Hello all!

Z

ZevBarak64

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Sep 8, 2015
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Hey guys, I am new to the forum and just want to say hi. My name is Danny and am a new knife enthusiast. So far my collection is Gerber 06 F.A.S.T., ZT 0350 BW, Kershaw Scallion, Kershaw Shuffle II, Ka-Bar MSM 001 with black paracord wrap, some TigerUSA MTF (only bought it because it said Take Down Al-Qaeda on the blade) this thing is a piece of crap and lastly, my trusty old Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. I am very interested in the Brous Reloader and also a Medford Praetorian but am on an extremely tight budget. Has anyone ever bought a clone from Aliexpress or trust them at all? I am looking at only buying one clone as they are cheap and I will get a feel for what the knife feels and weighs in at. Thank you for your thoughts in advance! If anyone has any recommendations let me know!

-Zev
 
WELCOME!

Folks around here don't take kindly to clones/fakes nor sites that promote or sell them.

Do NOT post links to them either.

The only attachments you can load are images.
 
While I understand the cost aspect, it would be better ultimately to save up and get the real thing. Partly because you really cannot trust any of the companies that blatantly rip off other designs, but also simply because they steal other designs.. if you get a clone and it breaks, or you hate it, you cannot resell it. If you save up and get the real deal, and then don't like it, you can get most if not all of your money back on this exchange. I understand that most people may not care that the design is a copy, and may just take it for face value, but if you enjoy knives then you should understand it is no good to support copycats who only want your money.
 
Rather than clones of expensive knives that you likely won't put to a fraction of their capabilities (meaning the originals, not the clones) why not one of the many nice, well-built knives available at clone prices? If you're on a limited budget, be smart with your money. We don't know what your "extremely tight budget" actually is, but there are perfectly capable knives at all price points, which aren't copies, clones, etc. For me, Kizer was a pleasant surprise at around $100, as was Harnds at a mere $20, to name a couple of Chinese manufacturers. Hogue makes some excellent knives in the $100-200 range, and the Buck/TOPS CSAR-T is one hell of a beefy folder for under $100. Of course, you can get any number of very good Kershaw folders for quite a bit less. All will be good working knives, and most have designs that can earn a place in a collection.
 
ZevBarak64 said:
I am looking at only buying one clone as they are cheap and I will get a feel for what the knife feels and weighs in at. Thank you for your thoughts in advance! If anyone has any recommendations let me know!
-Zev
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Welcome to the forums, Danny.

You won't find much support for cloned knives here on this forum, nor much support for XYZ-Express...and that's a good thing. Clones are bad for the knife industry in almost every way and it's in the best interest for all those who love this hobby to spread the word to avoid them. I don't want to end up in the weeds of an ethical discussion, but there are lots of threads (most end up locked) discussing the total lack of merit of cloned knives. I understand your desire to "test" the feel of an expensive Praetorian, but that doesn't even work. The clones may "look" similar, but due to different materials and construction methods, they end up feeling very different. You might handle a cloned Praetorian and determine the knife was far too heavy and clunky and never realize the real thing felt very different.

Your best bet to sample the wares is to try to visit a knife shop near you, but beware of Mall Ninjas, lol. If you don't have a knife shop near you, look for legit knife shows that you can attend. The key word here is "legit"...many of the traveling gun and knife shows have as many counterfeits and clones as XYZ-Express.

When you encounter a model you want that's just too expensive, watch the exchange forums here. I've had great luck scoring great deals from the other knife knuts at Blade Forums.

Some knives that I can suggest that can help quench your interest without breaking the bank:
Spyderco Tenacious...you'll never forget your first knife with a hole in the blade...
Kershaw Link or Skyline...
Benchmade Griptilian or Mini-Griptilian...
Ontario RAT Model 1 or Model 2

Try to enjoy the real, affordable knives you can get now while saving for the Holy Grail.

Good luck to you!
 
Great answer, totally agree. For the price, better to get legitimate brands and not clones. Have had bad experiences with clones, every one of them.

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I second HARNDS as well as Enlan, SRM, and Ganzo. They are great value blades. No need for clones, if buying from China.

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I include the Navy knives above, as they are blatant copies of Spydercos. I now use my Navy knives as beaters (the K631 is holding up real well, though) because they aren't what they claim, steelwise and in other terms.

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And if you really like a design, etc. that has been ripped off...get the real thing! You won't be looking back once you feel the real deal. I have had to spend a lot in a lot of crap to learn that lesson in the knife world. Good luck!
 
New to the forum...I several mentions of " clones" let's call products that infringe on copyrights/ trademarks/ and intellectual property what the are... Counterfeit/ Knockoffs/etc. glad to see the members comments on the issue of "fake knock off products.
 
ZevBarak64 said:
...So far my collection is Gerber 06 F.A.S.T., ZT 0350 BW, Kershaw Scallion, Kershaw Shuffle II, Ka-Bar MSM 001 with black paracord wrap, some TigerUSA MTF (only bought it because it said Take Down Al-Qaeda on the blade) ... Thank you for your thoughts in advance! If anyone has any recommendations let me know!

-Zev
Click to expand...

What???! No cold steel?
Every knifenut must own
At least one cold steel product
In their life time.
Get the gi tanto
It can put real fear
Into the hearts of evil doers.
 
Welcome, where do you live? I think recommendations to a good knife shop or knife shows would be better. That way you can handle the knives.
 
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