Since BLF has become the number one source for Chinese budget knife info on the net, I think we should have a comprehensive list of the name brand knives and the budget knives that are basically the same but made under the Sanrenmu name instead of Buck or Spyderco for example.
I don’t know too many off the top of my head so this thread is open to any additions anyone has. The idea is to find out all the which knives are which and have that info all in one thread.
How accurate do you want them to be, ie the SRM710, does it count as a Sebenza copy? There are better copies in looks and the 710 is an awesome budget knife in its own right IMO, I’ll add it anyway…
Gerber Mini Remix 2 = Ganzo G706 (Seems Ganzo is the OEM)
Quite a few Navy knives look suspiciously similar to Spyderco designs
Personally I have no problem with this, as long as they aren’t being passed off as the product they are taking ideas from. It promotes choice and ultimately it is up to the consumer to decide what is appropriate for him/her and vote with their wallet.
I like to support makers that put their own names on their own designs. For me it just doesn’t feel right to buy a knock off or copied design. Knives inspired by another design that carry their own name are a little less cloudy depending on how closely they follow the inspirational design. 8)
I’ve owned the real Spyderco Lil’ Temp and I also own the Navy copy. I think the Navy is flat out a better knife. The Spyderco had blade play issues, lock issues, it was not as smooth to open or close. After owning both, I can say the Navy is a better knife.
I like Spyderco probably more than any other maker. For a while, I was a big collector. I owned models most knife people have never seen in person. Trust me when I tell you, Spyderco made a lot of mistakes and turned out quite a few bad knives.
They did things like mount pocket clips into micarta. They drilled and tapped micarta and the pocket clips on some knives would snap off taking a chunk of the scale with it. They turned out a bunch of crap at times.
That has not been my experience with any of the hundreds of Spyderco knives I have owned, held and used. Non of those Navy knockoffs are as good as a genuine Spyderco, this is especially true if you use a knife, sharpen the blade and maintain the edge. The steel in most knives is poor at best. None comes close to steels like S30V let alone some of the more exotic super steels. You do get what you pay for.
I definitely agree with this. I have several different brands in my golf bag. My A/V eqipment is made up of different brands and when it comes to flashlights I am not loyal to any particular brand, etc.
Having said that, I have been smitten by Spyderco the last few months.
Until recently, I have never owned more than 2 or 3 pocket knives at a time during my life and I always carried at least one of them. I feel naked without a knife and use one daily.
Around six months ago I decided to try to replace my Kershaw I had been carrying for a few years, and started buying several of the larger budget knives to check out. Although I thought that they were all worth the money, they were all too thick and heavy and clunky to replace my Blur. They didn’t carry well.
I did fall in love with the axis lock that some of the Chinese knockoffs copied, and decided to purchase a Mini-Griptilian. Awesome knife but still a little bulky for the blade size. The Blur was still king.
Then I was Spyder bitten. I just love them and have purchased several. The ones I have purchased are thin and light. I am liking the frn handle with no liners so far. I can carry a fairly large Spyderco in my back pocket and barely notice it is there.
I had never heard of Sal Glesser before a few months ago and from everything I read, he is all about listening to his customers and letting the market determine what knives he puts out. It is nice to see the founder of a successful company rubbing elbows with the masses and interacting on different message boards. When it comes to Sal, I may have gotten caught up in the marketing, but when it comes to his knives, I am a believer. They may be ugly, but they are the best I have ever used for every day utility and hopefully they have put an early end to my knife search.
My most used Spyderco to date is the Pacific Salt fully serrated. It is a 3 ounce lean, mean, cutting machine.
Of course I only know what I have used. Here is a list of the Spydercos I have recently purchased in order of how much they get used. Sorry guys, I fell off the budget train.
Dragonfly 2 ZDP-189(I sometimes drop this little knife to the bottom of my right front pocket to compliment my Salt)
Paramitary 2 CPM S30v
Stretch fully serrated VG-10
Tenacious fully serated 8Cr13Mov
I am truly surprised at how much I love the Spyderedge(full serrations). I give the Pacific Salt SE a touch up on the Spyderco sharpmaker(I told you I was Spyder bitten) about once a week and it is a beast.
Of course this is just my opinion and observations of the last few months.
I can only justify the expense of these last few months as a hobby and learning process. After all, I have been EDCing a knife for 40 years. That should be long enough to prove to myself that it is not a passing phase.
