very true
cant trust the posted specs for weight nor blade thickness
and, cant know what blade steel is being used… (unless you can tell 440C or D2 from S30V… some people claim they can tell when sharpening)
its really a first world problem… 440C is still a perfectly adequate blade material, IF I was actually cutting stuff… instead of just fantasizing about how good the steel is in the blade Im carrying…
do I actually cut stuff so much that S30V would prove superior to 440C after repeated sharpening? … no, I cant tell… 440C cuts paper just fine… LOL
new question
though the 20CV steel on my 555-1 cuts paper just fine… the factory Benchmade grind looks very toothy… nothing I would be proud of if I did it myself…
now Im getting ready to put a polished edge on the blade… debating buying a guided sharpening system… vs using my Japanese Water Stones freehand…
of course, the moment I sharpen the blade, my “investment value” is ruined… so…. do I sharpen it, or just sell the knife?
first world problems:
investment value?
importance of steel type?
USA made price vs China made price?
I like to think I buy a knife to use . They are tools after all . I haven’t purchased for investment value , however I have been acquiring various vintage knives. Therein the dilemma you mention . If I use a 60 year old knife in mint , unused condition , I basically ruin it as a collectible item . I also must bare the guilt of taking an item which has survived in pristine condition, and being the dolt to screw it up because I got my hands on it . So I guess your not the only one with too much time on hand
For most people, 440C and D2 would be ample performers. These higher end steels are more resilient with edge holding and rust resistance, but then they’re tougher to sharpen. You have to have the equipment and skills to get those M390, S30V, S35VN, etc. steels properly sharp… but that’s if you put knives through tough paces. Frankly, if you’re generally soft on your knives, some simple honing can help keep a nicely sharp edge for years. The only time I’ve used sharpening stones was on cheap knives that dulled too much for honing to yield decent results.
If you really like the knife, sharpen it and use it. As far as resale goes, if you tend to flip knives, but also like to use them, just be adept and doing excellent sharpening while preserving the aesthetics. If your buyer wants a knife to use, versus collecting, a blade that was properly sharpened would be welcomed, IMHO…
Some collectors want that untouched, factory edge . I have a few of those, and they are useless to me other than to look at . Not really what I enjoy with a knife. So I’m not buying those anymore .
But What I did just get is this …
FINCH 1929 Nightcrawler Red Sawcut Bone . Second Finch I’ve bought . They are very well made and reasonably priced .
Don’t get your hopes up. In a $20 counterfeit stamped S30V, you’ll be lucky to get 8Cr13Mov. There is an equally probable chance of 5Cr15 or even 3Cr13.
And that’s what is messed up with that . You have no idea what your really getting. Even if it is what is stated , the heat treat is so inconsistent . One D2 is great , the next one sucks .
Yeah, you’re probably right. At that price, likely not even D2. But as Rdubya18 said:
Yeah, just because they actually might use a metal alloy blend that qualifies as a specific blade steel type doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a quality one. That’s the thing too, about consistency… and that’s what keeps the clone market alive. All it takes is a few people hitting the “lottery” with a reasonably good rendition of the claimed steel, then other buyers think they’ll be getting that too.
Hence… brand importance.
Rdubya, that Finch looks really nice. I’d seen a review on that brand a while back and was impressed.
agree
some of the clone listings show the actual steel:
for example, I ordered one of these Mini Griptilians for $16
that listing discloses
“Blade:440C stainless steel”
the one I bought of ebay for $90, I believe is the same $16 knife… That one got mailed out of state, to my son, before I realized it was a counterfeit.
If Benchmade insists on him sending them the knife for verification, so they can shut down the ebay seller, I will give my son a different knife, probably the genuine 555-1 that I also bought last week…
the top knife… .
it has a genuine box, and genuine blade thickness… I have learned how to recognize the genuine ones, thanks to my ebay seminar
Yep… it’s unfortunate that we need to do this kind of homework but it’s worth it in the end to avoid getting scammed like that. And you’d think that Benchmade would invest in having an intern scan eBay sellers to report those selling fakes. They know their knives best and can immediately tell the difference in most cases.
update
Benchmade requires that I mail the knife to them for Authentication. I will contact my son, who will be receiving the knife in the mail today…
Benchmade is not making any effort to look at the ebay seller, who has sold 15+ counterfeit knives. Ebay is also taking no action, until I provide a letter of Authentication from Benchmade.
I will probably mail my son the 555-1 w G10 scales, (bottom knife): .
that I bought after mailing him the 555 w nylon scales… (second from bottom)
basically, hes getting a free upgrade, both in blade steel, and handle material… while I wait for the wheels of justice to grind out the “Ebay Guaranteed” refund for my counterfeit 555.
Thanks for encouraging me to deal w the counterfeit situation. Today I sent my son the 555-1, along with a prepaid label to ship the Counterfeit 555 to Benchmade.
Benchmade informed me they will not return the knife, if they confirm it is Counterfeit. They will issue me letter of Authentication Failure, that I will then provide to Ebay… who will then supposedly issue me a refund…
This whole situation stinks. Unfortunately, I’ve seen it happen too many times. I’m sorry to hear that rectifying this is so much work. It isn’t always. Hopefully, someone at Benchmade will step up. I haven’t heard a lot of good about their customer service lately but then again, my antennas might be biased. I’m still sour on Benchmade since I found out about their one-sided donations to the politicians that want to ban guns.
This kind of issue is why I try to only buy from trusted sources, whether actual knife stores like White Mountain Knives or known/certified sellers on eBay or AliExpress.
Regarding counterfeit knives, the ones you know are counterfeit and branded with a copy of the makers mark, the best option is zero oxygen. Don’t buy them, don’t post links to them. Not saying they’ll go away, but it’ll help the genuine manufacturers like Spyderco and Benchmade if $16 clones weren’t being bought and sent for verification?
On a knife forum I used to visit, branded clones were a strict no. Unbranded copies (usually with design tweaks like the Sanrenmu, Ganzo, Navy knives), probably from the same factories were sort of ok to chat about as they didn’t pretend to be the genuine article.
I’m really liking those Finch knives, I’m off for a Google on those. Flippers are usually a bit menacing, those just look all cuddly.
Bought a Spyderco Military, it’s quite a bit bigger than I remember! The Digicam scales are coming off, the blade is being etched and tumbled, and I’m putting on some dirty micarta scales. I think I can make it look more of a beast than it is.
This is a knife which I bought years ago but recently seem to have lost . I like it so well , blade profile , clean smooth handles , makes a nice looking dress knife . So it has gotten replaced before it’s too hard to find .
When the Eros came out it had a large and small and I had gotten both . The small one gets carried daily in a leather pocket pouch .
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