I had these 2 little neck knives for a while, and those last days I had time to fiddle around the house with them during this containment…
SanRenMu 7130 vs FAKE/Counterfeit Izula
The SRM 7130’s blade is thinner stock than the fake Izula
They have roughly the same blade length and shape (a tiny bit more belly on the fake Izula). Handle is shorter on the Izula.
The steel on the fake Izula is not D2 as advertised (suprisingly! ), but a very soft steel, will roll easily and need frequent sharpening (see below)
On the other hand, the SRM’s blade steel is 8Cr14MoV (no reason to lie here), and behaves much better, the edge will last longer and will slice better since it is a bit thinner.
Both blades are very easy to sharpen.
Sheath are both good, very good retention with both knives, the SRM also comes with a removable teklock belt clip.
My verdict : the SanRenMu 7130 is the clear winner
Thanks for sharing this. I generally avoid clones/counterfeits. Besides the obvious issue, you always have to wonder about the steel stamp and the possibility that it got a reasonable heat treatment. The odds are particularly dismal for outright counterfeits.
I’ve had positive experiences with Sanrenmu. Their 8Cr is okay. Of course, being at the good end of 8Cr (or lower) is a bit like being at the head of the special class. Their 12C27 is actually pretty good. It’s one of the best steels on this end of the budget spectrum. I wish they’d use it in more of their knives. I’ve also been happy with the higher-tier “budget” stuff from Ruike and Real Steel using steels like 9Cr18Mov and 14C28N. As far as I can tell, those brands are both made by Sanrenmu.
You can still grab the Santa Fe in the Tangram Store on Ali. Opposed to the Orion it’s quite pocketable thanks to its slim design and deep carry pocket clip.
The Tangram Santa Fe is a really nice knife. It’s just the right size for EDC. It’s fun to flick open with the thumb studs. The blade is thin and slicey. I’ve also become a fan of that Japanese Acuto 440 they use. Despite obvious allusions to 440C, the chemical composition looks closer to 9Cr18Mov. It holds a decent edge in my experience. Corrosion resistance should be excellent but that’s not something I like to test.
The Santa Fe is currently on sale for $23ish at Tangram’s Ali Express store. It’s a real gem at that price.
Kershaw Highball, slipjoint with frame lock and KVT Bearings, anyone have one?
Youtube vids show an easy spydie flick and some vids also have knives that are harder to spydie flick.
Any experiences you guys might have?
I need to have a fairly easy flick.
Considering that it’s a rip off of a Demko knife, more likely melted down cat food can metal if they couldn’t find anything cheaper. Heat treatment? - Dude, your lucky if it’s metal.
I have one of those AD15 clones. Other sellers list it with D2 blade.
It performs better what I expected of that massive - thick blade and it takes some time to get used to that scorpion lock.
Size comparison with the SRM Land 9104:
Not necessarily. You’d probably be lucky to get 8Cr13Mov. Think of it this way. If a company is going to lie about the steel anyway, why start with a more expensive one?
Seriously, ask yourself why it would be a wise investment to put good steel in a counterfeit with a fake steel stamp. It’s not like they are building a brand. It’s a fake. The steel stamp is fake. The brand stamp is fake. The counterfeiter’s motivation is to make money. So the action and overall build quality need to be good enough to pass quick inspection on a street corner. That’ll set the minimum for the counterfeiter’s investment. Paying the small difference between 3Cr, 5Cr, or 8Cr could be worth it for the initial edge. After all, 8Cr13Mov is a passable EDC steel and costs relatively little to use. Would paying the jump to D2 be worth it for the counterfeiter?
D2 is far from the expensive, high-end steels of nowadays. For example you can buy Ganzo or Petrified Fish folders with D2 under 30 bucks shipped. So it’s not unimeginable that these AD15 clones come with actual D2 or 9Cr18MoV regarding the pricing. Anyway based on my own experience this AD15 performed quite well under my mundane backyard chores so for example BSing about catfood tin metal is only attention whoring in my eyes.
How could you build a brand when you’re selling clones with the original brandings? As I see on Ali shops build “brands” like Jufule, Nighthawk, Dicoria etc. by selling decent quality folders whatever they’re clones or not.
Of all the really good things I have read about Civivi, I was really expecting something special. But initial impressions are, meh. Quality is very good, but no better than Real Steel, Twosun, or Ruike knives. Pivot action is average. The placement of the thumb studs is not ideal for good, snappy blade deployment; a little disappointing actually. I did play around with the pivot tension, but could not get the blade to fly open with authority, like my other budget brand knives.
Overall, a good average budget knife with good materials like G-10 scales, and a D2 blade.
), but a very soft steel, will roll easily and need frequent sharpening (see below)
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