Review- The Enlan Bee L01 - lots of pics!

[jerseydevil]

There are numerous times that I have ordered or bought a knife and high hopes for it, only to be let down when I actually have it in my hand and give it a good once over.  Much rarer is the knife that I have middling expectations for, only to be blown away when actually handling it.  The Enlan Bee L01 is one of those latter knives.  I like it so much, in fact, that I have two, a Micarta handled one and one in G10.


The L01 measures 7 11/16" overall, with a 3.5" blade.  My Micarta one weighs 4.2oz according to the postal scale at work.  The blade is 8Cr13Mov, and has a nice tanto point that actually has a bit of a belly to it.



The shape of the blade makes the tip very useful for opening boxes and the like, a regular use for all of my carry knives.  I've owned a number of knives in 8Cr13Mov, and have found it to be a steel that takes and keeps a decent edge, while being easy to sharpen.  The blade does not use thumb studs to open, rather it has a metal disk on the top edge.



There is a cut out on the right side of the handle to allow your thumb easy access to the disk.  That would be fine, except I'm left handed!    however, the design still allows us southpaws to get to the disk easily.



The disk may seem a bit odd at first, but I quickly got used to it.  The knife opens very smoothly with minimal effort.  Lockup is via liner lock, and there is no blade play at all in either of my examples.


The G10 handle is nice and grippy without being too aggressive.  The Micarta has a ridged pattern to it allowing for a decent grip as well.  The pocket clip is sturdy, but is right hand tip down only.  I'd prefer a reversible clip, but this is not my first righty only knife, and I don't find it to be too awkward.  A decent amount of the knife shows when clipped, making it easy to grab, though I'd prefer a bit lower-profile carry.
 


The thing that really surprised me with these knives is the fit and finish.  they are EXCELLENT!    When you consider the prices these go for online, they are an outstanding value in my opinion.  All in all it's a great knife in a very neat and solid form, and it's rapidly becoming a favorite of mine.  I highly recommend this for anyone looking for a decent-sized folder but are on a budget.  Even if not a budget, it's still worth looking into. 

[sawman]

Those are some cool looking knives.  I like the usefulness of tanto blades and the materials its made of appear more than adequate.  I can't recall if I've ever used a thumb-disc or not, but it doesn't look too challenging.  Overall, your review has me interested in this knife   

[jzmtl]

Sometimes these knives really make you wonder why are you paying 5~10 times the price for brand name ones.

[jekostas]

Thumbdisks are great, I'm really quite partial to them.  Of course, that may be because my first "good" knife, a CRKT Point Guard used one.

[stealth007s]

I like that L01. It has a cool looking handle. 

[jerseydevil]

Thumbdisks are great, I'm really quite partial to them.  Of course, that may be because my first "good" knife, a CRKT Point Guard used one.

Gee, someone with your screen name posting on Budget Light Forum seemed to approve of knives like these...   Posts I've found on there were part of convincing me to go with a bunch of these Chinese made folders. 

I like that L01. It has a cool looking handle. 

(Image removed from quote.)

Yeah the Micarta handle really does look cool, even better in person.  It's quite functional though....