PSA ~ Fake Benchmade Knives

Please be careful when buying knives on the secondary or from untrusted sources. Have fun with National Knife Day!!
Thank you for subscribing along with all your feedback and support! Make sure to check out my subscriber giveaway's!
Join Zach's Daily Carry Crew for member exclusive content and access! / @zachstuff
Email: [e-mail]
IG: @zachs_stuff
#zachsstuff #fakeknives #PSA

[@davidchennellsjr.6799]

I just bought and received a Chinese bench made knock off. A $50 carbon fiber bugout. I had no clue it was a fake until today I received my Benchmade 490 Arcane and I could tell the difference right away after feeling the steel, the real Benchmade Arcane is drastically sharper. The fake Chinese knock off was good enough to make me fall in love with Benchmade knives. Authentic only. Know that I know what I'm looking for from the fake and realize how big counterfeiting is. The fake is still a beautiful knife.

[@jooky5]

I did not older designs had the oblong holes. I wish they still made them that way

[@evictioncarpentry2628]

I've called out a ton of people on buy & sells for trying to sell fakes as new. Once you've seen a few it's easy to tell. Immediately obvious when trying to sharpen and the steel is softer then baby shit. Here's my thing. Do clones suck ethically. Yes. Can you stop it from happening? No. I own the real models of all the clones I've bought (grip, bugout, 940) and for the price, they're a great way to use the knives I love, but in ways I'd never use the real model in fear of destroying them (contractor work, pry bar, screwdriver, hammer type uses) My problem exists when people are trying to pass them off as real and as something they are not. If you're buying a 20 dollar clone, no biggie. If you're buying a 20 dollar clone represented as real for 200 dollars, huge issue there.

[@i8kiwis21]

On the axis lick especially. On the fakes the spring doesn't wrap all the way around the crossbar

[@jacknemo8021]

Often CRKT fakes are better than the knife they are copying. We should have someone who runs a knife page run a list of sites selling clones and knockoffs so we can avoid those retailers.

[@zachstuff]

Good idea Jack!

[@RockyMountainBlades]

Dang! Thought it was the yellow one because of that hole difference, that’s an important reason to always buy from authorized dealers.

[@happyface4234]

You can tell the yellow.isnt because of the worn of the clip. this mean it has been carried, on the hand, the clip on the orange one is the newer knife so the black is fake.

[@RockyMountainBlades]

@@happyface4234 hmm, really depends, I bet if the fake knife was carried a bunch it too would have a worn clip.

[@saltybarenuts]

I did to because of the lazer etching 😊

[@JTsKnifeLife]

Thanks so much for doing this. Videos like this are very helpful to spreading the word about this stuff. Obvious to the trained eye that the middle one has incorrect markings, but so many people who haven't owned benchmades would never know!

[@ZoneCrasher]

When the fakes get really good, even Benchmade has a hard time to tell, then what? LOL

[@ahaubert80]

Thanks for making this video! There's no way I would have known that was a fake, so videos like this are very helpful.

[@edcozz3745]

Dude I was wrong right off the bat, smh. This type of information is priceless. Thank you for all of the excellent content 👏.

[@Southernknife_addict]

I could tell the black one was fake because of the Mel Purdue placement it’s slightly off fro merge ither two. They’re getting good though you gotta have one to compare it to or it’s hard to tell

[@BigRedEDC]

Well....I was wrong...lol!!! Guess I need to study up for the next test!!!!

[@rickbattle1566]

As someone who has just been through this I would think It would be incumbent upon Benchmade, who knows this is a problem, to post on their website that this is apparently industry wide problem. Adding a list of the companies you can purchase authentic merchandise from on the front of all their advertising. One would think if your companies reputation is at stake you would be doing everything possible to save it.

[@zachstuff]

Sorry to hear that. Yeah they do work daily to combat the fakes/counterfeits. They do have a dealer locator on their website so people can locate nearby or online dealers who are official. Sad to see all the fakes out there.

[@tomweingart2337]

You can fool some of the people sometimes but you can never fool Zach about Benchmades anytime 🤣😂

[@thenextarcher]

Wow! It really is terrible how close fakes have gotten. It really stinks because I really enjoy going to shows and buying used/discontinued knives.

[@aberdeendh]

To be honest, some of these counterfeit knives are so well made, that as long as you are paying the discount price, you’re ahead of the game. You can buy a counterfeit that is 90% as well made as a real Benchmade, but at one-tenth the price.

[@HellGatefr2]

@@aberdeendh What about the steel though ?

[@inntit4093]

Buy whatever makes most sense. Make sure you pay the right amount for it.

[@RealLockheedMartin]

The fake stands out as really obvious. The font on the Benchmade logo is completely wrong. The font for the steel mark is also totally off. The registered trademark sign on the Benchmade logo is huge for some reason. The laser etching is almost doubled and looks much less crisp. The etchings are really deeply cut into the steel, like they were dremeled on and then printed over. It would be even more obvious with the packaging. A lot of fakes have some really telltale signs. The fonts on the labels always seem to be wrong. The original labels all seem to use at least two distinct fonts, and fakes usually only have the same font for everything. Some parts of the label are in bold text but it's clearly the same font. The fonts are also significantly different. The quickest way to tell is if the model number has a 3: modern Benchmades have a flat-topped numeral 3 and fakes have a curvy ordinary 3. The graphics for the uses (everyday, outdoor, etc.) are sometimes weirdly blurry or hard to make out, like they had a smoothing filter applied to hide the pixels. The Benchmade wordmark itself for a lot of fakes, but not all of them, has a larger C than the rest of the letters. I can't find any historical variation of the wordmark that has the big letter C. The silver lower half of the box often has the wrong printed metal texture. The inside often has no foam at all, and sometimes it has foam but it's just on the bottom.

[@brandon_crow1291]

Benchmade destroying fakes is why I didn't send my bugout in. A friend sold it to me (he owed me a benchmade cause he sold my lepord for $30 when I loaned it to him.) But after some time I was worried that it was a fake. Like if they could just tell people "ya its a fake sorry but we can't hold up the warranty" that'd be fine. But if someone geta ripped off and don't know it they're just getting fucked over twice.

[@erhon5]

Yeah I was thinking the orange one(because of the black axis lock then remembered the custom shop) when they were just sitting on the table but the logo on the black one is just wrong.

[@jj9936]

Thank for this tricks! The fake is hollowgrind too?

[@jj9936]

thanks for the like ! do you remember if the grind was hollow or saber on the clone?

[@randyf.9188]

I thought it was 2. The first thing I noticed was the jimping on the blade. Thanks for the insight.

[@a.k.vollmer5200]

Yeah a dad on my daughters soccer team was really proud of his Benchmade. I had to break it to him it was fake. He traded 9mm ammo to a guy at work for it. Lol 🤦‍♂️.

[@arctic3032]

7:34 what really really is a bummer, is that Benchmade can produce the same knife with a 1000% markup.

[@michaelrast4263]

I'm going number 2, the black handle... the "154cm" looks off, and I feel like the jemping is odd, and the grind maybe looks off?... but maybe I'm wrong

[@robertsimon276]

I like the lanyard 😂 thanks for this video brother it’s a shame that so many get fooled by fakes!

[@zachstuff]

It is Robert. Thanks!

[@BladeBanker]

I guessed correctly but it’s a damn good fake when looking at it on its own without comparing the laser engravings. May be easier to tell while holding it, but it looks fairly good. Nice video!!

[@jeffcarter5380]

Dude that's crazy. Thanks for the knowledge👍

[@bubba92473]

Such good info to have, thanks a bunch Zach.

[@bradgrand79]

I’m thinking 3 orange because the grind looked good on the other two

[@williamlenderman387]

Informative PSA. Thank you sir.

[@TheLastRanger]

I thought three, I would fail the test. But yeah middle one is bad.

[@faethe000]

The spring around the axis lock tipped me off right away which was fake.

[@KnivesFAST]

Awesome video and service to the community. Thanks for doing this.

[@94jcherokee]

Before it's revealed....I'm gonna guess the black one. I've seen the oblong hole on early 2000s knives and in old catalogs. The markings on the blade of black one are oddly dark/shiny. I've carried an all black d2 556 for 14 years now....the same one.

[@Hoodoooutdoors]

I thought that yellow one might even be old enough to have antennas!

[@davidlindsay5993]

Zach, thanks for passing on the information - very much appreciated. Too bad that these fakes are out there, but now we have a way to confirm the authenticity!

[@joe_a_photo]

That’s crazy. Definitely would have fooled me

[@miller8638]

What kind of steel do u think the fake one is?

[@mrnobodyz]

They differ and are generally improving.

[@scottrader4593]

Great video! Thank you Zach

[@jeremyspaulding7735]

Some great info! The yellow was my first guess but as you showed them the marks on the black one didn't look quite right. Great video 👍

[@grimreaper6042]

Zach thank you for the information

[@johnwest4492]

2 maybe? Don't ever remember you using a lanyard.

[@zachstuff]

#lanyardfans Nice spot!

[@johnwest4492]

See I pay attention sometimes lol

[@johnscarborough4746]

That's a very good counterfeit, and if you didn't have a lot of experience with benchmades you could easily get fooled.

[@ck158]

Thanks Zach!!

[@grizzlycountry1030]

I'm old and never seen a authentic benchmade with a hole like the yellow one.

[@sobxscooter8157]

My Benchmades thank you! All pulled, inspected and cleaned. No fakes 👍

[@propblast82nd]

I’ve heard of people buying a genuine Benchmade someplace like Amazon then returning a fake for refund. Amazon resells the fake not knowing.

[@zachstuff]

Yes it’s very wild when people do that.

[@jamesharper8373]

Pretty obviously the black handle one

[@austinkokomainiac7352]

Good PSA thanks. Wow they are getting really good at fakes. I have seen a few but they usually have off color on the scales. Bigger screws and the marking are wrong. This one is pretty hard to tell. The only way I had my suspicions on the black was the color and texture of the font and butterfly. Your right on the grind lines and I’ll keep that in mind. Now I need to check my benchmades lol. Luckily I have a official dealer in the next town over.

[@nsmturbo5902]

eBay is full of fake knives, I only buy from known knife stores

[@zachstuff]

Good idea!!

[@mknight6556]

​@@zachstuff hey I just got a custom mini grip with orange scales and off eBay and I'm wondering if I got a fake? I have 2 weeks to return it if it is. Can you guys help me out? It is so close to my dads real Mini grip that I can't even tell. I paid 100 for it so it's not like it was dirt cheap. Came with a carbon fiber pocket clip. You can tell the guy barely used it. It is built very well, better than my dads custom neon green mini grip. It has a patent number under the Mel Pardue logo that I can barely read but the thing that's the throwing me off is the fact that it says S30V above the Mel Pardue logo and not in between the thumbstud and the scale. I did a little research and one guy said that before Benchmades axis lock patent expired in 2016, on the custom mini grips , they would put the steel type marking above the Mel Pardue logo. Is this true or did I get a fake? Did not come with the box so no way to verify through that. It's extremely sharp and the steel does indeed look like S30v. Kinda cool because this guy customized it with S30v some years ago before they made it standard steel type for the mini grip. Thing is absolutely flawless. If it was a fake, my goodness hats off to whoever made it

[@claimdisputed4820]

The jimping is also a dead give away when compared to a real one.

[@heyyitsthejohnsons5470]

Nice! Can you do it with the bugout? I think my bugout is kinda sus!

[@kjpierson1152]

Jimping is different on the blade as well.

[@Keith_the_knife_freak]

Would love if you could have had the steel tested to see what it was ..

[@Didier090765]

I was wrong, had my eye on the yellow one first but seen up close the laser markings are indeed different between the clone and the real deal. Would have been very hard to spot I think if one just had pics from a seller to go by.... However, very informative, thanks for sharing Zach! By the way, what is a PSA??

[@williamlenderman387]

Hey Didier, a PSA is a Public Service Announcement and this was a good one that Zach has given to us.

[@Didier090765]

@@williamlenderman387 Thanks!

[@williamlenderman387]

@@Didier090765 🙏

[@OneMinuteKnifeReview]

The first one. The hole. ? (Still watching ). Also the logo is down on the grind…..oooo. I was wrong. Lol (leaving it as stream of consciousness). Thanks for the psa. #dskfs

[@johnwest4492]

Hey Zach, just got my Atom with the Blue G-10 man thanks for showing us that knife it's Amazing, thanks again my friend 😀

[@bobb.9917]

Helpful!

[@scotmetcalf2745]

Don’t mean to comment twice on your video but after thinking for a moment I was wondering so what are you actually getting here? Steel quality? Are these junk? Ya I would assume probably not even heat treated or quality steel? Again have a fantastic day and thanks

[@jeroenvoss6231]

I immediatly had bad vibes by the black one and lucky me i was right. It's a good fake but that's what it'll ever be; a fake. On photo's you might be fooled easely though, so second hand should be watched carefully. Thank you Zachster.

[@mikejurnak4253]

Good info Zach 🤜🏻🤛🏻

[@regan.8077]

This is why I only buy from authorized dealers.

[@TheLastRanger]

Me too

[@jmn-5554]

Even authorized dealers could have fakes. They have thousands of knives going through their warehouse and most of the time they’re tryna work so fast they wont even notice the fake. I’m not saying it’s intentional of course, but sometimes people may buy a real one and return a fake

[@mrnobodyz]

This is why I love aliexpress.

[@justinbelcher3389]

Don't send it back to them. Benchmade wouldn't. I wouldn't either especially if someone tried to rip me off like that. Knowingly or unknowingly!!!

[@petewalton3416]

Sent email to benchmade a few days ago there is a benchmade store on Ali express.

[@Cyanoblades]

Wow that's pretty damn close to the real thing.

[@jamesharris1493]

Hi Zech! Yes there are a lot of fake Benchmades. On the street we call them clones. You can tell by the blade material. However some folks are happy with clones because if you lose it, you did not not lose much!

[@MrShankism]

I always consider clones a different thing because they don’t attempt to pass them off with BM logos/ branding. Clones just copy the design. And just buy a budget knife instead of a knockoff

[@jameshiers5451]

What other counterfeits are out there

[@kenmarapese9085]

At a 1:16 the blade hole on the yellow one. But I am wrong.

[@r.d.1056]

The black one

[@SurvivalSpec]

I understand there is a massive number of chinese D2 and other blade steels being used in clones

[@samturner6455]

Benchmade puts pin holes by the pivot for this reason. 2018 and up.

[@samturner6455]

Also look at how the omega springs attach to the line before 2014.

[@raidhooutdoors]

They look so real!

[@willtrax71]

Zach I have 2 Bugouts that are fake and should have remembered the term “to good to be true” I think the Yellow grip is fake, I know the pronounced raised Butterfly is a dead giveaway, you shouldn’t be able to feel the Butterflies. Great Video my Friend stay safe and Semper Fidelis

[@Sharps_and_i_edc]

Never trust a lanyard😂😂

[@miller8638]

1 the hole, the clip on 3 is different

[@akanesoratobu8889]

its hard to tell from a new buyer/ I planning to buy some off of ebay but they look to real.

[@zachstuff]

Very tricky online especially the auction sites to determine a real versus fake product.

[@brianc9934]

Thanks for the heads up. You should engrave “FAKE” into the blade before you send it back to the owner so nobody gets scammed by this one.

[@chriswolf7169]

Wow, that is darn good of a fake😬yet another reason to avoid ebay haha. Note to self 😂hope yur Monday is a good one brother 🙏 tnxs for showin 🍻 👊 🤜 💯 🤛keep on keepn on

[@badmunkyedc1]

Wow! That's a good fake, that sucks.

[@FordHarbor]

Please do more of these videos on spotting the goods. This is extremely helpful. I do not have a good dealer near me and online sales are tough to feel safe. I know people that have received fakes off @m@azom thinking they were buying real versions.

[@perpetualconfusion5885]

This shit has me wondering. Cuz I got a benchmade presidio II cf elite for 120. I'm lowkey scared it's a fake but it was in a case from an actual seller not a private person so I'm not too concerned

[@zachstuff]

Always interesting indeed! As long as the dealer doesn’t restock returns, you should be good to go!

[@mrnobodyz]

I’ve read thousands of comments and this is the first time I have come across so many people who prefer originals. Luckily I don’t live in america so I don’t suffer from Stockholm syndrome😂 Blonde haired, blue eyed baby Jesus please bless the Chinese.🙏🏼

[@kangjhha]

ebay seller that goes by "perdidojim" selling fakes even after being reported to ebay.. buyer beware

[@jellyfish1433]

I always look at the pivots and the axis lock springs. Also, on the clones the model number is usually between the gap in the butterflies wings and on the real ones it’s usually below the wings slightly. It’s sad to see people selling these as the real deal to people that don’t know better but I’ve seen it several times.

[@ZoneCrasher]

When spring on my Benchmade broke, I just fixed it with some aftermarket replacements. It's really not cost effective to send it to Benchmade, but that somehow makes my knife fake? LOL

[@Torqd_Off]

You can tell the jimping isn’t as pronounced on the black one…

[@havoso]

The fake came from ali express or dh gate

[@olivia_meighan]

We can’t have any fakers, tut tut tut

[@brandonmaples]

Actually thought all 3 were 🤣

[@HollywoodTacticool]

i cheated, i knew it was the black one cuz, "lanyard fans rejoice" lol

[@jamesmcnitt6860]

Black one

[@HellGatefr2]

No idea which one was fake

[@Thomas-dz4eg]

l hate how some channels refer to these things as clones and then promote there use. These are not clones! Merely illegal and low grade counterfeit products meant to fool the consumer. A real Benchmade is the clone, a copy of their original design. You want to buy a clone? Then buy a real Benchmade!

[@mrnobodyz]

*their*

[@johnmackey3164]

Black handle.

[@gortiz031]

-1- Thx saw some the other day at a fraction of the price. New to the channel nice content

[@beeferbaron]

Now that they seen this video they’ll fix that lol. They are definitely good at what they do for sure. Ugh. I like to see a performance test. Or would that promote them? Ya never mind. Anyways thanks for the heads up

[@addictedtoblades2]

Number three's the fake

[@Case16710]

I thought the orange one because of the burr in the thumb hole. This is why I only buy from the knife sites now (also want to support them). Got burned twice by fakes on Amazon (at least I was able to return them). Btw, Paddy covers a lot of fakes on his channel, but I don’t agree with his take on them…

[@xdfanatic]

It’s so messed up that this happens. I don’t blame benchmade for destroying any fakes that get sent to them.

[@joshcutlip7548]

I was wrong

[@rodneypearson6986]

It's gotta be 2 the logo is off Wow that's a good fake they are getting them so close now it sucks that it can't be stopped

[@zachstuff]

Good eye!

[@rodneypearson6986]

@@zachstuff usually the trade mark is a little further away from the butterfly and a little larger than a authentic one. Take care my friend