Petrified Fish Knives

Yeah, that’s my comment. :stuck_out_tongue:

In summary, I got the GoComma knife because I didn’t believe the D2 stamp and wanted to see for myself. I was impressed by the fit, finish, and action. However, the steel acted like a decent 8Cr13Mov. Then I saw the same knife in various colors under the PF brand, correctly stamped as 8Cr13Mov. For the price, that’s still a nice little knife.

The unanswered question was whether PF was the actual manufacturer or if they just put an honest stamp on it. I really like their Trident model in D2. I can see how some people wondered if they were made by Ganzo. If anyone wants to check it out, it’s going on sale again soon at the CN Knife Store on AliExpress:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000234918540.html

I’ve been watching new releases from this company. I have an 818 and an 838. The D2 is good. The actions are fantastic. My only complaint so far is that the G10 on both really benefited from some edge filing. After that, both of these have been good knives in their respective classes.

A new one just came out. It’s a more radical design but it looks like they are branching out into Micarta. (They call it “flax” on the Ali Express page.) There is a $10 off coupon but it only lasts a day:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005001364612711.html

i have the PF818 on order from that exact shop.

if i like the quality i will order the PF838 and PF919 also

It looks like they’ve started a new ali store, the one I bought from recently has no items in it.

The PF939 looks cool (tip might be a bit fragile)

Anyway the store says they don’t post to Australia any more for some reason :frowning: glad I got my PF818 when I did.

Has anyone managed to order these for delivery to the UK? Always worried about Customs grabbing knives.

I received my Petrified Fish 818 today, and I am :smiley: e very interested !
Out of the box it is almost perfect.
The inside corners of the g10 is a bit sharp,
but sanding them down a little bit solved that.
Fit, action and build quality are great, Specialy for 20 euro .

LTK had a metal scan and hardness test done on this model.
Turns out to be real D2 with a HRC of 62 :+1:

I will definitely order more Petrified Fish models.

That mirrors my experiences. I used course then fine on an emery board for the G10. It’s amazing how much that little bit of work can accomplish.

I disassembled mine for a full clean and lube when I got it. Action was already good but that often helps a new knife. I ordered my 818 last November so it’s been almost a year. The action has only gotten better with time. Edge retention has been great. It’s easily on par with more expensive Chinese D2 from companies like Artisan. The geometry helps.

The PF838 has much thicker blade stock and it puts the flat grind at a more obtuse angle. That had me worried out of the box because so much of my regular cutting is cardboard. I’ve been pleasantly surprised though. It comes to a nice edge and the steel holds it. It manages to cut through cardboard with less resistance than I expected. It’s an interesting knife and I get what other people have said about it looking like the 818’s big brother. Still, I prefer the 818 for regular use.

What is the width of the handle (minus clip) of the 818?

i measured 13mm that should be 0.511811024 inches

I think PF is made by twosun knives from china

I think i remember also reading sumething like this, that might explain the great quality :smiley:

As I noted in the budget knife thread, action on my PF818 isn’t as good as on my Ganzo FH21. I know you suggested taking it apart for a full clean and lube, but I have yet to do that. I’m worried I will not be able to put it back together correctly. On the other hand, if I’m buying a brand new knife, I don’t feel that I should even need to do this in the first place. I expect it to work perfectly straight from the factory. Alas, we are talking about budget knives here, so maybe my expectations aren’t realistic.

If you mean ‘thickness’, it’s about 13.5mm.

That would be nice but its still a budget blade.

Yes, I added that comment to my response. :slight_smile:

Is the Ganzo thinner? I usually prefer knives less than 0.5” but it’s all about pocket feel, some thicker knives ride in pocket unnoticed but other dont.

My Ganzo FH21 has the same thickness as my PF818: 13.5mm (0.53”).

The Ganzo is slightly shorter when folded: 4.38”
PF818: 4.53”

The FH21 is also slightly narrower.

I never really liked the ganzo and other chinese knives. Sanrenmu was always great for low prices and good quality. I think A knife is only as good as the weakest point, which in most chineze knives is soft screws and bad argonomics.

You could check out twosun knives on ebay. Many designs to choose from with 14c28n steel and nice quality.

Nobody has to do this and most of the time, budget knives are okay right from the box. I like to see the internals, get to know the knife, and get a little insight on the manufacturing conditions of various brands. I also like being the QC gatekeeper of what I carry when possible. Even knives from respectable budget brands can leave the factory with a little dirt, grime, or a fleck of something in there. They can often function well despite that and many people will be impressed by knives in such a condition without ever knowing about it.

I also like starting with known product in there. There can be various grease, oil, preservatives, or whatever and you never know exactly what they are. That’s not something I love in an intimate EDC item that rides in your pocket all day every day. I like having non-toxic mineral oil on my surfaces and a good non-toxic specialty oil on the moving parts.

Somewhere between the cleaning and quality lubrication, I often do notice an increase in action quality. It may be slight but it’s often the case. How well that compares to breaking in is hard to say, since that’s also a factor. What I can say for sure is that the action on my 818 was good right out of the box and has since transitioned to great.

I guess I got unlucky. You really need to flip my PF818 with a lot of force in order for the blade to fully deploy and lock in place. My Ganzo requires a lot less effort to do the same.