Real or Fake?

[mban112]

The gal at Benchmade thinks it's a counterfeit, but I want to believe otherwise. It's a Benchmade 32.

Her claims:

logo is too low
liners are not blue anodized
the second hole

My hope:
it's a prototype, early version.
Look at the G10 handles. Don't they look really good?

Thoughts?

I've already bought it. The guy that sold it to me is super cool. We're both unsure about the whole deal.

 

[egally08]

It looks sketchy, but its possible. Some more pictures and close ups of the tang stamp on both sides would help a lot.

 

[mban112]

here's the other side

 

[Jobob182]

Well judging by the pictures it might be real. Heres my thinking.

The fake 32 I've seen are very cheap looking and don't have the extra hole
The blue could have been removed from the anodizing.
The hole could have been drilled.
The stamp isnt that low.


I would say your best bet is to take a magnet to the pocket clip and liners. They are suppose to be Ti, the fakes are steel.

So if the magnet sticks its fake.

 

[GuinnessSynd]

If the lady at Benchmade is unsure then I would guess that its a very good fake.

 

[caseguy]

I'm the other guy. Everywhere I look on the internet, the logo seems to be in the same position, even on the Benchmade website.

 

[jill jackson]

here's the other side

It is a good bit lower and where's the blue?

 

[mrdeus]

The laser etching has been off-center on all BM-32's I've seen, so I wouldn't use perfect placement of the logo to judge authenticity. The hole shouldn't be there (stock). Are the liners really not blue, or is it just how it looks in the photo? If the liners aren't blue/purplish when you look at them through the holes in the handles, someone must've modded the knife.

 

[caseguy]

Here's a link to a dealer's website. The logo is in the same place as the knife in question. All the pics I find look like this.


http://www.knifecenter.com/item/BM32/Benchmade-32-Bali-Song-Mini-Morpho-Butterfly-325-inch-Satin-D2-Steel-Blade-and-G10-Handle


One other thing...the "jeweling" on the liners is present just as it is on the blue liners. It's almost impossible to tell this from the pics as I wasn't trying to show it.

 

[Silly Rabbit]

Blade geometry and grind look damn good if fake.....almost too good

 

[Bigfatts]

I'm with whoever else suggested checking the magnetism on the clip and liners. That would be a dead give away.

 

[mban112]

I'm going to try the magnet. Knife is still in transit.

 

[richard thurman]

how much did you pay for it please??

 

[CWL]

The gal at Benchmade thinks it's a counterfeit, but I want to believe otherwise. It's a Benchmade 32.

Plenty of people want to believe they have something special, and the first part of doing that is denial.

Bottom line, if Benchmade won't verify its authenticity, you will always be owning a counterfeit.

I'd like to see the results of the magnet test as well.

 

[caseguy]

I just heard back from the person I bought the 32 from. He'a a long standing and respected member of another forum. He said that the blue anodizing was purposely removed and that he's certain that it's real. He also offered a refund if I wanted one.

 

[kaosu04]

I highly doubt that it is fake. They simply dont make fakes that are finished that well. Also, IMO, d2 has a fairly unique look to it that is definitely present in your pictures. If I were looking for one and saw the pictures you posted I would buy with 100% confidence

 

[TomTerrific]

I'm with whoever else suggested checking the magnetism on the clip and liners. That would be a dead give away.

I believe some stainless isn't magnetic.

Don't quote me . . . .

 

[jimh0220]

You need to ask yourself a question: What motivation does the Benchmade employee have for lying to you? Any work that may or not be covered does not come out of her pockets. They have always been top notch with their customer service, so it would surprise me to see them deliberately mislead you. Now, the seller, on the other hand, is selling you something, and may wither truly believe what he's telling you and be wrong, or be trying to pass off a fake as real and hiding behind a feedback rating. Good people change sometimes when they need money.
Just because you WANT to believe it is real it still won't change reality.
In the end, if you like the knife, does it matter?

 

[Warhammer4real]

The tooling lines on the unground portion are kind of suspect, none of my benchmade's look like that as far as the finish, but I also don't have a bali

 

[mban112]

I want to emphasize that that the seller is just as interested in getting to the bottom of this as I am. I have no concern about his honesty.

As far as the Benchmade response. I agree. Big fan of Benchmade, but she had limited knowledge and only the pictures I sent her. She was making an educated guess based on the information she had.

I know saying that, "I want to believe its real" puts into question my objectivity, but based upon sellers findings (de anodized by previous owner) and the overall look and quality I think it's the real deal. I don't actually have it yet, so that could change, but I'm hopeful. Seller has offered full refund, so I'm not worried about that.

It's just fun to get to the bottom of this and hear what everyone has to say. Not trying to tarnish anyone's selling record. This guys been cool throughout.