Comparing real and fake CRK knives for educational reasons.

Haze

Haze

Joined
Aug 2, 2004
Messages
18,850
There are a number of fake CRK knives being produced over seas at this time. For the most part they are laughable representations of the original product. I now however have in my possession a fake Regular Sebenza that is of good enough "quality" that I feel a new comer to CRK could be fooled by it.
It can be hard to decide if one should just keep their mouth shut and not let people know what was being done right or wrong on these knives. Or whether one should get as much info. out there as possible to help educate everyone on what is out there. The knife that I have just now is, to me and probably most other CRK owners, obviously fake, but there are buts that worry me.......

This particular knife is an old style Regular fake (the handle slabs with the lines down the spine and either end. I was not expecting to see that).
The over all shape and proportions are near spot on, bar the blade and clip (but they are close).
The blade has no markings on it at all (people may think "Woo hoo BG-42" as it has the right handle shape and style).
The knife is rough as far as finish with machining marks and obviously lower tolerances, but it's still on par with most US knife production companies IMO. (This may lead people to think "Ah, it's an old knife they weren't as refined back then").
There is no logo or any text markings at all on the knife be it blade or scales, but sterile Sebenzas have been brought up here a couple of times in the last while.
The anodising on the back spacer and thumb stud was off colour but there are ways for people to get round that of course.
The handle is Titanium and the blade is what would amount to properly heat treated steel of some sort. I hear it's D2 but with out a destructive test I have no real way of saying weather that is the case or not.
The box was very wrong and there was no literature of any kind included with the knife.

(I own an original Regular Sebenza that is that same style as this fake so it was easy for me to see the similarities and differences, the same can't be said for all though of course).

Any hoo, what I am asking the forum is should I post pictures publicly showing our members here what they should be looking out for so they don't get duped with fake knives ? I will also check with CRK before posting any detailed pictures as they will have an opinion on this one way or the other I'm sure.

All the best people and keep your eyes peeled..........
 
I, for one, wouldn't mind some information on this subject. I just started collecting CRK and I have been fortunate to buy from other collectors or received the original sales receipt with the knife for authenticity sake. Going forward I may not always be this lucky and would rather know, than risk being duped.
 
It's the secondary market that I feel could be the area that is at risk with these. I don't want to start giving people ideas, but it wouldn't take that much work to get the knife into a condition that it could pass as a CRK to an unsuspecting person. Make up a good story to cover any discrepancies to go along with the knife and you have the potential for a workable scam. :thumbdn:
 
Hi, I have a couple of chris's fixed bladed knives and want to get some folders. Any info on fake spotting, pics would be welcomed.

Thanks
 
I'm just waiting to hear back from CRK before I post any pics etc. I just wanted to confirm that posting pics and highlighting the fakers mistakes and the like was going to be OK in a manufacturers own forum as well as with the members of said forum..........
 
I personally, would not be inclined to let the cat out of the bag for what they are doing right or wrong. Simple fact is, they will get better on their own with time. Giving them queues on it will only escalate the means dial in their process of creating the fakes. Caveat Emptor, in that case, because the secondary market will be flooded with them by unscrupulous individuals looking to fund their own pursuits, whatever they may be.
 
bhyde said:
I personally, would not be inclined to let the cat out of the bag for what they are doing right or wrong. Simple fact is, they will get better on their own with time. Giving them queues on it will only escalate the means dial in their process of creating the fakes. Caveat Emptor, in that case, because the secondary market will be flooded with them by unscrupulous individuals looking to fund their own pursuits, whatever they may be.
Click to expand...

I agree, buts its kind of a double edged sword. You want the buyer to be informed so they know what to look for, but buy telling them and showing pics, its also showing the fake mfg. what they can do better.

If your unsure, pay the few extra and buy from a CRK Authorized Dealer.
 
Buy from this forum or from reputable retailers.

ePrey is like the wild west. If are not "armed" (with knowledge) don't go there. (And only pay with credit cards.)

Detailed lists of faker "mistakes" is just a blue print for "better" fakes. Discuss details in PM's -- or make the crooks' work easier.
 
You're damned if you do....you're damned if you don't.

The chinese knock off every high end product out there, and i like to know what to look for.

I remember a few years back, my wife had people trying to sell her the fake "Coach" hand bags coming from China Town. We got on the internet to see what the similarities were and werent. Some details were really close, while others were obvious short cuts.

There are fake vs real information threads/posts/web pages on the net on just about every product out there.
 
I was very much of the opinion that one should just keep their mouth shut and let the fakers flounder in silence. I think that is perhaps a rather obtuse view to have as I'm sure they know very well what needs fixing. I doubt people saying openly what they can see wrong is telling them much if anything they don't already know. They are not going to go away any time soon and they keep improving the knives all the time. I now think it is worth trying to keep on top of what's happening and making the information public.
 
I'm with ya, Haze.

While imitation can be considered sincere flattery, I'm of the opinion that it can also mean total lack of originality. It's a shame really. If these "manufacturers" are truly using D2 and titanium, why not come up with an original design? They could really have something if they did, something other than what's destined to be revered as a forgery. Just my .02.

Prof.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top