Hikari Japan knockoffs?

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Carboniferous

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I recently came across some really interesting knives made by a company called Hikari based in Japan, a nice looking higonokami with D2, G10 scales, and a linerlock. Most websites are selling them for well over 100 euros, but there is a seller on ebay offering them for under $40.

My first question is whether or not anyone here has experience with the brand and the quality of the knives in general, they seem very interesting. My second question is whether or not there's an easy way to tell a knockoff from the legitimate product or if there's some other reasonable explanation for the price difference. The handle shape, blade shape, and blade markings seem dead on to me but the price still leaves me feeling very suspicious.
 
The lowest priced Hikari D2/G10 I've seen was about USD100.-. Hikari makes other factory models with different
steels/damacus priced about USD 150-200. Then they have the custom made ones by Kenji Ihara that are priced
USD 300-350.- And these are prices in Japan. I think AG Russell is selling the lowest priced model in the US.
Considering that you can find "Rocksteads" on ebay priced USD17.00-50.00, based on the $40 price I believe the probability that you are looking at a knockoff/counterfeit is pretty high. I don't have one so I can't comment on quality.
I may be wrong but I was under the impression that Hikaris are not friction folders like true Higonokamis but liner locks with a Higo appearance. I could be wrong and am open to correction.
 
KenHash said:
The lowest priced Hikari D2/G10 I've seen was about USD100.-. Hikari makes other factory models with different
steels/damacus priced about USD 150-200. Then they have the custom made ones by Kenji Ihara that are priced
USD 300-350.- And these are prices in Japan. I think AG Russell is selling the lowest priced model in the US.
Considering that you can find "Rocksteads" on ebay priced USD17.00-50.00, based on the $40 price I believe the probability that you are looking at a knockoff/counterfeit is pretty high. I don't have one so I can't comment on quality.
I may be wrong but I was under the impression that Hikaris are not friction folders like true Higonokamis but liner locks with a Higo appearance. I could be wrong and am open to correction.
Click to expand...

My experiences mirror yours very closely, I'm pretty sure they must be counterfeit. I don't want to support knockoffs to any degree so I'm just going to go with my gut and rely on more reputable dealers.

And yes, I suppose I misspoke when I said it was a nice looking higonokami - it looks like a nice higonokami but features a liner-lock. A lot of their other models with no resemblance also look pretty neat, Hikari seems to be putting out some very intriguing knives
 
I just had a guy trade me one of the sub-$40 hikaris (I'd never seen this knife before, just thought it was neat so i took it in partial trade-found this thread trying to figure out what it was)-I don't know if this one was an individual auction that stopped at $38 something, or one of the suspected fakes: but the on I have is definitely D2 (orangepeel grain and all) and pretty nicely done. I hope it's not fake-if it is it's very, very good. couldn't find Hikaris at all on that auction site to research it further.
 
I bought a Damascus/Carbon Fiber from AG Russell about 2 years ago. Then I bought the D2/G10 from hongarden on ebay about six months ago. It looks very legit to me thought it came with no box but with a nice leather case. Then I ordered the damascus/snakewood also from hongarden, again looks legit but came with a generic ill fitting nylon case this time. I guess they just grab whatever case they have available when they ship the knives. I hope this helps.
 
They ship out of Hong Kong. I don't know where they get their knives from but again they look legit. Besides the knife being very well built (smooth action, sharp blade, very nice components finish), I looked at photos on various reputable web stores including AG Russell and they match exactly including blade grind, type and size of screws, scale detailing, logo, etc. If mine is a fake they did a very good job and spent a lot of money doing it. Is there a way to post photos (these are my first posts on this forum). Maybe someone that is positive they have the original knife can compare my photos to theirs to help determine the authenticity of mine.
 
You can post photos by uploading your pics to a phot sharing site like photobucket or imagur . Then use the 3rd icon from the right to link the image to your post.
 
Carboniferous said:
My experiences mirror yours very closely, I'm pretty sure they must be counterfeit. I don't want to support knockoffs to any degree so I'm just going to go with my gut and rely on more reputable dealers.

And yes, I suppose I misspoke when I said it was a nice looking higonokami - it looks like a nice higonokami but features a liner-lock. A lot of their other models with no resemblance also look pretty neat, Hikari seems to be putting out some very intriguing knives
Click to expand...

I wish more people had this kind of mentality. Much respect to you for that sir. Personally, I love the Higonokami style friction folders, traditional Japanese working man's knife. ;)
 
Rockstead, Hikari and Kiku are probably the top Japanese knife brands counterfeited in China.
 
Here they are: http://s446.photobucket.com/user/ebar08/library/Hikari?sort=3&page=1
Hikari
 
For comparison's sake this is the Hikari HK-07 d2/g10 linerlock higonokami from an authorized dealer in Japan. Price in Japan is Yen 11750 which is about $98.00-100.00.

hikari-hk07-1_zps5tsguayh.jpg

hikari-hk07-2_zpsk3f0m7mj.jpg

hikari-hk07-3_zpsq2mm7fzv.jpg
 
I doubt you'll reach a conclusion from photos alone as while I can see a couple cosmetic differences between the photos, you normally need to examine the knife itself to be certain.
And even then some of today's today's counterfeits are so well done that it's nearly impossible to tell.
The lack of opinions on this thread probably comes mainly from the lack of owners of Hikari's in the first place. I am included because while I have 3 Higonokamis, I don't own a single Hikari.
How much did you pay on ebay? The lack of a box/papers isn't a good sign though as that can often help answer your question.
 
I paid $38. I agree that is very low compared with the normal retail price. I guess we'll never know for sure but thanks for the help, anyway.
 
I contacted the seller one bay and their explanation for the very low prices is that they're the manufacturer of the knives and so can sell the knives for a lot less than any other retailer. I'm not really satisfied with that answer considering Hikari is based in Japan and the reseller is based in China, but I can't find any way to contact Hikari to confirm. Still holding out on the purchase.

I've noticed in the photos of the potentially counterfeit knives that the holes drilled in the handle are very poorly finished, very rough edges. Not something I'd expect on a typically $100 knife. Part of the reason I think they might be fake.
 
Hikari higonokami knives are designed by a Japanese custom knifemaker named Kenji Ihara of Saitama Prefecture.
Most of his knives sell for around $300. But the lower priced models I understand are factory made.
 
I have seen this very knife on Aliexpress for around that price, in several different configurations. Identical to the model AG Russell sells, so I would venture to say that they are manufactured in China for other companies, and some are sold on the grey market for their real value, in this case ebay.

So you got the knife for what it is worth I gather. Doubt the quality would be any lesser without a brand name on it but you will see.
 
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