The latest Ganzo Firebird D2 knives

[MolokaiRider]

Imitation is the highest form of flattery.

But it’s important to pay respects to the pioneers. Don’t just take without asking.

That’s kinda why I don’t support the company.

 

[RustyIron]

I'm also sure that some people on this forum also do have some Ganzo knives, but they don't dare to speak about them here.

I've never been one to conceal my thoughts for fear of what others might think, so I'll answer your question.

I have two Ganzo's sitting here in a desk drawer. I bought them because I wanted to examine their execution of the Benchmade Axis lock. Understand that these are by no means top-shelf knives. The blade centering is off, the lock mechanism is not quite as easy to operate as the real deal, and the whole knife just isn't quite as rigid as a non-import. But the damn things were twenty bucks! For the money, they're really not a bad buy.

I'm looking at these knives as I type this, and next to them in this drawer is a top-self knife from a renowned knife maker who shall remain nameless. The fit and finish of the Ganzo far surpasses this American knife maker. <Cough... Harbor City... Cough>

I really like carrying and using more expensive knives. But if I was on a budget, I could throw one of these Ganzos in my pocket and be quite happy.

 

[Biochemdawg]

I don’t have any experience with Ganzo D2. Thee was a Ganzo knife that looked identical to a Byrd Meadowlark labeled as 440C and liked it more than the aus8 of the Meadowlark. My father preferred the meadowlark over a Delica so it was a nobrainer to grab him a bunch of different colored Ganzos. He loves not worrying about losing them

 

[DocJD]

Outside the rarified confines of the "higher quality members" of this august forum , Ganzo actually enjoys a fairly respectable international reputation for value and quality in the budget/bargain consumer realm .

I am NOT promoting them or defending their questionable business practices regarding copying .

But that is an entirely separate issue (IMHO) than the basic performance of their products. (YMMV ! )

IMHO , if this forum truly desires to be "the consumers reports " of the knife world , then a more rational and balanced (less hysterical / morally outraged ) approach might be more believable than the norm response here .

I don't necessarily recommend the brand, especially for those with the funds for better . I only own a bare handful myself . Not overly impressed .

OK for the price, but not any serious competition for the popular name brands most beloved here . Especially ...Cold Steel ! But also Spyderco , KAI , etc ...and even BM (sort of ) .

Therefore , I've never understood the big overblown fuss frenzy .

Why all the anger and hostility ?

Who is being hurt , exactly, by this "cheap junky off brand" ?

Why the fear ?

 

[Danke42]

Outside the rarified confines of the "higher quality members" of this august forum , Ganzo actually enjoys a fairly respectable international reputation for value and quality in the budget/bargain consumer realm .

I am NOT promoting them or defending their questionable business practices regarding copying .

But that is an entirely separate issue (IMHO) than the basic performance of their products. (YMMV ! )

IMHO , if this forum truly desires to be "the consumers reports " of the knife world , then a more rational and balanced (less hysterical / morally outraged ) approach might be more believable than the norm response here .

I don't necessarily recommend the brand, especially for those with the funds for better . I only own a bare handful myself . Not overly impressed .

OK for the price, but not any serious competition for the popular name brands most beloved here . Especially ...Cold Steel ! But also Spyderco , KAI , etc ...and even BM (sort of ) .

Therefore , I've never understood the big overblown fuss frenzy .

Why all the anger and hostility ?

Who is being hurt , exactly, by this "cheap junky off brand" ?

Why the fear ?

You couldn't be more wrong. Just about every you have said regarding the way Ganzo is regarded is false.

Lots of crooks and liars are well liked by others who are ignorant of their bad intent or by others who are less than honest.

Ganzo knives are the fruit of a poisoned tree.

 

[Ebenvoila]

Many thanks for all your contributions, all this is very interesting.
I own all the knives that are in my signature.
I also bought other knives before that I offered to some of my family members and some others that I threw away.
The knives I threw away were for example Ontario RAT 1 and II copies, they were really cheap, but in no point comparable to the original versions.
I also bought a Y - START JIN02 for $15, that was really appreciated by some youtube members, but I really didn't like it, and I threw it away.
The knives listed in my signature (Kershaw Dividend Composite, Kershaw Dividend Grey, Kershaw Dividend GFN, Böker Plus Mini Tech-Tool City 1, Böker Plus Urban Trapper Cocobolo, Ontario RAT 2 D2 black blade, Ontario RAT 1 D2, Sanrenmu 1161, Ruike P108-SF, Sanrenmu 7073 LUX, Victorinox Sentinel, Victorinox Climber, Real Steel Thor T101 Special Edition) are good knives IMO. Although I wouldn't really use Victorinox because they don't seem to be robust.
I used my Ontario RAT II D2, a little bit, but the blade is not centered anymore. The Kershaw Dividend (All 3 versions I own) seems really better in that way.
I was looking in the internet for a really cheap knife I would like, buy some of them and could use without taking care of them, just for my curiosity. I bought some Sanrenmu 7073 LUX for this two years ago, and still use them, but they often need to be sharpened their price was around 10 €.
I didn't buy any Ganzo for the moment, so I have no opinion about the quality of this brand.
The model that seems to be fine for me would be the Firebird FH21:

I like the blade shape and the size. It's a flipper with ball bearings, early liner lock, has real D2 Steel, and it would cost approximately $26 / 24€.
I like flippers with ball bearings and liner lock or frame lock. I also really like the action of my Sanrenmu 1161 but like less it's blade shape, and it's too heavy and too big to wear in my pocket all day long.

I think that Ganzo is creating this Firebird series, maybe later the Ganzo brand name will even disappear, because of it's past and detestable reputation.
I know it's a Chinese company, but I think that the best way to improve the situation would be to encourage them by buying their inhouse designed knives instead of poor copies.
What I also think is that even when some people make the mistake of buying copies, they are only bad copies and not more than that.
I don't think that nowadays a company can continue to exist only by making copies of other brands items.

 

[DocJD]

You couldn't be more wrong. Just about every you have said regarding the way Ganzo is regarded is false.

Lots of crooks and liars are well liked by others who are ignorant of their bad intent or by others who are less than honest.

Ganzo knives are the fruit of a poisoned tree.

I wasn't referring to their business practices or the opinions of their competitors , only the actual consumers who buy and use their products . Probably NOT knife collector / hobbyists , primarily .

 

[TheEdge01]

I’ve never owned, seen, or handled a Ganzo knife, but they seem to get plenty of positive reviews regarding their quality and competitive prices. If Ganzo’s tainted reputation doesn’t bother you, you will probably get a high quality knife for a reasonable price.
If you are open to suggestions, Ruike, Civivi, Artisan, and Kizer brands are worth taking a look at.

 

[Ebenvoila]

Yes I'm open to suggestions
I also already know these brands, and took a look at them, and I will continue.

 

[Ebenvoila]

What do you think about these?

 

[DangerZone98]

Outside the rarified confines of the "higher quality members" of this august forum , Ganzo actually enjoys a fairly respectable international reputation for value and quality in the budget/bargain consumer realm .

I am NOT promoting them or defending their questionable business practices regarding copying .

But that is an entirely separate issue (IMHO) than the basic performance of their products. (YMMV ! )

IMHO , if this forum truly desires to be "the consumers reports " of the knife world , then a more rational and balanced (less hysterical / morally outraged ) approach might be more believable than the norm response here .

I don't necessarily recommend the brand, especially for those with the funds for better . I only own a bare handful myself . Not overly impressed .

OK for the price, but not any serious competition for the popular name brands most beloved here . Especially ...Cold Steel ! But also Spyderco , KAI , etc ...and even BM (sort of ) .

Therefore , I've never understood the big overblown fuss frenzy .

Why all the anger and hostility ?

Who is being hurt , exactly, by this "cheap junky off brand" ?

Why the fear ?

Can’t speak for the others here as I only have my two cents, but here goes. I don’t hate the company as I think life is far too short to entertain resentment. I just think that there are other makers out there who offer better quality products, more robust customer service, and more reliable warranties.

True, no company is perfect. But certainly, there are brands that we trust more than others. An $80 Endura may be four times the price of a $20 Ganzo, but I have many times more faith in the former in terms of build quality, fit and finish, edge retention, lockup, etc. I’m also fairly confident the Endura will offer way more years of service than any cheap knockoff. My 2012 Endura hasn’t failed me yet.

I don’t trust Ganzo, but I don’t judge folk who buy their products. You’re free to do as you please with your hard-earned money. I can only encourage you to purchase from reputable brands that you can rely on.

 

[DangerZone98]

Yes I'm open to suggestions
I also already know these brands, and took a look at them, and I will continue.

Great! I’m not sure of your taste in knives, but budget EDC choices that worked for me include the Spyderco Resilience, the Cold Steel Rajah 3, and the ESEE Izula. They may not be in the exact same price range as Ganzos, but they’re dependable knives.

At the end of the day bud, only you know your needs best. You can heed these suggestions or you can ignore them, no harm done. Have fun with the hobby!

 

[Ebenvoila]

The Steel Will Intrigue F45M could also be ok, but it has washers.

 

[craytab]

Outside the rarified confines of the "higher quality members" of this august forum , Ganzo actually enjoys a fairly respectable international reputation for value and quality in the budget/bargain consumer realm .

I am NOT promoting them or defending their questionable business practices regarding copying .

But that is an entirely separate issue (IMHO) than the basic performance of their products. (YMMV ! )

IMHO , if this forum truly desires to be "the consumers reports " of the knife world , then a more rational and balanced (less hysterical / morally outraged ) approach might be more believable than the norm response here .

I don't necessarily recommend the brand, especially for those with the funds for better . I only own a bare handful myself . Not overly impressed .

OK for the price, but not any serious competition for the popular name brands most beloved here . Especially ...Cold Steel ! But also Spyderco , KAI , etc ...and even BM (sort of ) .

Therefore , I've never understood the big overblown fuss frenzy .

Why all the anger and hostility ?

Who is being hurt , exactly, by this "cheap junky off brand" ?

Why the fear ?

You are wrong on so many levels. We've had this argument many times and you know exactly where you are wrong and why. Your lack of understanding of this is either willful ignorance or trolling.

The forum has a clear stance on this. If you continue to disagree publicly you will continue to be told why you are wrong.

 

[craytab]

Ganzo has copied designs and design elements from other companies. This has caused some people to become permanent and uncompromising haters. Personally, I think it is in poor taste to outright copy a design. Living in the places, cultures, and market environments that many of us do, where we can buy a Spyderco or a Benchmade, we may have a particular perspective. That perspective can make seeing an inexpensive Ganzo that looks like a Spyderco or Benchmade feel offensive or wrong. That's certainly reasonable based on that perspective. However, it does ignore some of the realities of both Chinese manufacturing and the global marketplace.

I think it's worth being sensitive to that. It's worth understanding how Chinese companies might get started, the history of OEM contracting, etc. (Knowing American Expats working in other sectors of Asian manufacturing, I've heard stories about name-brand garments, their knock-offs, and store-brand equivalents all being made in the same factories by the same workers one line over from each other.) I also think that it's worth recognizing that there is a sea of actual counterfeits with fake labels coming out of China. There are tons of knives with fake steel stamps. Both of those things are a hundred times worse in my opinion.

What matters to me is that Ganzo has started making their own designs. The FH series knives represent new designs, in decent materials for the price, often with good fit and finish for the price. That line continues to grow. They've also started a new line at the next quality tier up. That's good and I hope they keep going in that direction. As far as the few FH series knives I've owned, they've been pretty good for the price.

Just repeating the same spiel on this subject over and over doesn't change the facts surrounding ganzo or this forum's stance on companies like ganzo.

Folks interested should search the name.

 

[vwb563]

I shamefully admit I own one Ganzo. I won it on a popular online auction site for like $18. I don’t remember the model name but it was a Firebird button lock with aluminum handles and supposed 440c blade. It was supposed to be new when I got it and it did indeed appear new but the blade wasn’t centered well. After examining it more closely I discovered the blade had a slight bend at about half an inch from the tip making it appear off centered. So I thought what the heck I’m gonna try to straighten it. If it breaks I only gave $18 bucks for it. I wedged the blade into a crack between two 2x4’s up to where to bend was and bent it in the opposite direction thinking the blade would snap any moment. It didn’t. The blade actually bent back to straight surprisingly easily indicating a lousy heat treat. Now on to the pocket clip. I didn’t like the clip’s pocket tension feeling kinda weak so I thought I’ll remove it and bend it a little to give it more tension. Wrong! When I tried to remove the torx screws the heads were so soft my T6 bit stripped out the heads instead of breaking them free. I guessing they had thread locker on them. I’ve removed many clip screws from Benchmades, Spyderco’s, Kershaws, ZTs, and etc. I have never had any of their heads strip out as easily as these did. So now this pitiful excuse of knife now resides in my tool box as gasket scraper. The really sad thing is could have bought a nice scraper a lot cheaper than $18.

 

[Chronovore]

Just repeating the same spiel on this subject over and over doesn't change the facts surrounding ganzo or this forum's stance on companies like ganzo.

Folks interested should search the name.

Well, I'm a part of this forum and that's my stance on it. I think my perspective is valid. I took the time to share it in a new thread where somebody asked. You responded to my post but you didn't actually discuss anything I said in any detail or share anything even remotely interesting about it.

The OP alluded to the storm of hate that pours forth whenever anyone mentions Ganzo. We all get it because you "repeat the same spiel over and over again". The difference is that you don't do it with any degree of time, effort, detail, or civil generosity to the slightest possibility that any other perspective might have the tiniest bit of merit. Frankly, it's tiresome. Is it even worth asking whether you read my previous post before responding?

 

[herisson]

I just don't get why one of the fakest brand ever is brought up again and again. Odds are high their D2 is nowhere real D2, the construction is crap and the F&F is on par. "Oh well, it was only 20 $ !". For twice that price, you can get a knife that will serve you a lifetime. Hint : Rough Rider (not twice, same price), Case, Ontario, Buck... Just from the top of my head. And there is the BF's Knife Maker Market where you can get a one of its kind for just some bucks more.

 

[Chronovore]

I just don't get why one of the fakest brand ever is brought up again and again. Odds are high their D2 is nowhere real D2, the construction is crap and the F&F is on par. "Oh well, it was only 20 $ !". For twice that price, you can get a knife that will serve you a lifetime. Hint : Rough Rider (not twice, same price), Case, Ontario, Buck... Just from the top of my head. And there is the BF's Knife Maker Market where you can get a one of its kind for just some bucks more.

It keeps getting brought up because their FH line of knives offer original designs, decent materials, and reasonably good fit and finish relative to a $20-something price tag. Compared to a lot of similarly priced knives in 8Cr13Mov (or worse), these knives can be an awesome bargain for people in certain situations.

As far as any "odds", independent tests have confirmed that Ganzo's FH knives use Chinese D2 at hardness levels north of 60 HRC. Now, that doesn't mean that they'll perform as well as American-made knives in D2 that cost several times as much. However, they have performed as well as some other Chinese D2 knives from companies such as Steel Will in various cut tests.

I tend to prefer my Civivi, Bestech, and Kizer knives for EDC. However, I do have an FH11 and I have carried it. I got it on a lark for dirty/hard use, and to see just how bad it would be. I was surprised. The action is decent. Lock-up is still solid after more than a year. The blade came very sharp and holds up far better than similarly priced knives I've had in 8Cr13Mov.

 

[Insipid Moniker]

Many thanks for all your contributions, all this is very interesting.
I own all the knives that are in my signature.
I also bought other knives before that I offered to some of my family members and some others that I threw away.
The knives I threw away were for example Ontario RAT 1 and II copies, they were really cheap, but in no point comparable to the original versions.
I also bought a Y - START JIN02 for $15, that was really appreciated by some youtube members, but I really didn't like it, and I threw it away.
The knives listed in my signature (Kershaw Dividend Composite, Kershaw Dividend Grey, Kershaw Dividend GFN, Böker Plus Mini Tech-Tool City 1, Böker Plus Urban Trapper Cocobolo, Ontario RAT 2 D2 black blade, Ontario RAT 1 D2, Sanrenmu 1161, Ruike P108-SF, Sanrenmu 7073 LUX, Victorinox Sentinel, Victorinox Climber, Real Steel Thor T101 Special Edition) are good knives IMO. Although I wouldn't really use Victorinox because they don't seem to be robust.
I used my Ontario RAT II D2, a little bit, but the blade is not centered anymore. The Kershaw Dividend (All 3 versions I own) seems really better in that way.
I was looking in the internet for a really cheap knife I would like, buy some of them and could use without taking care of them, just for my curiosity. I bought some Sanrenmu 7073 LUX for this two years ago, and still use them, but they often need to be sharpened their price was around 10 €.
I didn't buy any Ganzo for the moment, so I have no opinion about the quality of this brand.
The model that seems to be fine for me would be the Firebird FH21:

I like the blade shape and the size. It's a flipper with ball bearings, early liner lock, has real D2 Steel, and it would cost approximately $26 / 24€.
I like flippers with ball bearings and liner lock or frame lock. I also really like the action of my Sanrenmu 1161 but like less it's blade shape, and it's too heavy and too big to wear in my pocket all day long.

I think that Ganzo is creating this Firebird series, maybe later the Ganzo brand name will even disappear, because of it's past and detestable reputation.
I know it's a Chinese company, but I think that the best way to improve the situation would be to encourage them by buying their inhouse designed knives instead of poor copies.
What I also think is that even when some people make the mistake of buying copies, they are only bad copies and not more than that.
I don't think that nowadays a company can continue to exist only by making copies of other brands items.

How do you know it's real D2? Serious question.