MiniReview - Sanrenmu ZB-681

Sanrenmu ZB-681 - Minireview

Size

Tiny
Blade 8Cr13MoV (59 mm)
Handle Zytel, black (74 mm)
Lock Back lock
Price $6.50
From Exduct.com


Size

The SRM 681 is a tiny lightweight knife which is one of the reasons I bought it. When closed it is approx. 74 mm in length and when opened approx. 133 mm. The blade is 59 mm long and 2 mm thick (thickest part) and the knife weighs approx. 35 grams.

Size compared to a Xtar 18700.


Clip

The SRM 681 is a tip up carry and has a sturdy clip which is 43 mm in length. It is not possible to switch the position of the clip. About 14 mm of the knife is visible when using the clip. It has also a lanyard hole that fits standard 550 paracord.


Blade

The SRM 681 is pretty much razor sharp straight out of the box. I managed to lose a bit of hair on the back of my hand while testing it . The knife tip is also quite pointy. The blade is almost centered spot on with no vertical blade play.


Handle

The handle is black and made of zytel. Half of the handle is smooth (marked with yellow color in the picture below) and the other half is textured (marked with red color in the picture below) which provides a decent grip, but due to the small size of the handle it is only possible for a 2½-3 finger grip depending on the size of your hands. I wouldn't mind if the whole handle would have been textured.


Thumbstuds and gimping

The SRM 681 has dual thumbstuds which allows both right and left handed use. The gimping is quite "aggressive" which in my opinion provides a better grip for your thumb than the gimping on the SRM 763.


Operation

Due to the fact that the SRM 681 is tiny and it uses a back lock it is harder to open than e.g. a 710 or a 763, but it can still be opened using one hand. The design of the knife makes it feel comfortable to use. The edges are rounded and the clip is placed so you hardly notice it is there (perhaps a bit more noticeable if you're left handed).

Quality

The overall quality of the knife is on par with other Sanrenmu knives I have (SRM 710 and SRM 763). The quality of the blade is good, but the handle has some very minor imperfections (rough or uneven edges) which can be seen in some of the pictures above. However they are only visible if you look closely.

Pros

  • Razor sharp out of the box
  • Inexpensive
  • Lightweight and tiny (since this is what I was looking for)
  • No vertical blade play
  • Comfortable to hold
  • Nice design (in my opinion)

Cons

  • Back lock (a very minor con, works well but harder to unlock compared to the axis lock of the 763 which is why I listed it as a con)
  • Cannot switch the clip to the opposite side
  • (Minor imperfections in the zytel handle)

Looks like a nice knife .

Nice , comprehensive review .

Great review! The only thing better than this knife is its price. I like that you get so much blade length in such a small knife. I have one in my pocket right now.

BTW, I'm left-handed and the clip doesn't bother me at all.

best ultra-small SRM... hands down...

and back lock is a pro and not a con, because the liner on the liner locks of the 600 and 700 series are very thin. (see 704 & 702 & 603)

Thanks for the review. Reminscent of the Buck Lite.

Ordered.

I couldn't get the 5% coupon code to work, but this one did.

Coupon code: 4F2DAE22BB10A


I wish I could own that here. :-(

(leaves to sulk in the corner)

I like the aeshtecics of the kife. The blade is really beautifully shaped.

What colors is it? Black or Red/Yellow...did you get 2 knives?

The back lock ended up as a con for me because it isn't as easy to close as the 763, especially if you just want to use one hand. However it works great in locking the blade. I guess I'm spoiled with the 763 axis lock .

It is black. The red/yellow is just edited to show which part of the handle is smooth and which part is textured.

Nice review ... Been thinking of getting one for a while , just might have to now ..

Apart from UK who also has very severe knife regulations taht prevents him to get a knif such as this one (since it is rather small)?

Thanks for review, love the looks of this knife, hopefully it wont go out of stock because there are only 2 left@exduct and cant afford to buy another knife at the moment :/

Great review, hope you do more, this knive is just too small for my taste.

OK, but if you look at the height of the liner where axis lock would sit on the 681.... I would rather take the back lock over both liner and axis lock. Plus this knife size will probably never see heavy duty use.

Err, I’m late to the party. Sold out on entire aliexpress, vanished from exduct, only two overpriced ebay offers.

Let’s hope it’ll be back.

Exduct has 681 back in stock.

It’s really good pocket/keychain knife.

Nice review - Keep meaning to get this one …

Thanks Paranid for the heads up.

I dislike exduct for the fact that I cannot see the exact shipping price before registering/ordering. What about shipping with china post, is it still an option and how much would that be with just that zb-681, please?

It would be $2.23 with China Post and $3.90 with HK Post.

Oh that’s a nice price, thanks guys!