Deciding between these 4 knives. How?
I like the looks for G712. I like the slimness of G707. I like G704 and EL-01 because of how simple they look and good reviews.
Get all that four!. Well, the g707 is a little different, it is for stabing over all and its lock system is different, i do not know if it is very reliable. The g704 and el01 have the fame of be some of the stronger knives you can get, and the g712 is like a g704 but with a stabing ane slashing blade. G707 and g712 for self defense and g704 and el01 for heavy tasks but it can be for self defense too of course. The g712 anr g707 is a lot less practical for every task, for example the g712 is very bad for cutting food, open packages etc, but with that iincredible good and anatokical handle is very good for stab with force without care of the fingers. From that four i have the g704, g712 and el01.
Some say that the steel of ganzos are worst than theethe enlan on retention edge but i do not know. And some ganzo have a very poor lock system, depends of the concrete model (g711…). I think you can be happy at least with g712, g70 and el01.
I have the G704 and EL-01, and I’m quite happy with them considering their price.
There’s some friction in the pivots, so flipping them open might be slightly tough.
The G704 has an axis lock and the EL01 a liner, so I think that might be the biggest differences between the two.
I ordered all four and played with them (the 707 was for a friend). The 707 is not comparable to the others (less stable, thinner blade and in some countries illegal - automatic opening knife).
If you want a heavy worker, the EL01 and the G704 are great (have all 6 G704 versions and 4 different EL01 - no black blade, not the wodd handle version) - thick blade, stable, great quality.
The G712 looks good and like xatu wrote - the handle is great and feels really comfortable in the hand.
I haven't used it often, because of the blade shape - for cutting other shapes are much better. It's more a poser for playing around. If I should make an order list with priority: 1. EL01 2. G704 3.G712 4. G707
The EL01 (this picture is not mine and the wood version is missing)and G704 (sand color is missing - was in my car) are avialable in some different colors.
The 704, 712, 716, 717 and 720 are all nice classic looking folders. If you do some research you can find out which models work well w/ the axis lock. The EL-01 is still the standard in my book. If you want a slightly improved version contact Joben at LazyLizardGear.com, he can set you up w/ upgrades.
Buwuve, how’s the opening action with your EL01 and G704? I found them hard to open by flicking the thumb studs or the flipper — too much friction.
I tried out an genuine Benchmade and it was night and day, butter smooth.
I agree with that list first to last: el01, g704, g721, g707. But g712 is npt worst than g704, only a bit “special”, less practical but it makes a smile on your face… and the handle is very comfortable, it is like the benchmade bedlam but saddly tinier.
My el01 is smooth, oil on the pivot and open and close enough times. The g704 is smooth too, enough smooth, but if you want butter smooth go for the ganzo g710. I do not know why ganzo makes its axis lock different on wich model. One smoother than others.
I like a lot a flipper but there are not very models with it. The el01 is cheaper than almost every big knife and it continues being one of the best.
Awesome, thanks xatu!
I'd get the EL01 first. Quite the flagship. You won't regret it.
I've got the Ganzos 712 Serpent and 720 Tank 
. Luv em 
I also have 2 EL01's
I bought some cheap Chinese knives from fasttech, Ganzo 716 and 717, Enlan EL-04, and the SP03 7073.
As a knife maker I have pretty high standards, and I’m far more familiar and comfortable with $100+ knives. That said, all 4 knives were exceptionally well put together for the money. Most of them have 1 or 2 things I’m not excited about though.
The 716 has too sharp of a handle texture (fixable with sandpaper and 5 minutes), it will eat up the edge of your pockets. It’s also made hard to sharpen (especially over time) because of the large radius in the plunge line. It did take a nice edge though when I sharpened it. Not a fan of the glass breaker, but not a big deal.
The 717 is superb. Only letdown is a lack of clearance under the clip. Sandpaper and 5 minutes should take care of this. It sharpened up nicely.
The SRM 7073 is also superb, except for a couple of issues. One is that it also has a large radius in the plunge line. Another is that the thumbstuds make it difficult to sharpen at a comfortable angle. It’s also got a strong detent, so opening is a chore until it loosens up some.
The Enlan EL-04 is my favorite. It’s got a bit of Micarta fuzz around some of the holes (will wear off with handling) and a less perfect finish on the blade than the others (not horrible, just a bit of a wavy reflection, probably because of a worn out belt). This is the most EDC friendly knife from the group I got. I plan to carry it for a while and see how it holds up. My second choice is the 717.
Omg, this is really informative, thanks everyone!! I already have the EM-01, the smaller brother of EL-01, and it is really nice.
Leaning more towards Ganzo, for a change of brand.
But then it’s still tempting to get the flagship EL-01.
Does Fasttech have a coupon that has knife discounts? “BLF” doesn’t work.
@radiancez567: No. FT publish only a few times (maybe 2-3 a year) some coupons codes, which work for a few days. I will publish these in the new fasttech products thread and you will find the most knives in this thread, too (without discussions). The discussions thread is this, but you will find only a few knives there.
The Micarta fuzz around some of the holes of the EL04MCT is usually for this knife (I ordered round about 10-12 of these in the last 3 years and every 04MCT have it). I try to flame it on one, which isn't the best way.
I have the Enlans EL01 for a long time and a few months ago I try a Zero Tolerance 561 of a friend. Wow, this is a big difference. I think it was similar like your experience with the Benchmade.
Before I try the ZT, the Enlans were nice about the flipping. After the ZT the world changed. I don't need speed or power on the ZT - tip the flipper and the blade swings out. It goes like WOW.
With the EL01 I need a little bit flipping power. Not a big thing, but a great difference to the ZT.
I think the EL01 will work better: Disassemble, polish the bronze washer, replace the white nylon washer and lube all. The G704 opened smoooth.
Other knives with a flipper:
Inron My803 (big blade, G10 in nice colors - black/red or orange are really nice, end quality check is bad - some screws are bad, scratches on the not-G10-handle side, don't open smooth - polish washer and replace the nylonwasher, lube will make it better).
Some shorter Sanrenmu knives like:
Sanrenmu B4-735, 7033, 7034, 7078, 7089,
These looks really nice (have the 7056 and 9054 in a few variations)
Sanrenmu 7056, 7076, 9054 (without a lock)
Enlan EL-01. Without doubt the best value knife out there, reasonable steel, flipper, simple to strip-clean-assemble if needed, rock solid lock-up with a wide range of colour options as well as rosewood. The black scaled ones are available part serrated.
If I had to pick one knife to keep out of all mine it would be an EL-01.
I have the G712, G717, G704, G720 and six G620s (one of each colour) they are inexpensive Assisted Openers.
Out of the G7 series I’d rate them G720 first then G712, G704, G717. they are all very good but Ganzo is still very hit and miss with it’s quality control, saying that, none of mine have been unusable just the omega springs are strong, too strong for my fingers anyway. This can be cured but involves a strip down.
If it’s a sweet Axis lock then the SanRenMu 7063AUC/763 series are the ones to go for.
The slickest Axis lock I have is on an Enlan/Bee EL-04MCT but I’ve worked on that one. 
Any of the Chinese main brand names produce a good knife but all can be improved with a bit of adjustment here and there to get it how you like it.
If you do decide on an EL-01 then these are the best upgrade that you can make Lazy Lizard Gear Washers and Pivot Screw
He sells ready converted and customized knives as well.
Thanks, seems like a very similar experience—a “wow” when you try out a higher end knife and notice how effortless deploying it is.
I’ll strip my knives down and give it a touch, hopefully it’ll improve things a little.
I have an enlan el01 from the 3 holes pivot time, and ican say that with oil and adjusting the pivot i can deploy it without shaking the hand, only with a finger and without move the hand, easily.
About the inron my803 i have it and it is bigger than the rest in general, i have luck for one time and it came near to perfect in every way, wiyhout scratches, perfect centered, perfect lock etc. But i read people had bad experiences and problems. I admit that it is a beautiful knife with a worderful blade in steel and design but with one of the worst handle i have, too slim and the framelock is too thin for being a framelock liner. Mine is orange.