China has come a long way in knife production (Enlan EL-01)

[Deltaboy1984]

Thanks..

 

[TimboKhan]

I'd hate to think my money paid to kill someone's boy in the services.

Well, again, not quite how that works. My guess (and it is just a guess) is that you will pay more money in sales tax domestically than you will towards funding the PRC. And, consider that profit is being made every time that knife changes hands right up until it gets to the consumer. The Chinese get profit once, we get profit off the same product 4 or 5 times. Look, this is why manufacturers do stuff off shore to begin with. Trust me dude, American profits are being made on the back of foreign products.

In a weird way, sure, I guess that some minor percentage of your money ultimately goes to PRC military strength. Considerably more money is being generated domestically as that knfie moves down the consumer chain. Maybe your knife purchase buys them one bullet, but it buys us five. (obviously not a real statistic, but instead a simplification made to illustrate the point)

 

[Snowdog]

So, I guess I won't be using my Enlan El-01A knives for prying.

However, I did change the angle of grind on my first EL-01A and got the darn thing pretty sharp. I also reduced a lot of the friction of opening by applying TW-25 around the washers. Still requires a flick of the wrist, but not nearly as much. As the grease collects lint and grit, this might prove to be be a short-lived victory.

Thanks for that review, Sam Cade!

 

[hso]

Sam,

Can you get a macro of the broken tip so we can see the grain size better?

Are you going to grind it back to see how it holds up with further abuse?

Will you be resharpening it and working over some rope?

 

[Sam Cade]

Sam,

Can you get a macro of the broken tip so we can see the grain size better?

I did...but it isn't useable since I didn't check it. Whoops.

It was fairly fine.

Are you going to grind it back to see how it holds up with further abuse?

Will you be resharpening it and working over some rope?

I've reground it and I'm thinking about additional protocols.

 

[readyeddy]

Are there other production folders that can survive the tear out test on a 2x4? I don't have the guts to conduct the test on my $100+ knives, and I have a feeling most of my folders would end up with broken tips.

 

[Sam Cade]

Preliminary tests on a taped off 1" section of blade look like roughly 80% edge retention on corrugated paper vs. similarly ground and sharpened AUS8 on an elderly Spyderco delica.
That is based on linear distance cut before the edge (presented at an angle) would no longer cut cleanly.

You will have to excuse my nasty grind line but my shop was freeeezing cold and the heater wouldn't burn.

 

[Sam Cade]

Are there other production folders that can survive the tear out test on a 2x4?

Sure.

Considering the thickness of the tip (a full 1/8") , the shallow amount of penetration and the medium hardness of the steel I was surprised at the failure.

 

[Yo Mama]

And, consider that profit is being made every time that knife changes hands right up until it gets to the consumer. The Chinese get profit once, we get profit off the same product 4 or 5 times. Look, this is why manufacturers do stuff off shore to begin with. Trust me dude, American profits are being made on the back of foreign products.

Yes you're correct, but profit for a company with foreign labor vs. profit for a company and it's ability to hire American workers are very different.

Sure.

Considering the thickness of the tip (a full 1/8") , the shallow amount of penetration and the medium hardness of the steel I was surprised at the failure.

Sam, can you recap the folders you've tested that lived?

 

[Sam Cade]

Sam, can you recap the folders you've tested that lived?

1cm tear outs on pine?


Hmmmm...
Several Emersons, one of the old Buck/Strider colabs, A BG-42 (in 440C) to prove a point , the big REKAT folder-(what was this thing called? The Sifu?),S30V Boa, a couple ZTs.

I don't do much in the way of destructive tests.

 

[zhyla]

For the less knowledgeable of us... what's the significance of the "pine tearout" failure? I don't do that with my knives because ummm... well for one thing 2x4's don't come in pine here . Does this indicate poor metallurgy, heat treat, blade geometry?

 

[Sam Cade]

For the less knowledgeable of us... what's the significance of the "pine tearout" failure?

It is just a rough indicator of tip strength. While it is never a good idea to stab or pry, sometimes life circumstances do demand it.

If a folder blade won't lose its tip under the abuse (and it is abuse) of a tear out it should be tough enough for any reasonable work use without fear of failure.

 

[Sam Cade]

Does this indicate poor metallurgy, heat treat, blade geometry?

I honestly don't know in this case.




I'm going to go and try to dig the tip out and see if we can get a look at the grain.

 

[Sam Cade]

Ok, Macros.

Hmmm....

OK....that doesn't look so good.

 

[hso]

Those are freaking HUGE and they aren't even even! That's a bad heat treat.

 

[readyeddy]

I don't know the significance of the bad heat treatment. What does this translate to in terms of the knife's weaknesses?

 

[blarby]

Those are freaking HUGE and they aren't even even! That's a bad heat treat.

This is why i'd be willing to pay more for a blade made by Sam He'd get it right. Nice review !

 

[Sam Cade]

What is freaking me out is that the other side of the fracture was much finer grained and homogenous.

What the heck man?

That has to be a materials issue right? Surely they couldn't have zone-goofed the heat treat this badly and not pretzel it. For that matter, I don't know how it would even be possible to zone-goof a batch treated blade.

I'll armor up tomorrow and snap it in a couple places and see what happens.

 

[Sam Cade]

He'd get it right.

I'd send it off for heat treat by someone with a proven track record of success.


I'm still learning. I'm stalled out at the ugly but functional stage.

Sam Owens OTOH, that feller got skill.

 

[RussellC]

Yes, you are right. I was in my gun shop the other day, who carries Benchmade. They had returned an Infidel (not purchased there) for a customer, and they got a call back from Benchmade that it was a fake!

Russellc

 

[hso]

That has to be a materials issue right?

Not always. It could indicate heat treating system that doesn't cool blades evenly. It could indicate poor handling where the blades are in contact with other materials. It could be poor quality materials and poor heat treat.

 

[Sam Cade]

What does this translate to in terms of the knife's weaknesses?

Well, it layman terms, its crap.


Ok...back to the shop or I won't be able to sleep tonight.

 

[hso]

When you get through putting it through the paces clamp it in a vice and snap the blade about an inch back from the new tip. I'd be very interested if the same uneven grain size manifests side to side.

Got a handy geo or materials college nearby?

 

[Sam Cade]

clamp it in a vice and snap the blade about an inch back from the new tip. I'd be very interested if the same uneven grain size manifests side to side.
?

I'm standing in my shop, tablet in hand, cigar clamped firmly in teeth, leathered up and hunting for a cheater-bar.

 

[hso]

No, no, no.

Clamp the thing with the tip sticking out of the vice and whack it with a sledge to snap it off.

Wear a face shield for heaven's sake!