This Southard clone almost had me fooled

[Jay_Ev]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251390720420?ss ... 1438.l2649

[Pockets]

Well, the CF is a tipoff...

[M80]

:/

[toomzz]

Well, the CF is a tipoff...

yup..... :rolleyes:

[Pinetreebbs]

This SOB also has a military and many other counterfeit brands.

[IG-88]

This SOB also has a military and many other counterfeit brands.

Yes, its a shock he only has known brand counterfeits (Strider, CRK, ZT, ...) Where is this going to end?

[eric m.]

Ebay!

[PatCatMan]

Not just eBay - my nephew got one of the CF models off of aliexpress for around $60.

I have the real deal - even put an STR Ti clip on her - love the knife - #1 in my EDC lineup.
Maybe 30+ spydies and growing -

But I have to say that the clone is very, very nice. Fit and finish is spot on - tight / no play / dead center - and actually smoother flipper action than mine was before breaking in. Smoother but still tight.
Side by side they are spot on.
I'm sure the steel has to be different :confused: for a $60 purchase price - but it looks exactly the same.

I know I sound like a freakin ad for these rip offs - but it is what it is.
It just got me thinking a little about my $220+ I paid. I really would like to know the steel used - but it really doesn't matter. I carry mine for the same reason some folks wear a genuine Rolex.
I'll probably never put my blade in a hard-use situation - and most folks probably wouldn't either.
Functional pocket jewelry.

But it does get one thinking about what is possible - $170+ more for the blade steel?
Marketing 101 - charge whatever the market will allow

[Freman]

Steel and heat treatment are a significant price difference, as is the cost of development in the first place.

When you have a devoted QC department that incurs another potential cost.

Of course there's the labour cost as well.

There is a reason why you pay four times the price for an original over the copy.

[xceptnl]

Not just eBay - my nephew got one of the CF models off of aliexpress for around $60.

I have the real deal - even put an STR Ti clip on her - love the knife - #1 in my EDC lineup.
Maybe 30+ spydies and growing -

But I have to say that the clone is very, very nice. Fit and finish is spot on - tight / no play / dead center - and actually smoother flipper action than mine was before breaking in. Smoother but still tight.
Side by side they are spot on.
I'm sure the steel has to be different :confused: for a $60 purchase price - but it looks exactly the same.

I know I sound like a freakin ad for these rip offs - but it is what it is.
It just got me thinking a little about my $220+ I paid. I really would like to know the steel used - but it really doesn't matter. I carry mine for the same reason some folks wear a genuine Rolex.
I'll probably never put my blade in a hard-use situation - and most folks probably wouldn't either.
Functional pocket jewelry.

But it does get one thinking about what is possible - $170+ more for the blade steel?
Marketing 101 - charge whatever the market will allow

You pay the price because other factors are involved than just the Materials and Labor. The development and design costs were all funded by Spyderco. It is really easy to design a knife cheap when you are copying someone else's work. The blade steel as well as the quality of the Ti and hardwear used can contribute to the added costs. The big difference in my mind is the warranty. True a cheap ripoff maker can give away 2 knives and still likely make a profit, but I prefer to spend my money where the maker stands behind the quality of their product, not how many the averages say they will need to give away due to failures with a sub-par product. Rant over.

[FLIP4real]

These CF versions on ebay are almost dead ringers, although I cant say that I own a legit Southard for direct comparison. One of the sellers had a lot of close up detailed photos, and wasnt afraid to show them. It is priced $170 and I have seen others near $300 claiming "custom" scales. Obviously sellers are wise to the fact that they dont need to list it at bargain basement prices like aliexpress to move the questionable knives since the Southard is high demand. When I contacted the particular seller I saw he pulled the listing claiming that other buyers had brought this up and if they are fake he didnt know and that they are **** good ones. True or not, its scary that a knife of that quality can be so closely mocked.

EDIT: another member posted the one i saw in the main fake thread -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Spyderco-Southa ... 1e85139451