Firebird FH31-GR

I first came to appreciate the practicality of this relatively straight cutting edge style blade from carrying the slightly smaller and sleeker Ganzo FH51 (now hard to find). Like that model, this knife has the feel of a quality tool — built to exacting tolerances, with a low friction bearing and finger flick opening ergonomics. No pretensions, no sharp edges. Just the right design that’s easy on your pocket — and your pocketbook.

So do you want a Medford knife, with a linerlock in D2 and g10 scales for $400? Or would you rather this very user friendly Firebird with linerlock in D2 and g10 scales for $30?Of course this is going to be your choice. The FH31 is truly the best quality knife you can get for the price currently on the market. Yes this is real D2. In fact the one tested my LuvThemKnives on youtube tested at 61 HRC. The wharncliff blade style is in my opinion one of the best blade shapes for a workhorse EDC knife that wont scare people if you take it out. This arrived significantly sharper than my $100 knives. With this profile blade, D2 and solid heat treat, I have cut some seriously tough materials with this knife and its still sharp at the point.The blade is centered perfectly, the g10 is shaped remarkably well for $30. As others have said, the detent distance is long, which can be a problem for some people but I just keep that in mind when carrying it. The last thing, is that the flipper tab is a tad too long to make the most use out of the blade. I think this design would do better with a thumb stud to make use of the wharncliff best. I may just take it to a belt grinder to make it a bit better.Pros:+Incredible Value. D2 steel with good heat treat. HRC 60++Great EDC wharncliff design+Ergonomic/textured g10 scales that look good and feel good in the hand+Flipping action is incredibly smooth and lock up is solid+Deep carry pocket clip is truly deep carryCons:- Detent is far, watch your fingers- Flipper tab is a tad too long, impedes the potential cutting surface of the bladeSeriously though, these cons are irrelevant at $30. There is no such thing as the perfect knife, but for $30 with D2 steel, this one is pretty close. Companies, especially American companies asking $60+ for lesser steels need to up their game now that the market has knives like this. There's no more room for excuse.

My Comments• This is a medium size, thin and light pocket folder knife. It feels very thin yet is sturdy in the handdue to the stainless steel liners and 0.160” thick G-10 scales construction. The handle scales areflat sided, Green G-10 fiberglass with slight texturing which mimics micarta.• The blade spine is flat with profoundly squared off corner edges that feel un-comfortable. No thumbjimping on the spine but both liners are jimped just behind the pivot and blade spine.• Blade can only be opened using the finger flipper tab on the blade spine. No thumb studs provided.• Very crisp detents. The blade snaps open. Blade will drop shut and is very smooth.• The frame lock spring tension is quite stiff when attempting to unlock it. Not dragging, just stiff.

I really liked the handle and blade on this knife and the Green color but the liner lock was incredibly stiff. I replaced it 2 times with the same green color and had the exact same issues. I decided to try the same knife in black and to me the liner lock feels much better on this one. Overall it’s a really solid knife for the money

When I ordered this knife, I read through reviews that said they had Rockwell tested the blade and verified it was the hardness of D2 steel, which is what it's advertised as and what stamped on the blade. For the price point, that already makes this a deal. The other features I was looking for were the cleaver style of blade, assisted open, and the location of the pocket clip. I had no huge expectations above and beyond that. This far exceeded my expectations. The assisted open is very smooth, and it locks firmly in place with no wobble horizontally. It is also SUPER sharp. Out of the box, this was sharp enough to shave my arm and cut through the Amazon package it came in with no more than the weight of the blade itself. There was no resistance at all. Next, I cut through coconut fiber mat with very little resistance by puncturing the inside of the mat. From the edge, there was a little more resistance, but that's really a testament to how sharp this is. I can't speak on the subject of edge retention yet, but color me impressed so far. I expected to hold an edge fairly well just being that it's made from D2 steel. The card that came with it advertised it as laser sharpened, which I don't remember being a selling point when I was going through the product information, but something worth noting

This is my fifth Ganzo. For the price you can't beat the quality and craftsmanship. The D2 tool steel keeps an edge for a good while. The ceramic caged bearing pivot makes the action smooth as silk and the lock is tight, no wiggle up and down or left and right. All the men in my family are getting Ganzo's for Christmas this year.

Are there better knives in the world? Certainly! For under $30? Not a chance. Buy any or all Gannon knives. You can’t go wrong. The blade is 440c or D2 (like this one). Both are excellent blade steel. Not THE best big money can buy but not $300 either. Blade is centered with zero blade play or lock rock. Pivots well. You can disassemble and oil and adjust tension if you are a knife snob. Easy and fun to do. Then it is buttery smooth. If you are not the blade snob you will think you won the jackpot when you remove this guy from his box. If you give this guy a ride in your pocket he will not let you down. Plus, if you MUST abuse it your out $30 instead of $300. If you treat it like a $300 knife it will work just like a $300 knife. So get 5 Ganzos and some tools and some knife lube and let the fun begin!

I broke the tip off my blade somehow, i think its carbon level is too high