My new collection of 50+ Chinese knives

EDC Gear for Flashlight Carriers
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Billyo, prices from a retailer have to include import duty, local taxes - VAT etc. Overheads like rent if it’s a brick and mortar store lighting heating etc. and of course profit. A lot of stores think 100% is a reasonable profit.

So pick a 10$ knife add shipping then import duty, double that for the profit margin then add local taxes, it soon mounts up.
Buying straight from Chinese vendors has an element of risk, less so with PayPal, and of course you might be inspected by customs who will first see if the knife conforms to the Arsey Customs Officer Test, if not then the knife will be confiscated, total loss on your part. If it passes the A.C.O.T. then look forwards to paying duty on the goods AND the postage, then a re-packing fee from the postal service, the fee for re-packing in the U.K. at the moment is £8.50.
Buying anything from the U.S.A. is killed for me by the shipping costs, it regularly doubles the price of an item. Chinese post is heavily subsidised by the state.

Saying that, two out of four parcels of mine from the U.S.A. have been inspected, one cost £14 in duty and packing fees, one was confiscated - as yet none of the orders from China have been touched but I’m sure that sooner or later they will be.

Chinese knives of the “big” brands, SanRenMu, Enlan/Bee, Ganzo, Navy, Real Steel, are a bargain at the moment, shops are reluctant to sell them for fear of upsetting their mainstream sellers like Boker because the manufacturers buy in Enlans etc. re-badged as Bokers etc. they would lose sales and be most upset with the retailer. Kizer is an exception to this but they are hitting the American market head-on and selling top quality titanium framelocks and linerlocks at a lower price but still in the £100-£200 range.

When I first started buying Chinese knives an Enlan EL-01 was $8 now about double that. SanRenMu 710 about $6, now about $9, a lot depends on where you shop, FastTech stock some bargains still but Exduct’s prices are rising rapidly on some knives - an Enlan EL-01D, the rosewood scaled version is $16.36 at FastTech but has just risen to $28.79 at Exduct. Shopping around to get better prices is the name of the game now, and finding some of the different coloured scale versions is getting more difficult, GreatWall Outdoor sell some and the prices seem low but then there’s an average $5 postage to add on.

Things aren’t helped in the U.K. by Ebay refusing to supply knives to the U.K. market, not just ebay.co.uk but ebay.com as well.
Amazon are the same but sometimes a couple of knives are listed until someone on the staff (or a member of the public) spots them and removes them.
Ebay and Amazon in the U.S.A. are a good source of Chinese knives if you can access them.

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Sheesh! You guys sure have it tough across the pond. Are there ways of having friends in other countries ship to you to avoid the rip-off fees and send your package in a friendlier manner so that it wont get tampered with? In this case, you’re definitely not going to save in shipping, but at least you’ll get what you paid for… if you know how to pull it off. Can a folder be disassembled and mailed in separate packages? I assume they xray all of these packages and have a computer attempt to identify the images. That or just open every 2nd or 3rd package… etc. What a pain! How are large butcher knives classified? That would certainly make for a far better weapon.

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FlashPilot, have a look at this site - Heinnie Haynes notice the prices for U.S.A. made knives like Spyderco the £=$1.66 / $=£0.60 the prices put me off a lot of the Benchmade, Spyderco, Kershaw, Cold Steel, CRKT etc. even the ones made in China - and Heinnie Haynes is one of the best knife shops in the U.K. they keep the prices as low as they can but the tax, overheads, etc. all play a part.

A folder can be split into several packages and labelled Spare parts, postal charges come into play again. It would be a real pain to have all the parts arrive except the blade or one scale or a pivot pin or stand off get lost in the post.
I usually order separate packages so it comes out below the threshold for import duty and vat, also if one gets stopped while they are dealing with that then other peoples packets get through. Not a good thing but there are sniffer dogs going over the post anyway to catch drugs etc.

Buying from the U.S.A. can be a nightmare, guaranteed an inspection and if they can they will confiscate and destroy your knife that you’ve paid for and are entitled to own, there’s not a lot that are on the banned list but the catch-all is the “gravity knife”. If the inspecting officer can shake the blade free at all then that’s a gravity knife and that’s destroyed. There is no definition of the amount of force needed to shake the blade free, centripetal force can generate more than the force of gravity but some arsey officer can jump up and down flailing his arms about and if the blade drops out then it’s off to be destroyed, makes you wonder how the shops can import knives but average man or woman can’t.

It is really any wonder that I collect Chinese made knives, they usually manage to get through, I suppose because of the volume of mail from China, they are excellent quality and they are inexpensive enough to collect and even double up on some to have a spare to re-scale or re-shape the blade.

We’re not allowed to carry a locking or fixed blade without good reason, a Chef for instance needs his tools to do his job anyone can go camping or bushcrafting and that’s a good enough reason. Balisongs and automatic knives are a big no no but nothing is wrong with an assisted opener, apart from it locking. The law states that a flick or automatic knife is one where the blade is deployed by a button or lever on the handle, nothing there about flippers or speed assist type opening where the blade is operated by initiating the opening with a thumb stud or flipper on the blade.

So it’s down to 3” or less cutting edge and non locking. You are allowed a good variety in your own home or your own property.
Another bugger problem is that the average policeman doesn’t have time in between all the paperwork to actually learn the law so situations occur leading to arrests that are rubbish and as soon as a solicitor comes on the scene the case is thrown out, but the person still has an arrest for an offensive weapon on his or her record, not good for your CV.

The annoying thing is that 99.99% of “knife crime” is committed by people brandishing a kitchen knife or a Stanley knife (boxcutter) , hardly ever a “collectable”.
Its a stupid situation brought about by a knee jerk reaction of the politicians driven by drivel published in newspapers because they never let the truth get in the way of a good story, or headline.

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Huh?

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I wondered where that went !

This was supposed to be posted in the ' What is it about Flashlights ? ' thread .

I will not drink and post

I will not drink and post

I will not drink and post

I will not drink and post

I will not drink and post

I will not drink and post

I will not drink and post ...

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8steve88m thanks for your informative post. I hadnt checked Heinnie Haynes. Upon opening, I did notice an advert for a “UK friendly custom folder”… where I found the terminology to be most offensive for its insinuation, and the reasons why it was worded as such. Its just another reminder of an irresponsible gov gone wrong. As a sportsman, I find that many of firearms make for a decent legal EDC when the situation calls for it. When a government becomes so over bloated that officials have to find ways of justifying their jobs by driving so many frivolous laws, you’d think there’d be a process to remove them from office, imprison them for several decades and kill the laws they imposed. The system is so heavily flawed, and in so many ways. I have relatives in the UK. When I visit, Im often unaware of the myriad of over control the government places on its peoples. When they visit the US, they are always dumbfounded by the freedoms we enjoy here, and then the conversations and comparisons begin. Its almost mind numbing when I consider how the Brits havent retaliated yet. That being said, the US if fast becoming a socialist/liberal state being driven by an irresponsible media feeding a population of ignorant reactionary people incapable of thinking for themselves or making intelligent decisions at the polls. In a recent poll conducted in the LA area, a large percentage of the population didnt know where the equator is, who Saddam Hussein was or where the Gulf War took place. I read recently that in 3 separate polls, greater than 99.5% of black people voted for obama because of his dark complexion, and then voted for him again, despite his proven lousy first term record.

Our government has been trying to disarm its citizens for many years, with the current administration taking the largest strides while enraging millions of Americans. At some point, there will be a very high price to be paid when the government bares arms against its own peoples… something that millions of Americans foresee as an eventuality. Luckily, the majority of those who are willing to lay down their lives to defend the Second Amendment holds the peace…at least for now. Its been said that in the Midwest alone, there are more privately owned firearms held by its citizens than are owned by the entire combined US military. Then there’s the fact that the collective US gov has recently purchased tens of millions of rounds of ammo in an attempt to make it extremely difficult for its citizens to acquire or afford ammo at the stores. Justice to the gross incompetence of a self-serving system whos political leaders are never punished for their heinous deeds.

New studies are beginning to emerge that prove conclusively that gun ownership saves far more lives in the US than they take. It’ll be interesting to watch the resulting media hypocrisy roll over and change its opinions as momentum is gained with new found support.

Knives… buy them, sell them, give them away to anyone responsible who wants one, and assure that they always have a means of acquisition without severe penalty if caught traveling through a totalitarian monitored supply chain.

Given a choice between two weapons for hand to hand combat, mono e mono and only one walks away.

  • 22 oz framing hammer

or

  • Elan El-01.

I’d grab the hammer ever time.

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:smiley: Drinking and posting do go well together! :smiley:

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Nice!

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I agree 100%, and Heinnie Haynes just stopped putting U.K. Legal on their knives (that are) and changed it to U.K. Friendly because they might be held responsible if someone was to be prosecuted for carrying a knife bought from them in an “inappropriate situation”.
I have no problem with prosecuting anyone who attacks someone with a knife but if you were to defend yourself then you would be the one being prosecuted, in fact if you are found to be in possession of a legal to carry knife and asked why you are carrying it then if you answer “self defence” you will be prosecuted.
If someone is attacking you you are expected to wait for the police to turn up and take charge.
The United Kingdom is not what it once was by a long way but I’d still take it over many other countries.

I regret not emigrating to Canada, the U.S.A., Australia or New Zealand when I had the chance, I’m a bit to old now.

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Clearly, there is something greatly wrong with the system when a person is penalize for being prepared to defend themselves without the use of excessive force. When Im asked why I carry a concealed large caliber high capacity handgun, I tell people its because its my legal right as an American and Ive earned a concealed weapons permit to do so. Its comical in all the different reactions I get. Most native people in my state could care a less and know it to be a normal accessory for the masses, just as sure as wearing a pair of shoes. Liberals always seem to wallow in extreme ignorance, sighting highly emotional misconceptions based on false assumption and gross incompetence… which always gives me a chance to properly educate them. :smiley:

It might be interesting if you posted a thread to let the rest of us know what it is to be a small knives connoisseur in the UK, and the strategies used to get around EDC and import while remaining legal.

Do you watch Top Gear? I love it when Jeremy sights first and last names of government officials and their ridiculous solutions to problems. All for the whole world to see. Incidentally, Top Gear earned a spot in the top 10 lineup for the most watched internationally syndicated TV shows on the entire planet. And that was years before they created separate programs in different countries. Jeremy for Prime Minister and Stig in charge of traffic efficiency, speed limits and roadway signage. :bigsmile:

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I might just do that, it would take a while to organize my thoughts but I’ll have a go.
I do watch Top Gear and would give Jeremy Clarkson and The Stig top spots in government, they would never get elected because they make too much sense to be in parliament.
And you are right the U.K. has got problems and I can’t see it getting any better anytime soon.
I’ve just broken one of the rules, mine, of never mentioning politics or religion on the internet or in a pub, you will get nowhere and not change anybody’s opinion nso it it a waste of good drinking time! :bigsmile:
I am just happy that we are , mostly, aligned with the U.S.A.

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Politics… there is discussion, debate and opinion, and then there is the defining of incontrovertible fact. I’ll just leave it at that. :bigsmile:

Guinness, Heineken or Soddingtons? Cheers! I think now we can move onto religion… NOT! I miss all the pubs in the UK, but Ive heard that as many as 40 in London alone, have been closing on a daily basis. How sad that the times are changing.

I think a lot of people will benefit from your UK EDC knife discussion thread. Im looking forward to your post if you decide to have a go at it. With the fight to save the UK during WWII and all the technical innovation that came from your country, Im surprised that every citizen doesnt wear a cutlas and PPK as a decloration of national pride. Hmm… that gives me an idea.

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I’m sure that is misleading info published by the UK media. An article I read the other day agreed that many pubs were closing, what the media did not report was that after a refit and rebrand they were re opening after a few weeks. But good news won’t sell newspapers so it doesn’t get reported.

BTW I noticed Mr Clarkson using a blade on his leatherman whilst repairing his truck in topgear last week.

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I’m just glad I can carry a knife with a locking blade. It’s a safety issue; if it won’t lock open, I’m much more likely to hurt myself. I managed to cut myself several times with my old Leatherman PST II, even while trying to be careful. But I’ve had no such issues with a frame lock or liner lock blade.

A friend of mine now has an international criminal record because she forgot to remove a tiny can of pepper spray from her key chain before visiting the UK. Apparently it counts as a firearm.

At least flashlights aren’t normally banned. No matter where I go, I can generally blind someone with a torch if I need a few extra seconds to run away. Though, to be fair, things really shouldn’t get to that point unless I have already made several big mistakes.

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Caution: Snark-infested waters ahead!

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Well I got them - after about three weeks - Sanrenmu SRM 7010, 7049, and ZB4-T21. A little note from Australian Customs saying they did not confiscate any. Ta.
I like these knives - I’ve been using the 7010 every day for the past month. It is easy to sharpen and solid.
As I couldn’t find much information on these (except the Chinese/HK websites that don’t seem to show too much) I’ve done a few daggy youtube videos to show what they look like.
I wonder if the US brand is really worth that much anymore - it is at least 8 times the price. So obviously the USA will have to stress their quality as the differential - hence the various steels. But I can’t see it working as most of the steel comes from China/Japan.
I have a few ZDP-189 steel knives from the USA that are driving me crazy trying to sharpen them.
The other argument is about theft of design copyright. But historically it doesn’t really have legs - think of the compass, tea, paper and the number system (esp 0 and 1) all copied from the Chinese. I suppose the Chinese could do a swap. :wink:

So for me it’s the Chinese SRM.

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Diamonds will sharpen ZDP.

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Freman

What exactly do you use?

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I only have one ZDP knife, a ladybug I haven’t had to sharpen yet. If I did though I’d use the credit card diamond plates made by DMT I think.

You can find them on eBay in pairs of coarse and fine, and medium and extra fine.

No matter how hard the steel, diamonds are harder.