I bought that Ganzo for my son not long ago. I wasn’t sold on it but he picked it so we got it. Changed my mind when we got it. It is really nice. Ous has no play at all, everything is nice and tight. Really good knife. Good review too.
Nice review, but please use a different background in the future. Black handles on a black background are hard to see.
Great review! Always wanted one of these even the ganzo. 962 on my way hoping to get it soon (should be any day now).
Few other notes to supplement your review:
- It's a Benchmade/HK 14205 copy (http://www.benchmade.com/products/14205) but a really good one!
- Steel is not 440c (even if it says so), polish knife community (knives.pl) has contacted the seller and he has replied that the steel is 9Cr13MoV
- Blade is not coated, it's stone wash finish (that's good news!)
- Side blade play can be adjusted via pivot screw
- Up-down blade play is caused by a too small stop pin
- Knife is spine whack proof
- It has a really solid feel, it will serve as my backup abuse blade
Overall it's a great knife for the price!
Thanks for the kind comments everyone. It's my first attempt at a knife review I obviously have room for improvement.
I like the black, but I get your point. I will try to improve the contrast if I do another one.
Thank you for the corrections. I have updated the review. Is it really 9Cr13MoV or 8Cr13MoV?
Nice review, thanks.
I had this knife now for 2 and a half month (blame BLF ;) ) and like it very much. In my sample the blade locks firmly without any play and holds the edge clearly better than the SanRenMu 8Cr13MoV steel (which is OTOH easier to sharpen)
I believe the steel is really 9Cr18MoV. It is the chinese version of 440C (not identical but quite similar) and often used in better quality knives from China marked with "440C".
Well darn you guys for continuing to post all these tempting knives in the gear section! I've been doing my best to resist buying very expensive knives for ages. I was completely appalled by the miserable quality of knives that came out of china several years ago. After doing a lot of online research, it seems that several newer budget knives (including the one in this great review) come highly recommended by many knife-a-holics around the world... so I just ordered 9 more to add to my collection. Its nice to see Chinese budget knives that actually rival the quality of some very expensive name brands, but I guess the same can be said for flashlights as well.
Mr. Admin, please don't add sections for exotic automobiles, aircraft, yachts or upscale brothels to your site... or I'll soon go broke! 
9Cr18MoV is what seller said. Without special equipment it's hard to tell the difference. Also blade is 4mm (give or take) thick :) Checked with calipers. Hell of a knife for that money. I'm telling that as a knife enthusiast and owner of some knives by spyderco and benchmade.
Um... I wouldn't object to the last one you mentioned.
My calipers measured it to be 3.5mm at the spine. But I just checked and exduct and other sites are stating 4mm. I wonder if they are rounding up or if my calipers are off. I will have to find out. Thanks for mentioning it.
It would seem that Exduct and others are rounding up the blade thickness. I measured the blade with a tape and then my calipers once again. You can see the results here. Whatever the inaccuracies of these measurements are, it is pretty clear that the blade is not 4mm thick.
@photon1k Looking at your photos it's hard to deny that your Ganzo is 3,5mm. Funny thing is that, when I measure mine (checked again) It's mostly 4mm with places 3,9mm and 3,8mm... Standard inaccuracy with callipers is 0,1mm but we are looking at Chinese knife here so maybe your batch is 3,5mm and mine is 3,9-4mm. Anyway, it's a great knife for the money.
BUDGET light forum. So it's be about buying and fixing up cheap clunkers, ultralights, dingys and...
how the heck do you mod the last one into an acceptable substitute? 
Back on topic, Im looking forward to receiving my 704.
Thx for the review, great write-up and great pics.
Thanks for the contribution.
I ordered this knife last week, so Im looking fwd to when it arrives. Ive never even seen an Axis lock before, so I hope its a sturdy lock.
Great review, Photon! I received both my SRM 962 and my Ganzo G704 this past Saturday and they are both excellent. In fact, I have to say that I think my Ganzo is slightly better quality than the 962. The 962 has a little vertical and side play but the Ganzo is rock solid in both directions. While the steel is thicker than the 962 it is still thinner thanks to the G10 scales. BTW, my G704's blade is only 3.5mm thick and not the spec'd 4mm. Still a beefy blade.
My G704 also did not come as sharp as the 962 did. The 962 was extremely sharp while the Ganzo was merely ok and in need of a sharpening to be satisfactory for EDC. It rides clipped to my right front pocket at all times. Awesome knife. There were two very minor dings in the one edge of the blade spine on my example but otherwise a perfect finish and quality. The first time I tried to move the axis lock it barely moved and was very grabby and scratchy feeling but after that 1st time it moved easily and smoothly to where it can be opened with one finger.
The 962, aside from very little blade play it arrived with great construction and a flawless finish. Razor sharp and very smooth action, in fact by just pulling open the axis lock with one finger it opens and closes with a smooth flick of the wrist with a very smooth, solid engagement. Polished blade as opposed to the G704's matte finish. The scales are a little slippery and overall it's a thicker knife but a very sweet one indeed. I don't think I will ever use it much or as an EDC since it is a discontinued model and I wish to keep it cherry.
If you can get your hands on the 962 grab one while you can! If you don't already have a G704 what are you waiting for???
Johnny
OK, you're convincing me... I have the 962, very nice, and while I'm not crazy about the axis lock (it's OK, just not the best thing since sliced bread - at least with the knives I own) the prospect of easy one-finger operation is enticing.
SRM is discontinuing the 9 series of knives so Ive bought several duplicates for my collection.
Of the many larger folding knives I have, the 962 is built better in every regard than the G704. The most impressive and best built of the three is easily the Bee EL-01. I also just received 2 Enlan EL-02 variants which are impressive, but IMO, not as impressive overall as the EL-01 or its variants. If there were only one large knife I would carry, it would be the EL-01. Its roughly the same size as the rest but far sturdier, sharper, has tighter tollerences and should withstand far more abuse. The G704 is my least favorite for its lack of construction quality, dull blade and sloppy tollerences but Im still pleased to have it in my collection. These knives are cheap as hell so just buy as many as you can afford.
FlashPilot,he EL01 has been interesting to me right from the start of this whole SRM/Enlan/Bee discovery thing. I'm kinda surprised I don't have one yet. Let me ask you - is the blade easily flickable?
Yes, I have 3 EL-01's. All blades are easily opened with a flick. The EL-01 has an index finger protrusion when closed to assist in opening. It also acts as a guard when the blade is opened to prevent cutting your finger in case you get carried away with chopping or closing activities. Easily the best design Ive come across so far in the budget category.
Thanks, good to know. I have some flick knives that are assisted, only. Since there are no other protrusions on the blade of the EL01, we are counting on the pivot tension to be loose enough to allow it to open freely with the "kick". Gorgeous knife, looks like it means business.