First Id like to say GREAT FORUM, Im really glad people can talk about Chinese knives here, and budget things, on some of the other forums you get flamed for asking about SRM and it becomes a 7 pages flame fest of insults. :( LOL.
Anyway I bought a 710 and its great, I really like it as its a poor mans sebenenza to me.
But Im not really into knives, I dont see myself ordering 10 knives or more, just maybe one or two more.
So what would be a good all arounder budget knife in terms of quality, and fit and finish thats cheap like the 710?
My choices so far are:
The Bee Enlan 01 BUT its a flipper, and has no thumb stud - is it too flashy to flick it open all the time?
The Ganzo 704 BUT its an Axis lock, which I dont really like that its held buy a little spring? Id prefer a frame lock, or something like that.
Are these both solid knives? Any other recommendations?
Thanks for the comments and to all the other posters making this forum good doing reviews and pics of their knives and collections.
First of all what size do you want? the EL01 and G704 are substantially bigger than the 710. If you want a bigger or even much bigger knife and like flippers better than axis locks like I do, then get the EL01. I have first hand experience with it and it is the best Chinese knife that I handled so far: stability, ease of use, smooth opening, finish .... all points go to the EL01. Downsides can be the large size, it's bulkiness and flipper stands out in closed position.
Good luck with not buying more, I wanted to buy only 2 knives... well that certainly didn't work out.
The el-01 looks pretty cool. At first I thought it was spring assisted, but it seems to be just really well made and even a slight push/flick will open it.
It is almost a bit too easy to open, but you will be able to do it blindfolded at night with no flashlight. ;-) Not to forget that the flipper makes a perfect finger guard, but it is no 'urban' knife and you will get some raised eyebrows, when you are doing your fingernails with it.
If you want a good all around knife that is "public friendly", I would highly recommend the 763. Some many prefer a larger handle, but the size and weight is perfect for EDC in public environments and the blade shape seems perfect for EDC usages IMHO. For $9-$12, I wouldn't skip buying one of these.
@ Langcjl - I was looking at that knife, but I found out all the 900 series knives are discontinued :( And shipping from your link is over 21USD :(
Also I really wanted a 939 to try to use in the kitchen it looks like it would be good to use on food or something, LOL, due to its shape.
To everyone thanks for the comments and great suggestions, I think I will get an Elan 01 for now, its too large for carrying around, but maybe its a nice thing to have, I already have a 710 for the smaller size.
Anyway these SRM cases look great, but I couldnt find them out yet, only on the SRM site under accessories...It can hold 6 so Id have to get 6...
Now you're 'adjusting' to reality! As far as cases go, if you got two, four, or more... Well then you'd just have to get the knives to put in them, wouldn't you? Sort of obligated... Really.
The several SRM and Bee knives I have are more similar than different. Personally I think it's best to just pick one you like the looks/size of, since the blade quality and whatnot aren't going to differ much. For example, if you want a practical grip, G10 is really sturdy and non-slip, but someone more concerned with looks might want a stainless, camo, or wood. Personally I like wood grip, so I might go for the L05/L04/L03, like this one looks pretty slick:
Thanks bro - that knife looks nice. Is there generally one seller which stands out and people prefer over other sellers?
I was looking at DiscoverBargain since the knife I wanted to order was a bit cheaper there, but the reviews are mixed.
Is ExDuct the better choice for customer service/getting my order right, even though it may be a bit more with shipping costs not included? I dont mind paying more if its a better site.
Exduct is definitely better than Discovery Bargain imo. I ordered 4 knives on 2 different orders from DB back on 4-20-2011 (shipped on 4-23-2011) and still nothing. So if I had to do it all over again--I would spend the extra $$ and purchase from Exduct but that's just me. I've ordered 3 times from Exduct so far and all orders arrived in 2 weeks or less.
I totally agree with fishinfool and Vectrex. My one order with Exduct made it to me just fine, and it was quickly shipped. My first order with DB never made it to me. I got my money back through PayPal, but it took over 2 months of waiting for the refund. My second order with DB took only a month to reach me, but they totally screwed up my order; they sent me the wrong knives. I'll have to try to get my money back through PayPal. DB gets very unresponsive when they screw up. Exduct's shipping fees are pretty high, but they ship quickly and they actually know what they're doing. Exduct for the win!