You are absolutely correct. I’ve handled a lot of Ganzos and the quality is highly variable. Sorry, this may run long but it’s time to share some real-world experience with these knives.
If you are dead set on Ganzo go to Birdshot IV on YouTube,They love Ganzo's and the reviewed alot of them.
I’ve handled two different G704s (a rip-off of the Benchmade Snody 14705). One was actually fairly well done but the other had poorly fitting scales and liners, a very uneven blade grind and an Axis lock that stuck badly.
A G710 (a rip-off of the Benchmade 950 Rift) that I actually had a chance to use had poorly milled G10 scales, to the point of being sharp to the hand. The blade was so soft it couldn’t possibly have been 440C. It dulled so thoroughly after cutting rope and cardboard, I could never get an edge back onto it with my Sharpmaker. It would have needed a full re-profile. The blade even developed a bit of a recurve! I was able to tune out most of the blade play after hard use by tightening the pivot, but then the deployment was nil. Another G710 that I know of (but never used first-hand) has seemed to perform as expected for 440C.
The Ganzo G711 that I played with (a copy of the Benchmade 746 Mini Onslaught) seemed impressive at first blush, although I never had opportunity to really use it. It had probably the best manifestation of an Axis lock copy of any other Ganzo. It did have a slight bend or warp in the blade. For some reason it couldn't get centered without scraping on the liners. If you could live with poor centering, the action was smooth.
I was actually fairly impressed with a G712 that I handled (a scaled down rip-off of the Benchmade 860 Bedlam). The fit and finish was fairly well done and the blade was sharp and well ground for a $25 knife…until the Omega spring broke after less than 100 Axis flips. I’ve never had a spring break on a Benchmade, although I’m sure it can happen. I wonder if Ganzo sends out replacements from China?…
I kind of liked the Ganzo F714 which to my knowledge might be an original design? Who knows with these guys. After getting it wet, it developed rust spots on the blade and liners far more quickly than I’d have suspected for 440C but I keep expectations low for a cheap knife. I still have that knife somewhere…
I played with a G719 which is their first take on an auto knife and it committed the unpardonable sin…inconsistent deployment. Sometimes it snapped out sharply and locked securely, sometimes it bounced off and failed to lock. I think it’s a similar problem as people have had with the Launch series; it depends on how hold the knife when you release the button. You want nothing to do with an auto that doesn’t lock up EVERY time. It was a borrowed knife but I disassembled and destroyed it and bought a Boker Kalashnikov to replace it.
The worst Axis lock I’ve ever experienced was on a Ganzo G720 (a rip-off of the LionsSteel SR series). Gritty, sticking and almost impossible to pull. Yuck.
If you don’t care about theft, there is a chance you can get a good knife from these guys. I freely admit it. But there is also a good chance you’ll get a knife with an “issue”. I can’t really speak about their more recent releases because I don’t even want to handle or test a clone knife anymore. Maybe their quality/consistency has improved on their more recent clones of the Griptillian, 940 Osborne and PM2. Maybe not.
Bear in mind that most of those crowing about “Ganzo quality” have ZERO experience with well-made knives. Their only point of reference is a similar priced gas station knife. Low expectations combined with limited scope of experience can yield some highly wonky opinions.
At the end of the day there are far too many choices of great knives from companies that engineer, develop, and test their own knives. There are options from companies who actually offer a usable network of service and support. There are options from companies who support knife designers and the knife community. For a discerning, principled knife buyer there’s never any need to turn to Ganzo and their ilk. The good crowd here at BF can help suggest a lot of valid options.
Is Ganzo Firebird F753M1 any good, please share your opinon if you have one !!
- Thread starter 9cr14mov
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I could believe the G7391CF had bad action and bladeplay, but not the F758AL.
Here is a video of mine:
It has awesome action (for an under $20 auto knife) and not a hint of bladeplay.
If you could shoot yours - I'd love to see it.
Trust me that I know a lot about most budget blades on the market.
Not one fits the criteria that I had previously mentioned.
Take a look at it again and please suggest me a knife I could buy with the featured that I mentioned.
Thank you in advance.
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It won't be here forever, know that!
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In one instance. How many have you tried (to sell)?
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You are welcome to show evidence of them failing.
My guess is you won't find that much.
The model sells very well BTW, 3 colors are already sold out and they can't keep up with the supply.
Hope they didn't learn the "good" lesson from US dealers and won't up their prices now.
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Standard78
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You are welcome to show evidence of yourself actually using one of these knockoffs in a manner that can cause failure.
I scrolled through your YouTube page and noticed it only had short videos of you opening and closing these so-called "great" knives, so don't expect to receive any respect from us if you consider that nonsense an actual review.
You're in the big leagues now that you're on Bladeforums. Your word means nothing to us without any actual proof.
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And even if the knife does not fail, who is to say the next one won't? Does ganzo have your back for warranty stuff?
At the end of the day these are clones with a counterfeit lock. If one is fine with stealing, buy it! Praise it here? Kiss any sort respect this community would have for you good bye. We don't need you...
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You are right, I use YouTube for short video demos of the knives (except one that says lock test on it, but I won't share it here), the real wright up is on the blog.
I do test my knives, but didn't film the process (for technical reasons).
I do own a tripod now and a decent camera, so maybe I should step up my game and start to film the tests I do.
Thanks for the suggestion!
The first one will probably be the knife in the OP and also the Ganzo G8012 that I will compare to my Mora Robust.
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Here is Ganzo's warranty policy.
I have never used it (didn't have a reason to send a knife in):
"Ganzo company provides a one-year guarantee for the entire list of its products from the date of its purchase. Ganzo ensures completely those guarantees that are provided for knives, sharpeners and multi-tools. At the same time if a production defect is detected (which is unlikely, since all products are thoroughly tested at every stage of production), the customer has the right to exchange the product for another within two weeks after purchase.Ganzo guarantees that all knives, multi-tools and sharpeners can be used immediately after purchase and do not require any additional preparation. The tools for which this is true are already qualitatively sharpened, all elements are carefully adjusted so that there are no gaps, and the product is complete.
Even in intensive daily use Ganzo multi-tools, knives and sharpeners will properly serve its owner for a long period of time. If, however, under the terms of correct operation, any tool fails, its replacement or repair will be totally free. To do this, you should send the broken knife or multi-tool to a service center for a complete diagnosis, identification of possible causes and repair techniques. All this work will be carried out as soon as possible. However, the customer should carefully review the terms of the guarantee and those cases where it can be lost.
Also to be noted is that the long guarantee period Ganzo company ensures because only high-quality materials including 440 stainless steel (it is mainly 440C solid steel which retains well the sharpening) are used in production of knives, sharpeners and multi-tools. Ganzo provides individual characteristics for each model of knife, multi-tool, or sharpeners. It is of equal importance that with the same quality Ganzo products are essentially more affordable."
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I don't know why but some of the members in this thread take this stuff too personally and get very attackive. This a place where we are supposed to have fun enjoying discussing something that we really enjoy.
I have found this issue taking place in other threads too. Unfortunately this puts a damper on enjoying this forum. I also fully expect that some of you have been offended by my comments and will post nasty comments.
By doing that you are just proving my point.
I have found this issue taking place in other threads too. Unfortunately this puts a damper on enjoying this forum. I also fully expect that some of you have been offended by my comments and will post nasty comments.
By doing that you are just proving my point.
Standard78
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I'll bite.
Over 15 years ago I purchased a Spyderco Police from an Army Surplus store that turned out to be a fake/clone/counterfeit.
The blade broke and I sliced the side of my thumb off severing the nerves also.
That incident gives me the right to take these threads personal and it also gives me the right to get "attackive", whatever that may be.
The fact that this company blatantly steals designs and passes it off as their own should be a huge red flag for buyers.
How can you trust that they use proper materials with proper heat treats when they aren't even creative enough to develop their own style of knife or lock system?
They sure as hell didn't ask for permission to use any of those designs.
I am terribly sorry about your accident. I do know how it feels, I was trying to fix something in my restaurant long ago and couldn't find a screwdriver so I used my double edge commando knife which I always carried. Not a bright idea, it slipped and went in one side and out the other side of my wrist. I severed all the tendons that went to my thumb. but I am not angry at the members of BF because of it. Their will always be copies of things made by other countries and our own. This is the way it goes, Jewelry , clothes, music, sneakers etc. Getting angry about something we have no control over is ludicrous and a waste of good energy. I unfortunately own 2 clones myself fist one was someone on Ebay who tried to screw me over but since he said he does not take returns I got my money back and the Military Camo clone. It sits on my desk as a letter opener. I hate 2nd was a similar situation and I don't even know where that one is. I will not give Walmart because of the way they use the Scorched Earth business model and treat their employees like crap. Never shopped in it & never will, But I don't get pissed of at people that do. If anyone is an offender of selling clones it's them. We have to remember that there are alot of people that can't afford the knives that some of can so they buy clones. Alot of people don't even know that they are clones and remember that companies like Ganzo don't put other company names on their products.
They wouldn't make them if we didn't buy them & we couldn't buy them if they didn't make them. What a conundrum.
Anything we do as a small group will not really effect the outcome very much but I feel good about not buying any clones but I cannot stop or blame other people for buying them.
I don't blame you for being frustrated and angry but it would be alot better if we were a little more pleasant to our fellow members. From what I understand the is a thread called Whine & Cheese where any of us can go to and a no holds barred crap fest where you can say whatever you want no matter how derogatory it may be. I by no means had any intention of offending anyone but I would like to be a more active member now that I am a paying member, and really enjoy this Forum and would like to continue to do so.
Standard78
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My goal with my comments are to shed light on the wrongdoings of companies like this and hopefully it'll change the minds of potential buyers that read threads like these.
As for your comment about some people not being able to afford a specific product, that's just a poor excuse if you ask me. Hard work and determination is all a person needs to enjoy the better things in life.
There really is no anger coming from my end, but it's easy to see how emotion can be misconstrued through text.
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Clones and counterfeits are a ragged nerve here at BF and in the knife community in general. My deepest respect to both you and Standard78 for the bad experiences and physical injury you've endured as a result of knives that weren't what they claimed to be. These "experiences" give us our best opportunity to serve as an education to the larger, knife-using community in general. I read your posts and see that, in essence, you both hate the effect clones have on the industry but feel different ways to express it. That's fine and good. Really, you're both on the same page but coming from a different point of view. My sense is you both love "real" knives. Neither of you is the "bad guy" here. The champion of clones and counterfeits is the rationalizer.
We've all seen lots of "Rational" arguments to excuse the existence of clones and counterfeits;
"It's not really a copy, the lanyard hole is shifted a bit"
"It's an original design! The size has been enlarged by a factor of 0.20!"
"Well, yes its a copy, but if the original manufacturer didn't make their knife too expensive then there would never be a need for a clone!"
and my personal favorite...
"Those bastard capitalists that made the original knife have artificially driven up the price by reducing supply! It's only fair that it be copied!"
Gotta love it when socialism meets the knife world
.There will never be an end to arguments that support things that are not right. There will never be a shortage of people who want to "get something over on someone". They'll always be around. We should confront this as an enthusiast group with gentle honesty, integrity and knowledge.
It won't matter how good these clones get, not for the principled. It doesn't matter how good the F/F is. It doesn't matter how good the grind is. The handle slabs and liners can be spot on...no big deal. The action can be slicker that a goose with the runs. It doesn't matter.
At the end of the day, these knives were copied from an existing design and that design may have been paid for with blood, sweat and tears. In the very least, it was paid for with the intellect and the labor of others. When you feed off the labor of others that makes you...well...something not too attractive. A leach and tick come to mind. In my personal experience it might be an ex-wife
.If the cloner brands want to be respected there are a few things they can do:
1. Stop selling all clone models from their "recent past". Seriously. Stop. Some of these can hurt a person.
2. Begin producing all original models that the industry can evaluate independent of stolen technology.
3 Join the industry and pay their dues. Endure the spite and overcome it. Come to shows, set up a booth, buy me a beer.
Many brands with cloner roots have done this and are now movers and shakers in the knife world.
Ganzo has shown that sometimes they can make a nice knife. They need to show they can do that with a full original design. And again. Again. Maybe again.
If they go that route, I'll be one of the first to welcome them to the knife community. But that's just me. I love lost causes.
I've got to go now and watch Rogue One to see if it's a happier ending this time...
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Very well said. Its not everyday I come into contact like you. Some of the companies in China want to get a piece of both worlds. Sanrenmu makes knives fo Boker. They then make the same models unbranded.
I agree with you about respecting the industry and protecting them by not buying any of their Knives, Tools etc. unfortunately that's all we can do at the moment. Hopefully Trump will stick to what he promised and put a tariff on things that are imported into this country. This will help level the playing field. Keeping my fingers crossed. Basically we will have to live with a little less stuff in our lives. The seem to manage in many European countries. I'm not saying all. Some of them are about to go belly up. If we stopped buying crap and buying things that last, just like us the more respectful of the industry. When and if the tariffs are implemented it wont pay to buy the crap. Boohoo I will be able to afford only 30 knives instead of the 80 that I have. I'll live. Thanks again for your reply. You are a gentleman and a scholar.
I agree with you about respecting the industry and protecting them by not buying any of their Knives, Tools etc. unfortunately that's all we can do at the moment. Hopefully Trump will stick to what he promised and put a tariff on things that are imported into this country. This will help level the playing field. Keeping my fingers crossed. Basically we will have to live with a little less stuff in our lives. The seem to manage in many European countries. I'm not saying all. Some of them are about to go belly up. If we stopped buying crap and buying things that last, just like us the more respectful of the industry. When and if the tariffs are implemented it wont pay to buy the crap. Boohoo I will be able to afford only 30 knives instead of the 80 that I have. I'll live. Thanks again for your reply. You are a gentleman and a scholar.
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I agree about the fact that Ganzo have proven their capability to make a good knife and I'd love to see a 100% original design from them as well. As long as that original design will be smart and done well.
I wonder if any knife designer will agree to work with them to produce such a model.
It will be also interesting to see the reaction from the knife community if such a knife will appear - meaning a sub $20 with original design that will be better than the budget offerings from the common knife brands.
Could it be accepted as a great knife or boycotted just because of the brand's history and the fear of competition?
Time will tell.
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