SanRenMu 763 - First impressions

EDC Gear for Flashlight Carriers
1

http://www.exduct.com/SRM-Knife-Gifts/763-SRM-Folding-Knife.html Link to purchase page

First impressions :

Light weight

Very nice clip

Lock works well

Tight action

Smooth opening

Relatively easy to thumb open

Scales seem a little light weight [ cheap feeling ]

Nice factory edge [ sharp ]

Seems like good value for the price .

SRM folding knife, GB-763, Total Length: 160mm, Blade length:68mm, 57HRC+ , Thickness:2.4mm , Handle Materials: G10, Axis Lock, with Clip and Opener

8Cr13MoV Stainless Steel (56-58HRC)

Well , I have just got the knife , so these are my initial thoughts on the knife . The steel liners dont go the full length of the knife handle , they only go some 30% so I will have to se how the knife stands up over time , as the only strength then comes from the G10 liners [ grip panels ] . All the tension to the blade comes from the lock , and that all seems fine . It locks up nice and tight , and the blade is slop free and smooth . The clip is very sturdy and seems to hold well to a trouser pocket . Opening and clossing the blade with one hand is very easy , as is manipulating the lock .

I still wait to see how good the blade quality is , but so far Im cautiously happy with the knife , but in the end it will depend on the blade itself . I can certainly see a use for such a knife , its affordable , small , light , and easy to operate , and anyone frequenting wilderness should perhaps throw such a knife in there back pack or bum bag .

I would suggest that this might be a lighter duty knife , and not a full blown survival product , so keeping it to lighter duties could be a good idea .

Now build quality seems to be good , especially for the price point , but I have to say that I got the idea from the images that it might have been a more sturdy knife , but perhaps that was my perseption . My CRKT's which were only a little more expensive , I have to admit are better built and feel a lot better in the hand [ Fully Lined ] , but Im prepared to give this knife the time to prove itself , and I am as yet to give the blade a work out .

2

Very nice review old but wasn't it suppose to be black? I ordered 3 of those and only because they were black in the picture and it does say 'Handle color: Black'. Looks like I'm going to have to prepare to return them before they even arrive. :(

3

I also have one of these on the way in black. I think it will serve its purpose just fine :) Thanks for the review old4570!

4

Im sure I ordered Brown ... There were only about 6 left at the time of Brown

5

The handle looks like a bar of chocolate

6

I disagree that full liners automatically means a better built knife. In fact, I much, MUCH prefer unlined handles as it can cut off a substantial amount of weight. This is a very important consideration for hiking or outdoor usage.

G10 is an incredibly tough material - it's an epoxy resin of glass reinforced nylon. Unless you're prying paint can lids open with it or running it over with a truck, it should stand up to most abuse.

You might be interested to know that it's also much more difficult to design and produce a knife with tight tolerances without steel liners in the handles. The stiffness of the liners can counteract imperfect machining around the pivot point of the blade that leads to blade play and offset handle retention.

7

I'm suprised you got it past customs. I read they were seizing most knives.

8

The G10 on my 763 is one of the things that really impressed me about it.

The steel "liners" are only there to act as an interface for the pivot and lock mechanism. G10 is resin-bound fiberglass and is incredibly strong. If they made that stuff to spec, it's stronger than the thin steel liner is. This is a high end synthetic material that you can find even on $200 knives.

The popular budget alternative is fiberglass-reinforced nylon (FRN), which you find on a lot of Spydercos. It's substantially weaker than G10 but even still it's strong enough that they make liner-less knives out of FRN.

9

I'm not fond of the colour but I really like the knife. I would have bought one sooner but I thought it would get seized.

10

Thanks for your first impressions old4570.

I think most of us are used to handle-heavy knives and if the 'balance' is changed in order to make the whole knife lighter (blade-heavy), we immediately think there has to be something wrong with the knife. Keep us posted if you still think it is imbalanced after using it a while.

11

Im not worried about Balance or that full liners would make it a better knife ...

I just like full liners as they add a little weight , and give the knife a little heft .. I find a heavier knife easier to use [ control ]

All very personnal . + I find the steel liners stiffen up the handle some .. [ CRKT Lake for example ]

Yeah , this is new to me , ... + Those were my initial impressions ....

+ This is the sort of knife I usually like .... Camillus Double Lock Back Jumbo Trapper 716

Ka-Bar Bomb Pattern - With Ivory Grips !

+ What determins a good knife for me from the ordinary , is how good the blade is .. [ Blade steel ]

12

I just got my sanrenmu 939 and the package had a sticker saying it was opened by Australia post for a customs inspection but it was closed up again and sent on. So they didn't see a problem with it, despite it being quite easy to flick open. Of course the 939 isn't a very agressive design compared to the 763. It does seem to be a very nice knife though, anyone looking to pick one up should do so asap as it's out of production.

13

Apparently Victoria is softer on knives.(not sure what state you are from.) Anything that has assisted opening is considered a "flick " knife in some states. Lots have been intercepted.

check out this link.

It still a bit of a"grey" area and they appear to be inconsistent.

Its the axis lock that could be a problem - though that is the reason I like the knife.

14

Judging from the type of knives you own I can see why this one just wouldn't "feel" right too you.

Nice folders you own by the way.

15

I'm in NSW and I had seen the customs info pdf. By that classification it's not really a grey area, the 939, 763 and virtually all other budget chinese knives that I've seen for sale (and mainstream american knives) are flick knives. What is grey is the application of the rules by customs officials. Perhaps they are internally using a softer classification or individual officials are exercising some discretion. Anyway, the law seems a bit silly to me in that a good quality kitchen knife would make a better weapon than any folding knife.

old4570, did you get your package inspected or did it just slip through?

On a related note does anyone know of any good budget knives that are slipjoints? I'm thinking of getting another couple of knives and just wondering what's out there. At the moment I'm looking at the sanrenmu 605 for a small light blade and the Bee L05-1 because it looks quite nice. Just wondering if there are any other options that couldn't cause any problems.

16

SanRenMu has a couple of slipjoints in their line but I've never handled any of them.

For a slightly-more-than-budget-but-still-not-expensive option you could look at the Spyderco Kiwi 3. They run ~$20 US and use the same 8Cr13MoV steel as the SRMs.

Rough Rider also makes some very good budget slipjoint knives but I'm unaware of the steel they use.

17

Not inspected .. But my CRKT's were .. + Just check out whats in the stores ...

+ Its a lock , not assisted opening in any way what so ever , much like a line locker [ Liner lock ]

+ Permission to import is only for items requiring a license , or prohibited items [ good luck ]

Flick knives = You can get a license to own [ Collectors License ] + then you would need a import permit to bring them in .

THis knife to the best of my knowledge is 100% ok to own ...

And all knives , are illigal to CARY .. In Victoria

I average about a 50% inspection rate on imported knives , and no issues to date ..

18

I agree totally but some customs officers are interpreting things differently. eg. They would push the lock button and then "flick" the knife open and call it a "assisted opening " knife.

19

Yeah , and how many are prepared to go to Court over a $15 knife ? Though you would win ..

+ This one does not flick open , with the lock held open , its tight enough for the blade to stay in place ...

20

I think I will buy one (or a few lol) and see what happens.