Authenticity questioned

Hmm...Looks real enough to me. If you want, you could send it this way and I can head over to the factory and have them check it out. I can always use another excuse to head over to the factory. :)
 
Thanks for all the responses, guys. From the comments and observations it seems that this SAK may, after all, be genuine. While it is a relief to know that my wife (probably) wasn't cheated, it raises the question of whether this rusting can be attributed more to build quality or maintenance.

If I had been as careless with this SAK as I had been with my last one, then I would probably give the benefit of the doubt to the manufacturer, however as a gift from my wife I have been taking especially good care of this one.

To address a few of the questions that have come up : yes, I have used it for peeling fruit. Then again, I used my old one for peeling fruit, too, and never ran into this problem. I know that the acids in fruit can be corrosive and, in answer to another question, I always clean and dry the blade thoroughly, immediately after every use.

While the fruit did cross my mind as being responsible for the corrosion, in all honesty I don't think I could have done much more to protect the blade, post-peeling, short of bathing it in gun oil.

It has never been put away wet or carried in damp or exceptionally humid conditions, although I do live fairly close to the sea.

To move on to more practical considerations, I now need to think about how to treat the steel going forward. If my rifle barrel had this much rust (in fact, any rust at all) then I would simply replace it, so I'm afraid I haven't got any experience in caring for something which has already succumb to rust. Currently the blades are all lightly oiled, however is this enough to stop the rust spreading? What other steps should I be thinking about taking?
 
jayinhk said:
I've been carrying my Huntsman for two years without issue, including in the hot, humid air of Indonesia and the Philippines. If she bought it from SCW Cutlery in Wanchai (I'm betting that's where she got it), there's a good chance you bought a fake. They openly sell fake Benchmade 910 Strykers there for like $35 US a piece! Since she threw the box away, you're not going to get a refund. The only thing I buy from SCW is razor blades for my Dovo Shavette--they're a ripoff for everything else, and it sounds like they might be selling fake Victorinox products too!

Just out of curiosity, how'd you get your SAK stolen?!
Click to expand...

i got one i bought in yo ma de ( ya ma te ) in 93 its not rusted and only needs a bit of oil on the joint.

no rust and its been everywhere with me since 93
 
imho: Keeping lightly oiled sounds right, then observe again for rust after some time has past with your regular use. If it still does it and it bothers you, ask your wife to buy you another (genuine) SAK, maybe cellidor scales, so as to keep its symbolic significance! Good luck!
 
Kang Wen said:
Here's a link to photos of the knife, including the rusting / pitting :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11046631@N08/sets/72157623421872785/

The last photo in the set shows the rust in the most detail.
Click to expand...

Guys: Did anyone notice that the tang stamp in IMG_2145 says ...

VICTORINOX
SWISS MADE
STAINLESS

It's been awhile since I've handled an Econoline model, but all my Victorinox SAKs in this size range say this on the tang:

VICTORINOX
SWITZERLAND
STAINLESS
ROSTFREI

I've used and abused Victorinox knives in all sorts of climates and weather (backpacking around Turkey in summer, deep sea fishing off the coast of Florida, etc.) and have never ever seen any rust like this. Maybe some of you SAK experts can jump in and tell me if they do use the "SWISS MADE / STAINLESS" tang stamp to assuage my suspicions.
 
I just checked my Huntsman (bought from an official Victorinox store in the largest mall here in Hong Kong) and it doesn't say ROSTFREI on the blade.

Kang Wen: Have you walked around near the seaside with your SAK or spent any time in the water with it? Salt water = rust city!
 
jayinhk said:
I just checked my Huntsman (bought from an official Victorinox store in the largest mall here in Hong Kong) and it doesn't say ROSTFREI on the blade.

Kang Wen: Have you walked around near the seaside with your SAK or spent any time in the water with it? Salt water = rust city!
Click to expand...

jayinhk: Does yours say "SWISS MADE" like Kang Wen's, or "SWITZERLAND" like mine?

Also, with all due respect, it's not at all been my experience that, with Victorinox knives, salt water equals rust city. 'Course that's what makes this so baffling. :confused:
 
Hey, I know I live in Wanchai, but I'm no sailor!

Seriously, though, I haven't even been out in the rain with it.
 
Salt water's a strong corrosive, but yeah, stainless usually doesn't rust without serious effort to get it there, and my Victorinox and Wenger knives have never rusted at all. I would definitely take it to a Victorinox outlet. Do you (or your wife) still have the receipt for it?

Will have to check on the markings in the morning--left the SAK on the couch and I'm about to hit the hay. :)
 
mnblade said:
Guys: Did anyone notice that the tang stamp in IMG_2145 says ...

VICTORINOX
SWISS MADE
STAINLESS

It's been awhile since I've handled an Econoline model, but all my Victorinox SAKs in this size range say this on the tang:

VICTORINOX
SWITZERLAND
STAINLESS
ROSTFREI
Click to expand...

Current SAK's have the first tang stamp, older SAK's have the second tang stamp. I searched on the forum and found that there was a thread on the "rostfrei" text. It seems it was still there in the 90's.

(http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=670942)
 
i am no expert but the word



ROSTFREI

Rostfreier Stahl ist ein allgemeinsprachlicher Ausdruck für eine Gruppe von korrosions- und säurebeständigen Stahlsorten. Diese Stähle sind auch bekannt unter der korrekteren Bezeichnung nichtrostender Stahl. Als Erfinder gilt im angelsächsischen Bereich Harry Brearley, der sein Patent 1913 anmeldete (erst 1919 erteilt), während in Deutschland das Unternehmen Krupp mit Eduard Maurer schon ein Jahr vor Brearley ein Patent auf rostfreien Stahl anmeldete. Die Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft hatte 1908 die Yacht Germania aus rostfreiem Stahl gebaut.

that looks like german to me. i would think any swiss made knife that had rostfrei on it would be a high chance it was fake. why would a swiss company put a german name on its blade?
 
German is one of the three national languages of Switzerland. The other two are French and Italian. There are a lot of German speakers in Switzerland. I was in Zurich a few years ago and they definitely speak Deutsch there. Rostfrei simply means "rust free." If you were in Geneva, however, most people would be speaking to you in French, although lots of Swiss people speak English quite well. I was surprised by the number of Latino immigrants I encountered in Zurich. I met Costa Ricans and Dominicans there and we were talking to each other in Spanish!

So you bought your SAK in Yau Ma Tei...cool. There's a store there where I buy lots of toys. :) Might head over there for a Sharpmaker soon.
http://www.supremeco.com.hk


3_hard_boiled_eggs said:
i am no expert but the word



ROSTFREI

Rostfreier Stahl ist ein allgemeinsprachlicher Ausdruck für eine Gruppe von korrosions- und säurebeständigen Stahlsorten. Diese Stähle sind auch bekannt unter der korrekteren Bezeichnung nichtrostender Stahl. Als Erfinder gilt im angelsächsischen Bereich Harry Brearley, der sein Patent 1913 anmeldete (erst 1919 erteilt), während in Deutschland das Unternehmen Krupp mit Eduard Maurer schon ein Jahr vor Brearley ein Patent auf rostfreien Stahl anmeldete. Die Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft hatte 1908 die Yacht Germania aus rostfreiem Stahl gebaut.

that looks like german to me. i would think any swiss made knife that had rostfrei on it would be a high chance it was fake. why would a swiss company put a german name on its blade?
Click to expand...
 
3_hard_boiled_eggs said:
i am no expert but ... i would think any swiss made knife that had rostfrei on it would be a high chance it was fake. why would a swiss company put a german name on its blade?
Click to expand...

As to why, I don't know .... but I would venture to guess that tens of millions of genuine Victorinox knives are stamped with "Rostfrei," including every one I've ever owned.
 
Kan Wen & JayinHK - I am in HK too and was surprised and pleased to see other HK members. About 18 months ago I bought what I thought were genuine Extrema Ratio knives from that shop in Wanchai. They were not and I managed to get a full refund. After a good look around I now know they had fake Benchmades' too. What else is fake there I don't know because I am not very welcome there anymore. About 10-15 years ago it was a different matter because they sold really good stuff and all the spares for Swiss Army knives.
Kan - I am a life member of Artists Rifle Club in Bisley and before June 1997, you could indeed shoot full bore rifle in HK with the consent of the British Army (Having been the former Chairman of British Forces Pistol Club), but alas no more.
Jay, they is IPSC & IDPA type shooting in HK and you don't need to own a gun, but it is expensive compared to say the Philippines, which is where I still shoot.
As to the SAK - I think its a fake.. sorry
 
Hi Falcor,

Wow, so all the HK members are coming out of the woodwork. ;) I don't buy anything from SCW anymore at all--not even the blades I previously mentioned, because I bought hundreds from a store in the US. There are tons of fake Extrema Ratio knives around, and all of them were made in China. SCW is probably just trying to make ends meet. That's a huge store they have by HK standards and rents out here are sky high right now, so they're doing what they can to keep their doors open. The only people who buy anything there are those who don't really know any better. I've seen them selling overpriced machetes to triad types too...

For IDPA/IPSC, you still need to be a member of a local gun club, correct? Membership at them is quite expensive. I'd like to shoot in the Phils and I might be out there in Easter. Where in the Phils do you shoot? I see you're a member of Pinoyguns!
 
jayinhk said:
German is one of the three national languages of Switzerland. The other two are French and Italian. There are a lot of German speakers in Switzerland. I was in Zurich a few years ago and they definitely speak Deutsch there. Rostfrei simply means "rust free." If you were in Geneva, however, most people would be speaking to you in French, although lots of Swiss people speak English quite well. I was surprised by the number of Latino immigrants I encountered in Zurich. I met Costa Ricans and Dominicans there and we were talking to each other in Spanish!

So you bought your SAK in Yau Ma Tei...cool. There's a store there where I buy lots of toys. :) Might head over there for a Sharpmaker soon.
http://www.supremeco.com.hk
Click to expand...

remember this was in 93. it was on reclamation street on the 2d floor or 1st floor to brits or hong knog'ers

there is another one in the corner of the ladies street in mon kok. the samples are on the corner and the stuff is on the 1st floor or 2nd floor. its the one above ground level.

........SAK in Yau Ma Tei...cool (aka) oil horse place :)
 
3_hard_boiled_eggs said:
remember this was in 93. it was on reclamation street on the 2d floor or 1st floor to brits or hong knog'ers

there is another one in the corner of the ladies street in mon kok. the samples are on the corner and the stuff is on the 1st floor or 2nd floor. its the one above ground level.

........SAK in Yau Ma Tei...cool (aka) oil horse place :)
Click to expand...

I never realized that that's what the name meant--never looked at it literally. ;)

We have official Victorinox stores here, so I wouldn't buy any SAKs in YMT now...

http://www.ifc.com.hk/english/shop.aspx?id=2001

http://www.victorinox.com.hk/eng/where-to-buy/
 
Last edited:
jayinhk said:
German is one of the three national languages of Switzerland. The other two are French and Italian. There are a lot of German speakers in Switzerland. I was in Zurich a few years ago and they definitely speak Deutsch there. Rostfrei simply means "rust free." If you were in Geneva, however, most people would be speaking to you in French, although lots of Swiss people speak English quite well. I was surprised by the number of Latino immigrants I encountered in Zurich. I met Costa Ricans and Dominicans there and we were talking to each other in Spanish!
Click to expand...

Some additional info: Victorinox is based in the German-speaking part of Switzerland and Wenger in the French-speaking part.
 
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