My first Spyderco...concerned it may be counterfeit

[copernicus]

Greetings all. I finally ordered my first Spyderco after carrying Kershaw and Case knives my entire life. The reviews of the pm2 were so good that I could no longer resist. However, after reading some of the forums, I am concerned that I may have a counterfeit knife. There are 3 reasons for this.

1) As you can see in the photos, the lettering is very much angled. After looking at the photos on the Spyderco site, it seems that is is supposed to be more parallel.

2) The plunge on the blade is not even close to being even on both sides.

3) Opening the blade is not smooth at all. I can flick it open with a significant amount of wrist action but it doesn't seem to be as buttery smooth as the ones I have seen in youtube reviews. Most of the blades I see in reviews just fall due to gravity when the compression lock is disengaged. Mine does not move at all when disengaged.

Thanks in advance for all of the help.

[LC Kid]

Hi Mr copernicus!


It looks fake in my book.

A couple of full body pics will help better.

Where did you bought it?

[copernicus]

Here are a couple photos. I would rather not say where it was purchased until I receive the opinion of several people. Thank you so much for your response.

[ATTACH]23381[/ATTACH][ATTACH]23382[/ATTACH]

[w3tnz]

Where did you bought it?

This is all we need to know...

[Buizel]

Very interesting. Your PM2 looks identical to mine, which was purchased very recently from a retailer who told me it was from a brand new (early March 2014) shipment from Spyderco.

Front side - Back side - Compression lock

Curiously, it also had the same rough, gritty opening action as yours too. I opened it up and immediately found out why. Note that the blade tang date code of December 2013. I'm honestly not sure if it's a knockoff or not. It's definitely not the same level of quality that all my other Spyderco models demonstrate. Hopefully more people can chime in...

[copernicus]

Very interesting. Your PM2 looks identical to mine, which was purchased very recently from a retailer who told me it was from a brand new (early March 2014) shipment from Spyderco.

Front side - Back side - Compression lock

Curiously, it also had the same rough, gritty opening action as yours too. I opened it up and immediately found out why. Note that the blade tang date code of December 2013. I'm honestly not sure if it's a knockoff or not. It's definitely not the same level of quality that all my other Spyderco models demonstrate. Hopefully more people can chime in...

Thanks for sharing your experience. I bought from what most would call a reputable seller. Perhaps it is real and I just waited too long to try Spyderco and their quality isn't what is used to be. I would love some more input from people more knowledgeable than I.

[systemofadown]

Double Tap..

[systemofadown]

Very interesting. Your PM2 looks identical to mine, which was purchased very recently from a retailer who told me it was from a brand new (early March 2014) shipment from Spyderco.

Front side - Back side - Compression lock

Curiously, it also had the same rough, gritty opening action as yours too. I opened it up and immediately found out why. Note that the blade tang date code of December 2013. I'm honestly not sure if it's a knockoff or not. It's definitely not the same level of quality that all my other Spyderco models demonstrate. Hopefully more people can chime in...

@Buizel I think this one is fake the mouth of the bug logo is an o & not a more pronounced v shape - that's the boldest giveaway I see from the 3 pix posted.. Just my thoughts...

[systemofadown]

Triple Tap...

[1965ford]

My 2013 Native forum knife has the v shape bug logo mouth, bought it directly from Spyderco. Some of the other makers may have a different bug.

[systemofadown]

My 2013 Native forum knife has the v shape bug logo mouth, bought it directly from Spyderco. Some of the other makers may have a different bug.

The v shape of the mouth is (at least for now) an indication of authenticity. The slight misprint on the China copy's (looks like an o for a mouth) is a dead giveaway of a counterfeit.
I'd bet if memory serves that lately I have seen slightly better counterfeit versions that have slanted gymping & a more accurate mouth on the bug..

[Kylems11]

I compared yours to the 2 pm2 that i own and they look identical to me and i bought both mine from knifeworks. Company with a good reputation. The 2 that i own, when i first bought them were very stiff opening and closing you just have to break it in play arpund with it maybe adjust the pivot.

[juneau92]

My two para2's were both pretty stiff when I first got them. They will loosen up over time. I still see the v shape on the bug in the photo, it just looks a little smaller.

[ABX2011]

The most important information you can provide is the name of the retailer/seller.

[RaiseTheBurr]

Was this from BladeHQ? My Para 2s fit n finish was pretty bad. Date cose of 2 14 on the tang. Huge chunk missing from my tang on the detent side. Over tightened and a torx screw head stripped. BladeHQ said they had a lot of complaints about the batch they received. Mine was ordered march 2014

[Sparki]

Did you try cleaning it out and fixing the pivot at all to reduce the stiffness?

[Mjc1973]

Could you show a close up shot of the thumb ramp from the side. Usually the direction of the jimping is differenton on the knock offs.

[MacLaren]

Did anyone ever find out where he bought it from?

[DutchBlades]

Did anyone ever find out where he bought it from?

Nope... Can't really be jumping to conclusions without this info...
It does appear to share some similar looks with the fakes out there,
but to be honest, some genuine ones just have bad fit&finish.

If the retailer/seller is known, then we can conclude this debate.
At first glance, it lookes like a fake...
A good (new) fake, cause it doens't have the rougher edges at the compression lock.
But still, there are some things that just don't look right...
Especially when comparing to my own legit one from a licensed retailer.

[HellHound]

If it dosent have a manufacturing time stamp on the blade, then it's a fake.Take it apart and take a peak.