Ohhh that means it's real... Die Capitalist Pig is definitely a Message from our Democratic friends in Golden, CO... I'm sure they'll come out with a Hillary Clinton version with Bleached G-10.
Just ran across your video and it was a great help in determining if the PM2 was real or fake and it is real. Even buying from a reputable dealer of Spyderco Knives does not mean they did not get taken in by a fake. Thanks.
Thanks for making a great video. I just got my Spyderco from China (June 2017) and they have fixed almost all the areas that you mentioned. There is still a discernible difference on the sharpness of the plastic. Not as much as before; but, still a little sharper. The screws are better; but, still not locking my torque screwdriver in. The skeletonized area is also the same as before, only on one side. The box is an improvement. It is sharp and clean, looks just like the original. I paid $22.65 and it took 19 days for shipping. I am very happy.
Hey man, thanks for making this great video. I just got my black Para Military 2 in the mail yesterday and I was really worried about its authenticity. I've watched a bunch of other videos on here explaining real vs. fake, but none of them put my mind at ease. This one did it though. Very detailed and methodical with clear explanations and lots of close ups. Now I know that my knife is the genuine article and I have you to thank for that. Cheers.
Make sure you buy from someone who will fully refund all your expense if you get scammed. Knifecenter Knifeworks Amazon BladeHQ Places like that. Then check to make sure it is genuine
I've been buying Spyderco lately and didn't know there were fakes out there in the world. Apparently its a huge business. Not good. I've checked over all my Spyderco's and believe they are all authentic but as we speak I have two knives being shipped from Amazon. Both ZDP 189. One Stretch and one Endura. Both in the British Racing Green color. Thanks to you Ill be able to look them over when I get them and try to verify authenticity. Again, totally excellent and educational video! Thanks!
Hey even Spyderco themselves are making some of their knife lines in China. Why? Because they appreciate Chinese quality control, effectiveness of their workers and pride of craftsmanship not too mention it saved Spyderco production costs while still charging top prices. Chinese are fantastic copy makers and they use modern machinery and Our steel. I have no problem purchasing their items.
Hey Les, EXCELLENT VIDEO - you're really a PRO at this! Thanks for taking so much time to show so many details between the real vs. fake so we can check on our knives. I also appreciated that you commented on past experience of other fakes you've seen. Very helpful information. I was wondering, have you made a similar fake vs. real video for the Spyderco Shaman? I just subscribed to your channel, so I will try to search for it. My son and I both have a Shaman in black G10 - one was purchased from a very reputable dealer and the other was purchased from a place I don't trust as much, so it makes me wonder. Even if you haven't made such a video, I can still use a lot of the tips from this video for things to look for. Thanks again!🙂👍
Man you sure know good details,pointing out all that fakes flaws is almost like a jewelry expert knowing good and bad jewelry.Good video and information about authentic knives vs. copies
+Les Garten You got a good channel,I just got a Kershaw Camp18 and I'm going to give Kershaw a call because it looks like a copy,but i paid the original price from a Amazon vendor.....You attention to detail is A plus
Got my copy of para 2 from ali for 15 dollars. And I'm very happy, great edge out of the box, fit and finish perfect and so centering. So far perfection
A really obvious one that jumped out to me was that the thicker ridge between the choil and the beginning of the cutting edge bisects the middle of the finger hole on the genuine, while crossing about 1/3 of the way up the hole on the fake. I actually kept waiting for him to mention it the last couple of minutes when he kept holding them up side by side to look at the markings.
I bought it on the ebays, price was right but almost too good. it's real and everything you said is spot on. you must be a trained observer (or just OCD) , but excellent video. I'm subbing
26:34 I don't know if it's mentioned in the video, but I think I just noticed another difference in the blades. On the fake one, above the hole, there is no visible line for where the blade's full flat ground taper starts, but there is in the authentic one. What do you guys think?
I also noticed that the part of the steel that has Golden Colorado etched on it cuts off in the middle of the spydy hole,the fake cuts off the hole a bit lower. And the gimping is slightly angled on top of the the real one.
I have a $20 Para II clone that is so good my dealer couldn't tell the difference from the real one. I liked it so well I ended up buying the real deal. Good vid.
They are difficult to tell for sure. You can tell if you start taking them apart. The screws are soft and what they screw into is soft, so you get stripping real quick. Or they stripped it when they put them together, I've seen that a lot.
Yea the foam here on your video matches the same foam I have and there is a space between the box and the foam. Thats actually a great way to know if its a fake or not.
hi there Newest subscriber here! liking your videos you really helped me with the Rubicon. have you tried any sharpens best products? if not please look into getting and trying it out also a video on it would be awesome! thanks Alex
I actually bought a legit PM2 in S110V that came in a box that was broken (i assume due to domestic shipping) and the foam was larger than the bottom of the box. the foam was dense and other than size had no difference between it and any other of my spydercos. apart from box damage, everything on the box looked right as well. so, even the foam can on a legit spyderco can be off. there's always an exception to the rule.
Thank you for manually adjusting the focus instead of just waving the product around and yelling focus. I hate when videos do that. Got my fist spydeco otw in the mail (paramilitary 2) :)
Well, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I recently bought the PM2 off of Amazon and have gotten a bit of both worlds. First off, the knife was sent via FedEx, not the normal shipping service Amazon uses, and it was merely the box tossed inside the envelope. The box meets all the "fake" points; the deep gradient and the bar code not touching the numbers. However, the knife itself meets the "genuine" points; finished belt clip, the intricate screws, and the two skeletonized sections on the inside. I don't know what to make of this.
I believe the weight is supposed to be 3.75 Oz, however my pm2 weighs in at 3.82 Oz. Everything else checks out for authenticity. Perhaps you could do a weight comparison of the clones versus the real one. Many thanks for the excellent and tedious work 😀
Funny my 10yr old para 2 fake, weighs 4.2 oz, i use it all the time and must say it has held up well,it was a gift and for several yrs i did not know it was a fake...i really dont know what the blade steel is, says sv 30, it seems to be as good a knife as my 2 real para 2s...
Thanks for the video. Just got mine off Amazon supplied by Outfitter Country, Toledo.OH. Black Blade - Back Handle - all Black Hardware. Everything checks out as genuine from the size of the foam to the chamfered lanyard hole. Even weighed in at 3.7 oz. Have you weighed the fakes? I have two concerns that are not related to the knife. 1) The box is not pristine and one corner was torn. 2) No letter was included only the Product Information & Warranty Guide. As I said, everything about the knife itself checks out. What do you think?
+repeterpan The boxes go through hell sometimes. I don't know how they normally send them to distributors but sometimes the boxes are a little beat up. I only weigh them when they are greatly different. On the Para 2's they are pretty much the same weight. I would say if the Foam looks good, you are good to go! Which is strange as hell really. The foam is always off on the Real Spydercos. The lock area is the one of real tells. So much so that the Chinese sites are blurring that area in their photos on Aliexpress. If they have the Flashy product guide, then they don't come with the letter. It's an either/or kind of thing. Glad your is Genuine, the Para 2's are nice knives. I have a Silver/Camo and a Black/Camo and really like them as well as the Military. I am getting ready to post a Titanium Millie comparison maybe tomorrow.
The thing is a lot of people don't want to outlay lots of dollars for a knife... they would prefer to get a cheaper copy... I've had my grandfathers BUCK pocket knife for 35years now... and it still retains a terrific edge use it quite a lot... when I used to go shooting many years ago I then used granddads knife to skin rabbits for dinner... but today most of the knives are made in japan...china.. hong kong granddads buck was american made!!! Stamped on both blades... ok happy hunting keep sharp... cheers🍺🍺🍻🍻...
My paramilitary 2 doesn’t have the numbers touch the barcode lol but I bought it from Blade HQ. Everything else checks out like where it was made, the correct punctuation and spaces on the blade itself
One other thing I noticed from your side by side at 26:15 is that the plunge line on the fake doesn't really go all the way to the top on the spine side of the spidey hole, at least it's not as defined as the real one.
Some of the grinds are good, some not. You can sometimes run across knives that look like they were ground by beginners for sure. Real spydercos can have this problem as well.
I have seen ebay and other web listings where as they are using a REAL Spyderco for their images-- and or they are careful not to show it large where you could zoom in. The pictures don't necessarily mean anything- cause they could be showing you a REAL ONE and sending you the fake. Great portrayal here by the way, I enjoyed this.
Just received my first PM2 tan sprint run from knife center... a little confused about the box. It has the right paper, right foam insert, but the bar code doesn't touch the numbers. The spyderco lettering on the side doesn't look perfectly centered either. The knife is razor sharp, jimping is right, etching is right, hardware, scales, liners, everything seems right about the knife, but the lanyard hole doesn't exactly seem chamfered to me. Literally everything else seems legit though. Thoughts? I have another one on the way from KC in blurple. I'll check them back to back.
Don't worry to much about the Box much. Those things are printed in China just like the knock offs. Pay attention to the knife. Try to find a clone video newer than mine. They may have figured out some stuff and corrected it. I would find it hard to believe Knifecenter got scammed.
Yeah I figured KC would be highly reputable. Thanks for the fast reply! the knife Is superb in every way, the only thing that doesn't fit a "genuine" description is the lanyard loop. not really chamfered that I can tell. I was so impressed with it that I ordered a blurple PM2 and a pink native 5 for my wife. Kind of wish I hadn't invested so much in benchmades now. haha
It's so tight that it's not functional. To use it I would have to pull it up with my nail every time it goes on and off something. But I'll try bending it. Sounds like a better suggestion than find a tiny star screw head. Thanks
I have a PM2 camp, fuckin love it. I bought mine from the stone in Golden. My camo looks more the color of your Chinese one. Your real PM2 has a lot of orange lookin color. Mine has traditional digicamo colors..
+MrPuch78 They change so often, that you have to look them over very carefully. Make sure they have good pictures of the lock area and don't buy the cheapest or the most expensive.
Nice. I got a clone Para Military 2 with the tanto blade, and after watching this video I’ve concluded that either China greatly improved the clones or mine is not a clone. I liked the Para Military 2 so much I ordered an OEM with the original blade in S45VN. They’re different blade styles, so there was a tiny difference in where a symbol was etched (not the logo - other side). Not really concerned either way though. I’m not selling them, and they’re both awesome.
My para 2 came from amazon, it's got the foam of the real one but the barcode text looks like the fake ones. It's definitely real though looking at your comparison of the G10. It's a perfect 90 degrees all around the edge, sloped near the lock cutout, and very toothy. Lanyard hole, pivot screw, and skeletonized liner also matches the real one in your video. So I guess the barcode text isn't really a good indicator at least as of Nov 2016.
The most important parts are the knife. The boxes are printed in China. Some of the places that make the boxes for Spyderco may make the clone boxes. Some Spydercos are made in China as well. As long as the knife matches up, that's good. That's why I say even though the boxes are interesting, it's like reading tea leaves. Doesn't mean much. I've seen really poor real boxes. The foam seems to be the most accurate thing about the boxes.
+Jeff Woods No, not so much. But I play around with Car and Motorcycle engines quite a bit. Glad you enjoyed the video, thanx! Here's my Porsche Engine I built: www.turbonet.biz/misc/930/DSCF0598.JPG
I don't care about the boxes much. I buy these knives for the almost perfect versions of popular/ expensive knives. These look Great and are very sturdy and functional. I own many Chinese made knives including Ganzo knives which I've had for well over 10 years, still work perfectly.
just bought a fake at a gun show ,mine had a Black Blade handle scales we're not correct but the thing that gave it away did a few cuts on a piece of cardboard and the steel went from hair shaving Sharp 2 dull and would not cut paper. took it back and exchanged a new one ,also the Box was missing the point on the spider.
i just received ( 2 days ago) a Tenacious Lightweight fully serrated black, made in China, from an european seller (Lamnia). the box does not look very well. it is intact but with scratches. the bars dont touch numbers, too. the foam is black and thick, cant see through. the knife looks perfect. anyway, i doubt Lamnia would sell fakes.
In regards to the barcodes what you are looking at are different densities of the barcode. If you look at the genuine you will see it is wider that means it has a lower density versus the fake which has a higher density. The numbers touching are simply the size of the font. The chinese clone boxes could easily make these changes to appear real.
+David C Not true, Some real boxes have a lot of variability in the "nose" small and large, and there are small and large in the clones. I've looked closely at 50 or so real boxes and the same amount in clones. It's tea leaves my friend. You cannot use that as a criteria for anything.
I bought a para 2 off of knife center, and the numbers on the the barcode aren't touching the barcode. Do you think they would sell counterfeit knives?
Hi, I would go more by the knife characteristics. The boxes are all made in China, so I wouldn't base everything on a computer printed barcode. I don't believe Knifecenter would knowingly sell fakes. But anything could happen. Check the knife itself very close for the things shown in the video here.
+Firdevs Yucel As stated in my other comment, the new barcode text on the real knives seems to be different now. Your knife is most likely real, just compare the other details to the fakes in his video and that will be a better indicator.
Naw, they usually use something like 8CR13MOV, D2, or something along those lines. Spyderco uses 8CR13MOV in a lot of their lower end knives like the Tenacious. The cloners are just copying the marks.
The barcode is not consistent neither of the boxes I have touch the numbers and they match in appearance. I have two Manix 2s the Blurple G10 s110v which came from BHQ so obviously reputable, and a standard black G10 which I ordered off amazon. I sent the black g10 in to Spyderco for warranty service with the box and was returned to me with no issues.
Have there been any fake sprint runs? I picked up one from Amazon with S35VN, not from Amazon itself but from a fairly reputable US dealer. I have no reason to think it's fake, but it's always a worry.
I guess you're talking about the G-10? I have 2 Para2s and 2 Millies in Camo and the CAMO patterns are OK but not stellar. I like the Black blades agains the CAMO! I'm interested in the new Zome patterns on the Delica and Endura though. It's just another trick from Spyderco to get people to buy more Enduras and Delicas but I think they look nice anyway.
Everybody claims to know what a fake looks like but I work in manufacturing and I can tell you that there are a lot of variations in between lots and even more if there’s multiple locations making the same/similar products for a company
@@lesgarten: True, I have two PM2's but I doubt neither are clones as one I got from Bentobox in M390 and the other from Blade HQ digi camo in 30v. I don't tend to buy randomly from Amazon to avoid the chance of a Chinese knock off. I still enjoyed the video though as it's interesting how crafty the Chinese are.
@@packinaglock I've found that if you spend about $50 and shop carefully, you can get a really good knife from them. It will usually be D2 often. The $25 knives may be 8cr13mov. Then the $10-15 range will be 440c. These para clones were great for their price point. But the Chinese IME will always have a flaw to their work which is fatal in the end. They will always cut a corner. For instance on these knives. The fasteners were really cheap and soft metal. Then the fasteners are goofed into the knife itself. Overtorqued, cross threaded, etc. So it is always a potential night mare to take one apart. In the electronics realm, they will steel a really nice valuable circuit from say Krell or Mark Levinson. Then they will use counterfeit Transistors, or counterfeit low quality capacitors and you will get premature failure. They have built lots of new buildings in their country, but they don't last long, they crumble after just a few years. So people who are expatriots that live in China, won't buy any place to live, only rent. Polar opposite of Japan. They will always cut a corner.
I've no clue what the number in the bottom right corner is either, however, it is always a four digit number from my understanding. That it is not on the displayed correctly on the fakes screamed at me that they probably weren't legit.
26:30 ... it seems that comparing both blades that in the real one you can see the horizontal grind line continues on the outer part of the hole. But on the fake it does not. (it might be a trick of the light though)
1 thirty in you called Spyderco's "overpriced" --- I almost spit out my coffe - I know this video is 7 years old, but if you look today pricing on Spydercos has remained stable, and only small increases to pricing in the past year or so (due to all the BS we had to deal with the coof)... so that comment to me didn't age well - meanwhile, Benchmade asking the prices they are - now that's something worthy of being called "overpriced" - and the QC is garbage, bad grinds, uneven plunges, nothing exciting... Spyderco on the other hand continues to create new products, and even their own steel!
Hello. First off.....Great review. My question is this. Since they are both made in China, is it possible that the "Fake" ones are like what Cold Steel used to call them........."Factory Seconds" ? And how do they cut ? So you feel a difference in how they cut ? Are the fake ones as strong ? Thank You for Your Time.
MrEdium They are not Spyderco knives. There are quite a few differences that are huge differences, not just "seconds". The clone Para 2's can be good and bad examples as shown in the video. The cut well. I don't know how to pick a good one though. There is variability in the Para 2's. Glad you enjoyed the videos. Thanx!
MrEdium The steel is the same with org and fake finish on blade itself often pretty much the same aswell so 15 bucks fake works as good as orginial one.
Les Garten I totally agree i used to be devoted spyderco fan :D But using counterfeit spyderco's for an half year or so none of them gave any problem so far i recomend them everywhere a solid company that has over 10 million revenue should out perform it's fakes until they do i don't see any point paying up 10 times more then knockoffs... Ps: I don't like Byrd knives
Regalya Why not buy something legal that isn't infringing on patents and copyrights? Surely China makes some cheap knives that you don't have to hate yourself as a carrier? I can't believe that the world allows these laws to be sullied so blatantly and openly. Why do people need to pretend they have a $100-3000 knife, why can't they just buy a chinese knife that isn't stamped with some other companies legit logo? At the least, please acid etch or grind off the logos... the whole practice of clones is downright disgusting and the national governments should really get involved at some point since this just gets worse every day. I know this junk usually ships directly from China to the end-user, but I'd love to see more lawsuits and possibly embargos against companies and users of these illegally produced and sold blades. I can appreciate you don't want to pay money for the real thing, maybe you don't have the cash (even though the company deserves every penny), but there are options that don't infringe on trademarks/copyrights/patents. I would love the irony of someone that makes these comments creating their blade company and then having China clone it and somehow they just don't mind their patents and logos copied and saturating the market and wrecking it. Horrible, horrible practice and a real shame that morally corrupt people encourage their production by buying these illegal blades from morally corrupt producers. For me, welcome to the world I guess. I should probably just accept that humans are intrinsically evil and that right/wrong is entirely based on upbringing, rather than something we innately have. Apologies to Spyderco and everyone else that has ever invented/designed anything. Evil people will pretend they are you and other evil people will facilitate that behavior by buying their illegal products. On the bright side, this will save me time that I may have spent creating a new unique locking mechanism or some world changing blade design, because China would just fuck me anyway and plenty of folks would line up to buy their shit.
Just curious cause some people say only BladeHQ and spyderco are authentic sources, and anywhere else is hit and miss. You should do a comparison video for the Tenacious - they are even doing the cheap knife now - on DHGATE you can buy the Tenacious in all forms - I have the black blade tenacious and was super concerned at first because I bought it on Amazon I just ordered my first Paramilitary 2 today and appreciate your videos a lot - saves me the trouble of having to contact spyderco about it - maybe even sending to them to confirm if the knife is real. By the time I got it back the return policy on amazon would be up and I wouldn't get my money back :(
Knifecenter is good, Knives ship for free is good, GPknives is good. Amazon is OK, but beware and make sure you get it from Amazon and not a vendor on Amazon. The Tenacious is an awesome knife at an awesome price. I didn't know they were cloning them. I'll bet they are perfect matches, almost...
I did order from Amazon for the Para, but a seller in the USA shipped me my Tenacious - Luckily I inspected it and it seems to be the real deal. You should do a comparison video though, the pictures I have seen are dead on - I saw them on DHGate and cannot find a video at all.
Not sure how to answer Jared Rogers. His post is a linked comment from elsewhere and I cannot reply to it. Amazon is very good at backing up their knives, no real worries there,
Michel Linschoten I know that's suggested but haven't seen a lot to back that up. However, virtually anybody can now be a "Vendor" on Amazon. So I only buy from Amazon itself, that way you are covered by a pretty much ironclad return policy. Of course you still have to check your knife for being counterfeit, which is getting harder and harder.
Ohhh, I see what you are saying. The ad is not for real when they are cloning. They are just advertising what the original was. I search for knives there a lot by the steel. For instance to find a knife you can search for CTS knife or XHP knife. If you send them a PM, they will tell you what the knife is and will also tell you it is not S30v. They use the s30V because it is marked on the knife and they seem to think you will search for it that way. When looking for Cold Steels, I use San Mai knife, but they obviously don't have San Mai steel. Hope that helps Not sure what the clone Rubicon was made of.
If you want one, get it. The Blades are for the most part made out of pretty good steel. Usually something like 8CR13MOV. Which is a steel that Spyderco uses in it's Ambitious, Persistence, and Tenacious line. For the amount of $$ that they cost, these are solid knives worth 2-3x what they are asking for them. They are not Spydercos though in quality. I am using a knock off Endura in my garage right now places where I would not use one of my Spydercos if I could avoid it. It's doing pretty well for a $16 knife. It's actually doing well for a $30-40 knife. If you can get a Real PM2 of course that would be better. I have maybe 30-40 different Spydercos and have never had one that was not awesome quality. I've been carrying daily a Spyderco for 30 years. They are just awesome made knives. Before the Spydercos, I carried daily a Gerber Paul or Rigid knife. Still have both of those back to the late 70's.
Hello friend, my name is Bruno and I am from Brazil. I have 2 CRKT and Byrd cara cara 2, original, and won gift a false Spyderco. I would like to know your opinion, if it would be safe to use it in simple everyday tasks or should I just leave it as garnish. Grade hug! (descupe by the English pessimo am using translator)
+Bruno SM I would use the hell out of it. I would not take it apart unless you must to repair it. You maybe should adjust the pivot screw tension only if it needs it to make the knife blade move well. It may be fine and not need any adjustment. My Para 2's that were fake were pretty good knives. The fasteners that hold the handles are soft metal though.
+Les Garten Thanks for the advice! You can not imagine how in Brazil, products made in USA quality has a high price. The value of an original paramilitary today is what my family spends to live in two months. Always wanted a Spyderco and I was presented with this fake. Thank you and have a great week!
Some of the "fakes" are just knifes that didn't pass inspection for minuscule reasons and get sold to the second market. But as long as the steel is the same you can find great deals on these knifes.
![[DOKKAN BATTLE] August Producer's Letter](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/JUTYpaV_4Ic/mqdefault.jpg)
I'm sure the Chinese appreciate your efforts to improve their fakes. LOL
Every little bit helps!
I've received a lot of feedback from some folks that these videos have helped them avoid or ID fakes.
Now if they only use higher end steels......
@@Runsfrombears is it not S30V?
@@GigaQuantum doubtful
my PM2 came with a fortune cookie in the box it read "die capitalist pig". Still not sure if its a fake or not.
Ohhh that means it's real...
Die Capitalist Pig is definitely a Message from our Democratic friends in Golden, CO...
I'm sure they'll come out with a Hillary Clinton version with Bleached G-10.
PFFT HAHAHAHA for real man that was funny as shit
Yup! That’s from Colorado alright. Hillary voting liberals.
If you tell me Spyderco is Pro Hillary Clinton, I will sell my spydercos tonight.
Lol
Your video cured my insomnia.
Thanks for the great info. I was able to determine my Spyderco paramilitary 2 was legit within a short while. Great info.
+Lance Riehl Thanx! Glad it helped!
Excellent video, really set my mind at ease...
thanks a bunch!
***** Thanx! Glad it helped!
Just ran across your video and it was a great help in determining if the PM2 was real or fake
and it is real. Even buying from a reputable dealer of Spyderco Knives does not mean they did
not get taken in by a fake.
Thanks.
It's been a while since I made these videos. Glad they can still be of some use.
Thanks for making a great video. I just got my Spyderco from China (June 2017) and they have fixed almost all the areas that you mentioned. There is still a discernible difference on the sharpness of the plastic. Not as much as before; but, still a little sharper. The screws are better; but, still not locking my torque screwdriver in. The skeletonized area is also the same as before, only on one side. The box is an improvement. It is sharp and clean, looks just like the original. I paid $22.65 and it took 19 days for shipping. I am very happy.
Thanx for the update!
Awesome
Says he's not going to spend a lot of time looking at the box... spends a long time looking at the box.
Fooled ya!
@@lesgarten Yeah you got me. I powered through though to see that sweet knife action.
Great video! Was very informative. Happy to know mine is genuine!
stealth1546 Great news! Thanx!
Thanks to this video, I know now for sure that I've got the real deal pm2. Thank you!
You're welcome!
Hey man, thanks for making this great video. I just got my black Para Military 2 in the mail yesterday and I was really worried about its authenticity. I've watched a bunch of other videos on here explaining real vs. fake, but none of them put my mind at ease. This one did it though. Very detailed and methodical with clear explanations and lots of close ups. Now I know that my knife is the genuine article and I have you to thank for that. Cheers.
megagene Outstanding! Glad it helped!
I was about to say nearly the exact same thing. THANK YOU for posting this extremely well put together video!!!
+devnull128 You're welcome!
Les Garten how would I avoid buying a knock off just curious but I would hate paying full price and getting a lesser quality blade
Make sure you buy from someone who will fully refund all your expense if you get scammed.
Knifecenter
Knifeworks
Amazon
BladeHQ
Places like that. Then check to make sure it is genuine
Seems like the jimping on the real Spyderco is much sharper than the fake also. Noticed it when you were showing the torx screw.
Super detailed, and spent a good amount of time on each section... best one I've seen!
Thanx, glad you got something out of it!
Finally good video with good tips
So I got shipped a real one some years ago from the US
Thanx!
This is the best 'spot the fake' video. Had me sweating the entire time. Luckily mine has both skeletonized cut outs on the liner's non-locking side.
I've been buying Spyderco lately and didn't know there were fakes out there in the world. Apparently its a huge business. Not good. I've checked over all my Spyderco's and believe they are all authentic but as we speak I have two knives being shipped from Amazon. Both ZDP 189. One Stretch and one Endura. Both in the British Racing Green color. Thanks to you Ill be able to look them over when I get them and try to verify authenticity. Again, totally excellent and educational video! Thanks!
Hey even Spyderco themselves are making some of their knife lines in China. Why? Because they appreciate Chinese quality control, effectiveness of their workers and pride of craftsmanship not too mention it saved Spyderco production costs while still charging top prices. Chinese are fantastic copy makers and they use modern machinery and Our steel. I have no problem purchasing their items.
Hey Les, EXCELLENT VIDEO - you're really a PRO at this! Thanks for taking so much time to show so many details between the real vs. fake so we can check on our knives. I also appreciated that you commented on past experience of other fakes you've seen. Very helpful information. I was wondering, have you made a similar fake vs. real video for the Spyderco Shaman? I just subscribed to your channel, so I will try to search for it. My son and I both have a Shaman in black G10 - one was purchased from a very reputable dealer and the other was purchased from a place I don't trust as much, so it makes me wonder. Even if you haven't made such a video, I can still use a lot of the tips from this video for things to look for. Thanks again!🙂👍
Man you sure know good details,pointing out all that fakes flaws is almost like a jewelry expert knowing good and bad jewelry.Good video and information about authentic knives vs. copies
+coolbut Nogame Thanx! It started out because I was worried I'd get nailed by one.
+Les Garten You got a good channel,I just got a Kershaw Camp18 and I'm going to give Kershaw a call because it looks like a copy,but i paid the original price from a Amazon vendor.....You attention to detail is A plus
Got my copy of para 2 from ali for 15 dollars. And I'm very happy, great edge out of the box, fit and finish perfect and so centering. So far perfection
David Nastoupil link?
The star / torx screws are a quick way to identify. Good catch ! thanks
You're welcome El Tigre!
A really obvious one that jumped out to me was that the thicker ridge between the choil and the beginning of the cutting edge bisects the middle of the finger hole on the genuine, while crossing about 1/3 of the way up the hole on the fake. I actually kept waiting for him to mention it the last couple of minutes when he kept holding them up side by side to look at the markings.
I bought it on the ebays, price was right but almost too good. it's real and everything you said is spot on. you must be a trained observer (or just OCD) , but excellent video. I'm subbing
26:34 I don't know if it's mentioned in the video, but I think I just noticed another difference in the blades. On the fake one, above the hole, there is no visible line for where the blade's full flat ground taper starts, but there is in the authentic one. What do you guys think?
@100% Video Thanks!
Most excellent comparison video. thank you.
+Bob Sicotte You're welcome!
Excellent tutorial, thank you!
You're welcome
Thanks -- Good to be able to differentiate between real and fake and what to look for!
I also noticed that the part of the steel that has Golden Colorado etched on it
cuts off in the middle of the spydy hole,the fake cuts off the hole a bit lower.
And the gimping is slightly angled on top of the the real one.
I have a $20 Para II clone that is so good my dealer couldn't tell the difference from the real one. I liked it so well I ended up buying the real deal. Good vid.
Do you know if the steel is really s30v? They swear up and down that it is
They are difficult to tell for sure. You can tell if you start taking them apart. The screws are soft and what they screw into is soft, so you get stripping real quick. Or they stripped it when they put them together, I've seen that a lot.
You mean on the clone? I've never had them tell me that.
But it's not
Yes. My dealer couldn't tell the diff.
TheGoatMumbler well, your dealer sells you drugs. cant expect him to know everything about knives
Yea the foam here on your video matches the same foam I have and there is a space between the box and the foam.
Thats actually a great way to know if its a fake or not.
hi there Newest subscriber here! liking your videos you really helped me with the Rubicon. have you tried any sharpens best products? if not please look into getting and trying it out also a video on it would be awesome! thanks Alex
Thank you! Well done, organized video!
You're welcome!
I actually bought a legit PM2 in S110V that came in a box that was broken (i assume due to domestic shipping) and the foam was larger than the bottom of the box. the foam was dense and other than size had no difference between it and any other of my spydercos. apart from box damage, everything on the box looked right as well.
so, even the foam can on a legit spyderco can be off. there's always an exception to the rule.
Thank you for manually adjusting the focus instead of just waving the product around and yelling focus. I hate when videos do that. Got my fist spydeco otw in the mail (paramilitary 2) :)
Kevin S Focus is a constant irritant! Congratulations on your new knife.
The proper phrase is “focus you fock” AveE
Nice information. I subscribed.
Well, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I recently bought the PM2 off of Amazon and have gotten a bit of both worlds. First off, the knife was sent via FedEx, not the normal shipping service Amazon uses, and it was merely the box tossed inside the envelope. The box meets all the "fake" points; the deep gradient and the bar code not touching the numbers. However, the knife itself meets the "genuine" points; finished belt clip, the intricate screws, and the two skeletonized sections on the inside. I don't know what to make of this.
I believe the weight is supposed to be 3.75 Oz, however my pm2 weighs in at 3.82 Oz. Everything else checks out for authenticity. Perhaps you could do a weight comparison of the clones versus the real one. Many thanks for the excellent and tedious work 😀
Funny my 10yr old para 2 fake, weighs 4.2 oz, i use it all the time and must say it has held up well,it was a gift and for several yrs i did not know it was a fake...i really dont know what the blade steel is, says sv 30, it seems to be as good a knife as my 2 real para 2s...
The screws for the pocket clip on the real one have a bead blasted or matte satin finish, the fakes both have really shiny pocket clip screws.
Thanks for the education.
I got one. Any idea what steel they use?
I've also noticed in your video that the start of the edges on the fake knives start a bit closer to the thumb rest than the real ones. @ 26:12
Wow ml Galten, vely nice Spydelco Palamilitaly Thlee you've got thele!
Thanks for the video. Just got mine off Amazon supplied by Outfitter Country, Toledo.OH. Black Blade - Back Handle - all Black Hardware. Everything checks out as genuine from the size of the foam to the chamfered lanyard hole. Even weighed in at 3.7 oz. Have you weighed the fakes?
I have two concerns that are not related to the knife. 1) The box is not pristine and one corner was torn. 2) No letter was included only the Product Information & Warranty Guide.
As I said, everything about the knife itself checks out. What do you think?
+repeterpan The boxes go through hell sometimes. I don't know how they normally send them to distributors but sometimes the boxes are a little beat up. I only weigh them when they are greatly different. On the Para 2's they are pretty much the same weight. I would say if the Foam looks good, you are good to go! Which is strange as hell really. The foam is always off on the Real Spydercos. The lock area is the one of real tells. So much so that the Chinese sites are blurring that area in their photos on Aliexpress. If they have the Flashy product guide, then they don't come with the letter. It's an either/or kind of thing. Glad your is Genuine, the Para 2's are nice knives. I have a Silver/Camo and a Black/Camo and really like them as well as the Military.
I am getting ready to post a Titanium Millie comparison maybe tomorrow.
Thanks for the quick reply. My lock area looks good, not pointy. Thank you for telling me about the paper work. I'm a Happy Camper.
Thanks les, you put my mind at rest
Good vid.
What does the E and SA looking characters stand for on the right side of the blade?
+Cliff Barry Those are the Initials of Sal Glesser and Eric Glesser. Father and son who designed the knife and own Spyderco
+Les Garten Interesting, thanks.
I like how each knife has a different camo pattern on the handles.
Thanks!
The jimping on the blades looked a lot different too!
i got one with with a barcode not touching the numbers but everything checks out to be a legit pm2 should i be ok?
Where did you get it?
The thing is a lot of people don't want to outlay lots of dollars for a knife... they would prefer to get a cheaper copy... I've had my grandfathers BUCK pocket knife for 35years now... and it still retains a terrific edge use it quite a lot... when I used to go shooting many years ago I then used granddads knife to skin rabbits for dinner... but today most of the knives are made in
japan...china.. hong kong granddads buck was american made!!! Stamped on both blades... ok happy hunting keep sharp... cheers🍺🍺🍻🍻...
My paramilitary 2 doesn’t have the numbers touch the barcode lol but I bought it from Blade HQ. Everything else checks out like where it was made, the correct punctuation and spaces on the blade itself
Great video
Jabbawokeez4 Thanx!
One other thing I noticed from your side by side at 26:15 is that the plunge line on the fake doesn't really go all the way to the top on the spine side of the spidey hole, at least it's not as defined as the real one.
Some of the grinds are good, some not. You can sometimes run across knives that look like they were ground by beginners for sure.
Real spydercos can have this problem as well.
I have seen ebay and other web listings where as they are using a REAL Spyderco for their images-- and or they are careful not to show it large where you could zoom in. The pictures don't necessarily mean anything- cause they could be showing you a REAL ONE and sending you the fake. Great portrayal here by the way, I enjoyed this.
Ebay, full of fakes for sure. I bought a Spyderco off ebay and drove the guy crazy with pic requests.
where did you get the Chinese nock offs
Just received my first PM2 tan sprint run from knife center... a little confused about the box. It has the right paper, right foam insert, but the bar code doesn't touch the numbers. The spyderco lettering on the side doesn't look perfectly centered either. The knife is razor sharp, jimping is right, etching is right, hardware, scales, liners, everything seems right about the knife, but the lanyard hole doesn't exactly seem chamfered to me. Literally everything else seems legit though. Thoughts? I have another one on the way from KC in blurple. I'll check them back to back.
Don't worry to much about the Box much. Those things are printed in China just like the knock offs. Pay attention to the knife. Try to find a clone video newer than mine. They may have figured out some stuff and corrected it. I would find it hard to believe Knifecenter got scammed.
Yeah I figured KC would be highly reputable. Thanks for the fast reply! the knife Is superb in every way, the only thing that doesn't fit a "genuine" description is the lanyard loop. not really chamfered that I can tell. I was so impressed with it that I ordered a blurple PM2 and a pink native 5 for my wife. Kind of wish I hadn't invested so much in benchmades now. haha
Bought a clone two months ago, noticed that the clip is near impossible to use. Won't even let paper in. Would loosening the screws on the clip help?
It's so tight that it's not functional. To use it I would have to pull it up with my nail every time it goes on and off something. But I'll try bending it. Sounds like a better suggestion than find a tiny star screw head. Thanks
The bend worked great! Thanks
what if you mixed them up
I have a PM2 camp, fuckin love it. I bought mine from the stone in Golden. My camo looks more the color of your Chinese one. Your real PM2 has a lot of orange lookin color. Mine has traditional digicamo colors..
Could you post a link to a good pm2 clone? Very interested in one
+MrPuch78 They change so often, that you have to look them over very carefully. Make sure they have good pictures of the lock area and don't buy the cheapest or the most expensive.
Nice. I got a clone Para Military 2 with the tanto blade, and after watching this video I’ve concluded that either China greatly improved the clones or mine is not a clone. I liked the Para Military 2 so much I ordered an OEM with the original blade in S45VN. They’re different blade styles, so there was a tiny difference in where a symbol was etched (not the logo - other side). Not really concerned either way though. I’m not selling them, and they’re both awesome.
where to buy a PARA 2 Curve blade (normal) china clone ? EDIT : Resolved , Ordered 3x clone for $36 S30V :P
Where do you even buy the counterfeit ones?
Amazon
Just kidding...
Aliexpress, DHGATE
Amazon and ebay if you are not careful or paying attention
My para 2 came from amazon, it's got the foam of the real one but the barcode text looks like the fake ones. It's definitely real though looking at your comparison of the G10. It's a perfect 90 degrees all around the edge, sloped near the lock cutout, and very toothy. Lanyard hole, pivot screw, and skeletonized liner also matches the real one in your video. So I guess the barcode text isn't really a good indicator at least as of Nov 2016.
The most important parts are the knife. The boxes are printed in China. Some of the places that make the boxes for Spyderco may make the clone boxes. Some Spydercos are made in China as well. As long as the knife matches up, that's good.
That's why I say even though the boxes are interesting, it's like reading tea leaves. Doesn't mean much. I've seen really poor real boxes. The foam seems to be the most accurate thing about the boxes.
Stay tuned for my Chris Reeve Mnandi clone review in about a month. They look like they are doing a pretty good knock off on it.
did they make a fake one of the manix2 lw? I ordered one on ebay and now I'm a little worried
being that the authentic one is cheap, why even get worked up
Where did you order the clone at I would like to see the difference between mine thanks so much
7 years ago -- Aliexpress
@@lesgarten thank you so much
They both work very well. Wish app has some really good deals.
thankyou for that , very good rundown. By all your lingo, are you a woodworker by chance ?
+Jeff Woods No, not so much. But I play around with Car and Motorcycle engines quite a bit. Glad you enjoyed the video, thanx!
Here's my Porsche Engine I built: www.turbonet.biz/misc/930/DSCF0598.JPG
very nice indeed. i will attempt to emulate it in wood.
+Jeff Woods Heh, I'd like to see that!
Is the steel in the clones really S30V? Or not likely?
Bogus. But it's not terrible steel. Most likely 8CR13MOV or 440C or D2.
I'd like to know the weights of each, please?
That was a while ago and I no longer have the Clones. There was no appreciable difference in the weight though.
Man, how’d you end up with so many clones?
I don't care about the boxes much. I buy these knives for the almost perfect versions of popular/ expensive knives. These look Great and are very sturdy and functional. I own many Chinese made knives including Ganzo knives which I've had for well over 10 years, still work perfectly.
just bought a fake at a gun show ,mine had a Black Blade handle scales we're not correct but the thing that gave it away did a few cuts on a piece of cardboard and the steel went from hair shaving Sharp 2 dull and would not cut paper. took it back and exchanged a new one ,also the Box was missing the point on the spider.
i just received ( 2 days ago) a Tenacious Lightweight fully serrated black, made in China, from an european seller (Lamnia). the box does not look very well. it is intact but with scratches. the bars dont touch numbers, too. the foam is black and thick, cant see through.
the knife looks perfect. anyway, i doubt Lamnia would sell fakes.
In regards to the barcodes what you are looking at are different densities of the barcode. If you look at the genuine you will see it is wider that means it has a lower density versus the fake which has a higher density. The numbers touching are simply the size of the font. The chinese clone boxes could easily make these changes to appear real.
I would agree with that. It has always been amazing they didn't do such a simple fix.
Hey Les, question do you still have the 3rd PM2 for parts and wondering if you would like to sell it
I'll look, probably not, but we'll see.
I found it! You can have it. Post your email, I'll grab it, PM you and delete your email post here. I just need your address.
Got it!
I don't mind a fake, although they aren't for me, as long as it is sold as such. thanks for the great info, got to check my M4 Jade pm2 out
+David C Not true, Some real boxes have a lot of variability in the "nose" small and large, and there are small and large in the clones. I've looked closely at 50 or so real boxes and the same amount in clones. It's tea leaves my friend. You cannot use that as a criteria for anything.
I bought a para 2 off of knife center, and the numbers on the the barcode aren't touching the barcode. Do you think they would sell counterfeit knives?
Hi, I would go more by the knife characteristics. The boxes are all made in China, so I wouldn't base everything on a computer printed barcode. I don't believe Knifecenter would knowingly sell fakes. But anything could happen. Check the knife itself very close for the things shown in the video here.
Knife Center wouldn't sell a fake.
+Firdevs Yucel As stated in my other comment, the new barcode text on the real knives seems to be different now. Your knife is most likely real, just compare the other details to the fakes in his video and that will be a better indicator.
Do they have the same action does the blade sharpen and dull about the same
Action was very close. Didn't cut with them or sharpen them.
@@lesgarten thks
At the base of the clone blade there is a slight slit/notch perpendicular to the blade edge that isn't on the genuine. That may be the easiest tell.
KontrolEnthusiast Good eye! Almost like a sharpening notch.
Les Garten Wish I could take credit for an eagle eye, viewed or read about that particular tell in another comparo clone Spyderco vs. gen.
The blade material looks to almost be identical is the fake made from CPM S30V?
Naw, they usually use something like 8CR13MOV, D2, or something along those lines. Spyderco uses 8CR13MOV in a lot of their lower end knives like the Tenacious. The cloners are just copying the marks.
The barcode is not consistent neither of the boxes I have touch the numbers and they match in appearance. I have two Manix 2s the Blurple G10 s110v which came from BHQ so obviously reputable, and a standard black G10 which I ordered off amazon. I sent the black g10 in to Spyderco for warranty service with the box and was returned to me with no issues.
Have there been any fake sprint runs? I picked up one from Amazon with S35VN, not from Amazon itself but from a fairly reputable US dealer. I have no reason to think it's fake, but it's always a worry.
+messmeister92 I've never seen them do a Sprint run. They usually just kit the most common.
Thank you!
The pattern on that real one sux. Mine looks awesome and. Did by mine from blade hq
I guess you're talking about the G-10? I have 2 Para2s and 2 Millies in Camo and the CAMO patterns are OK but not stellar. I like the Black blades agains the CAMO!
I'm interested in the new Zome patterns on the Delica and Endura though. It's just another trick from Spyderco to get people to buy more Enduras and Delicas but I think they look nice anyway.
Everybody claims to know what a fake looks like but I work in manufacturing and I can tell you that there are a lot of variations in between lots and even more if there’s multiple locations making the same/similar products for a company
I'm curious what steel is actually used and how was the heat treat?
No real way to know that with a clone
@@lesgarten: True, I have two PM2's but I doubt neither are clones as one I got from Bentobox in M390 and the other from Blade HQ digi camo in 30v. I don't tend to buy randomly from Amazon to avoid the chance of a Chinese knock off. I still enjoyed the video though as it's interesting how crafty the Chinese are.
@@packinaglock I've found that if you spend about $50 and shop carefully, you can get a really good knife from them. It will usually be D2 often. The $25 knives may be 8cr13mov. Then the $10-15 range will be 440c. These para clones were great for their price point. But the Chinese IME will always have a flaw to their work which is fatal in the end. They will always cut a corner. For instance on these knives. The fasteners were really cheap and soft metal. Then the fasteners are goofed into the knife itself. Overtorqued, cross threaded, etc. So it is always a potential night mare to take one apart.
In the electronics realm, they will steel a really nice valuable circuit from say Krell or Mark Levinson. Then they will use counterfeit Transistors, or counterfeit low quality capacitors and you will get premature failure.
They have built lots of new buildings in their country, but they don't last long, they crumble after just a few years. So people who are expatriots that live in China, won't buy any place to live, only rent.
Polar opposite of Japan.
They will always cut a corner.
I've no clue what the number in the bottom right corner is either, however, it is always a four digit number from my understanding. That it is not on the displayed correctly on the fakes screamed at me that they probably weren't legit.
Just got one was very worried about it being a fake lucky for me it's not Blade.hq always sells real knives that you can trust
Indeed, Knifecenter as well. GPKinives as well
26:30 ... it seems that comparing both blades that in the real one you can see the horizontal grind line continues on the outer part of the hole. But on the fake it does not. (it might be a trick of the light though)
Doesn't really help though. They are all ground by hand, no two will be alike. I usually try to find things that are reliably different.
I thought I was on to something, but it wouldn't be the first time (or last) that I was full of beans! ;)
1 thirty in you called Spyderco's "overpriced" --- I almost spit out my coffe - I know this video is 7 years old, but if you look today pricing on Spydercos has remained stable, and only small increases to pricing in the past year or so (due to all the BS we had to deal with the coof)... so that comment to me didn't age well - meanwhile, Benchmade asking the prices they are - now that's something worthy of being called "overpriced" - and the QC is garbage, bad grinds, uneven plunges, nothing exciting... Spyderco on the other hand continues to create new products, and even their own steel!
Where can you even find Spyderco fakes? I can't seem to ever find any on sites that usually have fakes.
Hello. First off.....Great review. My question is this. Since they are both made in China, is it possible that the "Fake" ones are like what Cold Steel used to call them........."Factory Seconds" ? And how do they cut ? So you feel a difference in how they cut ? Are the fake ones as strong ? Thank You for Your Time.
MrEdium They are not Spyderco knives. There are quite a few differences that are huge differences, not just "seconds". The clone Para 2's can be good and bad examples as shown in the video. The cut well. I don't know how to pick a good one though. There is variability in the Para 2's. Glad you enjoyed the videos. Thanx!
MrEdium The steel is the same with org and fake finish on blade itself often pretty much the same aswell so 15 bucks fake works as good as orginial one.
Regalya Definitely make good beater knives.
Les Garten I totally agree i used to be devoted spyderco fan :D
But using counterfeit spyderco's for an half year or so none of them gave any problem so far i recomend them everywhere a solid company that has over 10 million revenue should out perform it's fakes until they do i don't see any point paying up 10 times more then knockoffs...
Ps: I don't like Byrd knives
Regalya Why not buy something legal that isn't infringing on patents and copyrights? Surely China makes some cheap knives that you don't have to hate yourself as a carrier? I can't believe that the world allows these laws to be sullied so blatantly and openly. Why do people need to pretend they have a $100-3000 knife, why can't they just buy a chinese knife that isn't stamped with some other companies legit logo? At the least, please acid etch or grind off the logos... the whole practice of clones is downright disgusting and the national governments should really get involved at some point since this just gets worse every day. I know this junk usually ships directly from China to the end-user, but I'd love to see more lawsuits and possibly embargos against companies and users of these illegally produced and sold blades.
I can appreciate you don't want to pay money for the real thing, maybe you don't have the cash (even though the company deserves every penny), but there are options that don't infringe on trademarks/copyrights/patents. I would love the irony of someone that makes these comments creating their blade company and then having China clone it and somehow they just don't mind their patents and logos copied and saturating the market and wrecking it. Horrible, horrible practice and a real shame that morally corrupt people encourage their production by buying these illegal blades from morally corrupt producers.
For me, welcome to the world I guess. I should probably just accept that humans are intrinsically evil and that right/wrong is entirely based on upbringing, rather than something we innately have. Apologies to Spyderco and everyone else that has ever invented/designed anything. Evil people will pretend they are you and other evil people will facilitate that behavior by buying their illegal products.
On the bright side, this will save me time that I may have spent creating a new unique locking mechanism or some world changing blade design, because China would just fuck me anyway and plenty of folks would line up to buy their shit.
Did you order your Southard and Para2 directly from Spyderco by chance?
I ordered the REAL one's from various places and the clones from China for comparison
Just curious cause some people say only BladeHQ and spyderco are authentic sources, and anywhere else is hit and miss.
You should do a comparison video for the Tenacious - they are even doing the cheap knife now - on DHGATE you can buy the Tenacious in all forms - I have the black blade tenacious and was super concerned at first because I bought it on Amazon
I just ordered my first Paramilitary 2 today and appreciate your videos a lot - saves me the trouble of having to contact spyderco about it - maybe even sending to them to confirm if the knife is real.
By the time I got it back the return policy on amazon would be up and I wouldn't get my money back :(
Knifecenter is good, Knives ship for free is good, GPknives is good. Amazon is OK, but beware and make sure you get it from Amazon and not a vendor on Amazon.
The Tenacious is an awesome knife at an awesome price. I didn't know they were cloning them. I'll bet they are perfect matches, almost...
I did order from Amazon for the Para, but a seller in the USA shipped me my Tenacious - Luckily I inspected it and it seems to be the real deal.
You should do a comparison video though, the pictures I have seen are dead on - I saw them on DHGate and cannot find a video at all.
and also the sides of the blades
You can feel which is which because the clips are not in the same spots
Not sure how to answer Jared Rogers. His post is a linked comment from elsewhere and I cannot reply to it. Amazon is very good at backing up their knives, no real worries there,
Michel Linschoten I know that's suggested but haven't seen a lot to back that up. However, virtually anybody can now be a "Vendor" on Amazon. So I only buy from Amazon itself, that way you are covered by a pretty much ironclad return policy. Of course you still have to check your knife for being counterfeit, which is getting harder and harder.
yes on dh gate they have it plastered on the ad heading. didn't u do a review on the rubicon. I thought u mentioned it was s30v
Ohhh, I see what you are saying. The ad is not for real when they are cloning. They are just advertising what the original was. I search for knives there a lot by the steel. For instance to find a knife you can search for CTS knife or XHP knife.
If you send them a PM, they will tell you what the knife is and will also tell you it is not S30v.
They use the s30V because it is marked on the knife and they seem to think you will search for it that way.
When looking for Cold Steels, I use San Mai knife, but they obviously don't have San Mai steel.
Hope that helps
Not sure what the clone Rubicon was made of.
thank you very much for taking the time to answer. Just wishful thinking on my part
If you want one, get it. The Blades are for the most part made out of pretty good steel. Usually something like 8CR13MOV. Which is a steel that Spyderco uses in it's Ambitious, Persistence, and Tenacious line.
For the amount of $$ that they cost, these are solid knives worth 2-3x what they are asking for them. They are not Spydercos though in quality. I am using a knock off Endura in my garage right now places where I would not use one of my Spydercos if I could avoid it. It's doing pretty well for a $16 knife. It's actually doing well for a $30-40 knife.
If you can get a Real PM2 of course that would be better. I have maybe 30-40 different Spydercos and have never had one that was not awesome quality. I've been carrying daily a Spyderco for 30 years. They are just awesome made knives. Before the Spydercos, I carried daily a Gerber Paul or Rigid knife. Still have both of those back to the late 70's.
Hello friend, my name is Bruno and I am from Brazil. I have 2 CRKT and Byrd cara cara 2, original, and won gift a false Spyderco. I would like to know your opinion, if it would be safe to use it in simple everyday tasks or should I just leave it as garnish. Grade hug! (descupe by the English pessimo am using translator)
+Bruno Which False Spyderco? Like the Para 2?
+ Les Garden spyderco paramilitary 2 black
+Bruno SM I would use the hell out of it. I would not take it apart unless you must to repair it. You maybe should adjust the pivot screw tension only if it needs it to make the knife blade move well. It may be fine and not need any adjustment. My Para 2's that were fake were pretty good knives. The fasteners that hold the handles are soft metal though.
+Les Garten Thanks for the advice! You can not imagine how in Brazil, products made in USA quality has a high price. The value of an original paramilitary today is what my family spends to live in two months. Always wanted a Spyderco and I was presented with this fake. Thank you and have a great week!
+Bruno Glad it helped!
The biggest difference I noticed was the scales. They just have a cheaper look to them. Like less time was spent on them.
Some of the "fakes" are just knifes that didn't pass inspection for minuscule reasons and get sold to the second market. But as long as the steel is the same you can find great deals on these knifes.
That may be true of some fakes. But it is not true of Spydercos. I've had a lot of Fake Spydercos in my hands and they are not seconds.
best way to guarantee you have a real one is to get it from the spyderco website
25:51 he has to stop and think which one is real. He’ll probably end up accidentally giving away the real knife to a friend.
They are close...
On the real box at the spider when in the light different than the fake ones