Of all the knifemaking brands on the market right now, Spyderco is undeniably one of the ones to watch. Not only does the brand have a huge (and impressive) catalog of existing offerings, but it is constantly innovating and pushing the boundaries of the knifemaking industry.

The brand’s latest release, a fixed blade called the Mule Team HIC, is one such example of the brand’s constant pursuit of the cutting edge. This is because the brand has eschewed the use of steel in its construction entirely. That’s right: not even the tiniest bit of metal was used to make this knife.

Spyderco built this knife out of a surprising material

The Mule Team HIC is the latest in Spyderco’s Mule lineup — a collection of knives made from varying, unique materials. In fact, the term “mule” is a cutlery industry insider term used to describe knives made for R&D purposes. This one differs from its siblings, however, in that it doesn’t have any steel in its makeup at all.

Instead, Spyderco has crafted it from ceramic. And while ceramic, even when used to craft knives, isn’t new itself, the brand is using this particular knife as a vessel to fix one of ceramic’s biggest issues. If you’re familiar with the material, especially in knifemaking terms, you’re probably aware that it’s incredibly hard and can hold an edge for an extremely long time (probably the primary selling point for ceramic knives, especially the kitchen variety). However, it’s also very brittle and prone to chipping and breaking. Spyderco’s take, however, is a new venture that looks to solve this issue.

Spyderco is using the Mule Team HIC to carry ceramic to new heights

The “HIC” in this knife’s name is short for “High-Impact Ceramic,” which is a groundbreaking, injection-molded, zirconia-based material that’s “significantly more resistant to breakage than conventional ceramics.” The idea here is to create a super material that combines ceramic’s incredible toughness and edge retention with zirconia’s resistance to chipping and breaking — all while keeping the knife non-magnetic and non-metallic. It’s a pretty incredible achievement and another addition to Spyderco’s impressive catalog.

Unsurprisingly, the Mule Team HIC sold out almost immediately. Thankfully, the brand has confirmed that there will be more produced — and you can actually get waitlisted for the next batch, and the brand will notify you once it drops (you can contact SFO via email at [email protected] and ask to be added to the list).

Spyderco Mule Team HIC

An achievement in engineering, this knife isn’t actually made with steel (or any metal) at all. Instead, Spyderco built it with a non-metallic, non-magnetic, zirconia-based ceramic that’s both extremely tough (and offers superb edge retention) and resistant to chipping and breaking.

Specs

Blade Length	3.5 inches
Blade Material	HIC (high-impact ceramic)
Handle Material	HIC (high-impact ceramic)
Total Length	7.63 inches

Pros

• Groundbreaking engineering
• Superb edge retention and strength
• Non-metaillic

Cons

• Expensive for a minimalist fixed blade
• Sold out immediately

• $150 at Spyderco

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