Ganzo and Sanremu

[Blackbeard]

anybody have one of these? looks like a zero toleranceish clone, but has some additional tools on back spine: $15 on amazon:

[mikekoz]

anybody have one of these? looks like a zero toleranceish clone, but has some additional tools on back spine: $15 on amazon:

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     I got one of those from Amazon a few months back, and I think it is a great budget tool! It is my only Sanremu and I will buy more. My blade is silver stainless, not black, but it came razor sharp. Overall, it would make a great knife for every day carry.

[Blackbeard]

So not sure what to think of this one, just arrived today, first Ganzo I've purchased, it's razor sharp, but noticing some flaws:




looks good from those view, but then there's this, one edge has a higher grind, resulting in the illusion that the tip is bent:



and then the centering is off, but not too worried about that


Came with storage pouch and emergency whistle on a lanyard. Trying to work the knife/axis lock and getting it looser, seems to be getting better, but g10 scale starting to hurt thumbprint so have to return to that later. Hopefully the uneven grind doesn't result in a broken / bent tip, still debating on exchanging it, but not sure next one will be any better.

[Gears2c]

I bought the Ganzo G302b after seeing reviews online. The price is very reasonable for what you get. What I like is the fact that you can use the bits on the Rebar, Supertool, and MP600, MP400,450, and probably many others. The rebar and suspension fit into the case from Ganzo as well. I paid 27 for the Ganzo. I think just for the case and bit kit, it's a good value due to the interchangeability between brands. The tools on the 302 are good too. I bought one for my dad who is 80 now and it saves him a trip to the garage hunting for a Phillips  if he has the Ganzo in his desk drawer.

[Blackbeard]

really liking the ganzo, once you get the one handed closing flip motion down its a lot of fun, have a couple of other models on the way from grrbest(cant type the name but they have a banner ad?)

[Blackbeard]

found this post on BLF, pics & lists all the ganzo/firebird models and what they are clones of

http://budgetlightforum.com/node/44097

[pfrsantos]

Great link, thanks!

 

I'm thinking about getting a Firebird F759M. I'd like the pink, just for fun, but I'll probably end up with the black. Anyone has a similar knife? In youtube, people seem to like them a lot.

[ThePeacent]

Great link, thanks!

 

I'm thinking about getting a Firebird F759M. I'd like the pink, just for fun, but I'll probably end up with the black. Anyone has a similar knife? In youtube, people seem to like them a lot.

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well I have one, partially serrated




after trying out a dozen Ganzo, a dozen SRM and similar brands I decided to get a "homage" Spyderco model to try and see what was all about, and how it compares to my real Spydercos and Chinese made Byrds.
Nutted or without nut, it's decent. But not as smooth opening as my other SRM, or my Spydies



the blade is very slicey due to the shape, thin stock and grind, the plastic handles are not FRN nor G10 but don't feel flimsy at all under normal use, but I sure wouldn't like to pry or bend them like I do with the FRN Salts I use



If you can get them for their ultra low price I'd get a Byrd of some kind instead, but I gotta admit that for the price these Firebirds are very nice knives, something similar to the SRM 7010 in the thumbstud opening, SS handles category.
I can't speak or the quality of the steel and HT because I've barely used it, and have just cut very soft food and materials with it.

 

[pfrsantos]

Well, I can get this for €15+/- and a similar Byrd for €35+. I think this one will be the chosen one...

Thanks for the info. I don't have many situations where I need a very strong blade, so the Ganzo will probably be more than enough for my needs.

 

[Blackbeard]

Great link, thanks!

 

I'm thinking about getting a Firebird F759M. I'd like the pink, just for fun, but I'll probably end up with the black. Anyone has a similar knife? In youtube, people seem to like them a lot.

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ordered this from grrbest the other day, they have a flash sale still going on for the army green color at $7.99

[kreisler]

ordered this from grrbest the other day, they have a flash sale still going on for the army green color at $7.99

Oki I'm in, orderrd 1 2

I have an Enlan Bee , this is going to be my very first Ganzo

I watched enough YouTube pos\neg reviews on f759m so I know what to expect. For sure will add a sharpening choil with my Edgepro stones

[ThePeacent]

ordered this from grrbest the other day, they have a flash sale still going on for the army green color at $7.99

Oki I'm in, orderrd 1 2

I have an Enlan Bee , this is going to be my very first Ganzo

I watched enough YouTube pos\neg reviews on f759m so I know what to expect. For sure will add a sharpening choil with my Edgepro stones

by my limited experience with this blade, the steel should be very easy to touch up   

[kreisler]

by my limited experience with this blade, the steel should be very easy to touch up   

Oki, I'll try to resharpen without choil first. For sure I wanna get rid of exfac edge grind pattern. Then finishing with 3M paper tape.

Thanks for the outlook

[G_D]

Sanrenmu MD-116 Mini Pocket EDC Folding Knife s part of my Altoids tin kit. The intended use is mostly light duty, such as rope cutting or striking a ferro rod.
As it has not been used much I can't say much on durability, but it feels sturdy enough and I have used it to strike a ferro-rod a couple of times (with the cutting edge) and it showed no sign of damage.

[ThePeacent]

by my limited experience with this blade, the steel should be very easy to touch up   

Oki, I'll try to resharpen without choil first. For sure I wanna get rid of exfac edge grind pattern. Then finishing with 3M paper tape.

Thanks for the outlook

did you receive it yet
I decided to try and grind my Ganzo and make it "wave" opentable
The 8Cr13MoV is so easy to shape with the Dremel and now I'm half through it, it works flawlessly and catches the seam of the pocket every time when taking the knife out.



Now I just need to polish and even it so that it doesn't rip and tear the pants' fabric

[kreisler]

did you receive it yet
I decided to try and grind my Ganzo and make it "wave" opentable
The 8Cr13MoV is

Crass mod!  I did the Spydie hole zip tie mod for faster deployment. Works well, however that plastic nub does get in the way sometimes during slicing through onions. Luckily it is banal to undo the mod, e.g. with a nail clipper.

So yes, i received my F759M (military green, plain edge. 440C), in fact i got 2 copies now, one as actual personal EDC item for in-house and around-the-house use or mostly for personal food preparation, and the second one stored away as spare unit or maybe as dedicated small fruit knife to be left in the kitchen drawer.

The Good. The factory edge comes super sharp out of the box and can easily slice through YELLOW PAGES and WHITE PAGES phonebook paper without tearing, also tomatoes, which is stunning. The exfac edge grind looks rough, comparable to a 80-120grit stone grind , but the very edge was apparently machine-stropped by a leather belt, one could see the polished very edge with the naked eye. Imho the edge compares very well to the edge and performance of a Stanley cutter blade: i am always amazed by the sharpness and performance of box cutters, given how rough(!) the grind of their utility blades look.
I haven't resharpened or touched up the factory edge because i am curious about the 440C edge retention. Once the edge can't slice through tomatoes anymore, i'll be happy to resharpen and polish the edge with my budget system (Ruixin, 3M strops), and after that maintain a working edge through 1 leather strop.

The Bad. One point of criticism: Never mind the lack of a sharpening choil, from a perfectionist's standpoint the beginning of the grind at the heel was poorly executed. Under a magnifying glass that tiny corner/transition looks like a recurve wtf. This kind of wtf imperfection is exactly the problem/challenge/result when a sharpening choil is absent, argh! I am going to rid of the recurve, without adding a sharpening choil, when i get down to my very first F759M sharpening session in future. I've done a similar thing before, which proves that it is, of course, not necessary to have a sharpening choil for an edge to be 100% perfectly ground from tip to heel; it's just a bit of a frustrating pita to get there when a sharpening choil is absent.

The Ugly. It is illegal to carry this knife publicly in our country (DE), because it is a one-handed folding knife.

Somewhere i heard or read that the Ganzo factory is the factory which produces the Spyderco Byrd Meadowlark 2 Lightweight, e.g. the BY04PBK2 for the Black FRN Handle w/ PlainEdge, and even if that rumor wasn't true, i would believe it. This Firebird branded Ganzo made modern folding knife has a very likable build quality and an unheard-of price performance ratio at 5.99US$ (unique offer with coupon earlier this year). I will buy more if the price gets down to 5.99 again in future.

[ThePeacent]

did you receive it yet
I decided to try and grind my Ganzo and make it "wave" opentable
The 8Cr13MoV is

Crass mod!  I did the Spydie hole zip tie mod for faster deployment. Works well, however that plastic nub does get in the way sometimes during slicing through onions. Luckily it is banal to undo the mod, e.g. with a nail clipper.

So yes, i received my F759M (military green, plain edge. 440C), in fact i got 2 copies now, one as actual personal EDC item for in-house and around-the-house use or mostly for personal food preparation, and the second one stored away as spare unit or maybe as dedicated small fruit knife to be left in the kitchen drawer.

The Good. The factory edge comes super sharp out of the box and can easily slice through YELLOW PAGES and WHITE PAGES phonebook paper without tearing, also tomatoes, which is stunning. The exfac edge grind looks rough, comparable to a 80-120grit stone grind , but the very edge was apparently machine-stropped by a leather belt, one could see the polished very edge with the naked eye. Imho the edge compares very well to the edge and performance of a Stanley cutter blade: i am always amazed by the sharpness and performance of box cutters, given how rough(!) the grind of their utility blades look.
I haven't resharpened or touched up the factory edge because i am curious about the 440C edge retention. Once the edge can't slice through tomatoes anymore, i'll be happy to resharpen and polish the edge with my budget system (Ruixin, 3M strops), and after that maintain a working edge through 1 leather strop.

The Bad. One point of criticism: Never mind the lack of a sharpening choil, from a perfectionist's standpoint the beginning of the grind at the heel was poorly executed. Under a magnifying glass that tiny corner/transition looks like a recurve wtf. This kind of wtf imperfection is exactly the problem/challenge/result when a sharpening choil is absent, argh! I am going to rid of the recurve, without adding a sharpening choil, when i get down to my very first F759M sharpening session in future. I've done a similar thing before, which proves that it is, of course, not necessary to have a sharpening choil for an edge to be 100% perfectly ground from tip to heel; it's just a bit of a frustrating pita to get there when a sharpening choil is absent.

The Ugly. It is illegal to carry this knife publicly in our country (DE), because it is a one-handed folding knife.

Somewhere i heard or read that the Ganzo factory is the factory which produces the Spyderco Byrd Meadowlark 2 Lightweight, e.g. the BY04PBK2 for the Black FRN Handle w/ PlainEdge, and even if that rumor wasn't true, i would believe it. This Firebird branded Ganzo made modern folding knife has a very likable build quality and an unheard-of price performance ratio at 5.99US$ (unique offer with coupon earlier this year). I will buy more if the price gets down to 5.99 again in future.

good thoughts and I agree on the sharpening choil issue that dooms most modern production knives. Easy to fix, though.
I'm very happy with most of my Ganzos and copyright/IP issues apart they're really well made for the money.

I hope you enjoy yours! 

[kreisler]

Thanks, yeah i definitely enjoy mine!

Last year i was all into flashlights and stuff and i do make much more use of them than of knives, SAKs or MTs, but this year i found my way into the world of budget sharpening and now also of budget knives. Right now there is a CyberMondayGB32 sale going on for the Ganzo G730 w/ Orange Handles (PM2 lookalike, liner lock) for 9.99USD shipped incl CN outbound tracking, and 6.99USD lmao for the G732 w/ Black Handles (Endura4 lookalike, liner lock), and GZG729jx 11.55USD ouch for the G729 w/ Orange Handles (PM2 lookalike, axis lock). In all cases the Ganzo steel is 440C, very robust  .

I would have preferred orange handles but i couldn't pass up on the 6.99 price, so i went after the black G10 handles Endura4 lookalike np. Crazy cyber monday pricing!!

[an0nemus]

I just ordered my first Ganzo (F753m1) which was on sale for less than $11. Can't wait for it to arrive...next year, methinks

[Blackbeard]

I honestly didnt think this was going to ever arrive, almost 2 months from grrbest, carbon fiber ganzo, I dont think the CF makes up the entire scale(looks like a veneer from the side), but its enough to knock off a full ounce of weight from a similar sized G10 ganzo I posted a couple of months ago in this thread

[ThePeacent]

I honestly didnt think this was going to ever arrive, almost 2 months from grrbest, carbon fiber ganzo, I dont think the CF makes up the entire scale(looks like a veneer from the side), but its enough to knock off a full ounce of weight from a similar sized G10 ganzo I posted a couple of months ago in this thread

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I got rid of my one and only CF folder as I didn't really warm up to its feel in hand, but for the price that looks very nice. "Axis" lock is a plus, and a huge one.   

[Blackbeard]

yeah I had look inside the liners and saw they were skeletonized so I wrongly said the weight loss was due to the CF, either way its a really solid knife, no idea how they can make them/sell them for such low prices, and/or other manufacturers mark their stuff up wayyy too much

[kaput]

yeah I had look inside the liners and saw they were skeletonized so I wrongly said the weight loss was due to the CF, either way its a really solid knife, no idea how they can make them/sell them for such low prices, and/or other manufacturers mark their stuff up wayyy too much

Some of the difference in cost is that of the original designing  manufacturer putting in the actual work ala Research and Development. Once that work is done, a cheap knockoff will sell and be made with much cheaper quality parts, all the other work has already been done, it's just looking for the cheapest place to manufacturer it and the cheapest parts... also why it probably took so long to arrive...

[Gerhard Gerber]

I guess Enlan can be mentioned in the same thread? 

Nutnfancy did a positive review on the Enlan EL06 last week, problem being I own the identical Enlan GRIFFON.......

Wish I knew which was what, and 8Cr or 9Cr......

[kreisler]

I would have preferred orange handles but i couldn't pass up on the 6.99 price, so i went after the black G10 handles Endura4 lookalike np. Crazy cyber monday pricing!!

Got the G732 BLACK (measured121g) today and left a customer leview on GB, for which i should earn 30 points applicable on my next F759M purchase: i am interested in f759m in orange and in pink as gifty gifts, and also in blue for comparison purposes since I also got the blue FRN Endura4.
This Ganzo model compares best to the (discontinued) Endura4 G10 (C10G, C10GPFG, nominal127g), the main difference being the locking mechanism and the steel quality.

Since i have enough experience, over a hundred hours!, in sharpening, i can totally appreciate the exfac sharpness of my Spyderco and Ganzos, which were obviously finished with a (loaded/unloaded?) machine leather belt. These exfac edges slice through the thinnest paper with no noise and i can get hardly get there with my manual sharpening skills, finishing with 0.25micron stropping compounds. Nobody will ever need an edge which is sharper than the Spyderco/Ganzo exfac edges which are notably sharper than the exfac Leatherman/Victorinox edges. I am looking forward to resharpening my new knives but that session would not happen anytime soon, because VG10 and 440C are said to have superior edge retention. We'll see.

I guess i was lucky with the 6.99. Currently the GB price is back to 14.53 for the BLACK.

[AlephZero]

Something arrived today..

Sanrenmu LAND 9046!






I do keep thinking there was some influence from CRKT Folding Razel...

Especially as they copied the LAWKS lock system

[ThePeacent]

Something arrived today..

Sanrenmu LAND 9046!
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I do keep thinking there was some influence from CRKT Folding Razel...

Especially as they copied the LAWKS lock system

that model always picked my curiosity due to the handle key and the blade shape...
Good catch 

[jcs0001]

I had posted a few photos at the beginning of this thread but they were "wiped out" by photobucket.  I have just signed on to another site and will try to post this:



Left to right:

Enlan L01MCT
Ganzo (firebird) F753M
Victorinox 84 mm knife
Sanrenmu 7010

I have used them all for some time now and find all to be very good knives.  The ganzo may be my favourite as it opens very easily, is an excellent size for pocket carry and is easily closed one handed. 
I also have on order a Ganzo F759M and a Sanrenmu/Land 910.  Can't say I really need these but it's an inexpensive way to try different blade/shapes and locking mechanisms.

John.

[Zed]

I've used most of these over the years with no issues,I got these 3 in this week in a trade,G727m and G729,so far really like them,these 3 have been used so a bit more worn in so work really smoothly and great fit n Finnish 

[GreenFish]

Bought today Sanremu 7010 (old 710) for less than 8 bucks (with shipment).


I like the looks except that flame logo on handle. Going to try modify it to something like this:


There are nice deals on GB for that knives now. Other than my model there is black but not stonewashed for 6.99$ with SANRENMU7010B code and silver for 5.99$ with SANRENMU710Y

Take while you still can !