Benchmade Skirmish 630... any fakes out there?

[jerry3times]

Hi All,

I hope I'm in the right category to discuss this. I recently bought a N.I.B Benchmade 630BK-503 Skirmish Limited Edition on ebay
for $450 . I was excited to receive my new toy so I could compare it with my Mini Skirmish which is awesome.
First of all it took forever to arrive since the seller was shipping from Canada and encountered several road blocks getting the knife to
California. Well it finally arrived and since opening the beat up box I am more than a little worried about the authenticity of this knife.
It looks and feels fine when you hold it but my concern arose when opening it and most importantly when I close it.
The blade swings open fine enough but lacks that fluid motion that my mini has and my real concern is the lock up.
On the mini the framelock is around 65-70% while on the 630 it is at about 95%. This is still fine except that it is almost impossible to close
with one hand. I have to use both hands to disengage the framelock which is a far cry from the butter like action on the mini.
Other areas of concern are the pocket clip which seems a little discolored in some spots and the jimping which is a little more aggressive on the
630 compared to the mini. The feel of both knives are so different in functionality. The mini is a "First Production" where the 630 is a " Limited Edition".... does that matter or make them different in the manufacturing in any way?
Centering on the blade is near perfect on the 630 where on the 635 is slightly off to one side (no real concern there). My final concern is that on the frame behind the lanyard hole there is a very slight indentation under the black finish. I would think that Benchmade only put out flawless handles when they were making these knives because of the price point.
So my questions are these and I hope you may shed some light if possible: Has anyone heard of any fake Skirmishes out in the secondary market, does the framelock have a break in period that I need to be more patient about, can I and should I send the knife to Benchmade to see what they think and most importantly... am I being totally paranoid about buying this knife online?

Thanks for reading and hope to read your responses if any,

J

 

[kreole]

Pictures would help everyone determine if it's a fake by about 10000%

 

[dano]

Is the lock sticking, or is it just really stiff? On both of my 630's, the lock bar is really stiff, and hard to close.

 

[jerry3times]

Hello and thanks for responding. Yes I know pics would help but unfortunately I am not very savy with computers and adding pics is next to impossible for me. I always seem to add the wrong pic. The knife looks 100% except for the nick under the black finish and the biggest concern was the frame lock.
The lock doesn't stick but is extremely stiff . The lock on the mini is easily disengaged and everything can be done one handed.
Would either of you know why some are " Limited Edition " , " First Production " and others no labeling at all? My understanding was that the knife wasn't mass produced and became a 'must have' after they discontinued it. I have a First Production 635 and the 630 is Limited Edition.
Did the stiffness in your 630 lessen after you broke it in or is it just how it is and some are smoother than others?