It ticked a lot of different boxes for me which are basically what you listed. I’m happy with it. Ended up with a few more knives in the process of finding this one. The more, the merrier.
Edit: Just did a teardown, here’s a picture:
Also, it appears you can get it without the “TUNAFIRE” logo on the blade. User reviews on AliExpress say it arrived without the inscription as the pictures show on the listing.
Got this old Camillus Marlin Spike
Thanks! Great to see that. Nice that the liner is full length both sides. Now I’m really tempted. :money_mouth_face:
I found 6 rare Lone Wolf (pre-Benchmade) Dual Action Autos new and still in the factory boxes in my bottom dresser drawer, along with a Leatherman Charge in some kind of presentation case that has all the crap you’d want plus a Leatherman knife. Pretty bizarre and pretty special. And another Lone Wolf which has some stunning walnut wood handles on it…but that one is not a DA.
Received the $18 clone of Benchmade 555, purchased from dhgate.
Took 21 days to arrive… from California (reshipper)
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it feels great, works great, slices paper great, has hollow grind… seller’s ad says the steel is actually 440C… (marked 154CM)
the one I bought on Ebay for $90 (same knife sold without disclosure), reached Benchmade yesterday, and they contacted to inform me they are impounding the knife as a counterfeit, and have mailed me a letter to that effect.
Once I have the letter, I will ask Ebay for a refund, and maybe they will choose to close the sellers account. So far, neither Benchmade nor Ebay has shown any interest in stopping the seller. Maybe after Ebay has to refund me the $90 they will see things differently. They demanded the letter from Benchmade, before they will honor their money back guarantee. will update.
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One way to recognize this Mini Griptilian counterfeit, is by the box, which lacks a label. This difference is definitive.
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the Omega spring on the counterfeit has been improved, to match the original, that feature is no longer a “tell”.
The counterfeit blade is 0.08” thick, the genuine blade is 0.10” thick… this is a definitive way to ID the counterfeit.
The counterfeit handle material is not the same as the original, but if you dont have both, you would not know.
The weight of the counterfeit, with clip, is 70 grams… the original weighs 10 grams more. This is also a definite ID feature.
I've never received a counterfeit knife.
The worst I've received are some Gocomma knives that claimed to be D2 steel, but were actually a different steel.
Those Gocomma knives were still a bargain, though, because the steel that they used was very good for the price. 
These are currently $19.99 plus additional 20% off clip coupon, bringing it down to $16. Debating whether it’s worth it. Is it actual D2 steel? Some people complain that it doesn’t have a particularly smooth release - maybe it can benefit from some cleaning and relubing of the bearings?
can you teach us how to tell the difference?
I do not know how to recognize if a blade steel is 440C or D2 or S30V etc…
They can all be sharp enough to cut paper… without me being able to tell the difference in steel… Im at the mercy of the seller, in that regard.
I didn't.
Someone else tested it, and reported their findings.
No, it isn't. Eafengrow has been tested multiple times via XRF by the LuvThemKnives channel on YouTube. They are repeat offenders for false steel stamps. If you are lucky, it'll be 8Cr13Mov. If not, it might be 5Cr15. Better yet, just say "no" to Eafengrow. Stick with decent budget brands like Sanrenmu and Petrified Fish.
At least one of those knives was made by Petrified Fish and rebranded. PF is one of the better budget manufacturers and has only more recently become a known brand outside of China. The particular knife in question used 8Cr13Mov with about the best heat treatment you'll see for that steel. A good grind was also helpful.
When dealing with an unscrupulous company, it's hard to know for sure. Almost any blade steel can be made sharp at the factory. Edge retention testing can be complicated by the fact that most factory edges involve fatigue and true performance can take several sharpenings to emerge. The most reliable way to tell is to deal with known and reputable companies. Failing that, check the spreadsheet from LTK to see if samples have been checked via XRF. Otherwise, the easiest way to check for real D2 is with a mustard test. A blob of common yellow mustard placed on totally clean and oil-free steel with a satin finish for one hour will significantly stain D2 but not common substitutions such as 3Cr13, 5Cr15, and 8Cr13Mov. Of course, passing this tests involves staining the blade.
Good to know. I’ll avoid them in the future.
New D2 test says yes:
personally, for a $16 knife, it hardly matters what the steel is… the cheap knives all cut, and most dont rust…
This is also good to know. And I completely agree. At that price point, I just want something that looks good and feels well built. I’d of course prefer it to be D2 steel like it states, but I’m not going to be heartbroken if my <$25 knife isn’t actually D2 steel, just a little bummed.
These boxes always come from my Chinese shipper. Always something weird and wrong about them. Easy to spot though. I’m not measuring anything. I already knew I was buying a copy so no need for me to get into the, “how to spot a fake” worm hole. If you buy an expensive knife for $18, you can’t really complain.
I do have to say. the knife that came in that box, I have been hammering on at work for the last 3 months. It stays sharp and keeps on working. When I first got it I took it apart, cleaned and lubed it, and put a spot of blue loctite on the pivot screw and adjusted it accordingly. It hasn’t let me down yet.
> I already knew I was buying a copy
glad to hear it is working well.
when I bought the first one off ebay for $97
I did not know it was a counterfeit
Ebay required me to send the knife to Benchmade for Authentication.
It failed, and Benchmade confiscated my Ebay knife.
the one I got for $18 was my way of proving to myself, that the ebay knife was counterfeit. I like my clone for $18, not so much for $97. It is well made, inexpensive, and sharp.
now waiting for the letter from Benchmade, to send to Ebay, so they refund my $97 counterfeit, and stop the seller from fooling others like me.
Interesting to note the discussion on counterfeit knives.
During the 11/11 Sale, I ordered one knife from Petrified Fish Store on Ali Express. I was attracted to this shop by its rather unusual name brand.
A question for knife collectors who are also collecting flashlights: Is there any serious counterfeiting of expensive flashlights? So far, I have never encountered any discussion on this possible problem in the BLF.
I know there are fake batteries. But are there fake / counterfeit flashlights?
There were instances of “gray market” lights being sold whose warranties were not honored, but dunno if they were “legit” from the factory or cloned.
Then there were things like the Utorch/Manker debacle…
LTK is sometimes too kind to companies that lie about their steel content. Note that this video is over a year old and Eafengrow was actively trying to save face. They still occasionally fail in testing. LTK often refers to them as “Eafen Liars” when they do.
BTW, this testing is a regular thing. It’s worth subscribing to his channel. Batch 43 recently posted.
There are some LED Lenser counterfeits.
There are some weird things going on with brands like Ultrafire where it’s hard to know what is really their light and what is not.
There are also clones.
Aside from Utorch, I’ve also seen some fourtysevens clones. At one point there was a Jaxman Z1 clone called Cometa.
I read about a guy that paid $700 for what he thought was a Hanko, from VietNam. It ended up being a clone. He got a $640 refund from the seller… He was happy, because it came with a Dragon Driver.
there are also clones that look similar to the Prometheus Beta. And also clones that look like Barrel flashlights…
Usually these are not sold at prices of the Originals, and they come from Ali or other chinamart sellers… so they are not trying to sell for the price of the original. Hence the word Clone.
I would say Counterfeit if the host is misrepresented and resold as an Original… such as the Vietnam case…
coming back to knives
I have a Clone of Benchmade 555 that cost just $18.
I learned about it after buying the same knife for $97, as a Counterfeit on Ebay. Counterfeit is the word for a light being sold as a original, when in fact it is not.