PM2 CTS-20CP possible counterfeit

Z

zeljko9r

Joined
Sep 25, 2013
Messages
14
Hi,

i need your help regarding one 20CP PM2. Recently i bought Pm2 CTS-20CP from 100% ebay seller, but i have some concerns about is the knife counterfeit or not because i noticed some differences. Several details are different so i made some comparison against the newer s30v model which was bought from authorized spyderco dealer. Look at the spyderco box, different red color on the boxes. Also you can see on the pictures that laser engraving on the 20CP are much lighter. Logo, blade details, etc. are also different compared to the newer S30V version. Also look at the point where blade edge starts, it is much smaller gap than on s30v, etc etc. Maybe I'm wrong but it's bugging me, because knife wasn't cheap. The seller said that knife was bought from "sooner state knives" for $206.30. I put arrows on some suspicious parts. Please take a look. Pictures are on my dropbox due to the size, here is the link:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/95a2jszpgcqz0vi/AADvN29Ae0TlCRJD2z81haYba?dl=0

If someone could post their own detailed pictures of 20CP PM2.. knife is from 2010. i.e. older than this s30v, so if this is original spyderco i assume that they could have different manufacturing then. Just don't know...

Also I've never heard of an fake sprint run.. there are only bunch of chinese s30v's.

regards

Z
 
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I could be wrong but FWIW that looks like the real deal.

Remember Spyderco employs "CQI" or Constant Quality Improvement and there are small changes here and there along the way.

Some that are good at spotting the fakes and should be able to help you out.

Is it the pic or is the blade on the 20CP shorter than the other one?
 
Blades are the same size. 20CP steel also have very expressed grind marks. On the back of the blade, serrated part where the thumb goes.. steel is machined very messy.
 
I have very little experience with Spyderco; but image #4 is the only one that really raises a red flag for me. (Re: #3 - I looked at a Manix2 sprint that I have from a few years ago, and it also has a lighter etching)
 
Two pics that would help us are a close up of the lanyard hole, and a close up of the compression lock. Although that jimping looks bad, the finishing on both blades is quite similar, so that one doesn't make me suspicious. What does make me suspicious is the larger radii on the scales. I know there is some variation from run to run on this but it still seems too large, maybe someone who has this actual sprint can chime in? Also, the edge of the lanyard tube looks flat in your pic, and should have an internal chamfer. My 204P sprint has a very very slightly lighter bug, so this may have something to do with the composition of the steel?
 
For what it's worth, my CTS-20CP sprint has the uneven jimping as well. I bought it from a reliable dealer at the time they were released, so I am pretty sure that it is authentic.

Tom
 
One more 20cp user ... maybe is too much to ask, but when you will have some free time can you please take close up pictures of the box (spyder logo, back of the box where is the "printed in china" text which is higher than on other boxes). Edgeucation paper at the bottom where i have red letters., etc etc... I will take pictures of lanyard tube later today.
 
I wouldn't focus too much on printing on the box and paperwork -- your knife was made in May 2011 so I think it's perfectly reasonable to assume that these things aren't going to be EXACTLY the same compared to others -- especially compared to something made several years apart.

Based on the photos of the actual knife I think it's real. That's not the original pocket clip of course but everything else looks good to me. Again, it's natural that there's differences between two items manufactured multiple years apart and given that they're different blade steels they are not going to be exact replicas.

Everybody that I've talked to that has had an ACTUAL fake knew immediately when they handled it. They just dont feel right. They feel cheap and crappy, lockup isn't solid, there's blade play, etc... Especially if you have another PM2 to get a frame of reference, I think you would be able to tell if it was actually fake just by feel.
 
It's good. My box is exactly the same as yours. Save yourself some worry and buy here and not eBay!
 
I knew it was from eBay before I even opened the thread. We should have a dedicated sub forum for eBay purchase verification.
 
Wow. If not because of the other peoples experience, I'd prob told u it's fake.
It's sad that US SPYDERCO factory is capable of making such a mess with the jimping.

I have personal exp w native 5's jimping that's not straight but it's not that bad.

Since last year my top choice is Taiwan spyderco!
 
Looks good to me and I am also comparing it to mine. I'd have to look but I remember quite a few threads when these came out originally. A lot of people complained about the grinding of this sprint. People saw a bit more irregularity compared to others. This could be attributed to working with a new steel and of course different individuals completing all of them.

To put you more at ease this is by far one of the smoothest PM2 I've gotten, and it wasn't until other's threads that I noticed some of the things.
 
Here are few more shots.. i have send pics to spyderco also. As I can see the plunge where the blade edge starts is identical to the one on Brock O Lee's PM2. And the ebay guy is a 100% seller and member since 2001. As for now and by your comments here it seems that the knife is real spydie. My OCD is a nasty thing.

a wavy surface... its flat on all my other PM2's.








 
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That looks real man. Spydie does have the occasional F&F issues at all their factories. Taiwan seems to be the best in this regard. If it is fake it's a fantastic fake which seems unlikely for a model that was a sprint run.
 
Lanyard tube is correct. Interesting shot of the wavy comp lock, but I'm inclined to agree that this one looks genuine. Def some interesting F&F features, but don't think you have a counterfeit. Thanks for pointing all these things out and discussing it with us.
 
Looks real to me. There are some pieces from that run that have pronounced surface grind marks. I have 5 of the CTS-20CP models and they are all a bit different.
 
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