Fake Custom Knives

[Bob Tice]

I need someone out there to help me as I am trying to fight this by myself and am making too many enemies. Someone in Oregon is buying Pakistan blades and or knives, re handling them, changing out the sheaths and INK ETCHING their name and selling these as custom forged, custom ground, and custom made knives. I have already had correspondence with him and have gotten nowhere. I purchased one of his knives and an identical one from Blue Ridge and took them both to Jim at Texas Knifemakers Supply in Houston. I stood there while he tested them and also had someone else test them right behind him. They both tested at Rc 41. These had been advertised at Rc 59. The man no longer puts the rockwell rating in his Ebay listings, which is a story in itself. He distributes the knives for Jason Jacobs, who swears he has a million dollars worth of equipment but will never answer any of my questions about the guards, blade shapes, size, steel, etc. Seller on Ebay is cougari. I have pix I can send anyone who wants to correspond with me. Help me expose these cheats. Bob Tice (bobtice@bobticeknives.com)

[kile]

I know what you been about wanting to expose these guys. I hate it when people are lying about making custom knives.
I have found several people selling kit knives on ebay advertising them as something they aren't. There are also a few people in my area who are doing this.
Check out the tanto thread at CKD in the gallery, I can't ever seem to get registered on that forum so I can't post, but a guy posted a pic of hollow ground blade which he claimed to do with files, and a 2x42" craftsmen grinder. He maid several comments about how hard it was to grind, and I recognized it instantly as the "rebel tanto" that TKS sells. It was the first kit I ever put together, so I have fond memories of it. I got really irritated last night just thinking about it how this guy had fooled so many makers over at CKD.

Moderators, if you would rather I didn't comment on threads on other forums, I am sorry. Please delete my last paragraph.

Unforunately the only thing we can do is expose these people to as many folks as we can. Othewise they will continue to rip people off. We need to find somebody with a lot of cash, to buy up all the fakes on ebay for a couple of months, and leave horrible feedback for everybody, so that less people will be willing to buy from them.


Thanks,
Kyle Fuglesten

[Keith Montgomery]

Thank you Bob for that heads up. I was thinking of purchasing one of the Jason Jacobs CPM420 bowies, because they always go for such a cheap price.

What would you suggest as an avenue to expose these people?

[SharpByCoop]

I've heard this same thing before about Jason Jacobs.

Bob, you are really trying hard to expose this type of activity and we should all salute you. On eBay especially it's running upstream.

At the very least I hope the readers on THIS forum pay attention and keep away. These guys just make the whole custom/handmade and even kit industry look bad.

Coop

[Keith Montgomery]

Kile, I thought I would bring your point to that thread on the CKD forum. Let's see what the maker has to say.

[Daniel Koster]

I have in my possession a JJ blade - not purchased by me. Please keep us posted however this turns out.

What else can be done?

Dan

[averageguy]

I thought everyone knew these were Pakistani blades and yes there are plenty of kits being sold as customs. I guess I spend too much time looking at knives.

[george tichbourne]

There are actually people out there that think that the normal proceedure is to purchase a blade somewhere and put an handle on it and you have a custom knife, can't imagine that some folks actually make their own blades as well. This group is mainly limited to non knife forum individuals or non magazine readers. I run into one or two at every sporting or craft style show I go to.

The craft show group is the worst for the misconception. I usually run into a couple at each show that will look at the video of me making a knife that I run at every show and will not believe that I make knives by hand. These are the people that must be protected from themselves but you can only do that by educating them.

How do you educate them...darned if I can figure that one out...these are the people that pick a knife up by the blade to admire the pretty wood handle and cut themselves...Then they complain that I didn't tell them that the knives are sharp!?!?!?!?!?

[Bob Tice]

Replies are good. They won't get rid of the problem though. When someone buys a $2.85 blade from Pakistan, buffs off the Pakistan ink etch, and then adds their own ink etch, isn't that plagiarism. Aren't people punished, expelled from school, etc., for these action?
These folks have to be contacted, asked questions and have the pressure put on them to find another business they can cheat people at, but not knives.
If you bought a knife from them, have it tested. Send it back. Leave feedback on eBay if possible.
I'll say one thing, the people in the NW USA are industrious,(or is it Lazy ) as that is where all of the fakes are coming from. Silver Stag is another. Cody Rose is another. All from Washington, Oregon, & Montana.

[Pinoy Knife]

Carefull there "Bob Tice " im a native Oregonian and proud of it . i don't like the bullshit artist playing real knifemaker anymore than anyone else but your comment is untrue period ! the pacific N.W has several great knifemaker's from Oregon and Washington . many of us here are Bladesmith's as well as grinder's. Sorry but had to clear that up. i know this clown Jason Jacobs and totally agree he should be stopped if possible.he gives real knifemaker's a bad name.anyone can buy super cheap blades and slop a guard and handle on and call it their Custom . i have personally had a table behind this guy at a show and let me tell ya the Bullshit is flying . he claims to hollow grind a blade in 30 second's . i would really like to see it before ill believe it . i don't believe in bashing a (Maker) i just don't feel as this guy is worthy of the name .

[Bob Tice]

My apologies to all the TRUE makers in the NW. I have many friends who are makers, including Gorden Johnson, Ruffin Johnson, Charlie Dake, Henry Heller(dec), Clyde Fischer(dec), Chubby Hueske(dec), Wayne Robertson, Terry Hearn, Ed Stokes and sorry for those I didn't mention, but many more. I KNOW how hard these guys work to make an acceptable knife and that is precisely why this guy Jacobs makes me want to puke. As I said before, I have asked many questions of both him and Chris Blatter, who sells the knives on eBay, and have YET to get ANY sensible answers. I can produce EVERY knife he makes(sic) from the Blue Ridge Catalog in the Pakistan section. And I have one of his knives in my hand, just in case anyone wants to take me on> Thanks for the reply. I appreciate your support and I'm sure all other Makers do as well.

[Keith Montgomery]

Bob, I can't seem to find a web site for Blue Ridge. Do they have one? I would like to check out these Pakistani blades that you have mentioned.

Once I have personally been able to check into this matter, I will be glad to contact ebay and cougari to let them know how I feel.

[Bob Tice]

Blue Ridge Knives is a wholesale distributor. They are at 166 Adwolf Dr. Marion, VA. 24354 Their website is www.blueridgeknives.com

[IamMatt]

I don't know, but could a federal mail fraud complaint be filed for EACH knife he mails out (if he uses USPS or maybe if the knife is paid for with a USPS money order?

Bob, maybe you could call the postal authorities and explain that he is using the US Mail (if he is) to commit fraud and get a feel for how likely they are to do anything about it?



Wow, two Matt Cooks in one thread.......

[Melvin-Purvis]

Good to see you posting here brother, welcome to the CKF at BFC...

I won't pretend to know you, or some of the others posting here for that matter...yet, I do know of your overwhelming positive reputation, and do follow the threads in this forum; although, usually as an 'observer' for the most part...

That said, I'm a regular here at BFC, you're a 'known fella', and some of the other good folks posting in this thread are personal friends...

(That was a rather long-winded way of saying 'Hi Bob, welcome to the forum, good to see ya here...lol)

So, while Edna and I haven't really gotten into the customs in a big way yet, we have gotten into 'Randall Made' knives (RMK) a bit...

If you want to see how we're handling the problem with counterfeit/altered knives over at KFC, stop on by the RMK forum...

(With RMK's, new knives are passed off as old; rehandled knives passed off as original; sheaths/stitching/snaps/stones/grinds/stamps/spacers/handles/hilts/models/variants/etc. being mixed, matched, altered, and reproduced...it becomes somewhat problematic sorting out the few BS knives from the many legit knives...but, we strive hard to do so on a daily basis, and so far I'd say we're doing pretty good...)

Eternal vigilance seems to be the order of the day here...

Anyhoo, welcome Bob, good to see ya posting here...and for bringing this mess to our attention!

Sincerely,

Sheldon Wickersham
aka 'Melvin-Purvis'

[RDT]

Damn I hate this crap ! It get's me fuming ! Let me know what I can do to help expose these frauds, really...let me know. Short of stuffing my size 12 straight up their asses..LOL

[shootist16]

I found some pics on some of his ebay auctions. He claims to use CPM420V.

[IamMatt]

Gotta love what you find on eBay.

[Danbo]

Damn, those are some ugly ass looking "knives"!

[Bob Tice]

ALL those pix are Pakistan blades. And look at the sloppy way the ink etched logo is applied. If you ever picked one of these knives up and looked at the sloppy construction, you would wonder why anyone would even WANT to put their name on them. Those blades Rockwell at 41-42 at best. The second pic is an 8 1/4 bowie blade that I was buying from Blue Ridge for $3.25, INCLUDING the guard. I put them on Ebay fro demo purposes and even asked people not to bid on them and they ALL sold. The blade is no longer available from BRK but they have others. #3 Knife is available with colored pakawood for about $6.00