# MUELA Spanish Knives



## LUPARA

I was introduced to these knives a long time ago; a neighbor brought some back from a Shot Show; can't remember which one. At the time I thought they were a little 'gaudy', but I trusted his judgement on the craftsmanship and steel etc., bought one and promptly gave it to a rabid hunter buddy. He liked it a lot!! Used it all the time; 'cos it was cheap, (at the time). Well, I have to say, I now have first hand experience of many Spanish knives: Joker; Cudeman; Andjuhar and Muela.

Looking for a belt-ride EDC I finally bought this little bugger:

http://images.google.fr/imgres?imgu...=94&prev=/images?q=MUELA+MOUSE+7A&gbv=2&hl=fr

Hope the link works; it's a MUELA 'MOUSE' 7A (with a 7cm blade). There are several 'MOUSE' variations and they're basically skinning knives; but if you don't like the MOUSE you can get the PIRANHA or the ORYX; they are also available with Olivewood and Micarta handles; though the blades are a tad longer and a different shape; which I like better than the MOUSE. I ws looking for overall length as my main criteria. Hope this nfo is of use becausw these knives are very well made, and so are the leather sheaths. I'm in the envious position of getting mine, at the source.:nana:


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## Tom_123

I only heard good things about Muela till now, so I ordered a Lobo 23 A
and as I was already in a shopping mode, I also ordered a Bowie Knife from Aitor.
I hope they will perform as well as everybody says.
And yes, for 440C steel blades of this size, the prices seem to be a bargain.

Still have to try out Joker and Andjuhar.
I already have one cheap folder from Cudeman but frankly, I’m not impressed
about that one.

This little skinner looks very nice too, though personally for EDC I prefer folders.


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## LUPARA

Tom,

Certain Muela knives are not 440C. The Mouse 7A I believe is a ChromeVanadium sort of steel, being a skinner, (I'm a little rusty on steels). I'm not into the folding knives at all; I prefer their fixed blade offerings.

I have a large Joker dagger in 440C and it's a fine knife for the price and intended purpose. Plenty of steel for the money. Joker sheaths are not quite as good as Muela sheaths IMHO, but are still well made. Cudeman are getting better and better and I like some of their styles and the sheaths are very good too.

Can't wait to get the little MOUSE 7A; it'll go on my belt right way.


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## SFG2Lman

wow! thats crazy, my grandpa used to travel a lot for hunting, he used to go to spain a lot and he'd bring back muela knives for my dad and the uncles, and sometimes some of us kids, i always wondered how they stacked up but i had entirely forgotten about them until seeing this thread! awesome, i have an old fixed blade one back home i carry during deer season for gutting, its AWESOME cuts like butter and sharpens fast and great! my dad has a folder that does the same, now i want to go hunting...


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## guiri

I've got a Muela I think that I bought in Spain around 86. Could be an Aitor but I THINK it is a Muela and I like it a lot.

It wasn't in the lineup on the page the OP posted but then, it's been 20 years ago. If I think about it, I might post a pic of it here

George


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## guiri

Nope! It was an Aitor but a very nice knife. Well, at least till some moron in Spain got to sharpen it and damn near took the whole blade off


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## LUPARA

I'd like to post some photos of my knife when it arrives; if someone would explain how? I'll also post photos of my JOKER dagger.

Alba City (Albaceta) in Spain has a long history of blade making; and it's still the place to go for Spanish knives. I think i'm wrong about the Mouse 7A steel; it's Moly Vanadium which is probably 440C. This little bugger has a hollow ground blade and it's cute as heck. 

If you get on the Aceros de Hispania.com website; they have most of the Spanish knives repesented. The Mouse series along with the PIRANHA and the ORYX (they spell it ORIX) are shown under the Desolladeros (desoil) knives. It's just fun to look at their huge selection of knives. Just a sidenote: these knives have plenty of heft; they are thick and strong. They usually come with Olivewood, Micatrta, Rosewood, and Red Stag horn handles. The wooden handles are cheaper than stag of course. 

Muela were represented at the Shot Show apparently...someday, I'll get there.

In the meantime i'm off to the range!!!


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## TriChrome

LUPARA said:


> I'd like to post some photos of my knife when it arrives; if someone would explain how?


Go to a site like PhotoBucket.com and sign-up. Upload your photo to that free photo hosting website. Copy and paste the



code from PhotoBucket into your post and you're all set.


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## LUPARA

Thanks Tri-Chrome;

I'll post photos when it all comes together!


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## poilu

if you like muela, you would have loved aitor. they were the best of spanish knives. unfortunately, the company went belly-up. they're now pricey when you can find them. like your muela "mouse". looks like a great edc.


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## LUPARA

Poilu,

I saw a couple of Aitor bowies on the 'Bob and Grahames Sporting Cutlery' site from the U.K. the other day. They looked like very good knives in the photo; not too pricey either from what I can remember. You might want to check that out.


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## old4570

:thinking::wave::twothumbs

I have two : And there nice ...
Im trying to find a model I like in Australia but no one stocks it , and postage from Spain is outrageous , so two will have to do for now .


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## Tom_123

So I got the two knives I mentioned above.
Hope you don’t mind me showing some pics.

Aitor Bowie:






Blade length 182 mm ( about 7 inch)
Steel 440C according to the shop.

Muela Lobo:






Blade length 230 mm ( about 9 inch)
Steel 440C according to the shop.

I really like them both and for the price I bought them, they are real bargains.
The Blade of the Lobo feels a little thin for a monster knife like this one.
But that’s just the look and feel, 4.5 mm thickness should be more 
than enough for all reasonable work. 
After all, it’s still a knife not a crowbar.


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## LUPARA

Great photos Tom;

I like the 'stag' handle on the Muela. They do have some cool fixed blades. My impression is that Muela and Cudeman are a little ahead (not much) in quality control; the Aitor, Anjuhar, Joker, Cudeman and Muela knives are all produced in Albacita (Alba City) so I assume they're all using the same steels form the same place. Their prices do not vary much either; I would say that the Muela and Cudeman prices are higher in direct relation to their presentation etc. 

The import/export laws are so draconian over there that I'm sure it costs an arm and a leg to bribe somebody to let them out of the country!


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## Monocrom

Tom_123 said:


> So I got the two knives I mentioned above.
> Hope you don’t mind me showing some pics.
> 
> Aitor Bowie:


 
If you don't mind, could you mention how much you paid for the Aitor Bowie. I have a chance to pick one up, but I think the shop where I found it is trying to rip people off.


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## Tom_123

Thanks for the nice words Lupara, but shooting knives is quite a task and I still have to get much better.

As for the import, the aceros de hispania shop has shipping fees listed for the US ($25),
therefore, I assume they’ll ship to the US.
However, I don’t know much about knives- and import laws of the US or your state.

I had some mixed feelings about the import as well and got prepared for a long
dispute with our custom here, but every thing went well.
Than again, maybe I had just a lucky day?



> If you don't mind, could you mention how much you paid for the Aitor Bowie.


I got mine from a German online shop for about 60 € (about $80)
It was a special offer because according to the shop Aitor discontinues the knife.
I found still some with olivewood handle at aceros de hispania.
Price is about $90+shipping + VAT+Custom.

http://www.aceros-de-hispania.com/gb/infer.asp?of=1

Sorry, I’m not able to get a direct link, so just search for Aitor on their site 
then go to the second page.

Be warned, this site is highly addictive, lots of good stuff.


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## Monocrom

I appreciate the response. :thanks:


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## LUPARA

Good link Tom,

I like the Aceros de Hispania site too....very addictive. I'll have a photo of my little "mouse 7A" when I pick it up this weekend. I also expect to get a Muela Orix (Onyx) and an older model knife called the Muela 'Cuervo', if it's still available. The Cuervo is available here in the U.S. though.


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## LUPARA

Still have not received my Muela knives! WTF!!:sigh:

Yesterday, I got to handle several different TOPS knives. For a combination of quality, design, utility and price, I'd defy anyone to find a production knife their equal. They are absolutely ROCK solid and the sheaths are the same. They make Cold Steel knives look like crap - and I like Cold Steel :mecry:


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## guiri

What are TOPS knives?


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## Monocrom

guiri said:


> What are TOPS knives?


 
Yo! 

http://www.topsknives.com/

If you love tough-as-nails, mainly carbon steel knives; you'll love TOPS.


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## guiri

COol looking stuff, thanks


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## Monocrom

Happy to help. 

Hope your wallet doesn't end up hating me.


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## guiri

Nah, don't have the money anyway


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## LUPARA

The MUELA MOUSE 7A finally arrived:
Here's a photo of the little bugger next to a Joker 10 inch blade dagger. Hopefully, it'll work and I'll add a couple more of the little Mouse.
The ORIX is on its way and I'll get some photos of that one as well.

















Not sure that will work!


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## LUPARA

Hey it worked!! Thanks for explaining that to me TriChrome.
I didn't show the thickness of the blades or anything; the photos could be a little more informative but hey, if anyone want more info i'd be happy to oblige. Overall, the knife and the sheath are excellent; there are no blemishes etc. and for the price, they are very acceptable. There is a belt loop on the back of the sheath (fits up to 1 3/4inch belt) that's stitched (placed) in the middle of the sheath, which makes the knife ride higher and makes it easier to live with and also conceal if necessary.


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## Tom_123

Nice Pictures and a nice knife.
Could you please tell me how thick is the blade is?


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## LUPARA

Tom,
The blade is 3.5mm thick maybe 3.75mm; it's hollow-ground and the top down to the point while the middle "spine" triangle shape stays at 3.50mm.
Hope that helps. I can also take a photo if you'd like?


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## LUPARA

Hey Tom, maybe these might help a little:


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## Tom_123

Thanks Lupara,

but now I want this one too and my wishlist already has the size of a phone book…sigh.


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## Monocrom

Now that's a good-looking little skinner.


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## LUPARA

Yeah Monocrome,

It's razor sharp (could be made even sharper); is a very comfortable palm-sized skinner and could easily duplicate the performance of the small TOPS
'Wolf Pup' in an SD situation if necessary, and at less cost. It's built reallt well without being too damn heavy and it handles well. I like the overall look of the knife, there's just something about it that I can 'live' with. I feel the same way about the MUELA ORIX with a stag handle - though I ordered one with a paccawood handle, it's just less money. Actually, the sheath is also a large part of why I like these two knives - the sheath rides so that the knife doesn't 'hang down' and flop around, is well made for the price, and enables good concealbility. Should last a long long time under normal use.

Last but not least - These knives do not give the impression of being tacticool man killers. I think that's a big plus for regular people that may get questioned about these little 'collector' pieces, if you get my drift. 

When I get the ORIX, I'll post more photos.

Many of these knives from Spain look like they were designed by the same person, but it's just traditional styling developed over time. Like I said, Cudeman make very good quality knives and sheaths too- they have a wicked looking large dagger that looks like a short sword. After all; we're talking about Spain, France, Portugal, Italy etc. and they most definitel are knife cultures.

I've seen what teenage bullfighters can do with a dagger when they compete in the 'Corrida'. When the bull is finally winded and hurt enough to 'submit', the bullfighter stands right in front of the bull, calms it down by moving the cloth (wrapped around a sword blade) gently downwards; the bull's head gradually gets lower, the bullfighter leans over a little, picking his spot; then WHAMMO! The bull gets a 6 inch dagger jammed into his spine right behing the poll behing the ears, instantly killing him and dropping him to the ground like a giant rock falling from the sky. It's quite impressive, and I sure as hell would not want to meet those guys when they were pissed off.


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## kalemol

Monocrom said:


> Yo!
> 
> http://www.topsknives.com/
> 
> If you love tough-as-nails, mainly carbon steel knives; you'll love TOPS.


 
Hi, I'm new to this forum. Reason I joined is I broke my Muela blade the other day while out camping. Just chopping wood with my Muela machete. Whack..blade in two. Molybdeen/vanadium c440 would you believe it..anyone for sharing experiences?


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## paulknife

interesting discussion in here, some days ago I also wrote a review about the muela knives. I really enjoy if you tell me your opinion about it: http://survivalknifeguide.net/muela-knife-review/


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