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???
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.
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...
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.
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.
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...
