Fake Yojimbo 2 ? Pics attached, please weigh in !

[8th_Note]

OK here are photos. Note the small rust spots on the ricasso.

I don't see anything in those pictures that would indicate a counterfeit. It looks legit to me.

[Rob-F]

Thanks for that reply!

My first pictures were too dark. I worked on them in post. I have just passed this knife on, after checking that it is legit; nevertheless I am still interested in sharpening my skills in making sure that I neither buy nor sell a counterfeit.

Part of my question had been whether the appearance of rust on the blade, might suggest that while the blade was marked as CPM S30V, might it possible have been a cheap, counterfeit blade that was merely marked as CPM S30V, while in fact it wasn't. Subsequently I found a thread elsewhere on the forum with an example of an S30V blade with rust. I had already known that there are "degrees of stainlessness" (some steels stain-less, some stain-more); but I had not realized that S30V could actually rust.

So a little rust on an S30V does not suggest by itself that the blade is counterfeit.

And I saw that on the counterfeit Yojimbos that have been shown, the plunge line is mis-positioned in regard to the Spydie hole; and the ricasso appears too short. Mine was OK.

So as usual, I learned a thing or two on the forum!