Spyderco Fakes & Knock Offs Info

I'm looking at picking up an H1 Assist that I found on Craigslist. I'm not sure how much risk there is with a knife as specific as this one so I'm hoping to get some guidance before I meet the seller this weekend.
The seller sent me two pictures of the knife so I'll attach them. Any help is much appreciated!

1JBlN3v.jpg

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Seems legit, the funny thing is, the Laser inscribed H1 is the only thing that "rusts" on an H1 blade. Who would fake that? So it looks legit to me.
 
Hi y’all,
I’ve been shopping around for a couple of Karambits. One of which is a spyderco karahawk. Searching through the site I found this thread and, well, it’s disturbing, but not completely surprising, to see so many fakes being made. Supposedly imitation is the best form of flattery. If a company makes a cheap imitation and sells it as such, under their own name, well that’s one thing. However, when it comes to purposefully producing a product to replicate and be sold as a genuine it really kinda rips me up.
I know a few companies use the Emerson wave but, make reference to them and use the design under license. That’s one thing. The straight up counterfeit under the guise that it’s legit is messed up.

eBay looks like a mess full of knock offs which is really my reason to jump into the forum with other enthusiasts who value originals, whether custom or mass produced. But there are some legit eBay sellers hence my query.

What are some ways to spot a fake karahawk?
~thanks from a newbie
 
Hi y’all,
I’ve been shopping around for a couple of Karambits. One of which is a spyderco karahawk. Searching through the site I found this thread and, well, it’s disturbing, but not completely surprising, to see so many fakes being made. Supposedly imitation is the best form of flattery. If a company makes a cheap imitation and sells it as such, under their own name, well that’s one thing. However, when it comes to purposefully producing a product to replicate and be sold as a genuine it really kinda rips me up.
I know a few companies use the Emerson wave but, make reference to them and use the design under license. That’s one thing. The straight up counterfeit under the guise that it’s legit is messed up.

eBay looks like a mess full of knock offs which is really my reason to jump into the forum with other enthusiasts who value originals, whether custom or mass produced. But there are some legit eBay sellers hence my query.

What are some ways to spot a fake karahawk?
~thanks from a newbie
Honestly, I'd just buy from a proper retailer if you're not 100% comfortable / certain of authenticity.

For the small amount of money you might 'save', is it really worth the angst and potential frustration? Buy once, buy right.

If you're going to buy from here, take note of sellers feedback. I've made a few purchases through this forum and been satisfied, although I did my homework on the sellers first. I personally wouldn't buy from a new account with zero feedback for obvious reasons.
 
Honestly, I'd just buy from a proper retailer if you're not 100% comfortable / certain of authenticity.

For the small amount of money you might 'save', is it really worth the angst and potential frustration? Buy once, buy right.

If you're going to buy from here, take note of sellers feedback. I've made a few purchases through this forum and been satisfied, although I did my homework on the sellers first. I personally wouldn't buy from a new account with zero feedback for obvious reasons.
Thank you for your reply!!
That is some very good advice and actually why I joined this forum! Had been poking around looking up beginner blade steels and heat treatment techniques and stumbled onto someone selling a knife I wanted here. Although I have been “lurking” around the forum a bit, I hadn’t registered as a member until now.
Exactly as you mentioned I looked at their posts and feedback. They had some very nice things written about their sales/trades by multiple people are a serious collector so felt pretty good about my decision to buy one of his knives. I was actually worried he would not want to deal with me because I was completely new!!
I thought it best to buy a “used” knife from people who value quality and authenticity as much as myself. Like you mentioned vet them first.
Looking forward to participating in the forum asking questions and hanging out with other enthusiasts!
 
Thank you for your reply!!
That is some very good advice and actually why I joined this forum! Had been poking around looking up beginner blade steels and heat treatment techniques and stumbled onto someone selling a knife I wanted here. Although I have been “lurking” around the forum a bit, I hadn’t registered as a member until now.
Exactly as you mentioned I looked at their posts and feedback. They had some very nice things written about their sales/trades by multiple people are a serious collector so felt pretty good about my decision to buy one of his knives. I was actually worried he would not want to deal with me because I was completely new!!
I thought it best to buy a “used” knife from people who value quality and authenticity as much as myself. Like you mentioned vet them first.
Looking forward to participating in the forum asking questions and hanging out with other enthusiasts!
Welcome aboard, it's a great source of knowledge here.
 
Oh my lord yes it is!!! There is so much information on steel, hardening and tempering, as well as other people’s experience working with metal. The reviews, thoughts on designs, and knife makers and manufacturers. There’s a wealth of knowledge here I’m so glad I finally signed up. Just need to find a new member introduction forum or thread and learn how to use some of the forum features. It is very similar to my old aquarium forum though so hopefully the learning curve will be quick.
 
Would anyone be able to give me an opinion on this new new knife I bought and it’s validity. Everything looks good to me but having nothing to compare it to but stock photos, I figure a second or third set of couldn’t hurt

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C ChopperB Lemme say it this way: if this were a para2, i would classify it as "fake with reasonable doubt": aspects which would lead a para2 to a fake classifcation are present. However it's a para3 and the presence of Spyderco brochure and the label sticker point to being original. I can't remember having seen a youtube of a fake with Spyderco brochure.

Where did you buy this item from?

Can you show us a close-up photo of the inside of the thumb jimping? (see my earlier post about PM2 fake dead giveaway, might not be a dead giveaway any longer since counterfeiters have been reading and upgrading, safe to assume)
 
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C ChopperB Lemme say it this way: if this were a para2, i would classify it as "fake with reasonable doubt": aspects which would lead a para2 to a fake classifcation are present. However it's a para3 and the presence of Spyderco brochure and the label sticker point to being original. I can't remember having seen a youtube of a fake with Spyderco brochure.

Where did you buy this item from?

Can you show us a close-up photo of the inside of the thumb jimping? (see my earlier post about PM2 fake dead giveaway)
I can send the jimping picture in a bit I’m on the road now, but i can say that the jimping is accurate per what’s on Spyderco’s website(stock photos of the Para 3) it is angled downward and towards the locking mechanism and the jimping stops a tiny bit short towards the blade just like the Spyderco website photos. I purchased this piece from Big Daddy Unlimited which is a very reliable firearms distributor.
Per this knife, everything seems right, from the g10 texture, down to the screws they used and the writing on the blade. Every tell tale sign of a fake seems to be missing but my brain keeps telling me I might have missed something😂
 
C ChopperB Lemme say it this way: if this were a para2, i would classify it as "fake with reasonable doubt": aspects which would lead a para2 to a fake classifcation are present. However it's a para3 and the presence of Spyderco brochure and the label sticker point to being original. I can't remember having seen a youtube of a fake with Spyderco brochure.

Where did you buy this item from?

Can you show us a close-up photo of the inside of the thumb jimping? (see my earlier post about PM2 fake dead giveaway, might not be a dead giveaway any longer since counterfeiters have been reading and upgrading, safe to assume)

211244654_10159278216292158_1513361155151604696_n.jpg

215046225_10159278216272158_9130257084599018304_n.jpg


214352266_10159278216257158_4915629982371038688_n.jpg


216904017_10159278216242158_2484828864038828946_n.jpg


The jimping, as requested!
214828088_10159278245007158_4976252412729194361_n.jpg
 
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C ChopperB Lemme say it this way: if this were a para2, i would classify it as "fake with reasonable doubt": aspects which would lead a para2 to a fake classifcation are present. However it's a para3 and the presence of Spyderco brochure and the label sticker point to being original. I can't remember having seen a youtube of a fake with Spyderco brochure.

Where did you buy this item from?

Can you show us a close-up photo of the inside of the thumb jimping? (see my earlier post about PM2 fake dead giveaway, might not be a dead giveaway any longer since counterfeiters have been reading and upgrading, safe to assume)

211244654_10159278216292158_1513361155151604696_n.jpg

215046225_10159278216272158_9130257084599018304_n.jpg


214352266_10159278216257158_4915629982371038688_n.jpg


216904017_10159278216242158_2484828864038828946_n.jpg

214828088_10159278245007158_4976252412729194361_n.jpg
The jimping, as requested!
 
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