Ganzo fh21

joneb · Jul 21, 2020

I just received this knife and my first impressions are favorable, https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LB1PJS9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, for $20 I don't think I could find a better folder. I have two gripes with this knife, one it's a tip up carry right hand only clip I prefer tip down, two the liner lock only engages 25% of the blade, I will need to address that maybe.
I was so impressed with this value I ordered another.

rust collector · Jul 21, 2020

I don't know about their quality, but Ganzo seems to be held in low esteem by some blade folks because that brand imitates the designs of other makers rather closely. Depends, I suppose, on your regard for intellectual property and rewarding outstanding design.

joneb · Jul 21, 2020

rust collector said:
Ganzo seems to be held in low esteem by some blade folks because that brand imitates the designs of other makers rather closely.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07LB1PJS9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, it does not appear to be the case with this knife, let me know if it is. It appears to be a original design what ever that means?

joneb · Jul 21, 2020

rust collector said:
Ganzo seems to be held in low esteem by some blade folks because that brand imitates the designs

The only knife I can think to compare it to is the Bench made 940. Sort of, based on size and weight.

rust collector · Jul 22, 2020

That is an attractive knife with an amazing price point for D2 and G10. The lines are vaguely familiar, but I can't match it up at the moment. Check out their 727, which looks like an Ontario Rat with a better lock. Their 759 model clearly has Spyderco/Byrd features. Amazon customers rate them highly, however, so build quality must be up to snuff.

JShirley · Jul 22, 2020

I will reluctantly use a linerlock from companies with great QC like Spyderco. I would never, ever use a "value" priced liner, whatever the steel.

As rust collector said, the 727 is a good shape with a stronger lock. It's not D2, but so what? D2 isn't a great small knife steel, anyway.

John

hso · Jul 22, 2020

joneb said:
the liner lock only engages 25% of the blade,

Which 25% is engaged, the liner or the tang? If the liner, the knife is unsafe. If the tang, you want a liner lock to engage the tang with room left to wear in and provide a secure lockup.

Please take a snap and post it.

Ganzon/Firebird is a hated brand for knife enthusiasts for their theft of intellectual property, but customers that avoid the knockoffs may help move the company to stop stealing other people's work (not likely but anything is possible).

For the price you've bought a nice looking knife. No assurances on anything else.

joneb · Jul 23, 2020

hso said:
Which 25% is engaged, the liner or the tang? If the liner, the knife is unsafe. If the tang, you want a liner lock to engage the tang with room left to wear in and provide a secure lockup.

Please take a snap and post it.

Ganzon/Firebird is a hated brand for knife enthusiasts for their theft of intellectual property, but customers that avoid the knockoffs may help move the company to stop stealing other people's work (not likely but anything is possible).

For the price you've bought a nice looking knife. No assurances on anything else.

25% of the tang is engaged by the liner
Sorry I am out of town, fumbling this message on my phone

kBob · Jul 23, 2020

John & HSO

I no longer have it to photograph, but Coast made a liner lock that featured a second lock that when pressed slid behind the liner lock and prevented it from slipping back off the tang by filling the space the liner lock was in when closed.

Either of you seen anything like that? If so what did you think?

I bought it as a gift for a buddy that kept loosing his nicer clip ons while doing yard chores to be his "mowing knife". Twice he has lost more expensive knives while mowing or brush cutting only to find them a year later in the five acre yard.

-kBob

Double_J · Jul 23, 2020

kBob said:
John & HSO

I no longer have it to photograph, but Coast made a liner lock that featured a second lock that when pressed slid behind the liner lock and prevented it from slipping back off the tang by filling the space the liner lock was in when closed.

Either of you seen anything like that? If so what did you think?

I bought it as a gift for a buddy that kept loosing his nicer clip ons while doing yard chores to be his "mowing knife". Twice he has lost more expensive knives while mowing or brush cutting only to find them a year later in the five acre yard.

-kBob

My Coast DX-340? had that secondary lock. It took a while to get used to it but after that it was a nice feature. I never had any concerns about the locks failing unless I was doing something stupid.

kBob · Jul 23, 2020

Yes that coast.....which it seems my local ACE Hardware no longer carries....

perhaps you could post a photo for the Mods to look at?

-kBob

hso · Jul 23, 2020

joneb said:
25% of the tang is engaged by the liner

Usually you want 1/3 engagement instead of 1/4. That would make me a uncomfortable.

hso · Jul 23, 2020

kBob said:
Coast made a liner lock that featured a second lock that when pressed slid behind the liner lock and prevented it from slipping back off the tang by filling the space the liner lock was in when closed

CRKT had the AutoLAWKS secondary liner lock lock after the LAWKS. I suspect Coast picked up the original LAWKS. Either is a good system to help keep a liner lock in place.

Double_J · Jul 23, 2020

Coast used a similar lock to the LAWKS on the model I have. I would post a picture but it is buried in the glove box of my truck right now and it is raining like crazy outside.

greyling22 · Jul 24, 2020

The ganzo fh series are all basically original, if plain designs. (The 41 is heavily influenced by the shamwari though) and they are outstanding values. D2 steel that has been tested and is legit, often with a 61-62 hrc, phenomenal actions that often drop shut, contoured g10 hmdles and a price that is generally under $30. If you took a ganzo fh knife, lasered a Benchmade logo on it and took it back to 2005, it would sell for $150 and win knife of the year. We live in a golden age of high quality budget knives.

As a disclosure, I've had 2 fh41s, a 71, and may pick up the fh92. The actions on all 3 have rivaled or exceeded any of my zero tolerances.

joneb · Jul 24, 2020

greyling22 said:
phenomenal actions that often drop shut

Yes the action is very good on this FH 21 but the detent is weak, if closed to fast the blade will bounce back a inch from being closed.

joneb · Jul 24, 2020

JShirley said:
It's not D2, but so what? D2 isn't a great small knife steel, anyway.

This FH 21 is not perfect but blade shape and profile makes it a a very good slicer. I've been pretty happy with D2 steel, I have a knife with CPM S35vn which holds a edge a bit better than my D2 blades.
D2 is way better than the knives I've had with 8cr13mov and other similar budget stainless steels commonly found used with Kershaw and Gerber.

bannockburn · Jul 24, 2020

kBob

My Coast DX340. Sorry no close-ups of the second liner lock but you can just see the silver tab where it engages the lock. Got it on sale for around $8 or $9. Makes for a decent work knife.

hso · Jul 24, 2020

kBob said:
Either of you seen anything like that? If so what did you think?

BTW, I've had several of the original LAWKS and AutoLAWKS CRKTs and thought they addressed the concern about liner locks well.

hso · Jul 24, 2020

This lock I would trust. https://www.amazon.com/Ganzo-Firebi...ywords=ganzo+d2+knives&qid=1595591492&sr=8-11

hso · Jul 24, 2020

I ordered a couple of pieces of Ganzo off of Power Cutlery for the first time. They were cheaper than Amazon to the door on the Ganzos. I'll let y'all know if they deliver reasonably.

rust collector · Jul 24, 2020

Heh, the description of the fb7651 boasts that it has an axis lock. Pretty sure Benchmade's trademark is still protected regardless of the patent expiration. Nevertheless, I am sure these do exert downward pressure on prices of other makers, earning them no friends in the business.

hso · Jul 24, 2020

rust collector said:
Pretty sure Benchmade's trademark is still protected regardless of the patent expiration.

Good point. As long as BM uses Axis Lock as trademark they own it. There's not expiration.

kBob · Jul 24, 2020

Thanks for the Coast responses guys!

-kBob

JShirley · Jul 24, 2020

Bob, as hso already mentioned, CRKT has the LAWKS system on several of their knives. I was given a Desert Cruiser on my first deployment (one of the very many knives I've eventually given away), and it seemed a very secure system.

joneb, D2 has famously been claimed to "take a mediocre edge, and hold it forever". There's a lot of variation amongst steel quality and heat treat, and in the end, HT is probably the most important piece of the two. Buck has been getting very good results out of 420 stainless for years because of Bos.

D2 is especially a tough steel. Tough steels are of the most use on larger knives, as blade length and increasing mass work to amplify stress on a knife. In general, I want small knives to be on the harder side, while I want larger one on the softer. I hope that reasoning makes sense to you- it's kind of like how handguns and rifles usually have somewhat different wounding mechanisms. If it's working for you, that's the most important thing.

John

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