How Does This Happen

[KentuckyBlackBird]

I bought this knife some weeks back. I didn’t give alot for it. It was advertised as D2 and behaves like it. It has no brand markings at all. Just a D2 stamp. Now, the Boker Magnum in 440b, in the other pic is on their USA website and just became available today, as in new release I suspect. How does this happen? What gives? The Boker costs 4 times what I paid. The one I have is top quality and is from Asia, just as the Boker is advertised.

 

[jmgruber]

You purchased a knock off

 

[fishface5]

Manufacturers who have items made in China face this frequently. The factory makes extra and sells them in direct competition bc China doesn't enforce any intellectual property claims against their companies.
Actually iirc that's exactly what happened to the original owner of BFC.

 

[knarfeng]

I bought this knife some weeks back. I didn’t give alot for it. It was advertised as D2 and behaves like it. It has no brand markings at all. Just a D2 stamp. Now, the Boker Magnum in 440b, in the other pic is on their USA website and just became available today, as in new release I suspect. How does this happen? What gives? The Boker costs 4 times what I paid. The one I have is top quality and is from Asia, just as the Boker is advertised.

1) 440B blade steel is more expensive to purchase and heat treat than D2.
D2 is widely used in many industrial applications, so it's less expensive to purchase. 440B is not widely used, so it falls into the category of a specialty steel, i.e. more expensive to purchase.
D2 only requires an air quench, which is inexpensive and easy. 440B requires subambient quench. That requires a special setup.

2) The Boker web site lists full retail prices, because it is a manufacturer's web site. But street price at a distributor such as Knife Center, or other main stream retailer will be discounted.

Apples to oranges, all around.

 

[KentuckyBlackBird]

You purchased a knock off

My point is it wasn’t marketed as a boker. I wasn’t motivated by brand. I just needed a backup edc and it fit the bill. The fact Boker has it in their lineup just stuck me weird.

 

[MattWRog]

This is just my guess…

Boker approaches their jobber in China with this design and asks for a run of 5000 to be made

Chinese factory agrees and spits out 5000 for Boker.

Factory says that’s a nice design it will do well for Boker and they already did the work for us designing it, let’s make 5000 more for us.

They proceed to crank out 5000 unbranded copies to sell on Ali express and double dip on the action.

Boker may suspect foul play but has no way to prove it or litigate it.

That’s the only way I could see the clone coming before the actual branded knife.

 

[Danke42]

It costs less because they don't need to do any R&D, no need for marketing, no staff in the office in case a knife needs warranty.

In essence they cheat.

And as for the advertised steel, well when you get a cheater making your stuff there is no reason for them to deliver what's advertised. It can be a billet of whatever over run they have in the back.

Cutting corners is a great way to boost quick profits.

 

[Ilikesharpstuff]

My point is it wasn’t marketed as a boker. I wasn’t motivated by brand. I just needed a backup edc and it fit the bill. The fact Boker has it in their lineup just stuck me weird.

There's a couple possibilities:

1. Boker designed the knife and hired a Chinese factory to make them. The Chinese factory made some for Boker, and some for themselves to sell as a no-name cheapy. Probably not a huge market for counterfeit budget Bokers so they saved themselves some time and money by leaving the logos off.

2. One of the Chinese factories Boker commonly uses approached them and said "we are making this knife, would you like a run to sell under your brand?" and Boker agreed.

 

[Tsujigiri]

Normally I would say yours is a knockoff, but I believe it's more the other way around here. Böker often sells knives under their name that they had no involvement in the design or manufacture of, and some of these are knockoffs of other brands. A few are under the Böker Plus line, but most are under the Böker Magnum line. They put very little effort into their Magnum knives, which are notorious for low quality and tend to just be them slapping their name on something they can cheaply bulk order.

 

[Blues]

So, for those keeping score at home...

Quality can vary widely depending on maker and origin of blade. There are few guarantees, but for the tried and true...and then still it's not assured. (You trust your mother but you still cut the cards.)

Big names are not necessarily analogous of higher quality, but can be, and maybe usually are.

Knockoffs are a thing. The quality of which varies.

The theft of intellectual property is rampant. If you pony up your money, you takes your chances.

What else?

 

[barlow in wall]

Like other people said.These are counterfeits.And you can get many knifes like this in china（crkt,kershaw,boker）They remade it using the blueprints provided by foreign countries and poor quality steel like 5cr15 or 3cr13.
Many chinese knife fans think that you can experience the feel at a reasonable price. But I don’t like this idea

 

[Delgadonine]

So, for those keeping score at home...

Quality can vary widely depending on maker and origin of blade. There are few guarantees, but for the tried and true...and then still it's not assured. (You trust your mother but you still cut the cards.)

Big names are not necessarily analogous of higher quality, but can be, and maybe usually are.

Knockoffs are a thing. The quality of which varies.

The theft of intellectual property is rampant. If you pony up your money, you takes your chances.

What else?

The number of American makers who don't mind visitors to their shops or factories is a factor. I doubt I can simply land on and wander around in China.