On some forums you will have a majority praising them. On others you will have a majority deriding them.
What the majority think has no bearing on my opinion. My opinion is that they’re mostly junk copies with bad locking mechanisms, bad grinds, screws that strip too easily etc. They ‘look’ great and if you use your knife to open letters maybe they will seem great.
If you disagree that’s fine.
[quote=varbos]
That’s good, because I’m pretty sure that your opinion has no bearings on the vast majority of the people here 
Ganzo knives are definitely not perfect. I’ve had my fair share of them and yes, some come better than others from the factory.
But at the same time, I think that their quality in general is way above the $15/$20 price tag that they go for.
Not often can you find better at this price.
We all have our opinions, that’s why I like forums like this, but please, do not fight, we’re all different!
2 days of handling, 910+ feels a lot better in my hand than Ganzo FB7601 even thou they’re very similar, but that’s my opinion. Only positive that goes for Ganzo is that it feels kinda lighter and that Axis lock, works way better for me than liner lock (curse of left handed people!)… After having FB7601 for 2 days, I’ve got a chance to sell it and get Harndsman Talisman :heart_eyes: I hate selling knives but can’t refuse this offer!
I think you are seeing an insult which does not exist.
“What the majority think has no bearing on my opinion” does not mean I disrespect your opinion. You are entitled to your opinion and I am interested in it.
What it means is that “the general consensus” is not a factor I consider when evaluating a knife. I form my opinion independently. I handle the knife, I use it, I examine it. If I reach the conclusion that it is no good then that is my conclusion, no matter whether it “flies in the face” of the general consensus.
Perhaps the general consensus influences my decision to try/buy a knife. But it does not influence my final opinion, nor should it. Therefore quoting me to telling me that my opinion was at odds with the majority is of little discussional value.
That is fine, and I understood that and I am not offended by any means.
What I didn’t appreciate is your comment influencing someone that is getting into knives avoid a Ganzo by saying that they are garbage. I think that in general, they are excellent options and values for below $20 and should be considered if you are getting into budget knives.
Now, as for MARKOEN500’s comment regarding the 910 vs the FB7601, I definitely agree, the Sanrenmu is a better knife, and that’s why I said that there were not too many knives that could beat the Ganzo below $20, but there are some.
As I said a few times here, the 910/9103/9104, again imo, is unbeatable for its price.
My $ .02 would be that Ganzo’s a mixed bag.
For me the G-712 was a really good knife, I’ve got it from a forum friend to make a skull crusher for it like on the original Benchmade Bedlam.
That guy had the original as well but likes the “clone” more because it’s downsized to an edc-able size whereas the Bedlam is a huge monster.
Also my G-719 automatic knife was a good purchase, smooth and good edge retention, maybe a tad too heavy, but I really like that pocket clip.
On the other hand my G-717 Sebenza-esque knife was way too heavy and bulky, I’ve read the next batch was better in every aspect but I haven’t tried that.
My G-7531CF was super smooth, I modded the scales a bit to make the lock more accessible and I like the knife in general but the (borrowed) blade shape is not very useful and it dulls pretty quickly.
I don’t mind copies/hommages but I prefer if there’s no original maker’s name/logo on it (clone).
In that aspect the Sanrenmu 910+ is the best budged knife I’ve ever bough, after making a pair of cf scales for it and getting rid of one steel liner I like it even more (96g).
The 9104 I’ve handled is a bit more difficult to open as one finger is often on the lock. Also the lock was wobbly, I had to carbidize the lockface to fix that issue, now it locks at around 80%. The “worst” Sanrenmu I’ve ever had due to this lock issue but still a great deal for roughly $15.
After handling this blackwashed one I think I’d more like the 9103, it just looks more classy. MAybe I’ll get one and deep etch the scales with a sun ray pattern like on an old SRM 710. Or would anyone have a better idea? (Simple geometric patterns only)
I noticed the same on my Ganzo knife, the edge wasnt sharpened the same angle all the way through, half of the length of the blade was a different angle than the last half.
I should also add: my 7010 (Sanrenmu) blade was far from centered, when i centered it, it was way too tight to flip open. I dislike having an off-centered knife but thats what i gotta have in order for it to flip easily. I did take it all apart and try re-centering it but no luck.
An uneven blade grind can be fixed by reprofiling the edge. I use my all steel Ruixin Pro III sharpener with diamonds for that. You can set any angle for the edge and since a lot of different stones (ruby, diamond etc.) in grits upto 10000 are available for the Ruixin you can achive even a mirror edge with some practise.
Exchanging / replacing the washers could help in centering the blade if you have spare ones in different thickness.
IMO the SRM - Land 9xx and the Ganzo 7xx series are still hard to beat for their price/quality ratio.
I agree with that. Tremendous value.
In Europe there is a special edition called the 910+ Titan. Basically a 9103 with Titanium frame and a few other small refinements. It is way too expensive in Europe (for what it is). I contacted Gearbest to request that they will stock it…he said he will try and there are samples on the way currently.
The Harnds Talisman is a more upmarket knife than the 910+ series but it is usually more like $30. I got mine on flash sale for I think $22 or something.
Yes for the same price Ganzo is behind the quality of some excellent knifes, like the big sanrenmu or some clones. But its still good for the money. They are aware of this and added several improvements.The biggest problems are the rough on the fingers and hard axis-lock (but sometime it can be very good) and the sharp edges on the handles. And yes the screws are total junk. Even worst on the F729 it is glued… But I still love this knife.
Yes, the problem is that the companies who invent a locking mechanism put a lot of time into understanding and refining it. Testing different stuff, different strength springs etc for a long time until they are satisfied that it functions well.
Whereas Ganzo just copy the overall look of a lock design and don’t pay attention to the function. They think if they copy the components in a general sense, it will function the same. But it won’t. So their axis-lock copies are all over the place….some are plain dangerous.
Then I must be a lucky guy. Out of the plenty Ganzos I owned or I used to own from the 7xx series I had to adjust the axis-lock only once at an early model years ago. I had to file down the “lock face” a bit on the blade for a better engagement.
I also used to have a G704 from the very first batch which hade a slight vertical blade play. Ganzo fixed that the next improved batches which also came with a thicker (~4 mm) blade.
I can’t comment on the 6xx series because I don’t have any of those. As I remember most of the complaints were about the 6xx series so I avoided them.
Hi Isti,
How do you like the Ruixin Pro III?
Are you able to easily sharpen FFG and recurved blades with it?
I used to have one of the Ruixin models, the clone of the Edge Pro, but there was no clamp and I couldn’t hold the knife steady enough to get good results, so I sold it.
I really wish Ruixin or someone else would make a model similar to the KME, with a swivel that allows to turn the knife to the other side without removing it from the clamp.
All this clamping/unclamping to switch sides must be getting old after a while…
I’ve been waiting to see if I see a sale on the KME for this reason only, but I would be perfectly fine with a Chinese copy 
I used to have a knife whole sale account for buying knives for a convenience, feed, gas, hardware, fishing, deli, and tool store I had.
With these budget knives that online such as GB or other retailers sell for $15 to $30 they cost me $1.50 to $4.
Everyone loved the useable $4-$10 knives.
I would buy 50 of one kind for $1.50 each and sell them for $4 each
If they cost $3 I may sell them for $6 or $7.
Guys were picking up a new knife daily.
Since I was a kid I collected knives. Once I got my wholesale liscense I could get guys the the knives they wanted for a fraction of anywhere else and made me happy to do it.
The oldtimers love Case and Hen n’Rooster knives, I would order the ones they picked out of my catalogue. Since the distributor and manufacturing had more markup on those, I would get the knives they wanted for my cost and not make a cent. A Case that was normally $50 they could get for $25 for their collection.
I picked up a few for myself along the way.
I prefer a “V” system for sharpening like my Sharpmaker (the corners of the triangle rods are good for recurved blades). I use the Ruixin only for removing a chip or reprofiling the edge. I’m talking about these.
It’s a solid design and after some practise I can have the job done but it’s not perfect. It’s not a fool proof, ready to use out of the box system but it doesn’t cost hundreds of dollars either. The included whetstones are quite poor quality ones so I recommend buying a couple of extra diamond or ruby stones for it. I also miss some sort of swivel to flip the clamped knife over to the other side. It could save me a lot of time.
Since you guys mention the Sharpmaker: I have a REALLY hard time restoring an edge to really blunt knives with that thing. Do you guys only use it to “finish”? Or have you all gotten add-on ceramics that are rougher than the two grits that come with it? If so, any recommendations?
I use my Sharpmaker for finishing or sharpening not too dull blades. Spyderco offers diamond rods for it designed for more demanding sharpening / reprofiling jobs but they are not cheap. As an alternative you can lay cheaper aftermarket diamond stones against the ceramic rods and fix them with zip ties to keep the angle.
I know that it is anathema to talk about belt grinders BUT, for those of you that somehow can not get those sharpmakers, or flat stones to work (i was one), don’t take my word for it, do a search on utube for knife sharpening and just watch what a $50 generic 1” x 30” belt sander can do! you might end up spending ~$100 if you get all the different size grits, compound, and strops but all of my knives are razor sharp both kitchen and pocket and it really only takes a minute or two. start by practicing on a beater knife and see what you can do. two of my friends now own setups like mine. of course you can use them for other things if you want… for those of you that have success with the stones, go for it otherwise you might just watch a few of the videos on line and make your own decision.
ken
The 1x30 or 1x42 bent grinders/sanders can do wonderful things for many materials. I’d suggest good belts, a light touch and a way to cool the blade by your side.
Also PRACTICE!!! Your idea of building your sense of touch on beater knives is an important idea.
Where can I find decent automatic knives? I’ve bought a few from Bladeplay. Just wanted to see if you guys have experiences with another site? Thanks!