How to reconize Extrema Ratio counterfeit

[champignon_volant]

I have the occasion to see a counterfeit of Extrema Ratio so I take my Col Mushin and my camera to take some photo and make the comparison:

Dagger knife:

Bad manufacture with trace of reamer, handle is stick to the blade. The box is in ribbed cardboard, the real box is in plain cardboard and the black isn’t brilliant but satiny

The Col Mushin

Serrations are different

General look is close to the real one but some details permit easy identification :
The blade have some irregularities when you touch it. The shape of the counterfeit is more in long, the real one is more close to tanto blade. The side of the guard are acute, the real one have more round side and is more comfortable when you take a support on the guard.

When you dismantle the knife, on the real one, there is Extrema Ratio on the part of the blade which is in the handle, nothing on counterfeit despite bad finishing. The real have a blade of 6.3mm thick and the counterfeit is 5.7mm.

The screw is thickest on the real and the ergot is shortest on the real.

On the sheath, the Cordura of have a more tight weaving on the real, the sheath give a good maintain of the blade (without the retention ring) on the counterfeit if you shake it it make some noise and the blade move in the sheath, not very good for furtive approach.
The rivet are plain on the real and the is the Extrema Ratio logo on the back.

 

[champignon_volant]

Another model: the ballonet:

On first look, it seem similar they must have a real one because it is close to the real but some details permit to make an easy difference.
On counterfeit, they have no problem to put made in Italy, it a bit much!
The sheath is very similar, the Cordura and elastic part of the strap is more tight on the real especially for elastic part.
The sharpen stone is a part of emery paper on counterfeit
The mill part on the back is bad finished on the counterfeit

When we dismantle the knife, we have a big surprise!!! A welding on the part of the blade which is in the handle

 

[GIRLYmann]

omg!
a weld on a "bayonet"???!
this won't go down too well, wouldn't it?

 

[champignon_volant]

When we see this weld, no doubt that it is o counterfeit, crazy this chineses !!!

 

[Twindog]

Thank you for the great information. I learned long ago that I couldn't by Extrema Ratio on Ebay.

 

[OldKnife007]

Very good information. I think the world of ER knives and find the N690 steel to be excellent. Yep, eBay is the worse place to buy an ER.

 

[din]

I thought the easiest way to find an extrema ratio counterfeit was to look for the words "dark ops" somewhere on the knife.

 

[Planterz]

Damnit, you beat me to it.

 

[bearcut]

And don’t forget, a real ER comes in that super cool black box with the premium foam.

Seriously, I’m not bashing ER’s packaging at all, it really is better than any other I’ve ever seen. CRK should use something as nice….

 

[GIRLYmann]

it's sometimes near impossible to tell the difference between a genuine or fake knife by mere sight alone; that is until a knife is actually put to good physical use, there in what results would reveal the true quality of the steel type in employment.
be sure to look over the quality and feel of other materials that makes up the end product; like the snap buttons for one.
the steel on these buttons are way thinner and hence structurally softer and easily bends around the edges.
the "protective coating" one these snap buttons are more like a less durable shellac paint.
the loose weave density of the nylon web material is another give away.
and stale odor is a dead give away of recycled plastics.