Does Sanrenmu Produce Any of Their Own Stuff?

[Freman Bloodglaive]

Yes. As far as I can tell Sanrenmu make their knives in 8Cr13MoV, 8Cr14MoV and occasionally Sandvik 12C27. Possibly thanks to the work they've done with Spyderco they do know how to do a decent heat treatment. I imagine they'd use whatever steel you specified though. Apparently Spyderco's original bug knives were in 3Cr13MoV.

Real Steel, which based on design similarities appears to be a Sanrenmu sister company seems to make larger use of Sandvik steel.

 

[RedLynx]

Right, I kind of got used to American jobs being lost when it was Japan being allowed to destroy our Machine Tool and Automobile industries in the '80s. I don't like it but being a blue collar schmoe I'm kind of forced to get my Chinese clothes at Wally World. That problem needs different solutions.

Sorry.

As to Sanrenmu making their own designs. It seems they do so more than many other similar(?) companies mentioned.

I'll just say, I feel you. I'm currently working poor myself, although I have a B.A. that should, in time, hopefully help with that... kinda.

 

[davek14]

Sorry for rant mode. I've been off work for weeks with an injury and after 2 days back I wuz tired. (waaaa, poor baby)

I'm a machinist and I picked it up on the job, took a few college classes to get ahead. So normally that's a 2 year course to begin in the field. Not much respect left for folks that work with their hands though. Won't go there, it would open up another (the same, the same one) can of worms.

 

[8steve88]

Well here's an example...

The Buck 371 is actually a design by Ganzo or vise versa.The Buck Nobleman is actually a version of a knife by Sanrenmu.I gather when it comes to outsourcing knives from China the manufacturer has dibs on the design.Or a contract is made allowing the actual manufacturer of the product in China to sell their offering of it.Just as Buck claims their Chinese knives to be in 440A or even 420J2 no.... Chinese comparative steels are used.

The Boker Magnum range of knives include many re-branded Chinese (mostly Enlan) knives made for them to sell on Western markets.

A Boker Magnum A-Stan. Presentation tin included. It differs from the base EL-01KH by having a coated blade and a Torx key in T6 and T8 sizes to fit the scale screws and the pivot screw, on the Boker models you get a modified pivot screw with a Torx T8 at the centre unlike the Enlan EL-01's that just have the triangle shape.
The earlier A-Stans had the plain pivot as well.

Price $26, £16 about double that of an EL-01 bought through FastTech. I actually don't think that is a bad price considering that the coated blade makes it much easier to flip and the added value of the pivot, it costs me about $2 to convert the pivots on mine to Torx. Plus the tin, it even has a cardboard sleeve to protect the tin in transit so it turns up pristine for giving away as a present or whatever.
Sorry for the de-railing of the thread but I wanted to show an example of one knife that a Western maker sourced in China to sell as their own. The Magnum range is mostly China made.

On a slightly different tack, SanRenMu use the Axis lock that Benchmade patented definitely wrong doing so but Ganzo pretty much build their business around the copying of Benchmade knives. Neither SRM or Ganzo use the Benchmade name. It was rumoured that SanRenMu had an agreement to market the Axis lock in the Asian marketplace, I don't know if that is correct or not but Benchmade did sell a range of knives made in China, now discontinued, it's not too difficult to put together a scenario where SanRenMu made some of these knives and recognised a good thing when they saw it. As I say rumour not proven to my satisfaction but it was expressed on a few forums a couple of years ago.

Just as a thought but how many makers pay royalties or licence fees for the slip-joint design, the back-lock, frame-lock or the liner lock, the thumb-stud nail-nick, Scagel slot, lanyard tube or any part of a folder that could be singled out. I know that some do but the great majority of makers don't I'm sure.

Anyway, SanRenMu do make a lot of their own designs or employ designers such as LiangGang and Windrunner, both credited as the designers on the blades of the knives they design. And very good most of their designs are as well, they use a steel that they can heat treat reliably and at a cost that is amazingly low compared to western made knives. It makes for (I think) an interesting and quite diverse collection, maybe not high prices but they are what I can afford to collect at the moment and not really enough monetary value to sell on so I'll keep them, and add to them as a new model or range is released. I've got all the Enlan EL-01 range and I'm currently collecting SanRenMu's.

 

[RedLynx]

Sorry for rant mode. I've been off work for weeks with an injury and after 2 days back I wuz tired. (waaaa, poor baby)

I'm a machinist and I picked it up on the job, took a few college classes to get ahead. So normally that's a 2 year course to begin in the field. Not much respect left for folks that work with their hands though. Won't go there, it would open up another (the same, the same one) can of worms.

Although I'm not a work with my hands guy in a professional sense, I do like to do it when I can, and despite my academic background, I actually have the most respect for the hard-working blue collar man.

 

[RedLynx]

The color combos on that Boker look very attractive, Steve.

 

[Trollbane]

Just for the sake of it. Some more original SRM designs

604 and 605, the only difference is the bladeshape

The 604 is chiselground. By the way these two are really tiny knives.

Sanrenmu 715​

Model 708​

/ J​

 

[8steve88]

Just for the sake of it. Some more original SRM designs

604 and 605, the only difference is the bladeshape

The 604 is chiselground. By the way these two are really tiny knives.

Sanrenmu 715​

Model 708​

/ J​

6044LTC-GL
604 in red.

 

[8steve88]

The color combos on that Boker look very attractive, Steve.

It is a very good looking and well built knife, just about worth the money especially when you take into account the next day service so no waiting three weeks and no hassle with customs, they seem to be stopping flipper opening knives a lot recently.
Pity Enlan doesn't use that pivot though. The blade coating is pretty tough, easily as tough as their black coating. The colour of the blade could be matched by slight acid etching on an Enlan EL-01KH.

 

[8steve88]

The inner workings of the SanRenMu détente lock.

 

[gottalovethemknives]

does anyone know if I got a fake sanrenmu 710 the knife don't show the ball detent hole but it has a ball in it and the hole for the stop pin isn't there but it has a stop pin its model 7010 luc-sa and a ^ 07 on the right side of the thumb stud right side of the blade is my srm 710 fake or a newer model???

 

[8steve88]

The 7010 LUC-SA is the newer version of the 710. SanRenMu have introduced several new markings over the older 710. near the thumbstud on the right looking from the top of the knife, blade opened, there is the winged R along with the Chinese characters for San Ren Mu. On the other side of the blade on the pivot side of the thumbstud there is a right angle triangle with a number to the right. Il front of the thumbstud there is the model number - 7010LUC-SA. On the blade just in front of the plunge line is the word CHINA.
The triangle and number show the year and month that it was manufactured.
I've never heard of counterfeiting on this particular model so you have a genuine one. The differences that you noted about the holes for the stop pin and détente ball could be down to ongoing improvements. The best way to tell is if it feels solid in your hand when using, solid lock-up and smooth opening and closing, I have several and they all are very good value and fit/finish generally very good. The SRM710 and Enlan/Bee EL-01 are the two knives that showed the world that the Chinese makers could do high quality at a low price. Enjoy your knife.
If you want to check for definite buy another from a different vendor and compare them.

 

[8steve88]

Sorry wrong post.

 

[Trollbane]

Interestingly enough there is also an Enlan 710 (F710). It's very similar in looks but not identical.

SRM 710 and Enlan F710​

/ J

 

[RedLynx]

Thanks for keeping it going and keeping it on track guys. Good pics.

 

[craytab]

Interestingly enough there is also an Enlan 710 (F710). It's very similar in looks but not identical.

SRM 710 and Enlan F710​

This illustrates perfectly how blurry the lines are between the Larger Chinese companies. Who knows who makes what?

 

[shecky]

They make knives that have a knock off axis lock. This is a counterfeit axis lock as it is referred to as an axis lock but they did not ask benchmade for the rights to the patented design or the use of the trademark. If it were a US company doing such a practice they would get sued as it is against the law here.

What you describe is a copy, not a counterfeit. Referring to it as an axis lock may constitute trademark violation... in the US. But they aren't in the US. Does that make it wrong or immoral? Probably about as wrong as a business relocating from, say, California to Texas because of lax business requirements in the latter state. Few people, especially in Texas, would take seriously the idea that such a business is immoral because their business practices that are legal in Texas are illegal in California. But plenty of the same well meaning folks would have no compunction pulling that card when it comes to Chinese products. Want to talk about the morality of IP law? That's a rabbit hole that is far from clear cut, with some seriously strong arguments that American IP law has crept out of control, not out of some high moral ground, but at the behest of well monied interests vested in keeping their legal monopolies stronger and longer than ever. Of course, to keep competitors from competing, and customers paying higher costs.

I thank Dog for the internet, modern transportation, for making the world small enough that these lessons of capitalism can be learned so easily and inexpensively.

 

[8steve88]

This illustrates perfectly how blurry the lines are between the Larger Chinese companies. Who knows who makes what?

Only the quality of the individual makers knives can give you a clue as to who made them, I've not seen a Ganzo or Enlan with the SRM détente lock. the Enlan EL series have 20 thou a side washers on the pivot, Navy make a lot of Spyderco look alikes, Ganzo makes a lot of Benchmade look alikes, so these are quite easy to spot the makers.
I'm not much bothered as to who makes what just as long as they keep coming up with interesting designs and keep the quality up and the prices reasonable.
This last weekend I've seen three new designs from SRM and one loose copy from Ganzo that I'll be buying.

 

[RedLynx]

Only the quality of the individual makers knives can give you a clue as to who made them, I've not seen a Ganzo or Enlan with the SRM détente lock. the Enlan EL series have 20 thou a side washers on the pivot, Navy make a lot of Spyderco look alikes, Ganzo makes a lot of Benchmade look alikes, so these are quite easy to spot the makers.
I'm not much bothered as to who makes what just as long as they keep coming up with interesting designs and keep the quality up and the prices reasonable.
This last weekend I've seen three new designs from SRM and one loose copy from Ganzo that I'll be buying.

Personally I am rather confused, I think craytab mentioned that Enlan, Ganzo, Bee, etc are all under the same umbrella but I've heard the opposite too. It isn't a big deal but I'm interested in who is paired with whom and who is a competitor, just in an academic sense.

 

[8steve88]

I would be very surprised if Ganzo, Enlan Navy were one company Enlan/Bee are just different trading names the knives are identical but for the badging. that would mean that there was only two companies that supplied a vast market, SRM and Enlan/Ganzo/Navy. Inron was started by one of the directors from Enlan.
SanRenMu share a lot of styles with Real Steel, not surprising as they share designers. Then you have Kizer, Reate, Harnds, Omuda, Rimei, SR, Taidea, Tekut, Bazo and that's without the ones who turn out the top end fakes. Even without the counterfeiters there are some very good midrange makers that are using the real materials and making very good titanium framelocks at reasonable ($100-$200) prices.
To have all or most of these makers belonging to one large company would be unlikely.