A Counterfeit Benchmade 940 

I got scammed with one of these on Ebay a couple years back but they didn’t care and I wasn’t able to return it. The box was obviously fake because it was more shiny than the actual ones. In the end it was a great knife with I believe d2 steel that held its edge forever and was reasonably easy to sharpen, it had a different feel when opening and closing but the action was still great, it had great fit and finish. The barrel spacers were a more dull blue than the authentic 940-1, and recently I lost it but now bought an authentic 940-1 but I think I’d rather have the fake one because it was better than the real one in my opinion.

I’ve reported people for selling fakes on eBay many times. They do nothing. The items are never pulled down. You should out the seller. It’s the only way to fight this kind of thing.

what got me instantly was how low the butterfly is printed on the blade

That was so awesome of you to make this video and let us know what to look out for. I have two benchmades and without physically comparing them to the real deal in the fresh, I most likely would have been fooled as well. I appreciate your tips because i purchase from ebay frequently. Thanks for the heads up and keep up the great work 🖒🖒🇺🇸

I've had the counterfeit model of this knife for years. Love it. Don't regret it.

I just received this BM 940 knife today 05/17/2019 and it is absolutely beautiful with the green aluminum scales and purple back spacer with the fantastic axis lock deployment is very smooth and it is extremely razor sharp this is my 3rd BM and not my last. :-)

If one is to spend a ridiculous amount of money for a true edc pocket knife, buy from a legit authorized seller. Ebay is loaded with counterfeit items and dishonest fraudulent sellers, unfortunately.

Im so sorry that happened to you,and I would probably be fooled.I dont mind buying them for twenty bucks for my use,but to try and rip someone off is despicable.when I seen it on instagram I did not click and apologise for making light of it.glad your getting your money back.atb paddy👍☺🍀

That sucks!!!! I personally might be fooled as I’ve never handled a 940 but I’m sure I would figure out that something wasn’t right with all that play etc. This is something I’ve been paranoid when buying pricier knives so I really appreciate you taking the time to share this with us. So glad you were able to return it and get your money back

Glad you are getting your money back. Thanks for doing a video! Should keep it and do a torture test to see how they stand up. But then no money to spend on a new “real” Benchmade!

I recently started buying used knives at auction for fixing up and resell. The only way I have of identifying counterfeits is by fit and finish (sharpening sometimes helps too). It is a problem that persists as long as the knife is in service. I currently have a number of Spyderco's that are possible counterfeits and they are trash, not products I can sell.

Happened to me too a couple years ago, O think i still have mine but never used it although it’s really well built. I tried taking it apart but it’s impossible and it stripped the screwdriver bits

We're the edge bevels better than Benchmade ?

I very rarely buy from eBay these days because of all the counterfeit goods on there but I so glad you got your money back!

Man that knife looks so much like the real deal!!! Had to pull mine out to do a comparison...the only giveaway was the dull standoff on the fake. Had to make sure mine had a bright anodized blue standoff which it did!!

Good stuff jt

That sucks. Thanks though for getting this info out there to alert others. I use BHQ or Knife Center almost exclusively. I am even leary of ordering a knife from Amazon, but have done it a few times.

I got the clone a couple years ago the omega spring have outlasted the ones on my legit 940 lol i sold my legit on ebay after i got it back from warranty. Screw benchmade. If the spring goes bad on my clone ill make one from piano wire.

I just bought Benchmade 581 Barrage and I think it is a fake.IT doesn't say USA under the butterfly and there is no patient number on the other side of the blade.I called the seller on it and emailed me back fast and said not talk about this threw Ebay. He gave me his phone number and said to call tomorrow. Does that sound shady or what?

Have you ever seen a 940-1501 clone? Just curious if they are out there.

You are always better off buying from a authorized dealer to avoid this kind of problem. Thanks for sharing 🐱

Thank you for taking the time to educate us on this. That's just wrong on every level.

Question, what website did you buy this fake Benchmade 940 from?

Sorry it didn't work out for you but at least you got it covered through eBay! I've never handled a 940-1 but I'm sure that I would have noticed something felt wrong with the action and those spacers looked way dull. Thanks for putting out this educational video so people are aware of what to look for!

Seller knew what he was doing!

Hey JT I just purchased one from EBay and now watching this I’m kinda nervous. Any hint on the seller you can give on the seller?

I have a issue with fura using serges makers mark but this Is just filthy. You touched on a good point that whatever filth is making these counterfeits could sell just the scales for $100 if they only marketed them as custom after market scales. This is the main reason I don't buy off second hand sellers on eBay etc.

Rip, sorry that happened mate. At least something good came out of it and we have another video out there addressing the issue of the fake 940-1's out there right now. It's like the pm2 clones that were all over the place a few years ago all over again

About the only knife sellers on ebay I trust,are online stores that sell customized blades USA MADE BLADES makes some really nice customized pm2s,they sell on ebay

I buy fake knives because.... it’s a knife, you simpletons act like knives are complicated devices. Shit I’m hittin’ AliExpress right now, I need one of these in green. I should email the sellers and tell them they need one in their fake G10 and aluminum in blue would be awesome too! I think I’ll have a collection like my paramilitary collection I have in every color :)

You should have filmed the inside of the boxes. The fakes typically don’t have the same well that rides up on the sides.

I was thinking about purchasing one of these but it’s advertised as a “clone” and has d2 blade steel because I bought a bug out for more than what they usually go for but one of my omega springs broke and I need something to carry while I send it in for repairs.

Benchmade is an easy one to clone because of the poor QC that the real company has. lol

Remember that asian laws like those in Japan or China don't punish clone makers; just keep that in mind.

I really think you should ‘out’ the bastard. Benchmade already has an “overpriced” reputation as it is & this type of crap just perpetuates that. Imagine the folks who buy these & believe it to be the real deal. They’ll certainly think that they’re overpriced. And then everyone they show it to. The next person who buys it from him, etc

Damn I got scared and had to grab my 940-1 to double check. Luckily it was authentic. I usually buy from reputable sellers but I got this from a reasonably new forum member for cheap and it had no box.

Wow! I would have been fooled. I had a similar experience with the purchase of a Cold Steel Voyager on eBay. It was at a price that was too good to be true. The difference here is that I could not prove authenticity. I followed my gut and chose to return it. Luckily, the seller agreed, and the return went without a hitch. My thinking was that the burden of proof is on the seller, so if i opted to keep the knife, then sell it at a later time, I would have to prove authenticity. That would required sending the knife to Cold Steel or to an authorized distributor. Honestly, I really did not wish to deal with a lot of hassle. Patience paid off, as I bought one a few months later from a trusted source. I paid it bit more, but it was worth it to have the real deal. My motto is "caveat emptor', buyer beware, when buying from the secondary market.

That sucks pal. Sorry to hear about that. Even though you get your money back, it's still a pia..you go without your funds until the process is done, you have to make an unscheduled trip to the PO, you got your hopes up, then squashed..it's just a damn shame there are shady people out there who just love to part a hard working person from their money.

I've seen a lot of variances among real BM's too.. Logo locations etc..I've owned about 20 BM's and know them pretty good..Plus, their QC lately dosent guarantee a blade that might have some play etc.. Overall, that's a decent fake.. But, the only fake 940 is the 940-1...The other good fake to watch out for is the ZT 0456..Hope it's smooth getting your'e money back..

I Love counterfeits. They are so good, way better than the price point. I got 4 Osborne. They are a reflection of the original company policies of overpricing their products. Screw them.

Deceit, understatement...that could have been a gift, someone's first Benchmade, fail in use and lose a finger. Terrible for everyone involved, not to mention ruining a company's reputation. Knock-off are what they are, and someone was clearly motivated to see how long they could profit off the Benchmade name and luster and sell a crap product. As you stated they went to the trouble of putting decent CF on it to pass it off. Thanks for doing this post. As someone who is considering a 200 bill knife from them (Loco), this is good to see. Funny to see if this keeps turning up on auction sites, or less discerning end users who already have it and think it's legit. Yikes. See you on the next.

The knife and more so the box look like the one in traderjoes video about his clone from AliExpress that he got.

First price, then barrel spacer color and then the Osborne logo is to low on blade

i ordered a pretty obvious fake for about 20$ recently, a bear grylls one befor that. did i think i was getting a top tier knife? no. and the knife having fake branding sucks, i just wanted a cheap knife that looks like an expensive one because the expensive (70$ is arguably not that expensive) one looks cool but is simply out of my budget range. Just sucks that there aren't more affordable or cheap knives with good designs so there's a market for these fakes additionally i couldn't legally carry most designer knives without altering them, some heavily

I think the real rip-off is charging 270.00 for a knife that the company can make for less than 80.00..benchmade,zt, Spyderco,ect keep on raising prices to insane profit margins and everyone gets behind it, companies cloning the knives for a decent price is great as long as they're up front about it..the way I see it is rip-off's ripping off rip-off's..

I'm gonna need the link to that fake, I can't afford the real deal. I don't mind modifications.

I dont have a problem with clones but it does suck when people lie to you and say there real to get mor money thats the problem sucks that that happened

It's too bad that so many of these are out there and some people have no idea.

i'd rather spend a little on a "clone" than a lot on a real because i like how it looks and that's all i care about. well, ok, it has to be sharpenable.

I bought one through eBay. From china. Knowing it was fake. I bought it for $40 after complaining to eBay and seller, it wouldn’t sharpen. Like the heat treatment wasn’t right. And the axis lock feels gritty in its action.

Definitely keep an eye on the seller, if you see them selling more fakes you should out them.

They actually have copies of the green aluminum version now. I have a real deal, a c.f. clone, and an aluminum clone. The c.f. is okay, the screws were absolute shit. The aluminum version was actually scary good, the action is basically identical.

Man that's a bummer. I'm sorry that happened to you. You should name that scumbag.

This is well known to be a model that is cloned, but there are many others. I would not buy anything on ebay when there are known clones. Even clones have various levels of quality. Also, Ilook for good prices, but if it is crazy low, I avoid them too, unless it is an established legitimate dealer. Even clones are cloned, as are cheaper knives, such as the Chinese made Spydercos, like the Tenacious.

First! ^^

Looks like the knife you received is worth every dollar you paid for it.

Nobody ever mentions the most obvious thing on the box, the fake does not have a date on the bottom left of the end label.

The only time I would buy from eBay is if the model was recently released. That way it is extremely unlikely to be faked so soon.

Blade hq isnt gonna send me a fake right?

Really!! I don't mean to be rude, but buying this fake was really a dumb. You just learned the age old lesson of "If it's too good to be true, then it probably is". Just think about it, $103.00 for a Carbon Fiber Benchmade 940-1, especially one that looks mint in the photos. Just to mention, I got a real first production of the 940-1 in carbon fiber. It was a pre-order from KnifeCenter. The 940-1 I got was terrible, blade centering was so bad blade was touching the scale, black coated body screw had coating chipped off and blade grind was noticeably unsymmetrical(off on one side). So I sent my 940-1 back to Benchmade, they fixed every issue including regrinding the blade evenly but in that process Benchmade put a noticeable recurve at the heel of the CPM S90V blade. After this debacle, and a few weeks of contacting KnifeCenter, KnifeCenter finally returned my 940-1 and gave me a new one several months later. This new 940-1 I got was not a first production, but the knife was damn near perfect.

Would fool me

If you look this knife up on Amazon go to the last 3 pictures in the reviews the poor guy got a fake doesn’t even know it. He gave 5 stars. The Benchmade logo is to low and carbon fiber is different same clip as this one. Actually it’s the exact same counterfeit.

When it sounds or is priced to good to be true...well you know :/

Im curios to learn who the seller was. I bought one under $100.00 so now I’m concerned

Come one, post his name and address, let the fun begin...

only buy at benchmade authorised dealers so you don't get scammed

I just got the green aluminum 940. worth every penny of the $27 + $7 shipping and I can't find any difference except knowing the blade steel isn't exactly s30v. I will say it's probably harder considering china has taken a huge leap in steel quality in the past few years. Their D2 on average is even harder than D2 found in other high end blades. I think nearly $200 is a bit much for any knife but if the benchmark has been set there, I'd rather buy the better quality clone than the real thing. Those who take offence to these should look at top knife makers' pasts and remember they got their start by copying already known styles. We're seeing the same thing from Ganzo as they venture out with their own designs and frankly, they're far better than than most expensive knives considering what they're capable of day to day. So if you're a hater, I suggest emptying your knife drawer into the garbage because they're all the same as something else in some form or fashion.

That’s why I can’t stand the fact that they don’t have brick and mortar stores anymore, I mean thank God you went through eBay at least you got your money back it’s just the aggravation and the gut feeling you get about humanity

I bought a fake Benchmade before just to get the omega spring.

Dude, that sucks.

You thought that you were buying a 270.00 dollar knife for less than dealer cost? Who was trying to screw who?

I would have not purchased it

I’m so tempted to leave a mean comment for some reason

That’s a crying shame

You would rather get ripped off by the real brand name right ! After all they are so loyal to you ! ! I have these clones and it cracks me up when some weener licking fan start knocking the clone because it is the same knife design as the real one ! But this model of clone has full liners ! Other are ths very same design ! Steel is real funny because the hyped super steals are remakes of older steel made with powder ! Super hype that dip shit buy the hype and think it's better s30v is 440c but s30v has to be sharpened more ( so whats better ?) ! Patents are for 20 yrs then they are public domain ! Look it up !

So many great cheap knives out there by Buck, Schrade, CRKT, etc. Why be a poser? Just buy a genuine budget knife.

It's against US Postal regulations for you to ship that knife anywhere! According to the law you either turn it into law enforcement or you destroy it. I have a 940-1 and I'm 100% positive it's real because it was shipped to me directly from Benchmade.

Too bad JT. Counterfeit knives really irk me. I understand and respect your reasons for not outing the eBay perp. The CF scales were decent and have potential to be an excellent, legit aftermarket item. Too bad the counterfeit company does not see this potential.

U.S.A. on the clip!

I’d rather get a cheap fake than a 200$ knife

I hate to tell you man, but it would appear that you have two fakes. The conclusion from the last one of these I saw was that the fake was finally ousted as it did not have the trademark to the bottom of the logo.. Ironical your fake carbon does bear the trademark, but your "genuine" green has the off color that started the last clone saga and was proved fake as it, like yours was exact in almost every way...other than the big tell tale.....the trademark was missing next to the bottom right of the butterfly.

Tricked you when you can see the knife clearly in pics is a clear red flag bruh I know you were hoping to get a CF BM 940 for $100 when it cost much more then that that you shouldn’t have bought it and now your ranting I’m sorry that happen to you but these are your words too good to be true it is now you have to deal with bullshit.

No date on the fake box. I got scammed for 170$

Good thing Benchmades are crap anyways ;D

I personally wouldnt want carbon fiber. I have a ganzo with really good carbon fiber. Many of us want the 940 but do not want to support an anti 2nd amendment company so they turn to the clones. Long story short, people are knowingly getting the best of all of that at at 1/3 of the price you unknowingly played for a clone. My advice is to keep it and use it since you're a collector. It may very well suprize you.

Lol garbage ...sadly there are lots that are pretty goid but not 150$ good

Another way you can tell it's a fake is the screws that hold the scales in place don't protrude slightly through the liner. When you open the knife and look at the liners, you don't see a bunch of little screw ends sticking out all over the place. In other words, the counterfeiters used the right length of screws which resulted in better fit and finish than a real Benchmade.

We're the edge bevels better than Benchmade ?