Sanrenmu has always been one of my favorite budget pocket knife brands. I bought a 704 and 763 a few years ago, and I was hooked. Consistent build quality and finish, and cheaper than any of their competitors. I’ve been gifting them to friends and family and singing their praises for years, so it’s probably not surprising that people send them to me for review. This review is for the Sanrenmu 7010, which I did a review for my blog as well.
This review sample was provided by a shady company I no longer have dealings with.
The coupon code for the 7010 is GB7010 which takes the price from $8.86 down to $6.79 which I personally believe to be an outstanding deal.
Here’s the basic shots of this knife below. I have never been a fan of frame locks or even solid metal knives, just because of the weight. But this one is fairly compact and for the most part carries very well.
Build quality is excellent and fit and finish are very good. A little blemish on the handle texturing and the Torx clip screws look like they will strip the second I touch them. But other than those two issues, this is a beautiful knife. The fact that it’s under 7 dollars with the coupon (and even without) I think makes it one of the best deals out there, which is why I have been infatuated with SRM whether it’s from Exduct, Fasttech or now GearBest.
The blade is a typical hollow grind, drop point style which many including me think are ideal for EDC. It’s made out of the budget 8Cr13MoV steel that one would expect. The blade came “scary sharp” with a near perfect edge on it, and by far the best of the bunch. It’s also perfectly centered.
I don’t have much experience with frame locks, but this one is buttery smooth and has a solid lockup. I’ve never been a fan of frame locks, but if this knife is any indication, then I’ve been missing out.
The deep carry clip comes set for right handed tip down carry and can’t be moved! This is my only real issue with this design. It’s almost a real WTF moment because this knife is so perfect aside from that. The clip itself is well made, unlike most other budget knives, even if the screws are terrible. Other than the knife being upside down, it carries very well. Why can’t Kershaw build clips of this quality?
My conclusions are that this is a beautiful knife that I wish had at least an option to configure the clip for tip up carry. This would normally be a deal breaker for me but this is such a nice knife, that I have been carrying it and probably will in the future. It’s a little heavy for shorts but it’s great for blue jeans.
The usability for this knife is excellent, at least for the way I EDC a pocket knife. It’s compact, it’s solid, and it cuts stuff. I won’t lie and say I don’t think it looks cool, but that’s just an added bonus. As good as it looks, this is a legit old-school Sanrenmu and it’s all business.
Below, from top: Kershaw Skyline, Sanrenmu 7010, Victorinox Tinker, Spyderco Dragonfly 2
And as you can see below, it’s not THAT heavy for a solid metal frame lock!
It’s also worth noting that the blade is plenty thick.
