- a solid knife for EDC and Work
It is time for me to return to Sencut, you know, that sister brand that spun off from Civivi, which in turn is a sub-brand of WE. This time, it is a slightly larger model called Borzam that will be reviewed.
Part of the attraction in this case lies in the size. This is an obvious attempt to satisfy those who are not content with a three-inch blade. Sometimes, bigger is actually better.
Then again, I kind of expect the usual level of manufacturing quality that I'm used to from this company. If those parameters are met, I'm sure this is a good knife.
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| Sencut Borzam |
Borzam is a typical "in-house" creation and not attributed to any single designer, although someone, obviously, must have designed it. Whoever it is, they have created a knife that is not unpleasant to look at and seems very competitive in this class of knives.
What is meant when I say "class" are budget knives and in this case larger budget knives. This not only results in a longer blade but also a more substantial handle, which facilitates heavier work.
To keep the price down, of course, something has to be sacrificed. Here, it's a lot about skimping on the right places and often choosing the right material. Something that Sencut is usually good at.
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| Borzam is a good example of how it is possible to make good knives without having to cost an arm and a leg |
Short version: Sencut Borzam, is something of a "Working Class Hero". A slightly larger EDC knife that can handle most things while looking perfectly fine and not costing an arm and a leg
Blade
There are a couple of different ways to make a drop point more interesting and they have been used in this case. The blade has a spine that turns towards the tip in two stages. One that is slightly concave in front of the thumb ramp and then a convex part forward to the tip. There you will also find a swedge.
The blade has, either a large indentation for sharpening or a small one for a finger, depending on how you look at it. Then the back is not rounded but well beveled, which in this context feels luxurious.
The finish is a well-done satin and the branding is as unobtrusive as it usually is from this company. The Sencut logo is on one side and somewhere on the other side, you can read the steel type if you happen to have perfect vision.
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| Borzam comes with a substantial drop-point blade |
What is written there is 9Cr18MoV. Not a bad choice of steel for the price point. My experience is that it stays sharp longer than the lower-rated 8Cr steels.
But what impresses me the most is not the steel but how it is used. Sencut/Civivis has learned how to make blades that cut well. It's all about geometry. In this case, a stock thickness of only three millimeters is used. The blade is made strong enough by making it taller instead of making it thicker. It is three centimeters at the base.
The material has then been thinned via a high flat grind to 0.3-0.4 mm behind the edge. That's HOW to make knives that cut well. Blade geometry trumps steel quality in that case.
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| The steel is 9Cr18MoV but a magnifying glass is needed to read it |
It is, of course, something that is noticeable when Borzam is used. All materials that even resemble paper and cardboard or the like are handled with accuracy.
Likewise, this is an excellent package opener as it is easy to cut nylon packing straps, cable ties, tape, and the like. However, for tape, I usually turn my knives around and use the back of the tip as you avoid getting glue residue on the edge and don't run the risk of cutting what's in the box.
Speaking of knife tips, it is also highly effective on this knife. It is sharp without being too fragile. Certainly, the knife is so thin that I do not recommend using it as a prybar. But for everything else it is excellent. Actually also for cutting wood, both fresh and dry.
But of course, if it's whittling on the menu, I prefer a different edge angle. Thin, flat-ground blades can be damaged when prying them out of a piece of tough wood to free the knife. But with that said, this is an excellent knife for outdoor life as well, thanks to its extra edge length.
This knife is a real "Working class hero", not least because the handle makes it possible to use some power when needed.
Handle
The handle can be summed up with the words, thin but comfortable. How thin, someone might wonder, and then I say 12 mm, which is not much for a handle that holds the whole hand, including gloved ones. The length of the knife when folded is 120 mm, of which the grippable length is around ten centimeters. By that I mean the handle behind the finger guard which is made up of the flipper in combination with the shape of the handle.
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| The handle on the Borzam is simple but well-shaped |
Otherwise, the construction offers no surprises at all. Everything is done according to template 1A and also correctly executed. This means that the manufacturing quality is high. The knife is built around a steel frame that has been greatly lightened. The handle is open in the back where two hourglass-shaped spacers are found through which screws with T6 heads have been pulled. They are the ones who hold the knife together. One of them is also used by the clip.
From above you can also see the blade stop and an extra bolt around which a lanyard can be attached if such things are used.
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| The construction of Borzam offers no surprises. A lightened steel frame with an open back and a couple of pieces of G10 on the outside. But it is well done |
On the outside of the frame are two pieces of G10 that are not shaped in any way beyond a small chamfered edge. That, together with the fact that the frame rises slightly above the sides, makes the handle feel more rounded. Then it is impossible to get away from the fact that it is a slim handle.
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| This is a knife that fits very well in most hands |
By that I mean that the handle is certainly very comfortable to the extent that it is enough for the whole hand and that it is easy to find a good grip regardless of how you hold the knife. It is also easy to switch grips as the balance point is found in the middle of the recess for the index finger. A detail which, by the way, is really nice.
But the objection I have is partly that the curved rear end of the clip must be avoided, but above all that the thickness certainly makes the knife easy to carry, but also that the thinner sides feel a bit in the hand if the knife is used for carving, for example. A negative that immediately disappears if you use gloves can be added.
Opening and Lock
Borzam is fairly trendy, which means that it can be opened in different ways. Two hands work great because a lot of blade sticks out when the knife is closed. Otherwise, the intended opening methods are two. There are both a flipper and double-sided thumb studs to choose from.
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| The thumb studs are the opening method I prefer. Here they are very well done |
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| The flipper works about as well as the thumb studs, a balancing act that the Sencut has mastered |
Sencut/Civivi belong to those brands that manage to tune the detent ball close to perfection. Both ways of opening the knife work equally well. It almost doesn't matter how you approach either the flipper or the studs on this knife. The blade flies out anyway. You can push, pull, or press both with your thumb and index finger. Everything just works. Kudos to Sencut for that.
The thumb studs are also correctly positioned. They are easy to reach and they are out of the way when cutting. I really hate knives that have thumb studs halfway out on the blade. It arises when the rest of the knife has lousy geometry and more leverage is needed. Such mistakes are not made here.
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| Unsurprisingly, the sturdy frame lock also works excellently |
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| The grooves found on the lock bar are rounded but still provide traction |
Likewise, this lock is exemplary. Maybe a bit "boring" as it is a liner lock in steel. But this is how you make them. It locks nimbly, distinctly, and every time. It holds the blade in place in an iron grip and it feels very strong due to the fact that the thickness of the frame is around 1.5 mm.
The lock is also really easy to disengage. There is room to access the lock bar, which is also grooved for better traction. Then the tension is just enough which also contributes.
To Carry
Even the sun has its spots, after all. But in this case, they are as small as can be. But the Borzam can never be a perfect pocket knife, and it is simply too big. After all, it measures 12 cm in length and it is quite wide with its 3.4 cm. The weight is 122 grams.
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| The clip does not stand out in any significant way |
After all, it has a flipper. It's not overly large and the edges are beveled but it's undeniable. On the plus side, however, the handle is thin, as I mentioned before. This puts the knife in the class of other large but still easy-to-carry knives such as the Cold Steel Code 4.
In other words, as good as it gets when you have an almost nine-centimeter blade available.
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| The clip fulfills its function but is glossy and thus visible |
About the clip it can be said that it is a classic simple deep-ride clip of the type usually found on knives from Sencut. It works great in terms of tension and space under the clip. The same can be said about the ramp, which handles almost all fabric edges competently.
The clip does a decent job of being imperceptible in the hand, but if you grip the knife very hard, especially in a saber grip, it leaves its marks but not otherwise. The handle is so long that in a normal hammer grip it usually ends up outside the hand.
The finish is very glossy so that way it is visible but not much of the knife sticks out of the pocket.
The only thing that reveals that the clip belongs to a budget knife is that it appears on several models and that the attachment is not recessed in the handle. It saves processing time during manufacturing and thus money. The clip is otherwise attached with two T6 screws that sit in tandem to prevent the clip from moving laterally. By the way, it does with that honor. The clip is also removable and can be shifted to the other side.
To Conclude
Sencut is a brand known for delivering high-quality knives and Borzam is certainly no exception. In fact, this knife rivals its more expensive relatives in the Civivi lineup.
This is an excellent option for those who want a slightly larger folding knife for EDC use, in the workplace, or for the outdoors.
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| Borzam belongs to the slightly larger knives in the catalog and thus fills a niche |
What you get with the Sencut Borzam is an excellent knife with extremely good performance at an attractive price.
The package includes a substantial knife blade of almost nine centimeters that cuts like nobody's business. The slightly wider blade also gives better control when cutting in soft materials and the finger choil also gives the opportunity to sneak closer to the edge for detailed work.
Then you can't go wrong with the fact that Borzam has a fantastically smooth action and a strong lock. This too shows the quality offered by Sencut. To that can be added that the blade came completely centered and very sharp. It is completely in line with the rest of the finish, which is high class.
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| Sencut Borzam belongs to the top tier of its class |
For that reason, it can only be said that for those who want to upgrade from the very cheapest EDC knives to something more substantial both in terms of size and quality, the Sencut Borzam feels like a given option. Here you get quality that gives a foretaste of what a better knife can offer while not being excessively expensive. Currently, it can be obtained from around 45€.
The only thing I can possibly object to is that it feels a little, maybe not boring but a little generic. It has nothing that stands out. But with that said, it's still pretty and, above all, damn good. My advice is, buy it!
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| Sencut Knives |
Specifications:
Length Overall: 209 mm
Length Folded: mm
Weight: 122 g (weighed by me, stated 122,4 g)
Blade Length: 88 mm
Blade Thickness: 3 mm
Blade Steel: 9Cr18MoV, 58-60 HRC
Handle Material: G10
Lock: Liner Lock
Produced by: Sencut, made in China
/ J - says, buy!
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