
I would like to think people that take the time to read B/F realize you're only going to get what you pay for.
http://www.akti.org/news/contending-with-counterfeits/
Sal Glesser's Avatar Sal Glesser Sal Glesser is offline
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Hi Greg,
Thanx for the analysis. A bit shocking.
Dennis,
It hurts our long developed reputation. It dimishes our high quality reputation. It cheats the customer. It creates a question as to the integrity of an entire country. And in time it will surely hurt our sales, as it did in '99-2003 when the Endura and Delica copies were everywhere....and they didn't even say Spyderco on the knife.
sal
Well, I just went through all of that and although enlightening, it did not really address all of my questions or concerns. Seemed like the main focus was on counterfeiting.
I think we can all agree that counterfeiting is wrong and hurts the knife trade. However, in my mind, there seems to be more to it than just marketing a knife to deceive the buyer.
Now, for a clone. For sake of discussion, let's make it a PM2 clone. Let's say I pick one up as a loaner/beater knife so I don't trash my real PM2. Now, I am not going to expect the same quality of materials or workmanship as a real Spyderco. Why should I? And, I certainly do not expect Spyderco to honor any warranty claims or repairs.
Now, if I knowingly buy a clone, copy, etc. expecting it to perform like the real deal and send it to the real manufacturer to be repaired or replaced is a different issue. Then I am hurting everyone, including myself.
Using the standards above, please explain how I am bringing the integrity of a country into question. How am I cheating myself? How am I affecting the reputation of
manufacturer? I am sorry. I just don't get it.
If I plan to buy a new knife, I do my research and purchase from known, honorable sources, if possible. For the most part, I try to buy quality products with good designs and workmanship. If I can handle a knife before purchase, I will. When I purchase a knife that is a copy, clone or homage, I know that I am doing so. If the knife does not hold up, it is my problem. It is all on me.