Two Knives from Manafont

EDC Gear for Flashlight Carriers
1

Thought I would share a couple of knives I ordered from Manafont on Nov 10th (in my mailbox in San Diego on Dec 3), they are the CRKT Folder and the Benchmade Stainless serrated.

http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/crkt-stainless-steel-folding-knife-cktx06-p-7928

http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/benchmade-stainless-steel-manualreleasing-serrated-folding-knife-p-7101

First, let me say these are the first knives I have ordered from China

Second, let me also say-with conviction-these are not CRKT or Benchmade knives. I have a CRKT and a couple of Benchmades, and there is no comparison between the real thing and these Chinese knock-offs.

That being said, for $12 and $13 respectively, they aren't bad knives. You would have to pay at least $100 for a Benchmade this size, and probably $50 for a real CRKT (been awhile since I ordered any). The CRKT has more going for it than the fake Benchmade. I bought it because I envisioned using it in my car: it has a glass-breaking tip, and a seatbelt-cutting small internal blade.

Seeing the CRKT, I think I want to practice on a piece of glass and an old seatbelt to see if it would really work. Somehow I doubt it... the tip is not very pointed, but maybe it does not have to be.

The fake Benchmade has a stronger lock, but uses the scale on the clip side(see photo above) as the blade lock, whereas the CRKT has an internal lock that is thinner, perhaps not as strong, but the handles stay stationary.

Both knives have a blade that springs out quickly with just the slightest pressure. The CKRT is actually spring-loaded, and solid. The Benchmade requires a bit more pressure on the tab, but once it starts to move, it is hard to tell it is not spring loaded.

I think both knives, especially the CRKT, could have been made a little thinner. There is substantial space between the blade when it is closed and the scales. A real Benchmade would not exhibit that kind of open, wasted space, but that kind of QC costs more money, alas, the Chinese conundrum. Here is a shot of the space between the blade and handles I was talking about. See the white paper between the blade and scales?

This is a real Benchmade; look at how differently it is constructed, and the lack of open space.

Neither of the blades were very sharp out of the box (the CRKT was sharpest), whereas a Benchmade is wickedly sharp and will cut you if you look sideways at it.

But that can be fixed at home with a decent sharpener.

So, my conclusion? Nice toys, but not real tools. Don't get me wrong, you could kill someone with either one of these. But then again, you can kill someone with a sharp stick if you know how to use it. If I needed a solidly built knife for an EDC, I would not pick on either one of these.

For the money, they are decent knives, but I think with knives more so than flashlights, you get what you pay for. Cheap lumens look identical to expensive lumens, but cheap blades don't cut or hold up like good blades.

Just my take on these two knives, your mileage may vary.

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" Cheap lumens look identical to expensive lumens, but cheap blades don't cut or hold up like good blades. "

I like that .

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Here are three shots of the Manafont Benchmade next to a real Benchmade, which is an incredible tool and I consider it a work of art as well.

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[quote=trooplewis]

Thought I would share a couple of knives I ordered from Manafont on Nov 10th (in my mailbox in San Diego on Dec 3), they are the CRKT Folder and the Benchmade Stainless serrated.

http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/crkt-stainless-steel-folding-knife-cktx06-p-7928

http://www.manafont.com/product_info.php/benchmade-stainless-steel-manualreleasing-serrated-folding-knife-p-7101

First, let me say these are the first knives I have ordered from China

Second, let me also say-with conviction-these are not CRKT or Benchmade knives. I have a CRKT and a couple of Benchmades, and there is no comparison between the real thing and these Chinese knock-offs.

That being said, for $12 and $13 respectively, they aren't bad knives. You would have to pay at least $100 for a Benchmade this size, and probably $50 for a real CRKT (been awhile since I ordered any). The CRKT has more going for it than the fake Benchmade. I bought it because I envisioned using it in my car: it has a glass-breaking tip, and a seatbelt-cutting small internal blade.

Seeing the CRKT, I think I want to practice on a piece of glass and an old seatbelt to see if it would really work. Somehow I doubt it... the tip is not very pointed, but maybe it does not have to be.

The fake Benchmade has a stronger lock, but uses the scale on the clip side(see photo above) as the blade lock, whereas the CRKT has an internal lock that is thinner, perhaps not as strong, but the handles stay stationary.

Both knives have a blade that springs out quickly with just the slightest pressure. The CKRT is actually spring-loaded, and solid. The Benchmade requires a bit more pressure on the tab, but once it starts to move, it is hard to tell it is not spring loaded.

I think both knives, especially the CRKT, could have been made a little thinner. There is substantial space between the blade when it is closed and the scales. A real Benchmade would not exhibit that kind of open, wasted space, but that kind of QC costs more money, alas, the Chinese conundrum. Here is a shot of the space between the blade and handles I was talking about. See the white paper between the blade and scales?

This is a real Benchmade; look at how differently it is constructed, and the lack of open space.

Neither of the blades were very sharp out of the box (the CRKT was sharpest), whereas a Benchmade is wickedly sharp and will cut you if you look sideways at it.

But that can be fixed at home with a decent sharpener.

So, my conclusion? Nice toys, but not real tools. Don't get me wrong, you could kill someone with either one of these. But then again, you can kill someone with a sharp stick if you know how to use it. If I needed a solidly built knife for an EDC, I would not pick on either one of these.

For the money, they are decent knives, but I think with knives more so than flashlights, you get what you pay for. Cheap lumens look identical to expensive lumens, but cheap blades don't cut or hold up like good blades.

Just my take on these two knives, your mileage may vary

Thanks for the reviews. I ordered a couple of fake Chinese knives like a cold steel AK 47 and a Smith and Wesson from DX . I would not knowingly buy any a Chinese knife that is a fake after I saw the poor build quality of those two. I have since ordered many Sanrenmu knifes and I am starting to order Enlan the quality is head and shoulders above the fake brands I bought earlier. I think you would be happier with a quality Chinese brand that is honest about its origin. A homage in my mind is OK, but stealing a company brand name is just fraud and tells you all you need to know about a manufacturing company who cannot stand on its own reputation. For example with a Sanrenmu 733 or an Enlan EL-01A you get two to four times the knife you paid for.

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SRM (SanRenmu), Land. Enlan/Bee, Navy and Ganzo are fine. There may be others also but I don't have them.

These brands are above average and make me feel happy, these dirt cheap prices can't last forever, as China becomes more 1st World.

The fakes are always 420j2 type steel....or worse.

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Almost forgot to mention...

On the funky CRKT, the anodizing is actually pretty attractive, and it has a nice heft to it. I'm going to play with the glass-breaking ability and see if it can really cut seatbelts, but I like the look and feel of it.

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the seatbelt cutter is usually just a razor blade basically. id try it on an old rag or t-shirt. a seatbelt will be stiffer, so would cut easier. think trying to cut a paper towel to a note card.

the glass breaker i dont think needs to be sharp, but its designed to focus the energy to a very small area.

i recently purchased 2 "budget" knives. a ganzo g707 auto $25 shipped, and a tac-force "stiletto" assisted open $12-15?.. the ganzo has a great feel to it. feels like a quality knife and looks it too. the tac-force is a cheap knife, a throw away. good to have one, but not to rely on, just like a gun. looks good and flashy, but feels cheap. reminded me why i always get kershaw, benchmades, gerber... the real ones

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I want to ask one question:why some of you like knives so much? Becoz In China I cant see too many buy knives

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While I can only speak for myself, aside from collecting knives, which I enjoy, I think many of us like the outdoors and part of that mindset is that we like to be prepared.

For me, a knife isn't really a weapon, if that's what you're getting at. If I am ever in a situation where I am forced to use lethal force I'll be using a firearm, not a knife. At least if I can help it. But I do use my knives several times every day to open or cut stuff and even if I didn't, I'd probably still carry one just in case. Better have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. ;)

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I'm surprised they can get away using a real brand name on a cheap knockoff.

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Most ultra-budget knives come branded. Some of them are knock-offs. Some of them come from the same assembly line as the real knives, since so many Western companies have their budget line up made in China these days.

I have four different versions of the S&W karambit, for instance. Some branded, some unbranded. One isn't half-bad, the others just aren't very good. It's hard to tell them apart, unless you really know your stuff.

And in some cases, you may end up wondering if there's really such a thing as a knock-off, if it's made by the same people in the same factory. And then there's factory rejects and seconds being sold off for their domestic market (which is extremely common in China and they really couldn't care less about violating trademarks), that eventually make their way back to the US and Europe.

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The ones I reviewed are definitely not seconds or factory rejects, they are plain and simple fakes. If you have ever owned a Benchmade, it's pretty easy to tell the difference.

A few months ago I purchased a CRKT from BIG 5 sporting goods store. I'm guessing Big 5 bought it from China and that is is also a fake. Columbia River makes a pretty decent product, but maybe they allow substandard stuff to be produced for mass-marketing. Sounds foolish, but I suppose it happens.

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Knives that are cheap in price but high in quality like Moras and Opinels are great.

Knives that are cheap in quality are not great.

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If I go camping I need a flashlight and a knife - it's a combination (both have a paracord lanyard).

I don't need the knife for great things, but for a lot of small actions it is very nice (to cut bread, to carve a piece of wood for the marshmallow ...).

My father never leave the house without his Victorinox Swiss Army Knife

Next point: A Collection. Normally one flashlight and one knife is enough - but who in thisforum has only one flashlight;)

I have about 15 flashlights and 10 knives.

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+1 Steve

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I use a knife almost every day to open a sack of food, water softener salt bags, cardboard boxes, plastic packaging. and envelopes, rope cutting for boating or camping etc. In addition, most of us like to collect high quality finely made high performance tools like knives, and flashlights, but at a reasonable cost. Some people like to collect stuffed animals, we like knives and flashlights what more can I say, its a guy thing I think... take care

PS. If you want to Benchmark your company look at Exduct they carry the Chinese knives that most people like us want and have supporting specifications in most cases. If you could match the Exduct selection, price and supporting information of Sanrenmu, Bee-Enlan, Ganzo, and Navy and offer us free shipping that would be great and it would probably increase your sales. I see a few Sanrenmu knives listed at FP but they are hard to find on the website and sometimes the brand is not shown in the title description. greatwalloutdoor.com has very very nice website a great presentation of the knives.

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As stated above if you stick with the Sanrenmu-Land, Bee-Enlan, Ganzo, and Navy knives you should get value for your money. Those 4 companies are often the actual manufacturers of the "real knives" you mention. If you stray far from those Chinese "big 4" in a value knife... buyer beware

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You're right. I was speaking in general and not about the knives you reviewed (nice review, btw - thanks! :)) and I should have made that clear.

I own the fake Benchmark you reviewed and I completely agree with your conclusion. The pivot on that knife also needs to be frequently readjusted (well, at least on my sample from DX it did, which a drop of loctite eventually took care of). A lot of Chinese fakes are crap but every once in a while, I get one that I am almost sure came from the same factory as the real thing, even if I compare them side-by-side. Sometimes they cut corners (cheaper washers, etc), sometimes they don't but in any case, that's the exception and certainly not the rule.

Another issue is that with fakes and that knives that fell of the back of a Chinese truck, you can never really be sure that you'll get the same knife if you order another one. Almost all of them are sourced just-in-time and sometimes even made that way (ie. they don't start cranking them out until they have their money). On more than one occasion, I have bought some fake knives that turned out to be pretty decent and when I went back to order another one, I got one from another batch that then went straight in the trash.

And there are some Chinese manufacturers, which are usually OEMs like SRM and Tekut, that have their own lineup (often "inspired" by other designs) and use their own brand names. After they become popular, others try to get a piece of the pie and copy their designs. That's why you have fake SRMs and Enlans out there.

I've been a big CRKT fan ever since I picked up my first Bear Claw. A lot of genuine CRKTs come from China (IIRC they had to acknowledge in 2008/09 that some of their supposedly Taiwan-made blades had in fact come from China) and most, if not all, US manufacturers have their budget knives manufactured overseas. Almost all the packaging is made in China and you can readily buy it in quantity if you know where to look. That's why it's not uncommon to get a fake Emerson or even unbranded knife in a real Böker box. Sort of unreal, but I've seen it several times.

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Thanks for all your reply ,I really appreciate it ,You know in China, some of this are under control by government...

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I went on seller SanRenmu's store and ordered 2 knives from them. One is an Enlan and one is a Ganzo. I'll try them out.

Meanwhile, if you have some Christmas money burning a hole in your pocket, I think one of the nicest knives I ever bought was a Japanese Mcusta with Damascus steel blade and Cocobolo handle. Check them out, but be warned, one of them will set you back about $135. Sharpest blade out of the box that I have ever handled.