Since you are considering a $200 knife, you may want check into the Real Steel E771 Sea Eagle. It is about 2 to 3 times the price of most budget knives, but it is well worth it. It is thin and light, but very strong. It's near your blade length limit of 3.74". Amazing flip action on bearings. Mine came with a not well done edge, but othe wise it is a very excellent folder and my favorite. The Sandvik 14C28N steel seems pretty decent because it took a good bit of effort and time to properly sharpen the edge. Cost around $42 for G10, $47 for CF at Knife Center.
The picture below was posted by NuggetMcNugget in Post 689 here.
I checked out aliexpress but I get the feeling that nowadays even the Sanrenmu brand is being copied.
For example, I want SR 7010 but there is just too much variation on small things like handle colours (camo pattern but different pattern on every knife) or where the logo is stamped on the blade, sometimes near spine and other times down on belly of blade. On factory produced knives these kind of things should be identical.
So it seems even the $5 knives have copies now.
Is there a thread here with info of reputable dealers/sellers either on aliexpress or other website?
I found the Ganzo & Enlan website, but I cannot find SRM website.
I just check seller ratings and reviews on AE sites to get a fair idea of the quality of the knife. I’ve got a few 710/7010’s and have never had less than excellent quality irrespective of where I bought it from.
Fasttech’s options for shipping knives has dried up. Check out their forum and people’s complaints about no shipping options. Gearbest is OK, if you use tracking number and insurance. Factor those costs into your buying decision. Or order from Aliexpress.
Fasttech used to be a great source of knives. At least for me all of their shipping options now say “can’t ship to the US” or I would still be buying from them. Whatever problems GB are having, shipping fake knives isn’t one of them. I just cancelled an order because my Ganzo G719 hadn’t shipped after 3 weeks and I’m worried this might be the end of those cheap, plentiful Ganzos and SRMs. Either way, no harm, no foul, as they issued the refund within a couple hours of me asking for it.
My bank won’t let me use Ali Express but it will let me use PP and most of these direct sellers take PP. And yeah, there’s always Ali or even flea bay if you don’t like GB. You can even catch a bunch of these knives from Amazon sellers and in some cases even fulfilled by Amazon. Certainly lots of budget Kershaws and such can be had in the $20 range, and I believe that gets you close to the Byrd lines.
Go up into the $30 and $40 range with places like BladeHQ you’ll get autos, OTF, Balisongs and the like, and that also puts you into the lower range of USA made knives which you can get anywhere.
Also check the exchange over at blade forums. You have to pay to be a seller, but it’s free to be a buyer or just window shop. You’ll find everything from budget Ganzos to $1000 customs, all without waiting on the slow boat from China.
You have a lot of options, and finding those gems is half the fun. I just got my Spyderco Des Horn that I got on an Amazon black Friday Lightning deal for $62. I’m surprised I clicked in time
Hi Guys,
So I spent much time reading reviews and finally selected a list of possible candidates.
But the big question I have is how is the detent on these models … specifically this question is for current owners who have them in hand.
In the reviews no one mentions detent, and I need strong detent so there is no accidental opening, even the blade coming out just partially by a few millimetres is totally unacceptable to me.
I hurt myself on a blade once before that opened in my pocket and do not want any repeats of that.
Here are models I am considering:
Enlan
EM-01
EL-04
EL-04MCT
EL-02B
M025
I have a 724m, no issue with the detent, the other Ganzo axis locks I have that are not on your list (711, 720, 727) all have a good detent strength as well. I think it is easier due to geometry and the mechanism of the axis lock to get good closed blade retention.
I agree with the need for a good detent, I have a couple of small scars from knife tips and bad detents…. Got lucky they were not worse.
As others have pointed out, a good axis style lock is made to hold the blade closed until you move the lock-stud. One issue w/ any knife using a thumb-stud / axis lock-stud is the stud catching inside the pocket and releasing the blade as the knife is withdrawn. The simplest answer for this issue is to use a tip-down clip or lanyard carry configuration so that even if the blade releases it won’t swing outward until out of the pocket.
Another consideration is the pivot tension. A few of my knives arrived w/ the pivot so tight it required both hands to open the knife. Others w/ bearings (ball or needle) came very loose and would actually fall open if held inverted. Proper cleaning, lubrication and judicious pivot adjustment will keep accidents to a minimum.
thanks, xatu.
That is too bad, I was hoping to get the quality of the Ganzo with a nice/fast AO system. my M-Tech USA chinese knives do have AO but the quality and steel is below average.
