Very disappointing results from the edge retention test .
Yes, will never buy another Enlan …
It’s a shame the knives feel so good , lock up tight , have no blade play and just look nice too !
So colour me surprised that they went to the trouble of using such bad steel for the blades .
Cant compete with a Cheap Nasty $16 knife ? Maybe you should get out of the knife making business ! ( Oh that’s $16 Ozzi bananas with free shipping from Sydney for the cheap knife that scored a 160 )
I like cheap knives , but I dont like junk knives ( Junk blade steel )
Naa! Fit and finish are just fine , nothing to complain about there .
For the price point , fit and finish are exceptional .
What blows chunks , is the blade steel .
I mean ? Why go to the trouble of making a knife that feels good . Has no play , locks up tight . Is straight !
But then skimp on the most important part of all = The blade steel !
It must cost pretty much the same to make a bad blade as it does to make a good blade …
So the question begs ! Why not just make a good blade ? For what is otherwise in every other way , a good knife until you cut something !
Weight ,balance ,smooth as silk ,nice lock up .One of my favorite knives under 10$. You made me look and from the factory the knife wasn't/isn't very sharp at all .
I am curious at what point people will consider a steel to be too soft to actually use . What you're doing to these blades is pretty tough usage. I have some kitchen knives that only need a mild touch up every week or so . Compared to my parents knives that won't stay sharp thru one single cut . thankfully they won't pierce the trash bag on the way out the door .
How many cuts do you think a decent budget 10$ knife would be acceptable ? 100+?
Yes .
A) There is no standardised testing that I am aware off
B) Everyone has their own standards
C) My standards
100 or less on the rope cut test = Poor Performance
100 - 200 = Average , the more toward 100 the more average ( 420 - 440 performance levels )
200 - 300 = Better low end steel
300 - 400 = Decent knife steel
400+ = Now you are talking about a good knife . ( I mean good )
420 / 440 - For me these seem to range around 120 to 140 ( There is just so much bad 440 out there )
Chinese cr/mov - There might be some good - Unfortunately there is so much bad . I have a cheap mystery steel knife that scored 160 . So ? It’s way way much a lottery .
Fake Steel - Or BS printed on the knife ? Or just the worst made steel ? D2 , I have a real D2 that scored 450/470 , and other D2 that scored 100 ( 2 off them ) …. Yeah !
Also a 14c28n that scored 100 - What do you call that ?
Enlan 911 12c27n scored a 220 , thats fair . Price VS performance , I would call that knife justified .
I am about to test my two Bee knives , put them to the rope !
With the knives , there is as much or more BS than with flashlights / batteries .
Got to watch out for the BS printed on the knife blade , Fakes , counterfeits , and the fraud .
Sometimes ( documented ) contractors substitute steels ( for blades ) from decent steel ( contracted ) to garbage steels . And the brand owner never knows until a metallurgy test is done by some one .
ANd the other Variable is the heat treat . That so called 61 HRC might be in reality 51 …
One of the Elans , the edge just melted away in 50 cuts . But since I went from 0 to 50 , when did the edge go ? 10 - 20 - 30 That really is rubbish steel !
Just so much BS in the knife world . And just because a knife is good one day ? What about later production knives ? If the manufacturer makes 1000 badly heat treated knives ? Does anyone imagine they wont sell them ?
It literally is a lottery . You take a punt , and you might win or you might lose .
Most people wont know , because they dont do edge retention tests that produce repeatable results .
I never did . Until recently . I was disappointed because I was always sharpening my Chinese knives and I dont recall needing to sharpen my American , German , English , Swedish . Finish , Swiss knives anywhere as much .