Maximumbob54
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2024
- Messages
- 1,566
So I did a few things:
Sog Tellus ATK
Maserin 500 EB Arno
Benchmade Mini Griptillian - older oval hole model
Ganzo Firebird FB760
So, first up, the Maserin... No likey...
She came with a miserable edge that had to be sharpened day one. Wasn't even worth trying out first. I wouldn't have opened the package it came in. And if you look close, I missed the plunge line not being aligned to the stone I used which also torqued me. My fault but it's also crap design or quality control. And I will never complain about a Sebenza being hard on the thumb to open EVER again. This thing is insane. And if you loosen it at all it gets the worst blade wobble. The ebony looks nice and I bet if I hit it with a little Ren wax it would really pop but I could just care less about this thing. It will be regulated to the back of the bin as soon as this is over. Ugh.
The shocker in the group:
I had the lowest expectations on the Ganzo. I've read nothing but bad reviews. I've bought a few over the years as give away fodder to people I know will just use or trash them but as sacrificial lambs strictly because they are cheap. I don't think this model is a clone or if it is I'm totally unfamiliar with it but I'm aware they are fast and loose with copy and paste of other people's homework. I don't like it but I also look at all the "Not Buck 110's" I have from all the other US brands and I'm not sure what to think. Eh, not what this is about. I thought the Chinese 440C would be pop can rotted car bumper dumpster fire heat treat trash twinky pot metal steel. The one and only thing that held this blade back was the thick behind the edge wide angle grind lower saber. Which is a lot actually. But still. It cut and just kept cutting. Meh cutting, but kept on meh cutting for a long time. Still meh cutting on the factory edge with no real issue. I've rotated through these for months now. Boxes, twine, tape, poly straps, and just for grins I was cutting chunks off a broken piece of pallet wood. Junk knife don't care, junk knife just cut. Fascinating but boring.
Sog Tellus ATK and Benchmade Mini Griptillian were the two winners of the group:
First off, the Sog.... Another one I had low expectations from some not glamorous reviews. A lot of people have some not nice things to say about this one. I won't call them out but so far I've not had issues. It's not seen some of the goofier harder use that Ganzo has had yet but I'll keep at it. Up front, it is a liner lock and it is assisted opening. I don't care for liner locking knives but I can deal with it for this. And I love my Leeks and Blurs so what is one more AO knife in the group. The pocket clip has to have been an ex Cold Steel employee though as it has the same short overly strong and set too low on the scale. Eh. But if feels mighty in hang and the edge slices through everything I've put in front of it so far. It's done great in the garden and even the little bit of dirt and rocks haven't ruined the edge yet. It's lost that grabby hair popping edge but it will still not quite cleanly slice through paper. So It's due for at least a stropping. But after all the bad reviews I thought breathing too close to it would make it fall apart and the edge run away crying. I intend to continue using this one into the future as well. To add... There is another version of this that is larger and while it's still technically a liner lock it acts like a frame lock. It's a steel liner but has a chunk of color matching plastic molded to the liner lock making it function like a frame lock. Obviously the plastic will not hold up like a real frame lock thus my insistence on still calling it a liner lock. It's also not assisted opening either. But it's a brick in the pocket so I bought the ATK and didn't look back.
The older model Mini Grip should be the winner here. I say should be because that thick blade may make it a pocket beast but it also keeps it from being a nice slicer like the SOG is. This was a used purchase and I don't know what the previous owner did with this knife but this knife was rode hard and put away wet for sure. Lucky for the knife, diamonds are an edge's best friend. This one just got a touch up tonight with the Work Sharp 400 grit diamond plate. There's still a little edge damage close to the tip but I just don't feel like having to grind and grind to get to it when the rest of the edge is perfect. And oh how I miss the oval with the relieved edge. I wish they would go back to that. No down it was a cost reduction measure going to the Spydie hole. And I've wondered how all the FRN, GFN, fancy plastic handles would wear with enough honest use over time and it turns out not so bad. So my only real complaint is the same old thick behind the edge complaint I have about any knife that has that "feature" in the design. It's tough but it's also tough to slice with it.
My conclusion to all this messing about is that with all the advancement we've had from 154CM to VG-10 and so on it's not like 440C deserved to be left behind in the dust of time. I wish it was a more common budget friendly option still available. It's surely better than all the 420HC, 440A, AUS6 and 8, and probably a slew more options. It looks like it's still readily available in the US so I don't know why it's not an option. I can go to multiple online retailers and search by steel type and input 440C and you go from thousands of options in knives to a single page or two. What gives??? I like it and it shouldn't all come from China now. It's hard to believe it's more cost effective to buy Sandvik and other budget options from EU to use on US knives that it would be to use US produced steel. Obviously we're not beating Chinese pricing but surely we can beat out EU pricing including all the tax and shipping?
Let's see some 440C back as an option and with some good heat treating!!!
Last second add, I keep rereading this and finding more poor grammar. Some is intentional and some isn't. I suck but I give up.
Sog Tellus ATK
Maserin 500 EB Arno
Benchmade Mini Griptillian - older oval hole model
Ganzo Firebird FB760
So, first up, the Maserin... No likey...
She came with a miserable edge that had to be sharpened day one. Wasn't even worth trying out first. I wouldn't have opened the package it came in. And if you look close, I missed the plunge line not being aligned to the stone I used which also torqued me. My fault but it's also crap design or quality control. And I will never complain about a Sebenza being hard on the thumb to open EVER again. This thing is insane. And if you loosen it at all it gets the worst blade wobble. The ebony looks nice and I bet if I hit it with a little Ren wax it would really pop but I could just care less about this thing. It will be regulated to the back of the bin as soon as this is over. Ugh.
The shocker in the group:
I had the lowest expectations on the Ganzo. I've read nothing but bad reviews. I've bought a few over the years as give away fodder to people I know will just use or trash them but as sacrificial lambs strictly because they are cheap. I don't think this model is a clone or if it is I'm totally unfamiliar with it but I'm aware they are fast and loose with copy and paste of other people's homework. I don't like it but I also look at all the "Not Buck 110's" I have from all the other US brands and I'm not sure what to think. Eh, not what this is about. I thought the Chinese 440C would be pop can rotted car bumper dumpster fire heat treat trash twinky pot metal steel. The one and only thing that held this blade back was the thick behind the edge wide angle grind lower saber. Which is a lot actually. But still. It cut and just kept cutting. Meh cutting, but kept on meh cutting for a long time. Still meh cutting on the factory edge with no real issue. I've rotated through these for months now. Boxes, twine, tape, poly straps, and just for grins I was cutting chunks off a broken piece of pallet wood. Junk knife don't care, junk knife just cut. Fascinating but boring.
Sog Tellus ATK and Benchmade Mini Griptillian were the two winners of the group:
First off, the Sog.... Another one I had low expectations from some not glamorous reviews. A lot of people have some not nice things to say about this one. I won't call them out but so far I've not had issues. It's not seen some of the goofier harder use that Ganzo has had yet but I'll keep at it. Up front, it is a liner lock and it is assisted opening. I don't care for liner locking knives but I can deal with it for this. And I love my Leeks and Blurs so what is one more AO knife in the group. The pocket clip has to have been an ex Cold Steel employee though as it has the same short overly strong and set too low on the scale. Eh. But if feels mighty in hang and the edge slices through everything I've put in front of it so far. It's done great in the garden and even the little bit of dirt and rocks haven't ruined the edge yet. It's lost that grabby hair popping edge but it will still not quite cleanly slice through paper. So It's due for at least a stropping. But after all the bad reviews I thought breathing too close to it would make it fall apart and the edge run away crying. I intend to continue using this one into the future as well. To add... There is another version of this that is larger and while it's still technically a liner lock it acts like a frame lock. It's a steel liner but has a chunk of color matching plastic molded to the liner lock making it function like a frame lock. Obviously the plastic will not hold up like a real frame lock thus my insistence on still calling it a liner lock. It's also not assisted opening either. But it's a brick in the pocket so I bought the ATK and didn't look back.
The older model Mini Grip should be the winner here. I say should be because that thick blade may make it a pocket beast but it also keeps it from being a nice slicer like the SOG is. This was a used purchase and I don't know what the previous owner did with this knife but this knife was rode hard and put away wet for sure. Lucky for the knife, diamonds are an edge's best friend. This one just got a touch up tonight with the Work Sharp 400 grit diamond plate. There's still a little edge damage close to the tip but I just don't feel like having to grind and grind to get to it when the rest of the edge is perfect. And oh how I miss the oval with the relieved edge. I wish they would go back to that. No down it was a cost reduction measure going to the Spydie hole. And I've wondered how all the FRN, GFN, fancy plastic handles would wear with enough honest use over time and it turns out not so bad. So my only real complaint is the same old thick behind the edge complaint I have about any knife that has that "feature" in the design. It's tough but it's also tough to slice with it.
My conclusion to all this messing about is that with all the advancement we've had from 154CM to VG-10 and so on it's not like 440C deserved to be left behind in the dust of time. I wish it was a more common budget friendly option still available. It's surely better than all the 420HC, 440A, AUS6 and 8, and probably a slew more options. It looks like it's still readily available in the US so I don't know why it's not an option. I can go to multiple online retailers and search by steel type and input 440C and you go from thousands of options in knives to a single page or two. What gives??? I like it and it shouldn't all come from China now. It's hard to believe it's more cost effective to buy Sandvik and other budget options from EU to use on US knives that it would be to use US produced steel. Obviously we're not beating Chinese pricing but surely we can beat out EU pricing including all the tax and shipping?
Let's see some 440C back as an option and with some good heat treating!!!
Last second add, I keep rereading this and finding more poor grammar. Some is intentional and some isn't. I suck but I give up.
