Nice collection, the clone is the Paramilitary right? Very addictive those clones. I’m trying not to buy another Military, for the money the clones are a very good knife, just in the shape of something someone else designed. Lots of views on that but in the end it’s my money to spend as I see fit. The EL-01KH is a very good knife, I’ve got a few and converted some to torx pivot screw and phosphor bronze washers, it makes a difference!
The EL-05 I haven’t had for long but I like wood scales. I see a Ganzo and a Kershaw but I don’t know the other.
Incidentally SRJoben sells a conversion kit for the EL-01 now, well worth the money.
yup, the the paramilitary is the clone. For 13$ why not. It came as sharp as the kershaws.
I was looking to get one with s30v like buck vantage or kershaw blur, but im not that fuzzy.
Som other notes, the ganzo needed sharpening as it came pretty dull. The EL-01 needed some oil and now opens easily enough.
I have 3 Military, 2 Paramilitary 2, a Southard, a Vallotton, 2 UKPK’s. a Webley&Scott fixed blade, A Brous Reloader, a Medford Praetorian, it’s a slippery slope once you start. You are right about the $13 - amazing quality for the money, a damned good knife. The most I’ve spent so far is under $30, I can’t legally carry them in the U.K. - Apart from the UKPK’s of course - so they are around the house or food prep knives, the Military’s full flat grind and 4” blade makes it an excellent kitchen knife. If you go up in the price range you can get genuine steels and titanium framelocks in the clones, but then you are better off with the real thing, A Paramilitary 2 is an expensive knife in the U.K. but in the U.S.A. the economies of scale and lower shipping costs keep the prices reasonable.
The EL-01 is an absolutely classic hard use folder, I like them a lot, the washer kit makes a big difference but just an oiling helps a great deal as you said, that and lots of use. Until the Military clone I used an EL-01D as my daily in-house knife, it beds in nicely with use.
SanRenMu’s new détente locking system is a great improvement on the classic slip joint. The whole range is vast with frame and liner locks as well as slip joints and the détente lock. 8Cr13MoV,8Cr14MoV and some 12C27 steels make up their range of steels.
There are some new Chinese makers as well, I’ve just bought a Y-Start that has canvas Micarta scales and G10 bolsters, it’s also available with stainless bolsters for a more traditional look.
My latest two orders are bamboo themed knives, large and small.
I’ve been pleasantly surprised by some of the lesser known brands, they are usually cheaper as well.
Thanks 8steve88 for the lazylizardgear washer kit link now i have been sanding down the slip surfaces on my own for my personal ones and all the knifes i have been gifting this Christmas, and that takes way to long to keep doing i hope i can get a similar smoothness with the washer upgrades.
I will order some washers for the Enlan, but i really like my original pivot screw so i am just going to buy the bronze washers
I wish fasttech would just sell the knife upgrade parts like they do with their flashlight mod parts…….
Do anyone know where i can find some washer upgrades for the Sanrenmu: 710, 7010?
Not as easy, the ones I’ve bought from USAKnifemaker are only imperial sizes, the SanRenMu’s are metric. The Enlan EL series has a 6mm/¼” pivot but the next size down they sell is too small a hole. The problem is the framelock and linerlock foul the outside diameter of any phosphor bronze washer that I’ve got. The upside is that I had plenty for using like this -
The washers from USAKnifemaker are reasonably priced but they refuse to send them any other way than USPS Insured Small Box, 30-40 washers rattling around in a 75mmx100mmx100mm box at a cost of $24 postage, joben sends his by letter at $7, much more reasonable. Jatagan sell a few limited sizes but again are crazy prices for postage. The screws aren’t so much of a problem, it’s a standard M3 size thread.
It’s a pity Enlan don’t sell EL-s with this pivot screw
Boker Magnum A-Stan. You get the tin and the Torx key for scales and pivot.
You might still have some flatting to do on the phosphor bronze washers but nowhere near as much as standard washers, they have been getting better on the stock ones though.
Thanks for the answer,
What are “joben” is that crazy lizard you are talking about?
Yeah that Magnum pivot screw would be a real upgrade
But i have to be honest i really don’t get why everybody don’t seem to like the original pivot screw on the Enlan, i think they work great by just adjusting them with my nails, the first i opened by just my thumb and index fingers nails and the second Enlan i opened first time with the chuck of my cordless drill but then it was easy to only use the fingers to open and close the pivot screw.
Isn’t thats why the are shaped like that so you don’t have to have any tools to adjust it?
Regarding the EL-01, should it be able to open without a flick? Now I need to flick it a little to open. No big deal.
I have looked at the spyderco\byrd line and so far what have caught my eye is byrd Cara Cara2,
SPYDERCO PERSISTENCE G-10, SPYDERCO TENACIOUS and BYRD MEADOWLARK2 G-10. Don’t know if there’s any point going for one of these over the paramilitary2 clone, I think that also has 8Cr13MoV steel.
For christmas did get 20-30 (fake?) cree lights as gifts. Some had 3 modes and some had 3 modes plus sos flashes. But most was on and off only,
Regarding laws, im not allowed to carry any of these knives if I have no use for them. So only to the boat or the woods, else its a big fine.
Non of my Enlan EL-01 did originally flip open without any wrist movement, so i sanded down all the slip surfaces on them with finer and finer sandpaper on a sheet of glass and lubed them up with coconut oil after cleaning up all the fine metal dust from the parts.
Now they flip open butter smooth with an almost silent movement, to get an even better motion after polishing the surfaces you can open and close the blade many many times by hand to wear in the knife even faster.
I can’t even express how nice it feels it when they are this smooth, just do it it so worth the time it takes if you are a fan of your Enlan, i gifted my best EL-01 to my brother in law this Christmas and i am already missing it but i plan to hopefully make an even smoother one with lazylizards upgraded phosphor bronze washer well sanded and polished if needed.
And 8steve88 i asked Joben if he could look in to sell upgraded washers for the Sanrenmu: 710, 7010 and he said that he would try to
find some i really hope he does, he is the only one who sells this kind of an upgrade for affordable shipping prices.
I hope so as well, it would mean quite a few frame locks and liner locks of medium to small size could get the treatment.
The recent EL-01’s that I have are getting smoother from the factory, the earlier ones had a real gritty feel, still usable but not as smooth as I liked, that’s why I started by flatting and cleaning the existing washer (one is nylon/plastic) and smoothing the mating surfaces. I’ve spent an evening or two looking at AliExpress for phosphor bronze washers, they confuse copper with brass so the chance of getting phosphor bronze is unlikely.
I’ve tried everywhere from steam engine to R/C models and they are either the wrong size or too expensive, an effect of the U.K.’s decline in manufacturing industries.
The Enlan EL-01 will bed in if you keep opening and closing it, or strip it, clean it, make sure all the moving surfaces are smooth then a drop or two of oil and you should be good to go. A washer kit will improve things even more. It might just be a pivot screw that’s a bit tight and needs adjusting.
With the clone/genuine decision, the Steel is the big thing about getting the genuine ones, I’m not legally able to carry most of the knives that I own, legal to have just not carry without a good reason, as you said camping/bushcraft/fishing or work.
The Tenacious is a popular choice but a lot more expensive (in the U.K.) than a Para2 clone, I think one of mine has 9Cr18MoV but for my home use it’s not that important, you’re obviously not getting S30V or M390 in the case of one of my sprint run colour Para 2’s This one, no longer available the same store Here lists the steel as S30V not the M390 it should be with the blue scales. good knife though, it sharpens like the 9Cr18MoV on my Harnds Viper and Blazer so it might be the same steel.