How can you tell when a knife is mint

ideal25

ideal25

Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
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How can you tell when a knife is mint, is there a way to judge if a knife has been cleaned or polished, how to spot a fake
 
To me it's just by buying enough that are new and seeing them in that mint condition.
It's fairly easy to tell after seeing them in what I know is NIB shape, if they aren't.
A lot of older knives are sold for NIB and after I get them I can see they really aren't. Most have some handling marks at least. If they have been polished the metal is unnaturally bright and often has swirled marks when viewed at an angle in strong light.
The clip on knives that have them is one of the first things I look at, if a knife has been carried at all the clip is often marred up a bit. It's the first thing gets damaged on a knife carried and not otherwise used. (and often the only thing)
I'm sure others know much more than me about this subject, but I think I can tell reasonably well if a knife is really "mint".
 
If you look at the edge, it's pretty easy to tell if it's been sharpened. The factory edge has grind lines visible to the naked eye, which run at a 90 angle to the blade length.

If it's been hand sharpened at all, you'll see smoothing of these grind lines, and eventually they'll be worn away with subsequent sharpenings.

With the right equipment, a person could make an edge factory-like. I think that belt sanders are used.
 
Edge Pro can put a factory edge on as well, I think maybe the 320 or 220 grit stones would do the trick.
 
Jill J good point on the clip .. especially if the clip is coated, when I carry a new knife the clip shows wear almost immediately. I am always cautious when I see NIB.
 
I'll add that even mint production knives often come with a small cosmetic defect.
Look hard enough and in good enough light and you more than likely will find a light scratch or two, a nick in the handle edge, or some other tiny flaw. It just shows they are made by humans and handled before we ever get them . There's only so much a factory can do and charge the price they do.
Most the time it's nothing major and I think most collectors expect it. On a user a little cosmetic flaw won't matter anyway.
 
kgd said:
If it smells like toothpaste, melts in your mouth and leaves your breath a frosty goodness then it is very likely mint :D
Click to expand...

ROFL! Good one! :D :thumbup: That is sig material right there.

Most times, mint knives have a factory smell to them, such as machinery-type smell.
 
Skimo said:
Edge Pro can put a factory edge on as well, I think maybe the 320 or 220 grit stones would do the trick.
Click to expand...

The coarsest EdgePro stone seems to be finer than the factory edge. On the factory edge, the grind lines are more clearly visible.
 
First thing that gives it away is the edge. Like the others mentioned, look along the sharpened edge for any signs of sharpening - it may be 1 or a few lines that don't match the factory edge sharpening lines.

Next look for any metal in the knife. The blade should look shiny, and any brass guards/ butts should not have scratches.

For the handle, no wear and tear or signs of being drawn in and out of the sheath.

The deadly giveaway is the sheath. If the sheath is quite new, chances are the knife is new too. (Only applies if the sheath came with the knife).

Good if the knife comes with the original box which should look fresh from factory.

Hope this helps! :thumbup:
 
I just received a Kershaw Storm II that was advertised as NIB and came lightly used. I could tell that the edge had been touched up. There were very light scratches in the bead blasted blade finish and the scales were not as rough as on my first version Storm. They smooth out with handling.
 
One has to be very familiar with -- and hopefully have a known-authentic sample of on hand -- the authentic factory-finished knife for that model or at least for that manufacturer. Consider, for example, the edge: Not all factory edged exhibit that perfect bevel line and exactly-90-degree grinding marks. It depends on how that manufacturer does/did its sharpening.

Under magnification, and Edgepro will not exactly duplicate a machine-done edge. The tell is discontinuitues in the bevel line.
 
I've bought NIB knives from retailers and I can often see they were handled. Perhaps by customers or sales staff? I've had to exchange several $100+ knives with defects straight from the factory (they were all factory sealed so I know no one handled them) For users, I don't mind pre-handled knives unless it's jacked up.
 
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