I've been looking at a Extrema Ratio machete on eBay that seems from the photo to be a little off in terms of quality and details. Are there a lot of cheap knock-offs on the market imitating expensive knives. How do you protect yourself?
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Are knock-offs a big problem
- Thread starter Twindog
- Start date
How do you protect yourself? Buy only from reputable, authorized dealers mentioned on forums, who sponsor them, and who will be able to answer the phone when you call.
Lots of folks work off the honor system on a bid service, and it works ok for collectables, but for new goods, the resellers of imported copies are the latest pirates. Let the Buyer Beware.
Lots of folks work off the honor system on a bid service, and it works ok for collectables, but for new goods, the resellers of imported copies are the latest pirates. Let the Buyer Beware.
Thanks, I've been naive to the problem, and I still don't have a good sense of how big it is, but it looks like it's not uncommon. I guess I'm out $150, but I've lost more than that by buying from a dishonest custom maker, too. Pretty soon, I'll learn.
Esav Benyamin
MidniteSuperMod
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- 90,915
tirod is right. Until you develop your own radar, use the sytem in place: buy from our forum supporters. They have an investment to protect here, and a customer base to vouch for them.
Cougar Allen
Buccaneer (ret.)
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Lets see if we can find the right forum
I didn't mean for this to be a gripe about a specific problem, but a discussion about the general issue. My fault.
I emailed a seller of ER knives on Ebay and he says he gets them from China, but doesn't know much else. Another seller makes no claims whatsoever about the authenticity, but still calls them ER knives. One of the Extrema Ratio dealers has a warning up about fake eBay ER knives. I read in the comments of ER sellers where the buyer was surprised to discover that his knife came from China, which these days has the manufacturing expertise to make virtually anything of any quality.
I presume that there are a lot of knock offs of well-designed, but expensive knives floating around, and most of the owners haven't a clue, especially since so many owners don't seem to actually use their knives. I'll bet this is a big problem that is going to get a lot worse.
I emailed a seller of ER knives on Ebay and he says he gets them from China, but doesn't know much else. Another seller makes no claims whatsoever about the authenticity, but still calls them ER knives. One of the Extrema Ratio dealers has a warning up about fake eBay ER knives. I read in the comments of ER sellers where the buyer was surprised to discover that his knife came from China, which these days has the manufacturing expertise to make virtually anything of any quality.
I presume that there are a lot of knock offs of well-designed, but expensive knives floating around, and most of the owners haven't a clue, especially since so many owners don't seem to actually use their knives. I'll bet this is a big problem that is going to get a lot worse.
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- 4,302
I dont think so, usually people tell the difference, because of the materials, and pricing.
Hey Gerber:
You may be right for some people and for some knives. But the Chinese can produce very high quality goods. If I bought an Extrema Ratio fixed blade knock-off with cheap 420J rather than high-quality colbalt stainless, I couldn't tell, especially since these blades are coated. I don't think 90-plus percent of other buyers could, either. It would be a rare person who could tell, especially when most of these knives don't get used.
You are apparently into Gerber knives. The Chinese can produce Gerber-quality knives in their sleep. If they make high quality Busse copies out of ordinary high-carbon steel, how many people could tell. They can certainly copy the shape exactly. They can copy the scales exactly and bolt them on with no trouble. They can also sell these knives for a fraction of what Busse charges and still make a profit. They probably can't make Infi, but who could tell anyway.
I have to buy on the internet because I live in a remote area. The nearest town has 20,000 people. The selection of knives is very small, and the clerks are expert at using the cash register and little else. I'm on my own.
I'm guessing that a lot of people, even the knowledgeable people on this forum, have knock offs and don't know it. But that is a guess, and it will probably be more true in the future than it is now.
You may be right for some people and for some knives. But the Chinese can produce very high quality goods. If I bought an Extrema Ratio fixed blade knock-off with cheap 420J rather than high-quality colbalt stainless, I couldn't tell, especially since these blades are coated. I don't think 90-plus percent of other buyers could, either. It would be a rare person who could tell, especially when most of these knives don't get used.
You are apparently into Gerber knives. The Chinese can produce Gerber-quality knives in their sleep. If they make high quality Busse copies out of ordinary high-carbon steel, how many people could tell. They can certainly copy the shape exactly. They can copy the scales exactly and bolt them on with no trouble. They can also sell these knives for a fraction of what Busse charges and still make a profit. They probably can't make Infi, but who could tell anyway.
I have to buy on the internet because I live in a remote area. The nearest town has 20,000 people. The selection of knives is very small, and the clerks are expert at using the cash register and little else. I'm on my own.
I'm guessing that a lot of people, even the knowledgeable people on this forum, have knock offs and don't know it. But that is a guess, and it will probably be more true in the future than it is now.