Ganzo Folding Knives (Part 2)

Ganzo Folding Knives (Part 2)

Learn More About This Innovative Knife Brand

In Part 1 (see it here) we looked at the Ganzo G7xx (x) knife line from a high level. Now let's consider the details.

Note: To see the catalog page for any of the following models, click on the model number in the title.

Ganzo G710

I tried this one because the blade shape looked like it would be excellent for EDC and adequate for survival.

I'm not quite sure what this style of blade is called; it has a short clip at the end of a long clip, giving a nice tip that is stronger than one usually gets with a long clip.

There is enough belly to perform adequately at skinning; the rest of the blade is quite good for all other tasks.

I really like the blade, but with the thumb stud right next to the grip scales, it requires paying more attention when opening so your thumb doesn't slide off the stud.

At least the lock lever is slightly above the grip scales, so it closes easily. The pocket clip is a good example of the tip-up standard depth carry.

Grip scales are nicely non-slip; jimping is restricted to the back edge of the liners and is fairly ineffectual. The lanyard hole is nicely sized, but the edges are not rounded.

Ganzo G716

This is currently the only G7xx(x) model that has the option of partial serrations. I don't care for serrations on a survival knife, but they can be of use in an EDC knife and I wanted to test Ganzo's version of serrations.

And it is “one-sided” (would be called chisel grind in a straight edge), which I'm not a fan of. But I tried it on 3/4″ Sisal rope, and it went right through it, so my not liking it is my problem, not the knife's.

The blade shape is an excellent drop point, and the opening methodology is a small disk screwed to the back of the spine. It opens quite reliably, and the Axis lock is slightly above the grip panels, so closes easily.

The pocket clip is a deep carry version, not as good as the one on the G720 and other models, but adequate and nicely blackened. There is a definite “glass breaker” conical point on the end.

Grip scales have very aggressive grooves, which make for a very secure grip, but a bit more trouble clipping it to or unclipping it from the pocket.

Jimping is restricted to the liner and grip scales, and with a slight thumb ramp built into the grip, provides a slight slip resistance for the thumb. The lanyard hole is just barely big enough for paracord, and the edges are not rounded.

Ganzo G724M

This one appears to be a smaller version of the G720. Comparatively, it is smaller, thinner, and lighter and the drop point tip is a bit better (less wide), with the great same tip-up deep carry pocket clip.

It performs all the tasks one can expect of a pocket knife quite well. I generally prefer a longer blade, but this model is darn near perfect.

There is enough space between the edge of the grip scales and the thumb stud for reliable opening even under stress, and the lock lever sticks slightly above the grip scales so it is easy to close.

The grip scales are nicely slip-resistant, and there is a deep recess for the forefinger to give additional protection from the finger sliding over the blade.

Jimping on a small thumb ramp and the back of the grip is moderately effective. The lanyard hole is just big enough, but the edges are not rounded.

Ganzo G729 and G7291

These models are essentially the same; I tried the G7291 because the blade was slightly longer. These are reminiscent of Spyderco knives, with a hole in the blade rather than a thumb stud to open the blade.

Having a long clip blade, the point is not as wide as I like for survival and there is not enough belly to excel at skinning, but it is excellent for EDC. The blade shape is particularly useful for defensive purposes.

Being fairly thin and with no sharp corners when closed, it carries easily. The large opening hole makes opening easy and reliable, even under stress, and the Axis lock lever extends slightly above the grip scales allowing easy closing as well.

There is a slight curve at the base of the blade which matches with the one at the front of the grip, making a finger choil for a reasonably safe choke grip.

The clip is a good tip up the standard (non-deep carry) clip, held on by three screws.

The grip scales are not particularly aggressive, but do provide reasonable slip resistance; there is a very nice thumb ramp, but the jimping is too smooth to be effective. The lanyard hole is nicely sized and has slightly rounded edges.

G729

G7291

Ganzo G733 and G7331

These models have a very significantly dropped point, a bit more for the G7331 than the G733; essentially a sheepsfoot blade, with a slight belly.

The sheepsfoot style blade is known for “safety”, as it is more difficult to stab yourself than with many other blade styles.

Allegedly this was originally a maritime concept, where the officers wanted the sailors to have a useful knife that would be fairly safe in the unstable environment while not being effective weapons against those same officers.

Today, this is a useful configuration for a rescue knife and many wood carvers like it. This version seems to have a more aggressive tip than a true sheepsfoot, but I don't see it as being as good as other models for either EDC or unexpected survival, so did not get one of these to try.

It should be able to do anything that requires the straight part of the edge, but the tip is not optimal and the belly is essentially non-existent.

From the online description and photos, these models are also “Spyderco-like”, with the thumb hole for opening, which should make this easy and reliable.

The grip scales appear fairly flat, so there probably won't be a problem operating the lock levers; they may be “slippery”.

There is a slightly rounded depression in the blade behind the edge like the G7291, which should be usable for a “choke” grip. The clip looks to be the good version of the standard (non-deep-carry) clip.

Ganzo G735

This is an unusual one. The blade shape is a short clip which is pretty good for EDC and entirely adequate for survival.

The grip shape is a little “boxy”, but without sharp corners, so it carries well and is reasonably comfortable in use. The unusual thing about this knife is it has two blades at the rear.

One is a hook blade, useful for cutting cords or even seatbelts, and the other is a “bottle opener”. It looks more like a can opener to me and trying that, I found that it worked, but not well.

The blade part penetrated the lid easily, but the hook had trouble staying on the rim so each half-inch of progress took multiple tries.

It will do the job, but not quickly or easily, and should not be your primary can opening methodology. I did find this narrow, thick, pointed tip to be useful for tasks such as digging a jammed staple out of my staple gun.

As for opening a bottle, it does a pretty good job of that, so calling it a “bottle opener” was a good choice.

There is a sharpened “V” notch in the same blade, which is supposed to be for stripping insulation from wires, but I found it totally ineffective, for the stranded wire I have on hand at least.

These two accessory blades open using “finger nicks”, which is not a problem for the bottle opener, and although not optimal, is adequate for the hook blade.

It has a nice deep carry clip like the G720 and also has the strange conical bolt head which might serve as a safety glass breaker.

There is a large notch in the grips which gives clear access to the thumb stud for quick, reliable opening, and it provides a nice depression for the forefinger while using the knife.

The grip panels are two-piece, with a thin stencil cut panel attached to a flat sub-panel. This allows for an unusual-looking and very effective slip-resistant surface.

And the Axis lever is slightly above this surface, so closing the knife is easy. There is a small thumb ramp, and the only jimping is in the liners near the pivot; neither provides much traction for the thumb.

As might be expected, the two extra blades at the rear preclude any sort of lanyard hole. This is of little concern for an EDC knife but is a bit risky for a survival knife.

Ganzo G738

This model is fairly similar to the G739x line; the primary difference appears to be that the spine has a false edge. Oddly enough, this does not continue to the tip, so should not affect the strength of the tip.

But it is a bit weird, so between this knife and a G739x knife, this is the one eliminated from the personal examination as being almost a “duplicate”. The blade shape is pretty much a textbook drop point, so should do well at all tasks.

The sharpened spine may be a problem with batoning (which you generally don't do with a folding knife anyway); it might impact your ability to use the Filipino grip and might make it impractical to use it as a “draw” knife, with your off-hand pulling against the spine while pulling the blade through the work towards you.

The thumb stud appears close to the grips in the pictures, so it might take more precision to open, but the grip scales look fairly flat, so closing it should not be a problem.

The pocket clip is a good standard depth carry clip. Grip panels appear to have a checkered surface similar to other models which are too “slippery”, but do have grooves that may compensate.

The only jimping is in the liner AND grip panels. So far, the liner jimping has not been very effective, because the grip panels keep the thumb from sinking in.

In this model, that may not be a problem. The lanyard hole looks like it will be at least adequate.

Ganzo G7392, G7392P, G7393 and G7393P

This group of models is all essentially the same. The “P” models have an aggressive ridge pattern on the grip scales as opposed to a very smooth checkering on the non-P models which are much less slip-resistant than the other models. And the G7393 models have a nicely blackened blade and pocket clip.

I chose the G7393 to check out the blackened blades done by Ganzo. The blade is a classic drop point, great for EDC and unexpected survival situations. and decent for defense.

Opening studs are far enough away from the scales for reliable opening, and the lock studs are slightly above the grip scales for easy closing. The clip is a good standard depth one.

There is jimping in the liner and scales, as well as on a nice thumb ramp part of the spine, which provides good slip resistance for the thumb. The lanyard hole is nicely sized, with good rounding of the edge on one side, and less good rounding on the other.

See Part 3 for liner lock model details and my conclusions.