High Quality Chinese

[kootenay joe]

Gary, i know of no way to ID steel. This one is marked 12C27. Other inexpensive knives from China are marked "D2", and a few other of the more expensive knife steels.
The SanRenMu knives are mostly 8CR13MoV and experience with these is great: edge hold very well & easy to sharpen. Their slightly more expensive knives have 9Cr13MoV which is supposed to edge hold a bit longer. Both of these are Chinese steels and they are very good knife steels.
But are the blades with "D2"(German & American), "12C27"(Sweden) & other imported steels marked on them, actually these steels ?
I think the only way to know would be for a metallurgical lab to test the steel composition.
There are many of us who would be interested in the results.
kj

[bestgear]

Hi Roland - I have a friend who is a machinist at NASA and he has tons of sophisticated testing equipment available for testing steel hardness at work but at home he uses a set of hardness files that gives him a good guesstimate of how hard a piece of steel is. I found them on eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-PC-HARDNESS-T ... Sw4GVYUBxI for about $120.

The files are color coded and marked for hardness. He starts out with the hardest file and does a scratch test on the piece of steel and retests using softer files until he reaches a file that does not scratch the piece of steel. The exact hardness falls between the file that scratched and the file that wouldn't. He did say that he finds them difficult to use because hand pressure is so inconsistent.

[kootenay joe]

Tom, if i can find a set of hardness files for less $$ on the secondary market i would likely buy them. But that would only give hardness which is more related to tempering than to steel type.
kj

[Jayronife/]

I have Ganzo G727M-CA in my collection. Great quality and design.

Ganzo G727M-CA Specs:
G-lock
Producer: Ganzo Hardware
Model: Ganzo G727M
Blade: 440c stainless steel (58-60HRC)
Total length: 21cm
Handle material: G10 fiber-glass plastic
Blade size is 8.9 cm

On your recommendation, I just ordered one in orange. ---> http://www.gearbest.com/pocket-knives-f ... 30536.html

Hello @jerryd6818,

Nice choice. I bought my knife not through the mentioned seller... Previously, I had some problems with service, that's why I don't want to contact with them anymore. I just wrote the letter by e-mail info@ganzoknife.com(found it on Ganzo producer website) and they recommended me official dealer. Enjoy your knife!

[deltaboy]

The Frost Honk Fall Stockmans are as good as it get.

[MITCH RAPP]

Got a package from Hong Kong yesterday. Ordered some Ganzo's and Sanrenmu's to check them out and I have to say for the money they are not to Bad! Top three Knives are Ganzo's, G-10 - Wood - Carbon Fiber Scales with Axis Locks. The botton two are Sanrenmu 910 Plus, liner locks with G-10 Scales. 5 Knives All for the Whopping Grand total of $87.00 shipping included. I really do like the 2 Sanrenmu 910 Plus knives the fit and finish is first class and the action is very smooth. On a side note, the MingRen 910 Plus Knives I have seen in some of the previous posts here, are actually another Chinese Companies COPIES of the Sanrenmu 910 Plus. How Ironic is That! Sanrenmu copies a Chris Reeves Design and MingRen copies a best selling copy.

[PCwizard]

Got a package from Hong Kong yesterday. Ordered some Ganzo's and Sanrenmu's to check them out and I have to say for the money they are not to Bad! Top three Knives are Ganzo's, G-10 - Wood - Carbon Fiber Scales with Axis Locks. The botton two are Sanrenmu 910 Plus, liner locks with G-10 Scales. 5 Knives All for the Whopping Grand total of $87.00 shipping included. I really do like the 2 Sanrenmu 910 Plus knives the fit and finish is first class and the action is very smooth. On a side note, the MingRen 910 Plus Knives I have seen in some of the previous posts here, are actually another Chinese Companies COPIES of the Sanrenmu 910 Plus. How Ironic is That! Sanrenmu copies a Chris Reeves Design and MingRen copies a best selling copy.

That was a nice package to receive, Sanrenmu has to be doing something right when another Chinese Company copy's them.

Gary

[jerryd6818]

My G727M showed up today. It took five weeks and there was no communication. That's my last order from BestGear. The knife seems very well made. The thumb stud is easy to use (I'm not very good with them) and the blade lock is very solid. I'm satisfied with it.

[orvet]

I ordered 5 or 6 knives through GearBest yesterday. The SRM 7010 was $6 & change yesterday. Didn't order it because Roland sent me one. It is pretty nice and convinced me of their quality.

I got a couple Gonzo's too, a green one like Jerry's orange one.
I tended to order larger knives to fit my hand.

I think my total was $53 for 6 knives and shipping.
If they are as good as the 7010 I will be happy. The 7010 is just a tad small for my hand if I am using it much.

I will post them when I get them. I would like to see yours too Mitch.

[PCwizard]

My G727M showed up today. It took five weeks and there was no communication. That's my last order from BestGear. The knife seems very well made. The thumb stud is easy to use (I'm not very good with them) and the blade lock is very solid. I'm satisfied with it.

Looks like a winner.

[kootenay joe]

There are quite a few ebay sellers in China with SanRenMu and Ganzo knives. I have purchased from at least 6 different sellers some of whom had not been selling for long and had low FB numbers. In every case communication was obsessively good by the seller and knives arrive in under 21 days.
I'm posting this to show that there are other reliable options than Best Gear which is slower in shipping and replying to messages.
kj

[orvet]

There have been several occasions where the tools I wanted were available at a significantly lower price from China or they were the only place that actually had the tool I needed. As a result I have gotten used to the long ship times and more accepting of buying offshore. Jerry's post showed me that GearBest was dependable but a little slow. Given their low prices and large selection I can live with the wait time. I may try another company next time it I do this again.

[jerryd6818]

Jerry's post showed me that GearBest was dependable but a little slow.

It was their lack of communication that convinced me to cease doing business with them. I too am accustomed to slow service out of China but I cannot abide the lack of communication.

[kootenay joe]

Quote Jerry: "I too am accustomed to slow service out of China"

Do you really mean "slow service" ? or long delivery time ?
The sellers in China i have bought from get the knife mailed out within 24-48 hours which is good service, not slow.
kj

[orvet]

I understand.
I am more put off when they communicate in Chinese than not communicating at all!

[jerryd6818]

Quote Jerry: "I too am accustomed to slow service out of China"

Do you really mean "slow service" ? or long delivery time ?
The sellers in China i have bought from get the knife mailed out within 24-48 hours which is good service, not slow.
kj

No, I meant slow service. Lucky you.

[QTCut5]

For a knife to be considered "Chinese" does it have to be made by a Chinese company, or is any knife that is made in a factory physically located in the country of China by Chinese workers considered a "Chinese knife" even those made under officially licensed, registered & trademarked USA based companies? (Kinda similar to the question of whether a Northwoods knife is actually a Northwoods or a Great Eastern Cutlery knife.)

Reason I ask is because I have several AG Russell knives that were made in a Chinese factory (located in China) by Chinese workers, but I really do not consider them to be "Chinese" knives so much as AG Russell knives that AG had made in China. Same thing with the Hen & Rooster knives that were made in Germany when AG Russell owned that brand; are they German knives or AG Russell knives that were just made in Germany?

Here's my latest AG Russell / high quality "Chinese" knife:

~Q~

[jerryd6818]

For a knife to be considered "Chinese" does it have to be made by a Chinese company, or is any knife that is made in a factory physically located in the country of China by Chinese workers considered a "Chinese knife" even those made under officially licensed, registered & trademarked USA based companies?

~Q~

~Q~ my opinion. Made by workers from any country, in a factory located in China. Chinese knife no matter who's tang stamp is on it. Made in a factory located in one of the 50 United States, USA made. To me, that's why goods are mandated to have the country of origin on them. Although I have a Ganzo, made in China, with NO country of origin on it. Others are welcome to their own opinion.

[QTCut5]

I vaguely recall reading somewhere once that the reason for laws regulating identification of the country of origin on products had something to do with international trade agreements & import/export tariffs and possibly also trademark protection (which may also speak to the concept of quality standards). But, it is interesting to note that other factors aside (racism, political differences, human rights abuses, low wages, sub-standard working conditions, trademark infringement, etc.), the reason to avoid buying a knife made in any particular country really can not be attributed exclusively to consistently lower quality manufacturing of every knife produced in that country; and certainly China is no exception--as many others have demonstrated in this thread with numerous examples of well-made Chinese knives.

~Q~

[MITCH RAPP]

I have to say I was pretty satisfied with the Service from Gearbest. I knew shipping from China takes at least a month. When I purchased my knives, I registered my account at the top of their page and had no communication problems at all! I could log in to my account/order page and pretty much track where my knife package was all the way to the Port of Los Angeles. Once it was at the Port, I received the knives a couple a days later from my local Post Office. I also like the fact I could use Paypal to make my purchases and not have my Visa card number floating around Hong Kong!

[MITCH RAPP]

Speaking of Ganzo Knives, I picked this one up on Amazon. It's a Ganzo G717, with 440C steel and sculpted desert tan G-10 Handles. The knife is built like a Tank and Hair popping sharp. This knife is one of the early Ganzo models before they started thinning out the linners and it weighs a Ton. Too Heavy in the pocket for me, especially in my work slacks. I gave it to one of my Jarhead friends at work and he Loves the Extra Heft to it, so to each his own!

[kootenay joe]

QTCut5, a Chinese knife is any knife made in China regardless of what is marked on it.
kj

[QTCut5]

I can accept that logic, KJ.

I have noticed that, for some reason, it matters very much to many people if a knife was made in China. When I show my knives to someone and I identify the different countries where they were made (USA, England, Ireland, France, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Czechoslovakia, Argentina, Japan, Pakistan), it's the mention of China that frequently elicits a strong negative reaction, an automatic dismissal, a lack of interest or even outright contempt, regardless of the quality of the knife.

I'm sure they must have their reasons (rational or otherwise), but I do find it curious.

~Q~

[jerryd6818]

Speaking of Ganzo Knives, I picked this one up on Amazon. It's a Ganzo G717, with 440C steel and sculpted desert tan G-10 Handles. The knife is built like a Tank and Hair popping sharp. This knife is one of the early Ganzo models before they started thinning out the linners and it weighs a Ton. Too Heavy in the pocket for me, especially in my work slacks. I gave it to one of my Jarhead friends at work and he Loves the Extra Heft to it, so to each his own!

You silver tongued devil. You talked me right into it. My daughter is supposed to be in the process of ordering one (she has Amazon Prime) and having it sent to me. I'm in the process of putting the cash in the mail to send to her. Should work out well.

Edit: Just got a text from her. It should be here Wednesday.

[MITCH RAPP]

Hey Jerry, You do Love you some Orange! Nice Find!