I recently just bought a counterfeit. Not a "copy", "clone", or "homage", but a full-on counterfeit, complete with the model name.
BUT...
I didn't know it was a counterfeit when I ordered it.
It's a machined, one-piece titanium utility knife that uses standard "Stanley" style utility blades. There's a number of similar tools out there, both production and custom. There's a bunch from Chinese manufacturers that are branded (like Titaner or Twosun, but it's not by one of them) or that that are unbranded or rebranded.
Most are original designs, even if they use the same principle (although not all do).
I did
tons of research looking at the various options out there, from cheap to expensive, production and custom, trying to find one that was the best for me and my purposes. I've purchased several.
Somehow I did not come across one made by a certain custom knife maker, so I was unaware that one that was sold on that Chinese site was a counterfeit. Obviously, I'm well aware of the proliferation of counterfeits, copies, homages, and the like sold there, and my opinion on those knives is well documented, so I did my research. I've purchased several (from there, and from elsewhere less dubious), and was confident that they were all legitimate and righteous. Until 5 or 6 days
after I ordered the one in question.
@#$&!
Even worse than it being counterfeit is that it's also a piece of junk. A
very well made piece of junk. Which is to say that I'm fairly confident that it's a faithfully reproduced, well machined, precision copy of the custom maker's design, but that it unfortunately is a poorly designed tool. Like some others that operate the same way, the design necessitates that the blade is somewhat loose, which means edge of the blade will scrape against the titanium. And that there's lots of side-to-side wiggle inherent in the design, which also dulls the blade (so when you reverse it for a "fresh" edge, it's already dull). I hate to assume that the quality of a counterfeit is representative of the real deal (especially a custom), but I also can't imagine that the design flaws aren't present on the custom, especially considering similar designs also have the same flaws.
I won't mention the name of the tool in question, because I wish neither to besmirch the maker's name nor to give exposure and advertisement for the counterfeit. Just be aware that if you're in the market for such a tool that there are counterfeits out there, and if you also look on eBay or wherever (even here) that without a COA and/or verification from the maker, you might not know if you're looking at the real thing or not.
I haven't decided what to do with the counterfeit yet. It feels like a waste to simply toss it, like perhaps I should deface the markings and give it away or leave it at work for others to use until somebody steals it. Maybe I'll just curb stomp it until it folds. At least I got 10 free blades and a nifty water tight case with it.
BTW, if anyone is in the market for a very high-end, minimalist utility knife, one that is actually a proper tool and not a gimicky chunk with 17 "functions" that performs piss-poor at all of them, including the utility knife, look no further than the SlideClick by Magnus MacDonald.
Magnus Store
store.magnusx.com
Unlike so many other sliding blade utility knives of this style (ie: small, thin, lightweight), the blade doesn't dull itself sliding in and out, it locks up rock solid, doesn't require hard-to-find blades with holes in them, and is exceptionally easy to use without finicky fiddling. It's expensive, and it doesn't have a prybar, screwdriver, or bottle opener (nor the painful hotspots that these tools cause), but if you want a quality tool that isn't a brick like a Stanley, it is worth its proverbial weight in gold. It's perfect for me because at work I often have to break down some boxes, but not so many that I'd be better served with a full-size utility knife like a Stanley. It weighs next to nothing and takes up very little pocket space, yet is ready in a flash to easily cut up some cardboard. In fact, I like mine so much I bought another...ya know, just in case something happens to the first one and Magnus isn't making any more.
