Fake damascus?

[DNin]

Hello, firstly I apologize if this is not the right category to be asking such questions. Secondly, I read the forum's rules and found nothing ruling against this type of post, so once again apologies if I didn't read right.

To the actual questions at hand, I bought a very expensive knife for my father. It was advertised as real Damascus steel but once it arrived I took a look at it and there are chips on the blade's pattern on the tip. I'm a little embarrassed, it costed 400usd.
I know nothing about knives and read only superficially about this type of steel. I thought I knew enough and the photos of the blade didn't present any nicks or chips.

Here are the pictures:

https://imgur.com/a/yx1a2sr

I did some research but am still unsure and don't know where else to get an opinion.
Does this seem fake to you experts? Thank you in advance, cheers.

 

[strategy9]

When zooming in on your pics, I can clearly see the ladder pattern. So I went & checked out his etsy page, and I gotta say, he's been on etsy for at least 4 years, (updated the store policies in March 2018), has 443 sales credited to his "shop", with 134 reviews - all positive for a 5-star perfect rating... Knowing how often people with bad experiences are typically much more prone to leave a bad review then people with good experiences are, who often tend to just go on with their lives blissfully enjoying themselves and their new products, I would like to give the maker the benefit of the doubt. I also checked out his FB page which is linked to his etsy store, and the most recent visible post, dated November 25 of last year, looks exactly like the knife you just bought, stabbed into an old moss covered log for a photo op, (could very well be your knife, and where the tip finish got it's "ding"), and there is also many other posts of knives, swords, axes, dating as far back as 2016 where I stopped scrolling, so again, while any one of those things isn't a proven winner-winner, connecting all the dots, I would like to give him, ML Forge, the benefit of the doubt as a maker, likely part timer with a day job...

But again, his etsy policy clearly states that he gladly accepts returns if you notify him within 14 days of delivery, and return the knife within 21 days of delivery, so if YOU are unhappy and/or 2nd guessing your purchase, feel free to return it and spend your money elsewhere....

I actually started scouring the exchange here myself and now may just be buying one of these for myself now, but idk...

Full tang damascus hunter

Walnut and full tang damascus I offer this freshly finished damascus steel cutter. 🙂 It is 25.5 cm long with a 13.5 cm long blade, which I forged of 5160 and L6. The handle is made of dark walnut. 240 usd, shipping included! https://hellize.wixsite.com/mysite/available

www.bladeforums.com

 

[Hashishiin]

San Mia?

San Mia is layered steel, but in an Italian Stiletto.

 

[DNin]

When zooming in on your pics, I can clearly see the ladder pattern. So I went & checked out his etsy page, and I gotta say, he's been on etsy for at least 4 years, (updated the store policies in March 2018), has 443 sales credited to his "shop", with 134 reviews - all positive for a 5-star perfect rating... Knowing how often people with bad experiences are typically much more prone to leave a bad review then people with good experiences are, who often tend to just go on with their lives blissfully enjoying themselves and their new products, I would like to give the maker the benefit of the doubt. I also checked out his FB page which is linked to his etsy store, and the most recent visible post, dated November 25 of last year, looks exactly like the knife you just bought, stabbed into an old moss covered log for a photo op, (could very well be your knife, and where the tip finish got it's "ding"), and there is also many other posts of knives, swords, axes, dating as far back as 2016 where I stopped scrolling, so again, while any one of those things isn't a proven winner-winner, connecting all the dots, I would like to give him, ML Forge, the benefit of the doubt as a maker, likely part timer with a day job...

But again, his etsy policy clearly states that he gladly accepts returns if you notify him within 14 days of delivery, and return the knife within 21 days of delivery, so if YOU are unhappy and/or 2nd guessing your purchase, feel free to return it and spend your money elsewhere....

I actually started scouring the exchange here myself and now may just be buying one of these for myself now, but idk...

Full tang damascus hunter

Walnut and full tang damascus I offer this freshly finished damascus steel cutter. 🙂 It is 25.5 cm long with a 13.5 cm long blade, which I forged of 5160 and L6. The handle is made of dark walnut. 240 usd, shipping included! https://hellize.wixsite.com/mysite/available

www.bladeforums.com

Yes I chose to buy from him precisely because of all the reviews and good feedback, especially when compared to other such shops on Etsy.

I think I'm keeping the knife and if it turns out that it's not too good, well, lesson learned. It's a lesson regardless as I should've consulted with someone who was knowledgeable on the topic before buying. I know absolutely nothing about blades.

Thank you for the help.