The action and detent strength on mine are pretty good. As I’ve learned with Ganzo, a little variance can spoil a good thing. A weak detent can be tricky and you’ve got to ask yourself if you want to mess with it. However, sticky action can be as simple as a little dirt, grime, or even a little burr in the works.
If you haven’t already, take your PF818 apart for inspection. Clean it thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol. Then wipe down the clean metal surfaces with a light coat of mineral oil for protection. Lubricate the bearings and their contact surfaces with a quality oil such as Lubriplate FMO 350-AW. Then put it together and get the pivot tuned in. Spend some time working the action. See if things improve.
(Note: Like some other budget knives with nested liners, the internal scale edges on my PF818 were a little rough. This is easy to fix while you have the knife apart. Just be sure to mark the location of the back spacer before disassembly. Then use sand paper or an emery board to smooth out the rest of the edge.)
Good job, congratulations! Which one is the more slicey?
I saw a guy who used one of those plastic bags with a valve and a vacuum cleaner to make home made micarta.
The Mouse is the better slicer and the better knife overall.
An Urban Trapper with inlays instead of onlays would be much more rigid, such a tiny rim around it adds cost, too, so it won’t happen.
Also I think this slim knife would work better with washers than ball bearings, a bigger surface would add stability.
Anyways, I’m glad I’ve bough the B+UT for €50 instead of €100 and more, I’d mod it anyways
The GT Mini Persian flipper is also looking very nice, is that a Slysz design, too?
Do you think the GT Mouse3 would look good to have the flat area anodized in one color and the chamfered areas on the sides in (an)other color(s)?
I was also thinking about using a Q-tip to create a camouflage look.
And about the tartan micarta - I could do it on job, we have the vaccuum machine for it and all the epoxy I’d need.
The personel there is not as friendly as my colleage who worked there, too, but now has his own little company.
Yes, it is. I`m tempted by that GT Mini Persian and the Rat too. The new Sanrenmu 9201 & 9202 with axis-lock are also tempting. Too many temptations for a small budget!
Something like this color scheme would be interesting:
I’m wondering if that’s all green anodized but due to the angle looking blue on top.
I like that TwoSun knife, nearly shot one on ebay.
When I see the prices today I should’ve done so…
Those SRMs are not my cup of tea though, the tan handle/black blade one is looking like a $5 gas station knife.
Anyways, my knife budget is gone for this year
You can’t say that! That’s the version I’m curious about! :laughing:
I’m wondering whether that black acid washed finish adds any rust protection to a D2 blade.
My Bestech Lion with D2 blade developed a nasty rust spot while sitting on the shelf which left an ugly pit after removing and refinishing the blade. :rage:
It became a user instantly…
Nice plum color! :+1:
I wish Bestech used 14C28N instead of D2 in their budget line.
Well, my knives are users anyways, I very much reduced my “collection” so I have less than 10 knives atm.
Thos rust spots are looking familiar though, not from D2 but from Kershaws bead blasted “stainless” steels.
When storing a D2 knife it seems to be better to do it like in old times, wipe it with a thin coat of mineral oil and keep it at a dry place.
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Nice plum color!
I wish Bestech used 14C28N instead of D2 in their budget line.
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* on wanting 14C28 on more budget knives. CJRB uses 12C27 on their Ria model, but D2 on the rest of their budget line.
Regarding the Texel; A friend wanted to buy his girlfriend a knife for self protection. I told him I was going to dye the Texel pink. He wanted a more unique color. A one of a kind color for a knife. He loved how it turned out, and bought it.
I’ve wondered the same thing about “blackwash”. I suppose anything would help? I’ve been a little sad to see D2 take over so much of the budget market due to the low corrosion resistance. I recently got a few spots on my Civivi Exarch, despite taking steps to prevent it.
I have my D2 knives shelved for the summer. I inspect them weekly and wipe with mineral oil as needed. A few weeks ago, I decided to adjust the pivot on my Exarch after wiping it down. I checked for blade play and forget to wipe again. Next week, I took it down and noticed a few hazy rust spots. Looking closely, I see that they were centered around a lone fingerprint on each side. Oops! That’s just ridiculous…
I prefer D2 to 8Cr13Mov at low prices (Kubey, Ganzo, PF, etc.) because you get a big increase in edge retention and only a small decrease in corrosion resistance. Dovetailing with another post, bead-blasting 8Cr13Mov can bring its corrosion resistance down to D2 levels. Like you, I’d much rather have 14C28N. I’m also okay with 12C27. I like 9Cr18Mov when done correctly, such as by Civivi or Real Steel. The Acuto 440 used by Tangram is pretty good too.
I was really happy to see CJRB using 12C27 instead of D2 on that one. Keep an eye out though. Artisan recently announced a new budget steel using powdered metallurgy: AR-RPM9. The Ria is one of the models slated to start using it. I don’t know anything about the properties but this could be a good thing.
That Plum Texel looks cool. I still like the lavender best. What colors have you experimented with for jade G10?
As far as self defense, folding knives are not a very good option. It would urge your friend and his girlfriend to do a little research. Real defensive encounters can be messy, chaotic, and quick. Having to get out a folding knife, successfully open and lock it, get a stable grip, and then use it with enough force to be effective without breaking the lock or hurting yourself can present a surprising level of challenge under common circumstances. Fixed blades or even pepper spray can be a much better option. Firearms tend to be the best choice but obviously, there are legal limitations in a lot of places.
I have a bunch of knives, and some were well over 100 dollars, but I can hardly tell any difference between the Ruike 801-sf and the very best of them, I would say the Sanranmu land 9103, 9104, and 910 in both colored scales is butter smooth as well. All my flippers are taken apart for cleaning and better pivot lubricant. You have 5 knives in that list, that deploy easier than the Ruike? I have never had any of them, except the Ruike and the land (the 9103 is now the 912) but they must nearly flip themselves, or the Ruike needs to be taken apart for cleaning, lubricating, and adjusting. The Ruike is still on Amazon for about 30 bucks, which in my opinion makes it the best value knife I know of. The Sanrenmu land knives were when I bought them at Gearbest, while on sale, about 10 bucks each, bought about 40 of them. It is not that the Land is not still as good, but the price has increased substantially where I have seen them sold. I think 21 dollars is the least I have seen lately. The Ruike you listed, which I heard was made at the same Sanrenmu plant, just have enough extra features to be well worth the higher price over the Land. Same caged bearing and stainless steel scales, but slightly better steel in 14c28n vs 12c27, a fipper tab and added blue accents at the pivot and pocket clip. The only advantage the Sanrenmu has is the fact that the pocket clip can be moved to the opposite side. Both brands have the quality, fit, and finish of much more expensive knives. I think the Real steel knives are also made by Sanrenmu. I think 4 out of the 7 knives you listed are made by Sanrenmu. The Lands were their budget brand, the Ruike were their mid-grade knife made for Fenix flashlight company, and Reel Steel were their higher priced knives. Sanrenmu also makes some of the Chinese made knives branded for and sold by Spyderco.
From my list of seven knives, any one of those knives could easily be someone else’s number one spot. Their all excellent thumb stud openers. My reason for putting the Ruike P801-SF in 6th place is only because the thumb studs are on the smaller size compared to the others, and I have failed deploying the blade on the first attempt, a few times, especially when my hand is wet. Most of the time the P801-SF opens the first attempt, and it opens like greased lightning, very sweet. If I use the flipper tab the P801-SF is awesome, and has never failed me. But, I was comparing thumb stud deployment for my list.
