Unhappy with fit and finish budget blade.

not2sharp said:
The problem here is that your knife was made by a bunch of thieving jerks who didn't give a damn about you, the knife or the brand. They figure if the thing looks good enough to photograph, they can get money from your pocket and you would either be to ignorant or ashamed to ever call them on it. Don't deal with these people. The knife community is rich in excellent production companies and independent makers; who know how to respect their customers and who go out of their way to produce many of the best knives that anyone has ever experienced. These knives are often as inexpensive as the thing that you just bought, but they are made to work.

Spyderco's Bryd line is their entry point for future Spyderco customers, and an excellent line of knives that mimic many of their classic designs at prices and quality levels that are very affordable.

Kershaw knives are another excellent entry level knife that can range from under $20 to around $150. Their higher end line is ZT Knives.

Cold Steel is a very innovative company that makes a huge assortment of products for all levels of users. Their Tri-ad lock is considered by many to be one of the strongest folder locks on the market. Despite their over the top marketing style, they make many good solid knives at a wide range of price points.

Ontario, is best known for their fixed bladed knives but they do makes a few really good folders (the Rat series) at very reasonable prices.

And there are many others out there like them. Go with a knife that you like from one of these companies and you will still be happy with the knife 20 years from now.

Remember: no one is holding a gun to your head to force you to buy junk. Stop doing that to yourself. Pay attention and you will end up with much better knives.

n2s
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The Hawk is a pretty knife but I think it's 440A and it's just not up to the current budget standard. Budget knives have come a long way in the last few years. Now you can get decent manual actions down around $20. We're seeing a lot of companies using better steels. For instance, lots of companies are using Chinese D2 in the $20-30 range. Tangram is using Acuto 440 and Ruike has a few knives drifting down into that bracket with 14C28N.

Check out the Tangram Santa Fe. It's an exceptional budget EDC knife that can be found around the same price as your Boker Magnum Hawk. Fit and finish are decent. Action is smooth. The Acuto 440 is a much better steel. The cutting geometry is fantastic.
 
Mattswan2512 said:
Thanks for your straight talking danke 42 i appreciate a straight shooter.
I think my issue is that i see a spiderco for example and ive held them.and i just dont see why they cost what they do because yes they are a great brand and have ok steels etc but put them next to a ganzo for example i can't justify that cost gap.

This latest purchase is the only knife im disapointed with in fit and finish. Yes i am a budget purchaser and i want to collect and to use every now and then (i carry a knife everyday)
I am young i guess at 36, thanks for the compliment ;)

I earn good money and can buy better knives but its a case of i see it i like it...and i also think if i but a ganzo that is close to an ontario rat 1 for example in handle shape etc i can see if i want to spend the money on the pricy blade.

How i see it.
Im very keen to learn and altho im happy with sharpening etc i need more practice to get an even grind free hand on both sides, stropping i have nailed now and can get a shaving sharp edge.
Im learning about different grinds but the next important thing for me is learning about steels so cant wait to learn from you folk on good steels for what applications.

Thanks again for all your advice i really do appreciate it the good and the bad :)
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Welcome!
I think you have gotten some pretty good advise here so far.
As you can probably tell by now, Ganzo doesn't get much love or respect around these parts, and for good reason! Use the search function to delve deeper down that hole if you desire.
 
danbot said:
Welcome!
I think you have gotten some pretty good advise here so far.
As you can probably tell by now, Ganzo doesn't get much love or respect around these parts, and for good reason! Use the search function to delve deeper down that hole if you desire.
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Im more than aware of that deep pit...lololol but i will say this the fit and finish and action on the FH11 is as good as any blade ive held or fidgeted with up to £100 cuz never had a higher budget knife in my hands than that
I think for a social experiment folks should order 1 and see......go on just do it lol
 
Mattswan2512 said:
Im more than aware of that deep pit...lololol but i will say this the fit and finish and action on the FH11 is as good as any blade ive held or fidgeted with up to £100 cuz never had a higher budget knife in my hands than that
I think for a social experiment folks should order 1 and see......go on just do it lol
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You know what would be a better social experiment? If everyone tossed their Ganzo knives in the bin and resolved not to support IP theft with their future knife purchases, if even just for the sake of pride of ownership. ;)
 
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I have an old discontinued Kershaw Vapor III that I got for about $12 on clearance several years ago. After YEARS of hard use the knife looks like it was drug behind a truck, but it's still ticking. The knife is perfectly centered, lockup is great, and the action on that knife is still so smooth that it literally drops shut once I unlock it. No need to buy from those who steal designs, you can get a high quality name brand knife for about what a Victorinox costs.
 
You can't mention Ganzo here without kicking up a swarm of angry bees. They've copied a lot of designs and design features. I think that's in poor taste but at the same time, I understand that Chinese manufacturing is a different world. They function under different laws. They serve other places within the global economy. There are lots of companies doing different things. For instance, there are amazing companies like WE and Bestech. There are truly unscrupulous companies making actual counterfeits with fake stamps and packaging. There are companies (including Ganzo) making legitimate knives anonymously for other companies. Who knows which workers, managers, or companies got their start where; which facilities they're using; or what kinds of deals they've got in place? Knowing a few ex-pats working in other sectors of Chinese manufacturing, I've heard about "knock-offs" being made one assembly line over by same workers in the same factories. It's worth taking that into account before making black-and-white judgements.

Personally, I won't buy a knock-off but I'm okay with Ganzo's original designs. Some of those are actually quite nice and represent a pretty good value. Since we're talking about $20-something knives here, the FH series is welcome competition to the 8Cr13Mov lines from Kershaw and CRKT, or 440A junk like the knife in the original post. For those who want to vote with their dollars, Ganzo isn't going away. However, they may find value in concentrating their resources on originals like the FH line.
 
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