Enlan, Bee, Sanrenmu, SRM? Questions

S

spencereyring

Joined
Feb 19, 2013
Messages
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I've just recently joined the forum and this happens to be my first thread.

I've been looking at the enlan, bee, SRM knives lately and they have caught my eye! However, I haven't been able to research all that much about them. I'm very confused about the quality of these knives. I would like to know how they compare to some of the bigger brands (spyderco, kabar, kershaw, etc.) I would be willing to purchase these knives but as i already mentioned i like to do my fair amount of research before i purchase.

If possible would you be able to compare to other knives and see how they relate in terms of quality.

I've started collecting knives just this past two months or so and I hope to grow my collection considerably but price is very important I want the most bang for my buck i can get.

Knives i Have include:
spyderco tenacious
Mora fixed blade (blued)
kabar dozier
byrd meadowlark 2
hopefully a buck vantage select soon.

if possible just give me some information on these companies and also how they compare to other knives in your collection or if possible my collection thanks!
p.s. I don't care where they are manufactured
 
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I've started collecting knives just this past two months or so and I hope to grow my collection considerably but price is very important I want the most bang for my buck i can get.

Knives i Have include:
spyderco tenacious
Mora fixed blade (blued)
kabar dozier
byrd meadowlark 2
hopefully a buck vantage select soon.
Click to expand...

Regarding affordable knives to start off a collection, I recommend to add:
- an Opinel #8
- alox Victorinox Soldier or Farmer
- a Douk-douk
- SRM 710, it is really quite impressive for the price
- a traditional American-style folder, Rough Ryder is ok for the price but if possible save a little towards Case, or my personal preference: German Eye.
Normally I'd add the Enlan EL-01 (ugly but so sturdy), but since you have the Tenacious and Byrd, I'd skip it.
- Save a bit towards a Spyderco Delica or Endure
- Also save a little towards the ESEE Izula 2 compact fixed blade.
 
thank you very much I'll be sure to check all of those out. is there any way i can like your post to give you positive feedback?
 
Adding bang for the buck:
Coldsteel Voyager series, for general use, the Large Plain Edge Clip point.
I have the XL Tanto, which is not meant for general purpose, more because I like the thicker blade profile at more area, being sabre grind (the clip point is FFG).
Victorinox One Hand Trekker.

My EDC are: Enlan EL08, Spyderco Resilience, Sanrenmu 763 and ICEL Farmer. The 763 is the office use knife (paper shredder, coffee pack opener) and also my main shaving knife.
ICEL from Portugal seems to have good heat treat from the sample I have

@Dagon, you might want to check out ICEL;)
A bit cheaper than Victorinox, fit and finish slightly lower but good blade steel. I say lower for: irregularities on the handle scale against bolster and liner, rough backspring finish. The blade grind though, is great. The backspring is very strong, snapping it shut will cause the edge hitting the backspring despite the high tang kick. So I always close it two handed, to prevent the snap. The Farmer has 5" blade.

Some people recommend Ontario Rat 1, but I don't have it.
 
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look out for "Land" brand as well; as it's also an srm's off shoot label which offers larger folders.
srm's are built as smaller gent's knives....
 
Dagon said:
Regarding affordable knives to start off a collection, I recommend to add:
- an Opinel #8
- alox Victorinox Soldier or Farmer
- a Douk-douk
- SRM 710, it is really quite impressive for the price
- a traditional American-style folder, Rough Ryder is ok for the price but if possible save a little towards Case, or my personal preference: German Eye.
Normally I'd add the Enlan EL-01 (ugly but so sturdy), but since you have the Tenacious and Byrd, I'd skip it.
- Save a bit towards a Spyderco Delica or Endure
- Also save a little towards the ESEE Izula 2 compact fixed blade.
Click to expand...

i've actually gotten that opinel and the delica. i'm currently looking for an izula a new victorinox possibly the farmer pioneer or cadet, an enlan 710 and e02 as well as a douk douk. you really have very similar taste to me in knives that's pretty cool. thanks for those awesome suggestions
 
I do have a Sanrenmu 707 (SRM 707), which is the same knife as the CRKT Drifter (Sanrenmu makes the Drifter for CRKT). So far I've been very impressed of this piece. Solid lockup, holds an edge long, sharpens easily, and can become very sharp. I can deploy the blade very fast with the thumb stud. I've heard many good things about the 710 as well, though I've never handled one.

nld36q.jpg


[video=youtube;RlTGkbGB3vE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlTGkbGB3vE[/video]
 
Dagon said:
Regarding affordable knives to start off a collection, I recommend to add:
- an Opinel #8
- alox Victorinox Soldier or Farmer
- a Douk-douk
- SRM 710, it is really quite impressive for the price
- a traditional American-style folder, Rough Ryder is ok for the price but if possible save a little towards Case, or my personal preference: German Eye.
Normally I'd add the Enlan EL-01 (ugly but so sturdy), but since you have the Tenacious and Byrd, I'd skip it.
- Save a bit towards a Spyderco Delica or Endure
- Also save a little towards the ESEE Izula 2 compact fixed blade.
Click to expand...

I agree with Dagon, but I'd lean more towards a BK14, BK11 or BK24 instead of the izula 2.
Opinels are a must have. You'll be perplexed by the SRM 763 as well.
 
I bought a pile of these just to see what they were about, and there are some surprisingly great knives available in the bunch, at least when bang for the buck is factored in.

Here are a few of my favorites that I don't think have already been mentioned. Starting with my favorite, the one that's gotten the most carry of them all, the Bee L01 tanto in red-dyed wood:

6tVjIbq.jpg


Love this one. I much prefer it over my poorly-constructed but expensive Emerson CQC-7B.

Another fun one, if you have decent luck (there is a lot of sample variation, getting one with a good lockup is a crapshoot) with the one you're sent, is the Inron My803:

rRC0IAd.jpg


It's a big knife, and it's overly thin-handled, and the lockup looks kind of sketchy, but after a drop of nano-oil mine flips like a champ and my attempts to dislodge the lock have failed. For the money, IMO, it's a fun knife. Comes in several color variations, including a neat-looking stacked red/black combo.

A few that have more of a gentleman's knife look about them (back to front, Enlan F723, SRM 738, and Enlan M028):

1m1NT02.jpg


In particular, the carbon fiber inlay and blue liners of the 738 and wood scales with pattern-edged liners on the M028 are IMO very attractive.

Anyway, if I had to re-buy one of these knives, I'd buy the Bee L01 again for sure. If I could only buy two, then I'd do the L01 and the M028, probably. The regular popular options are also great choices for the money (e.g. the EL-01, the 710).
 
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For all the BS that inevitably starts up when these brands are mentioned, alot of them are pretty decent knives. I've had pretty good luck with my Inron MY803, but I really love my Enlan EL-02B. The 8cr gets very, very sharp and takes a nicely polished edge. The ergos are also superb.
 
My Enlan is a good budget knife, seems to be on par with the China-made Kershaws and the Spyderco Byrd line.
 
Enlans are decent quality. I have an Enlan EL-02B and it has held up very well for a twenty something dollar knife. The steel is on par with most big brand chinese made knives and the feel is good. I like the knock off axis lock it has. It locks up tight and is smooth. Bee makes a good looking knife, but they feel a bit cheaper to me.
 
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