and three color options: Desert Tan, Foliage Green, and black.  All blades are AUS-8A stainless, and black teflon coated.  Ambidextrous thumb studs allow for one handed opening.

Some drawbacks to the KA-BAR mule are its considerable weight, at 8oz, and the AUS-8A steel, which sharpens well, but is not as tough as we might like for something with a name like Mule.  It's also manufactured in Taiwan as opposed to the U.S. like its fixed blade older brother.  That being said, you can pick up a Mule for forty bucks if you shop around, so while there may be better folders out there, the value of the Mule seems hard to beat.  

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