Review: Ganzo G704, an Apple among knives. (Photo heavy)

EDC Gear for Flashlight Carriers
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Review: Ganzo G704

Model: Ganzo G704

Brand: Ganzo

Lock mechanism: Axis lock

Opening mechanism: Thumb studs or axis lock flip

Steel: 440C (claimed)

Scales: G10

Color: Black

Pocket clip: Tip up, left or right side carry

Vendor: FastTech

Price: $15.07

Hi everyone, this is my review of the Ganzo G704 axis lock folding knife.

First, we have the basics. As summarized above, this is a folding knife with an axis lock (Benchmade's technology). It's size can be described as regular, but slightly shorter than the EL-01 by 0.8mm or the EL-04 by 0.3mm when folded.

Here is the folded length:

And here is the open length:

The grip is pretty good, and the G10 scales have a nice texture that provides support, especially when your hands are slippery. The index finger nicely rests on the bump.

Here is a close up of the scales:

The knife weighs 150. grams, is feels solid in the hand:

Here is a top view of the gimping:

The gimping is pretty aggressive and provides an impressive amount of traction against your thumb.

However, one disadvantage is that it's pretty hard to clean since it's so rough, and as you can see, it has collected a bit of dust as well as rust due to the humid weather in Korea.

The pocket clip is very tight, and it needs a lot of force to lift. That means it will stay secure in your pocket, but it might damage the clothing.

It's also reversible left and right.

The blade came decently sharp out of the factory, and the manufacturer claims the steel is 440C, but there have been some comments that it's actually not. However, I'm not so sure either. I have some decent paper cutting, cardboard cutting, and letter cutting, and the blade has held its edge pretty well.

Here are some successive shots of the process of opening the knife:

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Overall, I think this is a well designed knife. It has a minimalistic design that makes it very simple and easy to use. The axis lock is smooth and works well, and all of the small details such as the gimping and the G10 scales add to the functionality of the knife. It's not the most sleek looking tool, but it's one of the most functional folding knife.

Thanks for looking!

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This design is a clone of the Benchmade 14205.

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Very true. But at a tenth of the price, it’s a no brainer, at least for me. :smiley:

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It feels rock solid, and it’s comparable to other brand name knives, in terms of build quality.

The axis lock snaps into place accurately and has no blade play at all. I’d say this is one of the best axis lock knives for a budget minded person. I’m pretty sure it’s a real Ganzo, but the argument becomes moot when the G704 is a clone of the Benchmade 14205.

As for the rust, I’m not so sure, but a Kershaw knife I have with 8Cr13MoV is developing some rust as well on the side of the blades.

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This is good knife indeed…

I did some of first review in exduct book for it…

But after some quite amount of using this knife lets say for skinning jobs I found out that blade has tendency of getting dull more quickly than my victorinox hunting pocket knife.

But for the price I recommend this to anyone…

Edit: It is very fast opening/close knife… U will like this a lot… I can open and close it faster than you can blink with your eyelid…

Not only that… Feels like full tang in my hand… That is big + from me.

It is more self defense pocket knife and it is very hard to find something good as this…

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Very nice review. I have one and I agree with you on all your points. It is a very sturdy dependable knife. I love how quickly it can flip open with one hand.

I don’t know about the steal either, but it is good enough for my purposes. I suspect that Victorinox will probably keep an edge better than most any knife out there. I forget the steal they use, but it is top notch. I have Victorinox kitchen knives. They are amazing have not had to be sharpened yet. But, they are also expensive. I think that luminarium iaculator makes a good point though because I am able to keep the G704 sharp with just stropping.

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Yeah, just saying because many think even this day the G704 is an original design by Ganzo.

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Just a note that the coupon code “BLF” doesn’t work with knives anymore.

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Thanks for the comments guys, I’m glad this review has been helpful.

I’ve fixed the BLF discount, thanks for pointing that out.

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And what coupon can be used for buying knives in fasttech then?

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Don’t think there is any coupon at this time.

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I have this knife among many others. It has a nice easy to use and smooth Axis lock. The grip is one of the most neutral and comfortable grips out there. I can’t imagine anyone having an issue with the comfort of the grip. I never liked the looks of bead blasted blades but the finish is done well so if you like bead blasted finish, this is nice. I like satin finish on knives.

It is a copy of the Benchmade but don’t think you are going to get 90% of the Benchmade quality for 10% of the price. There are a few budget knives that come close to doing this but not this particular model.

My lock-up when open is terrible. It moves a lot in the front to back which is absolutely horrendous. I can probably take it apart and fix it but as it came from the factory, the lock-up is one of the worst I have seen on a knife in a long time.

I have also had screws come out of the knife. I replaced and no further issues but its not a good feeling to lay your knife down and see parts have fallen off.

The Ganzo 710 is another Axis lock knife and it has been amazing IMHO. Kind of big but a very well built knife.

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I have this g704 and i like it but not more than my enlan el03 wich has a similar blade design and the enlan is more beautiful and Bigger and with thick liner lock exactly the same that the enlan el01 i own too.

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Thanks a lot for the review! Sticky’d.

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Thanks appreciate it. :slight_smile:

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My Ganzo G704 (also from FastTech) arrived terribly dull! I've had a terrible time trying to put a decent edge on it too! I'm new to knife sharpening (ok, well new to sharpening "the right way" I guess - used to use a bench grinder and files :) ) so it could very well be something I'm doing. I tried (for the first time) using the bottom of a coffee cup, but that hasn't been successful. I finally gave it some swipes through my cheap Smith's pull thru sharpener. First a couple through the "coarse" side then I only used the ceramic side (since I read how the coarse side removes so much metal). This finally got me an edge that would sort of cut paper (kind of tearing it, not cleanly cutting it). It seems I finally got a better edge after I got frustrated and took a small jewelers file to the edge (please don't curse me!). Seems the file and the ceramic "pull-thru" are the only way I can get an edge and no matter what I can't get a razor sharp, clean paper cutting edge! I never had an issue sharpening my Enlan EM-01; is the steel on the G704 that much harder?

I like the knife, although it bothers me a little that the axis lock only engages about 1mm of the tang (it always locks and is always secure though). The knife definitely feels solid and like a quality product. I've been EDC'ing it for awhile and I think it's just a hair too big. I'm also finding that I still prefer a liner lock. I re-bent the pocket clip and now I feel that it has the perfect tension, no longer tearing my jeans when I remove it.

-Garry

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Here

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Mine was dull too, but a little stropping fixed mine up to a very sharp finish. Unlike all the videos where the leather strap is laid on table and the knife dragged across it, I hold the knife still in one hand with the blade pointing away from me and that use a somewhat short piece of leather in the other hand to strop the edge. I do a much better and more consistent job this way.

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Tip: diamond stone + ceramic chaira (from Ikea for example)

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I've been reading/watching that Knife Sharpener thread. Also watched a YouTube video on using a coffee cup. I did try a cheap sharpening stone (harbor freight) but that didn't work either. Never tried stropping, but watched a video. Wouldn't I need a stropping compound to strop with?

-Garry