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Here's a snapshot, AUS10A
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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Counterfeit, anyone?
- Thread starter The Whip
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Ok thanks, I just reuploaded a better pic, that first one was pretty bad. Not sure why bladeforums keeps flipping it upside down though. So is this pre GSM then or do current boxes still say Ventura, CA on them?
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So far, I’ve been equating those completely sealed-in-bag left pocket clips with post GSM. Sample size of roughly 2 dozen. Not very scientific but accurate enough for me.
Pre GSM, the left pocket clips were in a long roughly 5 inch bag (didn’t measure, guesstimating) that was flat and not sealed on one end.
Does the other side of the blade have the new logo? I’m assuming it does but because of the transition it’s possible that it does not.
*also there was a time during the transition that many models came with no left pocket clip, thanks S Shaun Cazin for that, and for correcting that.
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It's my first cold steel so not sure what old and new logos look like but here's a pic of the other side
A very robust knife and dare I say the fit and finish noticeably surpasses my Japanese Spydercos
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Yep, that’s the new logo.It's my first cold steel so not sure what old and new logos look like but here's a pic of the other side
A very robust knife and dare I say the fit and finish noticeably surpasses my Japanese Spydercos
New (GSM) logo knife
in an old (pre-GSM) logo box.
Cold Steel, like many companies, has often put newer model knives in old boxes while using up existing stock. It doesn't make economic sense to waste them just because they're mislabeled. And recall that the GSM transfer occurred during the COVID nightmare, when overseas supply chains were stifled even worse than they are today.
You received a knife made/sold during the GSM transition. As jux t said, it's perfectly legitimate. (I've never seen one purchased directly from Amazon that wasn't.) I wouldn't worry about the quality of a post-GSM folder, either. I haven't observed any drop in the standards among the folders, as you've discovered from the fit and finish of your Rajah III.
-Steve
in an old (pre-GSM) logo box.
Cold Steel, like many companies, has often put newer model knives in old boxes while using up existing stock. It doesn't make economic sense to waste them just because they're mislabeled. And recall that the GSM transfer occurred during the COVID nightmare, when overseas supply chains were stifled even worse than they are today.
You received a knife made/sold during the GSM transition. As jux t said, it's perfectly legitimate. (I've never seen one purchased directly from Amazon that wasn't.) I wouldn't worry about the quality of a post-GSM folder, either. I haven't observed any drop in the standards among the folders, as you've discovered from the fit and finish of your Rajah III.
-Steve
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I've seen the large G10 counterfeited, not the xl
I "won" an auction on eBay in a moment of stupidity. I should have brushed up on the signs of fakery before placing my bid. Luckily I was able to compare what arrived to several other Cold Steel knives and it was then clear to me that I'd been scammed.
Thankfully the seller is taking it back at their expense. I'm guessing they do that to make people more comfortable and hope that folks don't bother to check or are too ashamed to admit they've been scammed. The biggest tell was that the sheath was obviously not comparable to those on my SRKs and SRKC's. Also, the steel just looked off. I went digging and determined that this is a $17-$18 knockoff sold on Temu. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to post links to eBay, but as a warning the seller is named "olympus enterprises" and these are the pics he is continuing to use for current auctions:
My pics of the crappy sheath:
Thankfully the seller is taking it back at their expense. I'm guessing they do that to make people more comfortable and hope that folks don't bother to check or are too ashamed to admit they've been scammed. The biggest tell was that the sheath was obviously not comparable to those on my SRKs and SRKC's. Also, the steel just looked off. I went digging and determined that this is a $17-$18 knockoff sold on Temu. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to post links to eBay, but as a warning the seller is named "olympus enterprises" and these are the pics he is continuing to use for current auctions:
My pics of the crappy sheath:
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Man, I would have guessed that's legit.
If I didn't have a legit sheath from other knives and hadn't looked closely at what they are supposed to look like in other reviews, I probably wouldn't have known. Like I said, the sheath fabric is really of low quality and the stitching on the loop is super weak.
Check out the version from Temu and see the similarity to what I received: https://share.temu.com/9mjycmZlbNA
Watch the embedded video which shows the fake markings on the knife and the similarity to the bogus sheath I received from eBay.
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DocJD
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The fakes just get better and better , in appearance .
I would have thought those were genuine , from the pics .
All the more important to know who you are buying from !
The fakes just get better and better , in appearance .
I would have thought those were genuine , from the pics .
All the more important to know who you are buying from !
They are definitely getting more creative. I'm ordering a legit Master Hunter tonight since I like the overall design.
The fake is already packaged up and getting shipped back tomorrow. No response from the seller claiming either ignorance or legitimacy. What he's selling would be worth $18 if it didn't infringe Cold Steel's IP rights, but it's definitely not a $50-$80 knife with that 4CR13 steel.
The seller is clearly buying in bulk, they've sold 19 fake Master Hunters in the past month, and more going back further than that. All those people buying cheap fakes.
The grey, lasered printing on the sheath is a dead visual giveaway of a fake. The original plastic sheaths (Conceal-Ex) were blank, the current real Secure-Ex ones have raised, molded lettering (plain black). And of course the very first Master Hunter sheaths were Cordura.
I also see fakes with the lettering branded into the sheath. Your seller has sold those as well. If the lettering is branded/indented into the plastic, it's a fake.
If the knife is being sold as new, the lettering on the sheath needs to be raised, and plain black plastic. Hopefully the counterfeiters don't figure that out.
The guys listed as a "Top Rated Seller" with 98.9% feedback score. Shows you what all that's worth. And you know ebay won't do a thing about it because the guy is making them money. Freakin ebay
.
Buyer beware (especially of ebay).
The grey, lasered printing on the sheath is a dead visual giveaway of a fake. The original plastic sheaths (Conceal-Ex) were blank, the current real Secure-Ex ones have raised, molded lettering (plain black). And of course the very first Master Hunter sheaths were Cordura.
I also see fakes with the lettering branded into the sheath. Your seller has sold those as well. If the lettering is branded/indented into the plastic, it's a fake.
If the knife is being sold as new, the lettering on the sheath needs to be raised, and plain black plastic. Hopefully the counterfeiters don't figure that out.
The guys listed as a "Top Rated Seller" with 98.9% feedback score. Shows you what all that's worth. And you know ebay won't do a thing about it because the guy is making them money. Freakin ebay
.Buyer beware (especially of ebay).
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Fake AD15 with plastic lock bar lol. What's next, plastic blade?
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wow, that's bad. that scorpion lock bar looks like it's cheaply molded low grade plastic through and through. I doubt it has any real locking strength at all. someone could be seriously hurt using that, thinking it was an actual demko lock design.Fake AD15 with plastic lock bar lol. What's next, plastic blade?
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- Nov 25, 2014
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I have not seen it reported, if it has my apologies. On the auction site, a Master Hunter, 3V, tan handle with a partially serrated blade. Unbelievable. Sorry I don't know about posting pictures. The last AD-10 I bought, the photos posted were the real deal and when I got it, it was a fake, different knife. Seller refused the return, I sent it back anyway and got my money back. Side note I sure miss the days of the printed catalog and the Christmas sale of discontinued items.
I too miss the catalog. A young me loved flipping through catalogs reading descriptions. Every year K's Merchandise put out a small phone book sized catalog with toys, knives, airguns, you name it...lol. Good times.
Guys, I've been following Chinese knives pretty closely for years now. I stay abreast of what's out there and what's new. There has been an explosion of new brands, knives, clones, everything. It is harder and harder to keep track mentally of all the new brands and models. It used to be pretty limited, but no longer. Civivi is sold at Walmart now, so 'nuff said.
It's good for legit knives including fixed blades which were hard to get not long ago. Original designs in decent tool steels and stainless with sheath for a fair price. Eafengrow on Amazon, for example. So that's the plus side.
But that means the clones are better than ever. They are selling all kinds of cheap fixed blades for $20 or less with sheath. And of.course the folders. I have seen good clones of: SRK, XL Espada S35VN, Espada AUS10, SRK1 folder, Broken Skull, AD10, AD10 lite, AD15, Code 4, Recon folder, I can't remember them all. Of course they still sell crappy clones of some of the larger folders like Rahjah and such. So cheap I wonder why bother.
Anyway, you may hate the clone collectors but they mostly don't try to resell as real and are always happy to help distinguish clones from the real and have the latest info on whats on the marketplace. They collect $800 knives too. Anyone who tries to sell counterfeit knives (with logos and even fake packaging) as real is shunned in those communities and called out and reported where applicable. That is the minority of clone sellers, but they are obviously popular with scammers. They (the chinese lnife nerds like myself) started with Ganzo and Sanrenmu and Enlan and maybe a bad shiro clone and the rest is history. I too wish they didn't sell knives with fake logos and packaging or clones in general of common knives. A $5000 custom? Maybe...haha. I literally became a machinist after becoming interested in knives again and have watched the industry and manufacturing technology evolve.
Guys, I've been following Chinese knives pretty closely for years now. I stay abreast of what's out there and what's new. There has been an explosion of new brands, knives, clones, everything. It is harder and harder to keep track mentally of all the new brands and models. It used to be pretty limited, but no longer. Civivi is sold at Walmart now, so 'nuff said.
It's good for legit knives including fixed blades which were hard to get not long ago. Original designs in decent tool steels and stainless with sheath for a fair price. Eafengrow on Amazon, for example. So that's the plus side.
But that means the clones are better than ever. They are selling all kinds of cheap fixed blades for $20 or less with sheath. And of.course the folders. I have seen good clones of: SRK, XL Espada S35VN, Espada AUS10, SRK1 folder, Broken Skull, AD10, AD10 lite, AD15, Code 4, Recon folder, I can't remember them all. Of course they still sell crappy clones of some of the larger folders like Rahjah and such. So cheap I wonder why bother.
Anyway, you may hate the clone collectors but they mostly don't try to resell as real and are always happy to help distinguish clones from the real and have the latest info on whats on the marketplace. They collect $800 knives too. Anyone who tries to sell counterfeit knives (with logos and even fake packaging) as real is shunned in those communities and called out and reported where applicable. That is the minority of clone sellers, but they are obviously popular with scammers. They (the chinese lnife nerds like myself) started with Ganzo and Sanrenmu and Enlan and maybe a bad shiro clone and the rest is history. I too wish they didn't sell knives with fake logos and packaging or clones in general of common knives. A $5000 custom? Maybe...haha. I literally became a machinist after becoming interested in knives again and have watched the industry and manufacturing technology evolve.
draggat
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Recently drank some Cold Steel Kool Aid, particularly the Ti Lite. Reminded me of a knife that an old co-worker gave me (after he had used it a bit) in 2008 or 2009 around the time my knife obsession began. I knew it was crap then, but had no idea how close to the Ti Lite it really is.
Slightly different than the ones posted earlier. It truly is a terrible knife. I keep it only because of the guy who gave it to me. Incidentally, a year or so after he gave me this, I helped him get his hands on a decent knife, which he snapped the tip off of almost immediately.
'handcrafted in China'
With a legit Ti Lite
Slightly different than the ones posted earlier. It truly is a terrible knife. I keep it only because of the guy who gave it to me. Incidentally, a year or so after he gave me this, I helped him get his hands on a decent knife, which he snapped the tip off of almost immediately.
'handcrafted in China'
With a legit Ti Lite