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

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Being relatively new around hear I decided to take a look at their website myself and saw a direct cheap clone of the legendary and reasonable priced Ontario Rat with a stupid flame on the blade. That’s all I needed to know this was a scumbag outfit and stand with the deserved animosity from this site.
 
jbmonkey said:
not true Doc. I own a bunch when I was playing with cheap Chinese imports. they are low quality. their steel that says 440c isnt 440c, it isnt heat treated properly. that is a fact that cant be argued. the d2 versions i own are soft and done poorly. they lie about that l, what else will they lie about. I put the ones i own aside as a part of my collection from China. most arent safe for use. compared to the high quality stuff coming from China today they arent even close to quality.
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I appreciate any honest review from actual experience . I just don't much think all the shaming done here over Ganzo is productive .

I only really ever pushed one Ganzo folder , a G723 . A frame lock . Maybe I was just lucky to get a good one .

Abused it pretty badly , including throwing hard as I could repeatedly at an old plywood scrap . This can destroy even a very good folder , so NOT recommended .

The lock needed some work after all that , but the blade was undamaged and the knife was fairly easy to repair . Still works fine .

But that's only one knife . And I have no way to determine actual steel formula or HT or the consistency of either . Also my personal sample size is ONE .

But , I believe I've had worse knives from CRKT, for example , along with some quite decent ones .
 
At the asking price of a Ganzo knife- just buy one. If you’re happy, good. If not, buy the other steel. Try them out for yourself.
 
GospodinPera said:
Yeah 440A steel it is... I can get them from Gearbest and AliExpress.
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I have experience with the Boker Plus knives in 440A. Some of them look cool but that's about it. Based on build quality and edge retention, I'd say they are a waste of money. If those and Ganzo were my only choices, I'd choose the Ganzo. That's actually come up in the Ganzo debates on this forum. The fact is, Ganzo serves the global market and is sometimes one of the only choices for people in some parts of the world. (BTW, I've known a lot of travelers. Like Romania, your country has a reputation for beautiful women. So I imagine there are consolations?)

As others have said, those websites are notorious for cloned and counterfeit items. The reality is that they are big global commerce sights. Much like the street markets of old, it comes down to the individual sellers. Some are shady. Some are great. For instance, Kizer has their own stores on AliExpress. I don't know their shipping policy towards Serbia but definitely look into Kizer's Tangram line of knives. The Tangram Santa Fe is one of my favorite knives for the price. It's a budget gem with decent steel.

Failing that, Petrified Fish is another company to look at. They are new but are getting positive reviews. At least one sample of their D2 has been independently tested and appears to be real. I have one of their 8Cr13Mov knives. I'm happy with the fit and finish. Edge retention is as good as it gets for 8Cr13Mov. I ordered one of their D2 knives but with global shipping, I'm still waiting for it. You might also look at Sanrenmu. They have a few knives in 12C27 which is a nice budget steel.
 
Chronovore said:
I have experience with the Boker Plus knives in 440A. Some of them look cool but that's about it. Based on build quality and edge retention, I'd say they are a waste of money. If those and Ganzo were my only choices, I'd choose the Ganzo. That's actually come up in the Ganzo debates on this forum. The fact is, Ganzo serves the global market and is sometimes one of the only choices for people in some parts of the world. (BTW, I've known a lot of travelers. Like Romania, your country has a reputation for beautiful women. So I imagine there are consolations?)

As others have said, those websites are notorious for cloned and counterfeit items. The reality is that they are big global commerce sights. Much like the street markets of old, it comes down to the individual sellers. Some are shady. Some are great. For instance, Kizer has their own stores on AliExpress. I don't know their shipping policy towards Serbia but definitely look into Kizer's Tangram line of knives. The Tangram Santa Fe is one of my favorite knives for the price. It's a budget gem with decent steel.

Failing that, Petrified Fish is another company to look at. They are new but are getting positive reviews. At least one sample of their D2 has been independently tested and appears to be real. I have one of their 8Cr13Mov knives. I'm happy with the fit and finish. Edge retention is as good as it gets for 8Cr13Mov. I ordered one of their D2 knives but with global shipping, I'm still waiting for it. You might also look at Sanrenmu. They have a few knives in 12C27 which is a nice budget steel.
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Just checked out Kizer's AliExpress store... prices are usually over 50€...

I'd yet again advice Morakniv like someone already mentioned.
 
I would buy American or European made knives. I would not support any Chinese knives or any Asian made knives.
 
Hi G GospodinPera , welcome Blade Forums.

I think the best outcome for you would be for us to help you find a better choice than Ganzo.

Have you ever heard of Manly Knives? They're manufactured in Sofia, Bulgaria and might be able to ship into Serbia for a much more reasonable price than from an EU nation. They're knives have a good reputation and the one that I own is quite nice, incredibly better than a Ganzo. You might try their contact page on the link below to see what they have available in your area.
https://manly-bg.com/
Peak_D2_Black_01.jpg


Someone else mentioned the Kizer Cutlery store on Aliexpress. Not only do they sell Kizer Knives there, they sell the cheaper Vanguard line that only run a little more $ than a Ganzo. I understand that Aliexpress is the go-to seller for much of the world, but there are better choices via that outlet than Ganzo.
Kizer-Yukon-Liner-Lock-Knife-Brown-Stonewash-V4004N2-BHQ-107478-kp-jr.jpg


Alternatively, check out the Enlan EL01. It's an old, tried and true design. It could serve you well for light daily tasks. I've had a couple and they're decent, beater knives for the money. They have a thick, heavy blade that might work well for your particular tasks.
 
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The Enlan EL01 is an excellent knife for the price. I've used one for heavy cutting and the edge holds up pretty well.
 
Maybe try considering a fixed blade since it's a yard work knife?

Fixed blades are easier to maintain and offer better quality for cheaper price. Mora and Hultafors are basically unbeaten value for the money - from European companies.

I personally use SK-5 Recon Tanto as my yard knife. I cut bushes and dead tree branches with it usually. I'm able to land more accurate chops with it than with a hatchet and it bites into wood even better. It cuts clean through thinner branches too, while hatchet breaks them.
I also use it to cut dead corn plants every autumn... and sometimes on bigger pieces of meat since we only have one big kitchen knife, and that knife's blade is fairly thin, so this gets the tougher meat cutting jobs done...
Also to mention, I even used it on my old job as construction worker.
That's quality, and I paid this knife 42€.

I would say - buy nice or buy twice.
And we have our own saying "Nisam bogat da kupujem jeftino" (I'm not rich to buy cheap).

Cheap folder could just break apart, blade could start to play/dance or whatever you call it, opening mechanism could start to jam or grind, and in worst case scenario lock could fail and it'll close on your fingers. Lots of people (including this forum members) got cut that way.
 
GospodinPera said:
I just saw this model. Nice big blade, solid design. Is that legit steel or at least an equivalent?
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The Enlan EL01 has an 8Cr13Mov blade and I've seen it with a few different handle materials. The action was mediocre on the models I handled. Speaking of, 8Cr13Mov has mediocre edge retention and mediocre corrosion resistance. It's certainly not the worst. However, both Sanrenmu's 12C27 and Tangram's Acuto 440 are notably better in my experience. Do you have access to either of those brands?

Advice regarding a fixed blade for farm work might be worth a listen. Of course, having a nice folder has its own value.
 
I've used the Enlan to cut up shrink wrap and all the nylon strapping on my 26ft boat, the knife was sill shaving sharp after an hour of cutting.
The flipper tab is awkwardly placed, but it rides on bronze washers and breaks in nicely, not bad for $18 US

enlan.jpg
 
BTW, I sometimes see Enlan sold in the same web stores as Harnds. Harnds is another brand to consider. I've had a couple of nice knives from them.
 
Smiling said:
Maybe try considering a fixed blade since it's a yard work knife?

Fixed blades are easier to maintain and offer better quality for cheaper price. Mora and Hultafors are basically unbeaten value for the money - from European companies.

I personally use SK-5 Recon Tanto as my yard knife. I cut bushes and dead tree branches with it usually. I'm able to land more accurate chops with it than with a hatchet and it bites into wood even better. It cuts clean through thinner branches too, while hatchet breaks them.
I also use it to cut dead corn plants every autumn... and sometimes on bigger pieces of meat since we only have one big kitchen knife, and that knife's blade is fairly thin, so this gets the tougher meat cutting jobs done...
Also to mention, I even used it on my old job as construction worker.
That's quality, and I paid this knife 42€.

I would say - buy nice or buy twice.
And we have our own saying "Nisam bogat da kupujem jeftino" (I'm not rich to buy cheap).

Cheap folder could just break apart, blade could start to play/dance or whatever you call it, opening mechanism could start to jam or grind, and in worst case scenario lock could fail and it'll close on your fingers. Lots of people (including this forum members) got cut that way.
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+1 on the Recon Tanto or SRK for yard work. Might be a tad more costly than the other folders mentioned here, but those knives are tough as nails.
 
Ganzo is spotty when it comes to delivering the steel they say you’re getting. Luvthemknives has had a ton of knives tested, and several Ganzo 440C knives were actually 8Cr13MoV. There were also D2 Ganzos that were legit 61 HRC D2.

 
GospodinPera said:
I just saw this model. Nice big blade, solid design. Is that legit steel or at least an equivalent?
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To add to the knowledge that others have shared, 8Cr can be a functional Steel. The Enlan flavor seems a little soft, but they take an edge fairly easily. I’ve drug one on the bottom of a ceramic coffee cup to help hone it up. They dull quickly but can get sharp again with a little skill.

My sharpening skills kinda suck so I’d rather have a blade that dulls quicker and sharpens easily than dulls slower and is hard to sharpen. Of course, there are limits and trade offs.

Sometimes the best knife for you is the one that matches your need, skill set and budget. Budget steels like 8Cr often get maligned but are sometimes the best choice. I can acknowledge one thing, I’ve never had an 8Cr knife rust on me.

That brings us back to the crux of the problem. I’ve seen Ganzo knives marked as different steels perform in different ways. That’s just not cool. It’s hard to use any knife at any price when performance doesn’t match advertised properties. Ganzo probably has the greatest delta between advertised and actual performance of any knife brand.

I guess we can’t be surprised given the “design liberties” the company takes, but we can always seek out better options.

You only have a finite number of fingers, after all
 
OrangeBlueOrangeBlue said:
Ganzo is spotty when it comes to delivering the steel they say you’re getting. Luvthemknives has had a ton of knives tested, and several Ganzo 440C knives were actually 8Cr13MoV. There were also D2 Ganzos that were legit 61 HRC D2.
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The D2 knives seem consistent. A point that's been made elsewhere is that the D2 knives with original designs represent Ganzo's step into "legitimacy". BTW, that FH11 is the Ganzo I have. I got it when it first came out. I've had it apart once for a full cleaning and lubrication. The action and lock-up on mine are still just as good as in the video. Having done some sharpening and modification, I believe those hardness values for the D2.

AFAIK, there was only one case of the 440C being 8Cr13Mov. I have to wonder if there was a supply chain issue or something where they substituted without changing the stamp. That being said, how much difference is there between Ganzo's 440C and your average 8Cr13Mov? Having tried 8Cr13Mov from a bunch of manufacturers, it's mediocre but fairly consistent. On the other hand, 440C seems hugely variable. I've had good 440C on more expensive knives and I've had really bad 440C on cheap knives.
 
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