Just ordered several Dragonflies and a Manix2 off Amazon- how to spot fakes?

S

stark92

Joined
Apr 16, 2012
Messages
15
Hey all,

I recently rediscovered my knife obsession after just relying on my Leatherman Wave only for about 1.5 years. From a local store I trust, I purchased a serrated Dragonfly VG10 and a serrated Salt I- I love both of them, but I still want more knives to fill some other niches.

I purchased 3 Dragonflies (a serrated H1 for myself, and the other two variants are gifts for my father and brother) and a Manix2 off Amazon. In my excitement, I've been looking at Spyderco reviews all over online and have just started to come across several disturbing reports/examples of fake Spyderco knives. It's strange because the pictures of the fakes are all incredibly convincing- I was just wondering if there are any red flags I should be aware of to tell if anything I get in the mail could potentially be fake. I plan on comparing the knives arriving with the ones I already own.

It's a shame that nothing is sacred anymore- the knives I do have are incredibly high quality and it sucks that some dishonest people have gone so far as to produce fake versions to rip others off. Maybe I'm just being paranoid- I can post pictures on this thread if anything seems suspicious.

Thanks for reading!
Ryan
 
I enjoy fretting as much as the next person, but you are worrying unnecessarily. Its very unlikely that you are going to receive a fake, especially if Amazon or one of its large vendors is shipping the knife.
 
One easy thing to do is check the boxes and paperwork. It's amazing how some fakes are hard to identify via the product itself, but the box or papers look like they were produced and printed by a complete amateur.
 
powernoodle said:
I enjoy fretting as much as the next person, but you are worrying unnecessarily. Its very unlikely that you are going to receive a fake, especially if Amazon or one of its large vendors is shipping the knife.
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I know man- it's just that I've seen reports of fakes from Amazon customer reviews. I'm sure they'd replace or refund my money- but some of the fakes look so authentic I just want to be able to spot them.

I also have a tendency to have really bad luck so that doesn't help me either.
 
Dknight16 said:
One easy thing to do is check the boxes and paperwork. It's amazing how some fakes are hard to identify via the product itself, but the box or papers look like they were produced and printed by a complete amateur.
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Thanks for your reply! I have read a few things online that might be bad signs of a fake Spyderco- white foam and too much bubble wrap in the package (as opposed to a bubble wrap envelope).
 
I very highly doubt that you bought fakes through Amazon it's not like Ebay. I've bought many of my knives from Amazon and never did I ever even expect to get a fake.
 
Hi stark92,
Welcome back to the obsession. In the interest of transparency, which is important to us, we cannot guarantee that a Spyderco purchased through Amazon is legitimate. Amazon does purchase directly from us, but they also purchase from other undisclosed sources. Our stance is also due in large part to their practice of shared inventory with 3rd Party Marketplace vendors. Since we cannot guarantee that the item ultimately shipped to you was from inventory purchased from us, we cannot guarantee that you won't receive a counterfeit.

We wish you the best with your recent purchases. If you have any doubts once you receive them you can post pictures here as mentioned and other members can assist you. If you would like us to confirm or deny legitimacy of your knives we would be happy to inspect them for you. Just send them in to our W&R department for review.

Kristi
 
Do all Spidercos have a booklet in the box?

I recently purchased a Pingo and it has a booklet and the box was sealed on both ends with clear tape.

The Manix 2 that just today showed up from Amazon (Outdoor Gear Supply) has nothing but knife in plastic bag. The box wasn't even sealed and I can't see evidence of any clear tape.

Is this like others have experienced?
 
I'm always impressed when Sal and tazkristi participate in the forum threads. I like that they stay in touch with all of us Spyderco fans. It says a lot about the company. Spyderco will always have my business and my respect.

Sorry for the hijack.
 
kjd2121 said:
Do all Spidercos have a booklet in the box?

I recently purchased a Pingo and it has a booklet and the box was sealed on both ends with clear tape.

The Manix 2 that just today showed up from Amazon (Outdoor Gear Supply) has nothing but knife in plastic bag. The box wasn't even sealed and I can't see evidence of any clear tape.

Is this like others have experienced?
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The sellers will sometimes tape the box to keep everything in place during shipment. Not a great practice for collectors but it is what it is, I just carefully cut the tape so as not to damage the box.
The plastic bag for the knife simply differs between models.
 
Barman1 said:
The sellers will sometimes tape the box to keep everything in place during shipment. Not a great practice for collectors but it is what it is, I just carefully cut the tape so as not to damage the box.
The plastic bag for the knife simply differs between models.
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What about a booklet with each knife? I just got a reply from the Amazon seller and said they checked their Manix 2 stock and none had booklets. Makes me feel a bit better.
 
tazkristi said:
Hi stark92,
Welcome back to the obsession. In the interest of transparency, which is important to us, we cannot guarantee that a Spyderco purchased through Amazon is legitimate. Amazon does purchase directly from us, but they also purchase from other undisclosed sources. Our stance is also due in large part to their practice of shared inventory with 3rd Party Marketplace vendors. Since we cannot guarantee that the item ultimately shipped to you was from inventory purchased from us, we cannot guarantee that you won't receive a counterfeit.

We wish you the best with your recent purchases. If you have any doubts once you receive them you can post pictures here as mentioned and other members can assist you. If you would like us to confirm or deny legitimacy of your knives we would be happy to inspect them for you. Just send them in to our W&R department for review.

Kristi
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Hey Kristi!

Thanks so much for reading and replying. Two out of the three Dragonflys showed up today and they feel really solid. I'm sure it's all good but it's just been weird to see how similar some of the copies are out there. There are some differences in the packaging between the knives- I think the serrated VG-10 knife I got locally was a bit older because it only contained a white sheet of paper explaining C.Q.I. and the improvements of the Dragonfly2 while the two knives that arrived in the mail today have small booklets (pictured) with the option to register them online with a smart phone.

In any case- here's the family so far. My father gets the straight H1 for father's day, my brother is paying me back for the straight VG-10, and the serrated VG-10 is mine. Sick knives- can't wait for my serrated H1 and my Manix2.


-Ryan
 
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