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.
Yep, Flashpilot is totally right on that EL01, better build quality than the EL02, 962 and 909 combined. But it is a very bulky knife, so I like my "inferior" 909 better as an large EDC. Ordered two more EL01 from DB...a high risk investment...
The now discontinued 909 looks like a fine knife... as are all SRM knives.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp4U2pmH9DY
I can see why you like yours so much.
Hi - My Ganzo 704 arrived today.
Ive never seen an Axis Lock before, so I didnt know what to expect.
Is the Axis Lock supposed to be gritty and feel rough?
Is the Axis Lock a safe design, it seems to only be "locked" by a 2cent spring...
No it should not feel gritty, try a washing it to remove any grit from the factory then lube it the end.
This is a video of heavy testing the ganzo and a SRM 730t, jump to min 5:30 to see some spine wacking. (The complete testing spans 7 videos)
Hi Thoth - Thanks for the reply.
I will probably do that tonight, wash it out, then apply some 3-in-1 oil.
The material on the Ganzo handle is very nice, Ive never had a knife with this type of material either.
It's called G-10 it is a composite material made of layers of fiberglass soaked in resin, then highly compressed and baked, depending on the mould used you can have different textures to provide different levels of grip.
It's hard to say really.
My current copy has 5mm studs but has 3.5mm blade thickness. It also has loose vertical lockup and a very stiff axis lock. I've ordered the 'new' version with the 6mm studs. Hopefully I'll get lucky and the lockup and lock issues will be fixed.
Huh. Vertical lockup shouldn't be possible with an Axis lock unless it's completely worn over the tang already. Can you post a picture?
I don't know what I can photograph to show the vertical wiggle in the blade when locked in the open position. The movement is very slight. It can be felt but is not easily seen. It is visible, as I just discovered, but only by holding the handle very firmly, wiggling the blade and staring at a point where the blade meets the handle.
Nah, I'd just like to see how far the locking bar has worn over the tang - just a picture of the knife open at the lock bar/pivot junction.
Edit: Actually, scratch that, you've already posted a picture. The knife was shipped to you with no wear room on the lock, that's not good QA. When you get an axis-type lock, it should look like your 962 - the locking bar should be around half way up the channel on the sides, not all the way to the edge.
+1, my Ganzo 704 wiggles as you say vertically also. By vertically I mean up and down (open / close) not left to right.
Its too bad, it ruins the knife. I didnt think an Axis lock would be able to keep a blade easily stable anyways, the Axis lock is not executed well in this knife at all, at least not the sample I received.
My EL01/707/701/Buck 110/Spyderco Delica/Victorinox/Opinels have no vertical play at all, just this knife.
But other than that its a nice knife, I likee the scales material, handle shape, blade shape and color, its a nice size knife, you can get a matching sheath for $1. Just this little issue...
I received the new improved version of the G704 a week ago. The lock is perfect there isn't any vertical (or horizontal) blade play. It seems they managed to eliminate the faults of the previous version. Another advantage of the new version is that it has a 4mm thick blade with 6mm thumbstuds. A few pics of mine.
Correction to the previous posts: the blade finish is bead blasted not stonewashed on both version.
Yup, received mine today. Bigger studs, 1/2mm thicker blade. That makes the handle a bit thicker too of course. And it feels much better in my hand. I have small hands yet the older version felt somewhat thin. The new one (you may think me crazy) feels noticeably easier to hang on to. No blade play either, locks nice and tight. If you wanted this one but were holding back 'cause of the blade play issue, now you can get it. Enjoy...
I realize this is an old thread, but I can’t seem to find the answer in reviews.
how is the blade retention on it? By that, I mean how well does the blade stay in the folded position.
A youtube review on the G710 showed the blade pops out easily on it’s own, which worries me for tip-up carry. I want to know how well the G704 holds its blade before I buy it.
Thanks for your input. For the price I suppose I shouldn’t be expecting too much of it, and it probably won’t be too big of a problem since I edc my current large blade EL-01 in my backpack anyway. It’s nice that these knives are the price they are, if all else fails it can make a nice cheap gift 