A collection of Chinese Foldie Knife Specs

New hobby alert!

I currently have a couple of Swiss Army Knives ("SAK"s) and Leatherman multi tools and was contemplating to get some Chinese foldies (Ganzo, Sanrenmu, Bee, Enlan, Navy etc) on the cheap on ebay for EDC ("everyday carry") - was looking for some blades that were fairly distinctive in design. Didn't want a foldie that looked like a dinner knife! Guess what I got in the end?

                                   Blade Length (inches)   Closed Length (inches)   Blade Steel
                                   ===========================================               
Ganzo G704               3.35                                4.48                                 440C
Ganzo G710               3.74                                4.6                                   440C
SRM 763                    2.55                                3.66                                 8Cr13MoV
SRM 710                    2.79                                3.66                                 8Cr13MoV
Bee L05                      3.26                                4.4                                   8Cr13MoV
Enlan EL04                3.38                                4.6                                   8Cr13MoV
Enlan EL02                3.46                                4.72                                 8Cr13MoV
Enlan L02                  3.26                                4.08                                 8Cr13MoV
Enlan EM01               2.795                              3.5                                   8Cr13MoV
Navy K631                3.74                                4.72                                 440C

Although the Ganzos and the Navys supposedly use 440C - technical name X105CrMo17 which is a fairly good steel (much better than 420C which is softer and stains easier), some forums speculate that it is actually closer to 8Cr13MoV. Incidentally - CrMo stands for chromium and molybdenum, V stands for Vanadium.

I also compared the Chinese foldies to some popular American models

                                     Blade Length (inches)  Closed Length (inches)    Blade Steel
                                     ===========================================
BM Mini Griptilian      2.91                               3.87                                  154CM
BM Griptilian               3.45                               4.62                                  154CM
Spyderco Endura4        3.75                               5                                       VG-10
Spyderco Delica           2.875                             4.25                                  VG-10

In the end, I realized what I wanted was to get some American blades as well so I only got 3 Chinese foldies:

SRM 763 - original Chinese design?, Axis lock, G10 grip and supports tip-up carry with the clip (tip up carry allows you to bring the knife out in one motion and flick it open).
SRM 710 - super hyped up blade so I guess I had to try it. Got the foliage colored scales and the black blade.
Enlan EM01 - didn't want to get the big brother the EL01 so decided to get the smaller brother. G10 handle and perfect dimensions for EDC. Also supports tip-up carry.

Pics to come when the knives arrive!

Streaming music in the home using Logitech's Squeezebox Touch

Like many hifi enthusiasts, I have been dreaming a lot about digital audio lately.. having my music all in a high quality digital audio format e.g. FLAC or Apple lossless at my beck and call anytime and anyday from any device in my home.

For the longest time, this wasn't possible or involved a lot of dough to achieve. But now - with devices like Logitech's Squeezebox Touch or SBT in short (which I just bought from Amazon.com for around USD230) - the dream is finally becoming a reality for not a lot of money.

My configuration in my home is to put all my music into my NAS - in this case a Synology DJ212 running the SB Server software - and stream the music to my hifi system using the SBT. The SBT is connected to my NAS currently using the WIFI connection (in the future I will use Ethernet only for greater sound purity), and the SBT is connected via a coaxial digital cable to my DAC. I am also able to use the RCA outs on the SBT to connect directly to my amplifier.

How do you access the music you might ask? Well, I am using the free Logitech Squeezebox app to select which tracks I want to hear, arrange playlists etc. My Synology NAS also has software that allows me to access and play songs on my iPhone or iPad (using Synology Apple apps).

Check out my My Logitech Squeezebox un-boxing!

Will network streaming audio eventually replace my CD player? Eventually, maybe and only if you have a very high quality DAC like Naim's nDac. However a quick comparison shows that CD still has a slight edge for me in terms of timing and PRaT.

For me now - I am enjoying both mediums i.e. the convenience of network streaming via my SBT/NAS and also spinning CDs!