Sanrenmu... not for me.

Bluesummers

Bluesummers

Joined
May 21, 2011
Messages
656
You've read the posts about good quality for the money. I wouldn't say the quality is good. The knife is cheap though.

Pro's:

I like the blade shape
Cheap
Spydie hole
Centered blade
Feels good in the hand

Con's

A lot of horizontal blade play
f&f isn't the best
Opening and closing is bad
Spydie hole is too small imo
Jimping is smooth
Dull blade out of the box

Question is would I buy another? Nope. It's just not worth it imo.











 
The saying goes "you get what you pay for".

It also holds true that you don't get what you don't pay for.
 
I wouldn't buy one only because I have enough inexpensive knives to last me a lifetime ( or 2) . But on the other hand it looks like it's made pretty well for a $20 knife. The frame is thick, nice scales ( micarta?) and the hardware ( usually crappy on cheap knives ) looks OK.

The real test would be to see how it functions as a knife, cutting , edge retention , lock strength etc....
 
I have the same one without the blade play. I think you were a bit unlucky there.
 
I have a 710 and a 763. They're better than I expected for the very low prices I paid. They get pretty sharp and hold the edge ok. If you don't do a lot of cutting every day then they're more than sufficient.

Again, you get what you pay for. If you want a knife with CF, titanium frame and an expertly ground, heat treated and sharpened super steel blade you aren't going to get it for $10. If you want an ok knife that will cut things for a while and require sharpening fairly often and don't feel like paying a lot then an SRM isn't a bad choice. Out of the cheap folders I've owned and used I would definitely recommend SRM over a lot of the others.
 
I have had already bothered getting rid of all kind of cheap knives I have accumulated at the beginning of my collecting carrier. I hope I am a bit wiser now. I have got already knives for every task imaginable. So now if i buy a new knife it should be for something. For the original shape (I have had BM Vex already, and was not particularly impressed, thank you), for high quality materials (do not see any), for nice f&f (can not be simply done for that price)... So it is probably still a good knife - not going to argue about that. But if I was buying all the good knives I would certainly need some professional help. Fortunately I do not! :)
 
I have stayed out of these threads until now but thought I'd give my unsolicited 2 cents. I am not crazy about the phrase "for the money". Is it a good knife period? I don't want a crappy "for the money" anything as long as I am blessed and especially an edged tool that I use every single day. $10 to $60 is not a HUGE chasm but sure puts a lot of quality in reach. I am curious if any seasoned knifenuts have given up finer knives because they found these jewels?
 
What I've come to understand after reading posts about Sanrenmu and owning one is this... misery loves company.

I feel cheated even though it wasn't much money. Someone gave me their garbage to throw away and I paid them to let me do it.

Anyone want to make a destruction... err, I mean strength test video with this knife?
 
Thats one model...not the entire company.

I have a Delica that is as wobbly as hell...do I say Spyderco is not for me? No. I have a Buck Vantage that doesnt line up centered. I have a Rat-1 where the liner lock peeks over the right side when opened.

Maybe try their Drifter model or the 710...or none, its up to you.
 
I really wish people would stop starting threads about srm knives. It almost always ends up in a huge bitch fest.
 
I am not crazy about the phrase "for the money". Is it a good knife period?
Click to expand...

I do agree with that. In my experience, Opinel, Victorinox, Mora, and SRM make good yet affordable knives.
The "for the money" part relates to realistic expectations: you cannot expect titanium handles and S30V blade steel etc for the price.

I must say that none of my SRM knives have the OP's blade play issue. However I have a Buck 110 (the Cabela version with S30V blade) that has a slight wobble, and being a 110 it's unadjustable. I never assumed extrapolated this experience to suspecting that Bucks is a crappy brand...
One more thing, the knife above (SRM 962) is not made anymore. The more recent Enlan EL-02 is a somewhat similar looking (minus the Spyderhole) replacement that's quite a bit nicer, and still very cheap.
 
I've owned a Sanrenmu 704 for a couple of months. I am very satisfied with the knife. It came with a good edge and it is easy to keep sharp. I really don't know how well the blade holds its edge because my kitchen knives are old fashioned carbon steel knives and they need touching up a couple of times a week so I touch up my edc knives at the same time.

The fit and finish on my knife was excellent. The blade was perfectly aligned and there is absolutely no movement when locked. The knife utilizes a thumb stud and the blade opens smoothly with little effort.

The grip scales appear to be G10. They look good but the checkering is very fine and very shallow. The clip has just the proper amount of tension. It is reversible, but I have found that one of the weaknesses in Chinese knives is soft screws and I'm betting that these are the same, so I will not be experimenting with the clip.

The design of the knife is what appeals to me most. It is a very simple and classic design, nothing new, fancy, swoopy, or innovative about it. It is not a "grippy" design and that might make the knife a little dicey in some circumstances. And the knife would leave any lefty owner unhappy and frustrated. But other than those two points, It is a fine edc knife for the average guy.

BigMo66 asks a pertinent question but a loaded one. No, this knife isn't as good as a $60 dollar knife because the $60 knife has better blade steel. This knife uses 8CR13MoV. But many of the standard makers offer knives using this steel, Spyderco, SOG, CRKT, etc. And the point is that the average knife user performing his day to day knife chores will not need and likely would not appreciate a knife with better steel. I have a few high dollar knives. I value and appreciate their qualities, but the truth is, for the things that I use a knife for, those high qualities and capabilities are largely more than is needed. It's like having a 500 yard rifle when all your shots are at 100 yards.
 
In all, I find SRM, Bee, Enlan, and Navy knives to be several magnitudes of quality beyond their price, For practical day to day use, I see no reason why they won't perform more than adequately indefinitely. Some interesting designs without leaving the area of practicality, and some are quite eye catching.

But yes, individual knife quality, especially in regards to fit and finish, will vary.

- OS
 
The inevitable $hitstorm follows but there is much more to the subject than just bang for the buck. In one knife I can see 3 designers ripped off. O.K. or Blasphemous? No one has called these knives outright trash because they certainly fill a niche and have been reviewed time and time again as serviceable. I just haven't felt compelled to purchase any of these knives. $10 will get my family a full belly of Blizzards at Dairy Queen which brings smiles abound.
 
bigmo66 said:
I have stayed out of these threads until now but thought I'd give my unsolicited 2 cents. I am not crazy about the phrase "for the money". Is it a good knife period? I don't want a crappy "for the money" anything as long as I am blessed and especially an edged tool that I use every single day. $10 to $60 is not a HUGE chasm but sure puts a lot of quality in reach. I am curious if any seasoned knifenuts have given up finer knives because they found these jewels?
Click to expand...

My 710 is a "good knife period." I've been carrying it for a couple of weeks and it is still sharp, hasn't loosened up and has done everything I've asked of it. To me, that makes it a "good knife period."
As far as giving something up goes, why would I do that? I bought the 710 as an experiment; if had turned out to be a worthless POS I would have thrown it away and laughed. It is a far better knife
than my Buck Strider Tarani--that is a "rotten knife period."
 
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I cannot see your pictures because its blocked. I have bought quite a few SRms and they do not exibit play and all came sharp expect one which I suspect the seller had sold me used. I think you got a lemon.
 
Bluesummers,

If you're so unhappy about it, send it to me :D.

I have EL02 and K631 that needs much work to be what I want. Once tweaked, they're perfect for me. Fit & finish are dead on, only needing breaking in period & thinning down the edge. About thinning down, aren't most BM also come obtuse? BM also come obtuse?
 
They are good knives for the money I have more expensive knives but what I use a knife for at work you would not want to use a expensive knife for also have a
Byrd and love it years ago knives of this price range and places like China,Taiwan,and even some Japanese where junk that can not be said as fast now last crappy
knife I bought was a Buck Alpha had crap edge and sheath heck bought Cold Steel Bushman that was 15.00$ that has a 10x's better edge of that 70.00$ Buck and I
like Buck's.
 
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