Some of my autos!

[Madmarco]

This is the 2nd knife I received today in a surprise double-header from my mail gal! I say surprise because I wasn't expecting either knife so soon but I guess logistics are improving around the world, and, not sure if it would be coming at all! I had ordered this knife on 2 other occasions, from 2 other sites, and both of those were seized and destroyed by Customs, but not this one! I'm not sure if you guys can fully appreciate how exciting it is to finally receive a knife that you've wanted for a really long time, but had to receive letters on 2 occasions that your knife has been confiscated and it won't be coming. It's exciting, believe me! This is a Ganzo 707 8" BO/BC auto stiletto/440C SS spear-point bayonet blade with choils and flippers, SS body with dark wood inserts, flush mounted button so no safety, and pocket-clip. Has a nice comfortable weight of about 5 oz.'s, and arrived with only the bottom edge sharpened. There is a Firebird logo(Ganzo changed their name to Firebird)etch on the front of the blade, and, "FBKNIFE/Made by GANZO/F707 440C" etch on the back of the blade. I've admired the design and simplicity of this knife for close to a year, and after samb and jerryd's recommendation, and 2 seizures, I finally own one. The blade flew open with a push of the button, but after I applied a couple of drops of Q.R. oil to the pivot, YIKES, it's like lightning, and it locks-up solid with zero blade play! The design of this knife is very close to the Pro-Tech "Don" model, although, I don't know which one came first, and the Ganzo is better than 2" shorter. A really nice little auto that will give me many hours of pleasurable "click therapy"!

[samb1955]

I have a couple of those, my favorite Ganzo!

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Really nice Mark. Reminds me of the Kershaw Launch. Can’t remember the number, I think there are 8 different Launch knives. But their’s are very light compared to yours. I think that added weight would be a welcome addition to that design.

[Madmarco]

I would love to own another one Sam, maybe I'll take a chance and order another. It's my favorite so far too!

[Madmarco]

Thanks Mark! I think you are referring to the Launch 8! It's the model that most resembles that Ganzo 707. Both are very slim knives, and as you said, the added weight of the 707 really helps to make it feel substantial in-hand. It's a very nice, snappy little auto, I'm happy to finally own one!

[Madmarco]

Got this nice little toy in today's mail, and as usual, it wasn't easy! I ordered it from a seller on etsy and have received 2 knives previously from him already, so I was fairly confident it would get past Customs. I ordered it on Sept. 30th, and when I went back to check on the status of my order on Oct. 8th I discovered etsy had shut-down his store and yanked all his products off the shelf. When I began to investigate on how to apply for a refund, I read some of etsy's "rules", one of them being, no automatic knives. I can't understand how a company can let a seller operate for 5-10 years and then without any notice whatsoever shut them down, thus effectively taking away their livelihood. I wanted to know if my order had been shipped before the store was closed, but when etsy closed everything there was no link to communicate with the seller, but fortunately I found an email address from one of my previous orders from him, so I was able to send a message inquiring about my order. The seller replied to my message the very next day, IN FRENCH, and I understand exactly 1 word of French, bonjour! So, I started running around my apartment block looking for someone who can read and understand French, but couldn't find even one! On the last person I tried it was suggested that I Google "French to English Translator", and copy this, paste that, etc., things that are beyond my understanding of computers. When I did find an online translator it was set-up so you could type the words in French and get the results in English. So, I meticulously wrote out the words and went back to the translator and typed them in. In the message the seller said he wasn't even aware that etsy had shut him down, but, my order had indeed been shipped before they did. This entire episode turned out to be a blessing in disguise because the seller supplied me with a link to his online store, and he sells the exact same products that he did with etsy, MINUS etsy's fees for both of us, and FREE delivery. I've seen etsy do this to another seller that I was doing business with, and their stated reason was that her products didn't comply with etsy's definition of "vintage", and this was after letting her operate for 10 years! I suspect the true reason for these unannounced shut-downs is low volume sales, since etsy lets the Chinese and Indian stores continue to operate, and their products are the farthest thing from "vintage" you can imagine, but, they do high volume sales, so etsy turns a blind eye. Corporate scum-bags IMHO! My apologies for writing a book, but it just wouldn't be the same without the story! On to the knife! This is a 9" oal BO/BC unmarked automatic stiletto/SS modified bayonet blade, SS bolsters liners screws pivot safety button and black scales with through holes. All the SS gives the knife a respectable weight of around 5 oz.'s, and came with the blade relatively sharp. There's a stamp of a big cat and the word "Stainless" on the front blade, but is otherwise unmarked. This one fired nicely right out of the sheath, but with the application of a couple of drops of Q.R. oil and a minor pivot adjustment, it fires like a cannon! I paid CDN$28. for my knife, but now with the connection to the seller's store I'll only need to pay about CDN$13./delivered. I fully realize these are cheap knives, but for the price I can satisfy my "click therapy" and not put any additional stress on the springs of my better models! Thanks for bearing with me fellas!

[samb1955]

I like it!

[Madmarco]

Nice huh, Sam! I don't know if you bother with the cheapos anymore, but if you want to look over his stock here's the link, www.lapetitecaverne.fr ! He has a bunch of styles and for 7.99 euros(US$9.38)with free delivery you can't go wrong!

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Mark, I am not surprised at Etsy doing this. It’s harder and harder to sell knives online all the time. Glad you got your knives and you like it. It does look nice.

[samb1955]

Nice huh, Sam! I don't know if you bother with the cheapos anymore, but if you want to look over his stock here's the link, www.lapetitecaverne.fr ! He has a bunch of styles and for 7.99 euros(US$9.38)with free delivery you can't go wrong!

Hate to say it but I had so many I gave most of them away. Every time I buy another knife I think what in the world am I doing. The worse of it is this forum is full of people just like me. At least I'm keeping good company!

[Madmarco]

Thanks Mark! What you say about online knife sales I'm sure is accurate, but I truly believe etsy shut him down due to low volume sales, which I feel is confirmed by their closing of the other seller I mentioned, who's sole product was jewellery, and, the fact that they let high volume sellers continue doing business, even though their products aren't even close to "vintage". It all turned out for the best though, since I was able to get the link to his online store which has many more products than what was available on etsy, and cheaper ta boot! JMHO!

[Madmarco]

Nice huh, Sam! I don't know if you bother with the cheapos anymore, but if you want to look over his stock here's the link, www.lapetitecaverne.fr ! He has a bunch of styles and for 7.99 euros(US$9.38)with free delivery you can't go wrong!

Hate to say it but I had so many I gave most of them away. Every time I buy another knife I think what in the world am I doing. The worse of it is this forum is full of people just like me. At least I'm keeping good company!

I'm with ya brother!

[Madmarco]

Well, I got this nice little surprise in today's mail, and it couldn't have arrived at a better time, since I received some rather disappointing news recently regarding a knife I ordered, in that, the order was cancelled and refunded due to the knife no longer being available. I really wish some of these companies would stay on top of their inventory, because issues such as this are, not only disappointing, but inconvenient as well. Oh well, cest' la vie! No looking back, only forward! On to the knife! It's a Ganzo/Firebird F7362 auto, that's 7 3/4" oal/SS satin-finish drop-point blade, SS bolsters and liners, screw construction, jet-black G-10 scales, pocket-clip, lanyard hole, and BO/BC action. It has an approximate weight of about 3 oz.'s, and came very sharp. There is the Ganzo logo of a hammer inside a hexagon as well as "GANZO" etched on the front blade, and, "G736/440C" along with the Firebird logo etched on the rear blade. This is the 3rd Ganzo I've received recently, and they just keep getting better with each one that arrives. The knife fired with authority straight out of the box, but with the application of Q.R. oil it fires open silky-smooth and locks-up tight and solid. These Ganzo's are quickly becoming one of my favorite knives, since they're so simple and well built. I almost got one with nicely grained wooden scales, but at the last minute decided to stay with the G-10, although, I might order one yet! If I carried a knife on a daily basis, this one would definitely be in my EDC rotation! Very cool, handy little knives!

[samb1955]

I have one just like it, love those Ganzos.

[Madmarco]

Me too Sam! Have you seen the one's with the light-colored wooden scales? The wood appears to be some sort of hardwood, but very lightly colored, so you can see the grain pattern perfectly! Really nice! Likely my next Ganzo!

[samb1955]

Seen pictures of them and I had one that was digital cammo but I sold it. I like black scales on my knives but if I see something I like in another color I'll buy it if the price is right.

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Nice Mark, I have heard a lot of great things about Ganzo knives but have never bought one or even handled one. I’ll have to remember to keep an eye open for one in the future.

[Madmarco]

Seen pictures of them and I had one that was digital cammo but I sold it. I like black scales on my knives but if I see something I like in another color I'll buy it if the price is right.

Me too, I'm black G-10, ebony, or micarta all the way, but the light colored wood really caught my eye and I keep looking at it, so it's in the cards that it will likely be my next Ganzo purchase. I saw the cammo as well, but wasn't really attracted to it. I love these Ganzo's!

[Madmarco]

Nice Mark, I have heard a lot of great things about Ganzo knives but have never bought one or even handled one. I’ll have to remember to keep an eye open for one in the future.

You really should check one out Mark, I'm confident you would like them, and, if you found a supplier that you could buy in volume from, you could offer them in your store! That being said, I don't know if you could get them for a low enough price to give you a profit. I suppose you could start with just a couple, say, one of each style, and see how it goes. They're really nice, simple, well built little autos!

[Madmarco]

I received another cool auto from France today, and it's just as nice as the other 3 I've bought from this seller. This one is a big, beefy knife, that measures 9 1/4" oal/SS black-coated spear-point blade with blood grooves, black SS through-construction body, SS liners, screw construction, adjustable pivot, spine-mounted flush-mount safety, coil-spring fired, and pocket-clip. On both sides of the body there is a raised AR-15 rifle, bullets, and encircled 5-point star. Quite heavy at about 8 oz.'s, and arrived very sharp. The knife is completely unmarked, so it's builder is a mystery to me. The seller also sent along a "gift" knife, likely due to me being a good customer, and it's pretty nice in it's own right. This one is a small slip-joint folder, measuring only 6" oal/SS clip-point blade with n/n, SS through-construction body, and extended lanyard. A real lightweight at a touch over 1 oz., but extremely sharp. Again, totally unmarked. Perfect for the keychain, or into the watch/coin pocket. Since my US seller appears to be shut-down, this seller in France is currently my only source for autos, and although they're inexpensive, they're tons-of-fun to play with, and, they save the wear and tear on my better models!

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Very nice Mark. That black one is BIG.

[Madmarco]

Thanks Mark! These usually feel light and kindda flimsy, but that one surprised me with how heavy it is! Fires like a cannon too!

[Quick Steel]

That is one draft horse of a knife Marco. As I am not experienced with autos I don't know how commonly a knife that large turns up, but I would guess it is infrequently.

[Madmarco]

Thanks Garry! These automatic knives come in all shapes and sizes, from the tiny 4" oal keychain models, all the way up to the 72" oal "Display" models, and just about everything in-between. Rule-of-thumb is, the bigger the knife the slower it fires, due to more blade to propel, but with the 5mm springs that many builders are using nowadays, even the bigger models can fire mighty hard. I've been absolutely fascinated with autos since I was 6 yrs. old, and even with the passage of time that fascination hasn't quelled. I just LOVE em'!

[1967redrider]

Marco,

Is it ok if I hang these modern autos up here? Smith & Wesson M&P 1600 in S30V, Kershaw 7100 Launch in CPM154, Gerber Empower in S30V and Boker+ Warhawk Strike in D2 (bottom to top). Only the Boker was made outside of the US, and it was half the price of the others. All are aluminum handled.

John