Since I joined here three years ago I’ve picked up a few knives, starting with Land 9104 from Gearbest that one of you recommended. Since then I’ve added a few budget knives - the Browning from ebay and the rest from AE. No real need or reason to buy, just thought they looked good. I don’t EDC as knife laws are pretty strict in my state of Victoria, Australia, you need to have a lawful reason to carry one and as I’m sales of industrial sensors, I don’t think I qualify. Usually take one when I go bush walking but haven’t really had a need to use it.
Lined these up in order of acquisition starting with the Land. The Harnds and Sanrenmu feel and look great - quality in my noobie opinion. I woulodn’t know a good metal from bad. The Land good, Ganzo and Sanrenmu average and the Browning is a blunt POS
Land 9104 12C27
Browning X42 440C
Petrified Fish 828 D2
SANRENMU 7129 12C27
Ganzo Firebird F7551 440C
Harnds Talisman 14C28N
Any thoughts, comments on the collection? Dodgy, fake, value for money?
Unno, just a nice solid feel, buttery smooth action, etc.
I’m not A Knife Guy™, so I’m probably not the guy you want to be taking knife advice from.
Just like lights, the fancier (ie, pricier) ones I got, I keep home and just kinds play with them when I’m in the mood, but don’t EDC them and risk losing/scratching/dropping them. I have dedicated beaters for that (which I don’t actually beat, as I’m pretty gentle with all my tools).
Thanks. Always good to hear other experiences no matter the collecting level. I’m more of an axis lock kind of guy, but do appreciate a good liner lock. I’ve got only one flipper and it’s OK. But was thinking of adding a decent sub $50 flipper at some point. There’s a few reviews on the Talisman and generally it did well.
I’ve got that dragon, too, but it’s a bit too small for my taste, though still didn’t make up my mind if I want to try the bigger Ruike P801.
I would’ve liked the dragon only stamped in instead of that hand sanding in different directions so I acid etched it first and then decided to dress it up with customs scales.
Not perfect but I like it. The knife is still to small for my taste.
I love the Harnds Talisman. I got the older version in AUS-8 a few years back. The ergonomics are fantastic. The fit and finish are good. The action was incredible for the price. While AUS-8 isn’t amazing, it was okay for the $30-ish I paid back then.
I recently picked up the 14C28N version. The steel upgrade is nice and there are a few other minor changes. Unfortunately, one of the screws is stuck on mine and I can’t disassemble it for a more thorough inspection. I don’t know if it is thread-locker or what but it spins freely and is flat on the other side.
Definitely check out Civivi. They are arguably the best bang for the buck in this price range. Their 9Cr18Mov gets an incredible heat treatment and has noticeably better edge retention than the same steel from other manufacturers. That also goes for the Sencut knives, which are also made by WE. I got the Sencut Snap with wood scales. It is my favorite budget knife of the year so far.
That’s a beauty! Something about it really speaks to me… but then, saw it’s a fixed blade. If it was a folder, I’d be on it. Nothing against fixed, as I’ve got 2 of them, but they’re too bulky to carry for EDC use. Still, this design would be super in a nice liner lock or axis lock folder.
Hoping someone can help translate this. There’s a place here in Australia selling fixed blade with the following info which means nothing to me. Comes with a handle hand carved from a camels bone.
I have heard that real Damascus does not exist anymore. The steel was made a long time ago in Syria by some special casting process. And the end result was some steel with very high carbon content, so the hardness was probably higher than 56.
But today’s “Damascus” is just some plates welded between them…
look on youtube or instagram and search for forging damascus steel, you will see how a lot of artists still create them using modern techniques, essentially folding multiple metal over and over to create the pattern. They are very pretty, and labor intensive, thus expensive. Its not welding, nor is it meant to be super strong/sharp (it can be strong and sharp for most application nonetheless). Modern knowledge and technology tell us purity and consistency will give us a more uniformed blade, so the pattern is mainly just for looks. Old blade that’s “damascus” can’t possibly beat modern knowledge, unless you believe in ancient alien
Damascus steel does not exist, a real Damascus pattern is created by the folding and hammering of any steel. This endless hammering of the steel was the old way of getting impurities out of the steel they used back then and made anything they made like that a lengthy and labor-intensive product but in the past the only known way to make the steel strong enough for a top product.
In modern times we have learned to make the steels we use pure and strong in other ways so there’s no need anymore for all this endless labor making our modern-day steel products much more cheaper and even stronger and better than in the old days.
From this story you can already get that making a real Damascus-pattern is very labor-intensive so will never be cheap, not even from China. All cheap knives with fancy pattern’s on it are not real Damascus but just fancy paint jobs on any steel they fancied using. The end result is as good as the maker is trying to make so there’s no reason to believe the patterned steel is any better than any plain steel.
No, only the super cheap ones are laser etched or paint, most ‘’damascus’’ is normal steel but sandwiched between an aesthetic layer of multiple layers steel just for looks.
You can find many Chinese kitchen knifes like that and they are very good but its rare to find on pocket knifes. Real Damascus is super expensive.
