Sanrenmu 962 Review (Pics)

[beta464]

Even though there's alot of hatred towards Chinese brands like Sanrenmu,Enlan,Ganzo,Navy,M-Tech,etc. I still continue to purchase,use and test blades from these brands along with higher end blades and so far I've been very impressed with their quality and performance, today I'm going to review the Sanrenmu 962 which is a copy of the Benchmade Vex but with an Axis style lock,enjoy.


To start out I'd like to say the quality of this blade is superior to many others in it's price range and it offer's good fit and finish however it does have it's disadvantages which I'll discuss shortly,everybody knows about and/or owns a Spyderco Tenacious,Sanrenmu 710 or Benchmade Vex so here's some side by side shots of my 962's next to them for size comparison:

Overall it's a decent size for edc but I definitely prefer something shorter than a 3 3/8 inch long blade, along with this the handle is fairly thick (nearly 1/2 an inch) which makes it comfortable in hand but also bulky in pocket, at 4.3 ounces it's not the lightest blade for it's size but weight really isn't an issue for me,your opinion may differ, however they did actually skeletonize the very thick stainless steel liners to help reduce the weight which is nice to see at this price point and the micarta handles are a nice touch for the price.

The blade is made of 8Cr13MoV stainless steel which is similar to 440C or AUS8 so it will dull fairly quickly but will be easy enough to resharpen, however I feel the mid spine flat grind on the blade is inferior to a hollow grind or FFG for slicing, the organic drop point blade shape however just like the Benchmade Vex is excellent for various edc chores like food prep or opening boxes. The lock up is solid and has no blade play in any direction and the pivot screw is adjustable but requires a special tool to adjust (hopefully you can see from the pictures I forgot to take one of the pivot itselft) Overall I feel the 962 is a decent value but is beaten by the Spyderco Tenacious,Enlan EL-02 and Kershaw Skyline but for but for the money it's not bad.

 

[razorburn]

I'm really pleased that you like your new knife and I too don't buy too much into the hatred.That's not to say that the knives from China are always of the highest quality and free of defective.On mine,the hole drilled into the micarta for the pivot was lop side,the blade's spine was a little rounded at several spots,and the oil used had a funky smeel to it.Besides that,the blade came decently sharp and locked up rock solid

 

[flash900]

Beta,
Thanks for the fine review and comparisons.

What special tool are you using to adjust the pivot?

 

[beta464]

Beta,
Thanks for the fine review and comparisons.

What special tool are you using to adjust the pivot?

Glad you enjoyed, the link is here:
http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/product_info.php?cPath=49_123&products_id=2191
http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/product_info.php?cPath=49_123&products_id=2190

 

[Mal2]

Beta,
Thanks for the fine review and comparisons.

What special tool are you using to adjust the pivot?

I used a pair of vice grips with two short nails clamped in the jaws at the proper distance to fit two of the holes in the pivot.

 

[flash900]

Glad you enjoyed, the link is here:
http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/product_info.php?cPath=49_123&products_id=2191
http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/product_info.php?cPath=49_123&products_id=2190

Thanks. These are different sizes?

Would you know if one would work with the Enlan EL 02?

 

[beta464]

Thanks. These are different sizes?

Would you know if one would work with the Enlan EL 02?

I believe the larger one in the first link but they're both so cheap you can just order both to be sure

 

[flash900]

I believe the larger one in the first link but they're both so cheap you can just order both to be sure

Planning to do just that -- thanks for the tip!

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

Or you can check the post in Sanrenmu thread using self made tools

 

[flash900]

Glad you enjoyed, the link is here:
http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/product_info.php?cPath=49_123&products_id=2191
http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/product_info.php?cPath=49_123&products_id=2190

Follow-up:

These little tools remind me of the similar (but wider) tools that 4Sevens sells to tighten its flashlight tails when they become loose -- and they will!

4Sevens sells its tools for an extra charge. Enlan should do the same. Or better yet, include one of these little gems with each folder. The cost would be minimal.

The smaller model tool in the link above is a pretty good fit for the pivot on my two Enlan EL-02bs.

One EL-02b had just a bit of blade play and one has quite a bit. (One reason why I recommend buying multiple copies of any of these knives.)

The pivot tool took care of all the play in the first knife and tightened the second to where it is usable. However, I would not consider the amount of remaining blade play acceptable in a more expensive folder.

Although my Enlan EL-04 looks like it has the same size pivot screw, it is just a smidge too wide for the smaller tool and not wide enough for the larger tool.

Fortunately for me, the EL-04 has NO blade play -- at least for now.

This makes me wonder whether Enlan even uses standardized sizing for its pivots.

Enlan (and other makers) should include a pivot tool with all models that use this type of pivot styling.

Until then, I'm boycotting any Enlans that can't be adjusted with standard size tools.