Recommendation? 440C vs D2 steel for a Ganzo knife?

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Most negative opinions of Ganzo quality and performance given here are from those who have never owned or used one .

Not the best by any means , but really not all that bad for the price , IMO . Just to be fair and balanced . :confused:

Not at all my "go to" brand for best quality , but also not the absolute junk that many claim , either . o_O
 
dirc said:
instead of ganzo, get this quality kershaw lonerock - for only $32, the grip is fairly excellent for farm work I expect (rubberized in the black portion)

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That one is available locally, but it's 70$ here, which is way our of my budget range. Import tax is a bitch here in Eastern Europe.
 
I have six ganzo knives. All of them with striking similarities to known designs.

I used them, sharpened them, pulled them apart then put them back together.

One had zero detent and would not stay closed. This is quite dangerous for a pocket knife. Another had screws that stripped. A third with 440c started rusting after cutting frozen shrimp.

I understand they are inexpensive, but the more I learned about the company it became quite clear they will not get any more support from me.

It sounds like you don’t have a lot of affordable variety in your location. If you can find Cold Steel knives in your area I recommend taking look at their offerings.
 
Eli Chaps said:
Every time this maker comes up, you put forth this completely inaccurate bit about the anti-Ganzo crowd being full of hate and not caring facts. You do it every time. And every time, the anti-Ganzo crown, of which I am firmly entrenched, confront you with facts that you then readily dismiss.

As I have numerous times before, let me again remind you that we don't need you to tell us what is or is not logical or right or wrong. We've already assessed the situation and drawn logical, rational conclusions. Just because you disagree doesn't make us illogical or imply that our position is not rooted in fact.

You stake your flag on the "yeah they did bad but we should give them money for the not o bad stuff so they keep making the not so bad stuff". That's your prerogative and you can express that all you want. But we can equally express why we feel you're absolutely wrong.

As I always say in these threads, tell it to Sal.
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That's not quite a fair reduction. The issues raised in my last post, including the excused conflation between tool quality and business ethics, are solid points. My reflection upon previous interactions, even as just a partial detractor, doesn't necessarily include everyone who is anti-Ganzo. However, it's worth noting that post's acknowledgement from one of the anti-Ganzo crowd.

There have been a lot of issues discussed in previous threads, from the nature of intellectual property rights to the exact effect of copycatting on the market and this hobby. At the end of the day, my personal take is that copycatting is in poor taste. I don't buy Ganzo's copycat knives. However, I am okay with them bringing original designs to market. I have purchased one of them. More importantly, I have questioned the point, efficacy, and possible effects of trying to punish Ganzo's foray into the world of "legitimate" manufacturing.

A big part of where I'm coming from here is a response to what looks like angry mobs with pitchforks. Seeing both zealous hatred or drive to punish and a combination of willful ignorance, selective consideration, and excused logical fallacy on the part of some participants will always raise red flags with me. I've called it a "crusade" because the zealous persons involved cannot allow any discussion of Ganzo to proceed without throwing metaphorical Molotov Cocktails at it.
 
MolokaiRider said:
I have six ganzo knives. All of them with striking similarities to known designs.

I used them, sharpened them, pulled them apart then put them back together.

One had zero detent and would not stay closed. This is quite dangerous for a pocket knife. Another had screws that stripped. A third with 440c started rusting after cutting frozen shrimp.

I understand they are inexpensive, but the more I learned about the company it became quite clear they will not get any more support from me.

It sounds like you don’t have a lot of affordable variety in your location. If you can find Cold Steel knives in your area I recommend taking look at their offerings.
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Cold Steel knives are rock-solid and dependable in my experience. They have a handful of folders that should fall within the OP’s budget range: the Tuff Lite, Finn Wolf, medium-sized Voyager. I’m fairly certain the Tri-Ad lock will be lightyears ahead of anything in Ganzo’s lineup.
 
Chronovore said:
That's not quite a fair reduction. The issues raised in my last post, including the excused conflation between tool quality and business ethics, are solid points. My reflection upon previous interactions, even as just a partial detractor, doesn't necessarily include everyone who is anti-Ganzo. However, it's worth noting that post's acknowledgement from one of the anti-Ganzo crowd.

There have been a lot of issues discussed in previous threads, from the nature of intellectual property rights to the exact effect of copycatting on the market and this hobby. At the end of the day, my personal take is that copycatting is in poor taste. I don't buy Ganzo's copycat knives. However, I am okay with them bringing original designs to market. I have purchased one of them. More importantly, I have questioned the point, efficacy, and possible effects of trying to punish Ganzo's foray into the world of "legitimate" manufacturing.

A big part of where I'm coming from here is a response to what looks like angry mobs with pitchforks. Seeing both zealous hatred or drive to punish and a combination of willful ignorance, selective consideration, and excused logical fallacy on the part of some participants will always raise red flags with me. I've called it a "crusade" because the zealous persons involved cannot allow any discussion of Ganzo to proceed without throwing metaphorical Molotov Cocktails at it.
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The metaphorical Molotov Cocktails come from the fact that we’re talking about a company that blatantly steals designs from other respectable knife companies like Spyderco. In light of that, and this is just my two cents, tool quality takes a back seat. Maybe Ganzo can come up with products that last for a couple of months, I can acknowledge that, but I just see no point in supporting them when I can buy budget knives from Kershaw or Morakniv. Every cent that supports them helps perpetuate the questionable business practices.

True, there will always be clones and counterfeits on the market. They’re not going away anytime soon. Nonetheless, the responsible consumer can do his part not to support thieves and instead buy from more respectable companies. Does this matter in the grand scheme of things? I don’t know, but I stand by it.

But it’s a free market and I do not force my views on anyone. Disagreement is an essential ingredient of a free society. You choose your blades and I will choose mine.
 
GospodinPera said:
That one is available locally, but it's 70$ here, which is way our of my budget range. Import tax is a bitch here in Eastern Europe.
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If I were in your shoes, after learning why Ganzo isn’t the way to go, I’d keep saving until I could get a better quality knife. If I couldn’t do that, then I’d have to ask myself if I really need a different knife than what I already have.
No matter what part of the country you’re from, supporting thieves is wrong.
 
All other bullshit aside, I think Ganzo 440C is not actually 440C. Whatever it is, it’s brittle as f*ck.

Never seen real 440C behave this way - blew a big chip out right near the tip with normal cutting duties.

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440C, my ass. :poop:

My ol lady wanted this knife because she liked the looks of it and liked that it was an auto, so I bought it for her. Baby wants, baby gets. She doesn’t know about and wouldn’t care about the moral struggle.
 
I do appropriate your feedback guys, I had many concerns regarding Ganzo, since it's an unknown brand, plus I have some reservation towards knives from China, mainly the build and steel quality.

At my budget I can only afford Boker Magnum (again, Chinese made) and Ganzo. This is my first folding knife, mostly to learn how to sharpen and some light to medium farm work.

If I decide to get more into knives as a hobby, I'd probably save up for a budget Kershaw or Buck, since they are shipping their merchandise here.
 
since you're using this for farm work - get a fixed blade - honestly the best for real work

I posted a mora link in your profile : ) you get the best steel, not from china, and lower prices than any ganzo
 
I get why Americans and a lot of Europeans dislike Ganzo but this being an international forum, what would you tell a Chinese person who was thinking of buying one? I'm thinking they're not going to be swayed by the pro-US response or how buying one takes food out of the mouths of US makers seeing as how the company is likely putting food in the mouths of their own countrymen. Let's face it- if a company in our home country swiped intellectual property from China we'd probably find it amusing at the worst and nobody would be storming the place with torches to shut it down.

Being an American I don't see myself ever buying a Ganzo because I'd rather support my home country but then again I've heard of American companies being sued over swiping designs from other American companies. It's easy to say "hate company x" because they're located within a political enemy but if we all practiced that as much as possible we'd all be a lot more naked with houses a lot emptier.
My argument is that for the price I'm sure they're just as good as any other knife at that price which isn't very much and you do get what you pay for. If you want a $20 knife, a $20 knife is what you get, you might get lucky and get a rare gem but probably not. You can try to fix your car with tools from the harbor store, just don't complain when the ratchet strips.
 
Not this again...

Ganzo sucks. End of story. Any company who would go into a booth and take pictures of prototypes that the company said "do not photograph" is scum and deserves to be ridiculed and shunned. End of discussion.

If someone in China wants to buy a Chinese knife there are plenty who are not Ganzo. Civivi, cjrb, etc. Buy one of them, but never a Ganzo.
 
Here's , my opinion on Ganzo knives and it's strictly based on the product.

Yes I have a few ...
- The older models are heavier than need to be, because they don't mill out the liners.
- The build quality is not consistent. I dissembled two identical knives. And on one, they glued the g10 scales to the frame ( I don't know why).
- Lastly and most importantly, the steel designation stamped on the blade means nothing. I have some of the newer "Firebird" branded knives marked as 440C and they spot and stain like non- stainless steel. So it doesn't matter which steel you pick.

The bottom line .... they're disposable knives , if you need a dependable knife look somewhere else. If you have low expectations , you'll be happy.
I have a few Ganzo and other assorted low end knives , I use them when I work on my boat , because I don't care if I drop them in them Hudson River.

If you want a low cost knife , that sharpens easy and is readily available in Europe , go with an Opinel. They have a stainless steel option, many different sizes and they just feel good n the hand.
They're my wife's favorite brand.
 
GospodinPera said:
I do appropriate your feedback guys, I had many concerns regarding Ganzo, since it's an unknown brand, plus I have some reservation towards knives from China, mainly the build and steel quality.

At my budget I can only afford Boker Magnum (again, Chinese made) and Ganzo. This is my first folding knife, mostly to learn how to sharpen and some light to medium farm work.

If I decide to get more into knives as a hobby, I'd probably save up for a budget Kershaw or Buck, since they are shipping their merchandise here.
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Do you mean the Boker Magnum knives in 440A?
 
DocJD said:
:rolleyes: Gonzo quality / performance / value vs price is definitely a "separate issue" for most normal consumers from supposed "intellectual property " conflicts .

Is it legal to purchase ? If "YES" , than that's all most rational consumers need to know or care about ,IMO . YMMV . ;)

Intellectual property is only meaningful as defined by some governmental authority , not web blogs opinions . Everyone has one ! :p
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That's not how bladeforums.com sees the situation. You can disagree all you want but the official stance here says you are wrong :thumbsup:
 
MayHemAndHaw said:
I get why Americans and a lot of Europeans dislike Ganzo but this being an international forum, what would you tell a Chinese person who was thinking of buying one? I'm thinking they're not going to be swayed by the pro-US response or how buying one takes food out of the mouths of US makers seeing as how the company is likely putting food in the mouths of their own countrymen. Let's face it- if a company in our home country swiped intellectual property from China we'd probably find it amusing at the worst and nobody would be storming the place with torches to shut it down.

Being an American I don't see myself ever buying a Ganzo because I'd rather support my home country but then again I've heard of American companies being sued over swiping designs from other American companies. It's easy to say "hate company x" because they're located within a political enemy but if we all practiced that as much as possible we'd all be a lot more naked with houses a lot emptier.
My argument is that for the price I'm sure they're just as good as any other knife at that price which isn't very much and you do get what you pay for. If you want a $20 knife, a $20 knife is what you get, you might get lucky and get a rare gem but probably not. You can try to fix your car with tools from the harbor store, just don't complain when the ratchet strips.
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I would tell a Chinese person the same thing that I tell anyone regardless of nationality. That there are now numerous reputable Chinese brands making knives that are very high quality for the price and don't encourage or condone IP theft to my knowledge. Kizer's Tangram line of knives is great and very affordable, as is WE's CIVIVI line. I don't support companies that steal designs, whether it be Microtech or Ganzo, because I care much more about the ethics of my hobby than some sense of nationalism.
 
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