Fakes are getting good.
We’ve all seen some terrible fakes, and some very good clones. They’re even fooling the expert resellers. (This one was sold on the site the same day it was posted, and odds are good the buyer wont ever know the difference.)
I strongly believe that a majority of people experiencing things like omega spring breakage of other “QC issues” have unknowingly bought frauds.
-
They just released that one a few minutes ago and I clicked on it because the price seemed fairly low for that knife. I really felt like it looked "off", but I don't have any Contego's for comparison. That's too bad - I suspect somebody jumped on that ASAP.
2 -
I just called them to let them know. They're gonna take a look. I had just called them a few minutes ago about a misprint on a Spyderco Embassy (they put the wrong knife up and had to remove the listing), so it looks like they made a couple of mistakes today
1 -
Agreed! I'd say that we'll over half the BMKs on the second hand market these days are counterfeits. That being the case it would only stand to reason that unknowing dealers would have some counterfeits in their inventory. It's a shame!
1 -
[@mention:589880809437764246] posted:Agreed! I'd say that we'll over half the BMKs on the second hand market these days are counterfeits. That being the case it would only stand to reason that unknowing dealers would have some counterfeits in their inventory. It's a shame!
Sounds like Tim needs to start a site for authenticated used Benchmades
5 -
[@mention:589599268366343161] posted:
Sounds like Tim needs to start a site for authenticated used Benchmades
Lol…that’s what this site is for
I own or have owned all the Benchmade autos (I think…few I haven’t like the 3000 and 1000), so I can spot those easily, but not the manuals. The plus is that the fake autos are all really bad clones. The only one I’ve seen come close is the Infidel - they’ve been working on that one for a while and there are some that are really convincing. But the Contego and a couple of the Hunt models in particular are pretty bad - Wish is crawling with knockoffs. There’s been an uptick in 9400, Casbah, and Autocrat clones as well, but at least they’re fairly easy to spot.
3 -
Sad.
0 -
I just purchased a lot of 6 from eBay, wish I’d seen this thread before that. Can anyone tell anything from these photos? I can’t imagine this is enough to go on…
1 -
Welcome to the forum Tac Ash!
The only Benchmade that I question in your lineup is the 537GY Bailout. All the other BMKs look legitimate to me.
Hope this helps and that we see you posting more here in the forum!
0 -
Tim! thank you for the reply. i've probably purchased 80+ benchmades from authorized dealers over the last 15 years, and carried them around the world.
Got a wicked edge sharpener for christmas and wanted to buy some well worn and used benchmades, and the concept of a counterfeit didn't even occur to me.
What should i watch for in that Bailout? any way to know for sure, once its in hand?
thanks again
0 -
That's an excellent choice for a sharpening system Tac Ash. Its always good to learn on user blades over expensive new purchases.
If you want to PM me I'll be happy to discuss the Bailout as we really don't do so in the open forum. Wouldn't want to give the counterfeiters a heads up on what they're doing wrong ya know.
0 -
Best bet is to only buy from BM dealers and premium dealers will always have the best selection IMO.
1 -
[@mention:589599268366054566] posted:Best bet is to only buy from BM dealers and premium dealers will always have the best selection IMO.
/|\ +1👍🏻
0 -
Understood, as mentioned above, have purchased 80+ blades for me any my team members for operations in multiple theaters.
wouldn’t do it any differently…wanting specifically used BMs to play with on my Wicked Edge. I have no desire to buy a new BM and mess with its beautiful factory edge.
0 -
Let me clarify that…. Purchased 80+ from authorized dealers, always. No online stuff…..
0 -
Let me add that if you are collecting and when it comes to new models you should definitely always buy from a Benchmade Authorized Dealer. Whether it be online or from your local brick and mortar.
When it comes to older discontinued and hard to find models it's always best to buy from a fellow forum member, another collector, and lastly the secondhand market. In that order. If you delve into the secondhand market you should know what you're looking for and how to spot counterfeits if in fact the model you are looking for was counterfeited.
We have a very nice classified section here in the forum that many of us use. there is a "Member Want to SELL Benchmades" and a "Member Want to BUY Benchmades" as well as "Buy/Trade/Sales Experiences" that are accessible from the top level classified section. These are a great place to find or sell what you want.
And I do agree that its not a good idea to learn to use a new sharpening system on a new expensive knife. Cheaper users are the best bet unless you have $$$ coming out your butt!
0 -
Hey! that's a great idea to sell / buy here! Tim, i can't thank you enough. and thanks to the others who assisted here also! a great community here!
1 -
Guessing this isn’t supposed to happen…… knives arrived.
Attachments
0 -
[@mention:692351317503433266] posted:
Guessing this isn’t supposed to happen…… knives arrived.
/|\ I’ve always had a need for lightweight knives. My Bailout ( real) had a lot of flex so I bought CF handles & a Ti backspacer. Extra weight for me worth the peace of mind the knife won’t fail ( there is a video on web of the Bailout’s handle breaking right past where the full liners end) . Still opt for a 940-1 over the Bailout to a large extent because of thicker blade.
0 -
So a real BM handle flex like that?
0 -
[@mention:692351317503433266] posted:
So a real BM handle flex like that?
/|\ Tac, I didn’t get my Bailout to flex as much as yours. With a small amount of pressure it flexed a lot more then I’d seen a knife flex & didn’t press it to the limit. I’d also seen the comparison test where guy hammered different knives into a block of wood secured in a vice & holding the handles bent the knives side to side. The tester wasn’t happy with the Bailout in comparison to other folders in his test ( an Emerson with full liners & G10 handles won - that knife weighs 3 times a Bailout). I like Emerson knives ( favorites 8’s, 6’s & Viper 2 but at today’s prices the 6’s & Vipers are safe queens. 8’s carried often, but I digress. So I was impressed with the Bailout’s toughness, for it’s size & weight and reinforced the weakness part with up graded materials ( CF & Ti).
0 -
This has to be fake, right?
1 -
Guaranteed to be fake!
0 -
On the 2 Benchmades…. Seem legit?
1 -
[@mention:692351317503433266] posted:
They're real, but the prices are too high. The AFO should go for $150-$175. The Mini Reflex should go for $100. I've seen people pay more for each, but I own and have owned multiples of each going as far back as 1996 or so, and the prices being asked for those particular models are significantly more than I would pay.
Just my 2 cents.
1 -
and thoughts on these two? thanks for this feedback? i had placed some bids on eBay before finding you guys. I do plan to contest the sale, but wanted to see if these were fake or not first.
I can take more photos if helpful. its a 913 and Crooked River
Attachments
1 -
The Crooked River is guaranteed a fake. The 913 is hard to say. That one I would almost have to have in hand. It has a lot of wear.
0 -
And I agree with MM. The 9000 and the 2550SBT look good to go while priced a little high. But then again look at the prices that BMKs are currently selling for on the second hand market. 3 to 4 times the norm.
1 -
I will initiate a refund on the Crooked (i just refunded two fake ZTs on eBay 1 hours ago, seller was very nice... refunded both immediately and said "keep the pieces of sh*t that i accidentally sold". stand up dude.
2 -
and thank you all for the help here. i truly believe there are frustrated sellers out there, as well as buyers.
0 -
No problem. I'm sure the most frustrated are those that send their counterfeits in for service only to find out that they'll be destroyed.
1
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
37 comments