whats the deal with enlan knives?

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jbmonkey

jbmonkey

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Saw a couple recomendations on this site and the brit one about these low cost chinese made knives. Looks like a model uses an axis lock like lock as well. Anybody own one of these? Are they better than the low cost s&w types or higher priced better brand chinese made knives?

Please no china bashing though. I am just interested in this brand and why some seem to like 'em. Also I have seen no negative views on them which is also interesting.
 
Enlan appears to be owned by Sanrenmu. I have a couple of Enlans in addition to some Sanrenmus, and the quality of each brand seems about the same. That is, in my opinion, you can get a medium-quality knife for a dirt-cheap price, even factoring in the shipping cost. Based on the couple of knives I've identified as Sanrenmu or Enlan and marketed under other brand names as "Made in China", you could pay 1/3 of what you would pay under that other brand. And mine have all come extremely sharp out of the box.

That said, they will be medium-quality (though they seem to be stepping up their steel in some knives) and may lack something in fit and finish.

But if you have a choice between a $25 knife with 440 steel (probably made in China anyway) and a $9 Enlan or Sanrenmu with 8Cr13MoV, the Sanrenmu/Enlan is not a bad option.
 
I'd say as a Chinese I may know more.The AXIS of Enlan is worse than SRM but better than any S&W. Ealan's AXIS is too tight,cant be closed by one hand(or will be very dangerous)

Bee and Enlan is the same factory.SRM is another.
 
Well, your mileage may vary on the quality of the AXIS lock on individual knives. I have an Enlan EL-02 and a virtually identical Enlan EL-02B. On one, the AXIS lock was extremely difficult to unlock, and even after a break-in period needs 2 hands. On the other, the lock operated fine from day one. But that's the QC you give up in exchange for the very inexpensive prices.
 
good info, thank you, Sirs.

which brings me to another question. does the srm and/or bee/enlan factories make any knives for other manufacturers? i know typically this info is very hush, hush, because if brand x was having say enlan making knives for them they wouldn't want people knowing the same knife with their brand x name on it woud cost a bit more to cover their overhead, etc. anyone in china know any info on this. to the moderators if i am crossing a big no-no line asking this, feel free to delete and give me a good smack across the head, and i apologize in advance for skimming the rules rather than digesting them completely.
 
IIRC Sal has said that their byrd line and Tenacious family are SRM made. same for buck, BM, Kershaw, Sog and most other major knife companies that have a chinese product
 
brets-ftw said:
IIRC Sal has said that their byrd line and Tenacious family are SRM made. same for buck, BM, Kershaw, Sog and most other major knife companies that have a chinese product
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very good info, thank you Sir. does srm own bee/enlan or are they entirely different companies with zero ties. i've seen it hinted both ways on the internet. thanks in advance.
 
brets-ftw said:
IIRC Sal has said that their byrd line and Tenacious family are SRM made. same for buck, BM, Kershaw, Sog and most other major knife companies that have a chinese product
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all may be true but kershaw. IIRC they have their own factory in china. no need for OEM companies like SRM.
 
@ jbmonkey - of that i have no idea, but either way im happy with the products that have come out of their factories whether its a SRM 710 or a BM Pika

@ gundude73 - Good to know, and that makes more sense then an OEM company as KAI is based out of Japan so thats what like a 2-3hr trip for HQ.
 
Sanrenmu must own or control the Bee and Enlan brands. If you look at the Bee/Enlan offerings on exduct.com, you'll see a number of them displayed on the sanrenmu.com folding knife page (http://sanrenmu.com/en/foldingknives/series/all.php).

The other Chinese manufacturers I have bought from -- Navy and Ganzo -- seem to be independent of Sanrenmu.
 
brets-ftw said:
IIRC Sal has said that their byrd line and Tenacious family are SRM made. same for buck, BM, Kershaw, Sog and most other major knife companies that have a chinese product
Click to expand...

Some sort of proof is pretty important when making such statements.
 
Gadfly22 said:
Sanrenmu must own or control the Bee and Enlan brands. If you look at the Bee/Enlan offerings on exduct.com, you'll see a number of them displayed on the sanrenmu.com folding knife page (http://sanrenmu.com/en/foldingknives/series/all.php).

The other Chinese manufacturers I have bought from -- Navy and Ganzo -- seem to be independent of Sanrenmu.
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It's only recently. Previously no models overlap between them. What happens between them is left for guessing, unless someone has insider story.

Enlan has a bit higher in the hardness, based on my experience with 3-4 Sanrenmu and 2 Enlans, during reprofiling & sharpening. The sharpness lasts longer too.
 
Tony8179 said:
Some sort of proof is pretty important when making such statements.
Click to expand...

I remember a while back a thread which linked to SRM's website which stated that SRM is the company which made the Tenacious and Benchmade Vex. I'll see if I can find the thread.
 
I have several EL-01 (both a and b) and it is an outstanding knife and easily worth much more. It has solid lockup, zero bladeplay, and a perfectly centered blade. Qualities that more expensive knife manufacturers still struggle with. The EL-01 flips open with ease and has very good ergonomics. If it had a premium steel, it would be a serious competitor with the zt0200, if not already (personally I'd rather have 10 EL-01s than a single zt0200). I also like the EL-01 as it appears to be a original design. The enlans use torx construction with nicer barrel spacers compared to srm, at least in the models I've handled.

I've had an EL-02 but didn't like it. The axis lock was stiff and difficult to disengage with one thumb (I had to pull back with both the thumb and forefinger). There was slight bladeplay and there were minor finishing issues with the scales. Also, I felt the thumb stud placement was a little off.

I'm typing this on my phone, when I get back home I'll update with pics of my EL-01 knives, including the ones that were wave modded by STR (he said he was so impressed after he handled mine that he bought one for himself...hope he doesn't mind me sharing that).
 
very good info gentlemen. i appreciate all the feedback and insight by all. i got allot more than i expected, so thank you.
 
I have the EL-02b. Bought it on a whim expecting to be disappointed. It's actually a very well made usable knife.
 
I have both EL01 and EL02. EL02 requires some breaking in, upon which the axis lock won't be so stiff anymore. EL01 also required some breaking in to make the flip works without wrist action.

Both are solid. No bladeplay. Steel is good, hold edge ok for daily use, better than SRM.

Posted several times on the forum about this, just check out my other posts .. ;)
 
jbmonkey said:
Saw a couple recomendations on this site and the brit one about these low cost chinese made knives. Looks like a model uses an axis lock like lock as well. Anybody own one of these? Are they better than the low cost s&w types or higher priced better brand chinese made knives?

Please no china bashing though. I am just interested in this brand and why some seem to like 'em. Also I have seen no negative views on them which is also interesting.
Click to expand...

The Enlan EL-02 sometimes has very slight vertical blade play.
The EL-01 is an awesome beast. Easily worth 5 times the price. No joke.

You may also see knives marked BEE, that's a sub-brand of Enlan.

The BEE L05 and L06 are solid EDC knives.

Overall quality is very good, very similar to Sanrenmu. Beats the hell out of the couple of S&W knives i've handled.
 
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