PM2 - Real or Fake?

[HiddenMerchant]

I just received my first Spyderco knife in the mail from Amazon. I live in Canada and it can be pretty difficult to find retailers that carry the Para Military 2, so when I saw that Amazon was selling them for a decent price, I jumped on the deal. Initially, I felt pretty confident that PM2s sold directly by Amazon are authentic, but I'm not sure anymore after reading negative experiences posted on the internet.

I looked up videos on how to differentiate between reals and fakes, but I'm still not sure whether the PM2 that I received is the real deal. I figured that I'll probably have more luck determining whether it is real by asking around here. I've linked pictures below:

http://imgur.com/gallery/GHhS4

I've never owned a PM2 before so I don't have a good frame of reference, but the knife seems to be be well built. The blade is perfectly centered and all the parts seem well finished. Deploying and folding up the blade seems pretty smooth. However, I noticed that the barcode on the box differed from some of the other ones that I've seen online.

So what does everyone think?

[Sharp Guy]

I see nothing that would indicate it's a fake.

[farnorthdan]

Yea looks ok to me too, its funny how everyone of these "is it real" threads is always a new member, we love new members here, just getting a little chuckle, Welcome to the forum HiddenMerchant :)

[HiddenMerchant]

Many thanks. Appreciate the help!

[holeshot]

Yea looks ok to me too, its funny how everyone of these "is it real" threads is always a new member, we love new members here, just getting a little chuckle, Welcome to the forum HiddenMerchant :)

Looks good to me to, and welcome to the fourm. Just a suggestion, in the future buy your knives from a reputable dealer. I learned my lesson on Amazon last year ago and I'm willing to pay a little more for peace of mind. Oh yeah, if you are going to keep doing Amazon for knives become a Prime member. Let's you return no questions asked.

[Schneir5]

I just ordered the same exact knife from Amazon, and got it a few days ago. Mine looks EXACTLY like yours. I watched some videos on Youtube, and the only thing I was worried about with mine was that the pocket clip's edges look a little rough and those weird divot things on the handle liners, right up against the inside edges. It was reassuring that yours has them too. Also the box mine came in and the paperwork are pretty much exactly the same, but mine has a different date code. I read somewhere else that if you take apart the knife, the blade has a date on it that you can't see otherwise. I'm still a little weary about taking mine apart though.

[funghiman]

I just ordered the same exact knife from Amazon, and got it a few days ago. Mine looks EXACTLY like yours. I watched some videos on Youtube, and the only thing I was worried about with mine was that the pocket clip's edges look a little rough and those weird divot things on the handle liners, right up against the inside edges. It was reassuring that yours has them too. Also the box mine came in and the paperwork are pretty much exactly the same, but mine has a different date code. I read somewhere else that if you take apart the knife, the blade has a date on it that you can't see otherwise. I'm still a little weary about taking mine apart though.

Yep, the date is etched on the same side with Sal and Eric's name as well as "Golden, Colorado" and such.
Usually the most distinct feature of a fake is its flatter belly, and overworked chamfer near thumb whole, blade spine and edge of G10 handle. The position, direction and font of all the laser etching may also vary from a real Para 2.


Also if you look at the upper left corner (near the stop pin) of a handle at its presenting side, the real Para 2 has a somehow flat line before it crosses with the spine, and fakes are usually rounded all the way up to the top.
Picture is from venustrg's YouTube video: https://youtu.be/LZXA1HaVmA0

I think this earlier BladeForum post also helps: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showt ... nfo/page39

[Schneir5]

Cool thanks for the tips and links. I had a Military a few years ago, but I totally forgot about the date on the blade. Unfortunately I sold that and my Endura 4 ffg when times were tight. I'm a big fan of Spyderco so far. I always liked assisted opening knives in the past, until I got my Endura and realized it's not really necessary.