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I just nearly bought HUUSK knife ...after seeing 50 % off .. priced at £30 ...and after hearing your talk, I looked at where it's made.... ....well the contact details are based in LITHUANIA . Do you know of HUUSK JAPAN KNIVES ? Are they safe to buy from ?
I am glad that you are doing this as the knife scam is out of control online and people need help from trustworthy sources to help them not to fall prey to these unscrupulous vendors. Great service and keep the good work!
@@BillyBlaze7 That depends though. Morakniv sounds too good to be true as a $20 knife that you can use and abuse as an EDC, however, they are legit, and I swear by them. My Carbon Express arrows are also amazing in comparison to high priced arrows. A good price isn't always a scam, but seeing things 75% off definitely is. It just takes a little looking around, and common sense to figure out what is legit or not.
Thanks dude. I’ve been scammed (thankfully not very much money) and it’s a sickening feeling. Hope this stops at least some folks getting ripped off. Keep up the good work mate. Love your enthusiasm. My family tell me I’m mad! lol
Thanks for pointing this out to people, in the UK the shop TK max makes a shit ton of money with similar tactics in their knives, some of their knives are actually okay but there has been a lot of etched fake damascus blades coming in the last 6-8 months or so.
I’m a little sad because I just bought Yamato Knife Sets before I saw this video ... I fell for it man. I’m glad you posted this video because now I can be more aware of the scams
Actually it is 33 layers of damascus steel on each side of the knife folded with 1 core steel. The core steel is usually a lot harder and much easier to corrode. They layer it 33 times with damascus steel for the purpose of aesthetics and corrosion resistance. It has nothing to do with sharpness. The moment they said used layering like japanese blades, it's an obvious scam. With current generation steel there is no reason for layering at all as there are no impurities like in the old Japanese ores back then.
Dangerous One Less so than you might think, but the primary culprits are Eafengrow , YStart, and Fura. Pretty much any of the clones they sell as D2 are 8cr.
My advice for buying a japanese knife: Travel to Japan, find a nice local knife store and buy a high quality knife there (do NOT think too much about money when making the decission though - buy the best you can afford). Years later you will always think back to your experience of visiting Japan when using the knife + your knife has a real story connected with you, not only 'I bought it on some random website in the internet'. If you buy an expensive knife in a known shop in Japan, you can be absolutely sure you buy quality there. Probably no japanese store will ever trick you on buying quality, its part of their ethics.
japanese knives themselves are very cheap from the manufactures. in shops prices wildly vary in japan and there ismuch scams and bullshit.. also japanese knives are not great quality.. i have sold them for years.. there is no dropforged blades in japan for example.. technology for cutlery just dosnt exsist ouside of europe.. in japan they take a blade and with a welder just weld the blade to a cast stainless steel bolster and tangthat they buy.. just like in china.. all the japanese made stainless fusion style western influenced knives are just rubbish... welded blades. brittle unergonomic ect.. fake laminated wood hanles ect on wholesale theyer cheap. retail.. high prices.. japanese traditional handmade knives are a different story.. they are made by small makers and are carefully made.. some can be quit cheap.. but theyer carbon steel and need to be oiled and cleaned every day. japanese hand sharpening on traditional knives is fantastic. but their knives are unergonomic, akward ect. if you want knivesjust for using then forged fdick, zwilling or wusthoff knives are unmatched by any other makers.. theyer stronger. more ergonomic. better shaped, finer edged ect ect than any products available. but price isthe issue. i can get a 18 cm bladed stainless laminate vg10 jap.. nikiri or santukou knife with plastic bolster (extra for horn) and bubinga handle from several makers for 25 bucks . but the good large german makers all have high wholesale prices and the cheaper spanish products are vastly inferior
Or, you go to a reputable cutlery store. I am fortunate enough to be able to commute to Manhattan, NY. My go to spot is JB Prince and Korin. JB Prince is when I go for Germans but they do carry other knives, Korin is specializes in Japanese Knives.
120 hours per knife, 3 knives, that's 360 hours of skilled craftsman labor (plus materials) you're supposedly buying for $300 (discounted to $70). If it was real, and each knife took 120 hours to make, the COST to make that knife set would probably be over $10,000.
From what I have been able to gather, true VG10 steel is not sold outside of Japan, however, it's not hard to approximate that alloy. So there are real Japanese trained knife makers set up in China, that do make hand made forged knives and on mass scale, and many reputable companies have contracts to make their knives in China because the cost is so much cheaper. For instance, I bought a Kyoko Nakiri that is my favorite knife for under 100 dollars, I then bought the Kenji knife from Kan, and it is also an absolute great knife! Here's the thing, the tear drop handles, the handle materials, the bolster, the slightly rounded spine...are the same....so same factory. Each one has minor differences, mainly cosmetic, probably what each company puts in their contract. I was curious about the Damascus....but I also bought 2 nakiris, one for my son, and the pattern is very different. So yes, these are made in China and Cheaper, but it doesn't mean they are not really good knives. Maybe some exporters do buy sub standard production and sell it even cheaper, so find a company you like with a good reputation and buy it directly from them. I highly recommend Kyoko and Kan. Those two knives came razor sharp and after many uses still maintain the same edge, haven't even had to hone them. It's also about knife care and maintenance. My knife roll is almost full but my next purchase will be an authentic Japanese petty knife I will buy from the Sharp Knife Shop in the 200 dollar range. I am eager to see the difference.
A few year ago I bought a "Damascus" steel chef knife off Amazon, it showed up without an edge and warped beyond use. Luckily it was only $50. You get what you pay for.
Last Christmas I was nearly sucked in by a similar ad on Facebook. Luckily I reseached before finally chosing a well respected brand instead. Got to thank the ad for the idea for a present though lol.
almost brought one today of amazon but i managed to cancel it in time, it had all the fancy words said it was made in japan and it being the first knife i didn't know better i really have no idea about knives, then on closer inspection i did the same thing here i searched it up and it came up with different pages but it was all the same knife and was from china, being from china is not was made me reconsider buying it on the contrary the reviews were honest saying its really sharp and holds its edge well all and all a knife that was quite decent, but i didn't like being lied to so i canceled and brought a good quality knife from a well know brand and couldn't be more happy, the Chinese knife i would've brought it had they been honest
i love my knives and have everything from aogami super made by master craftsmen in Japan, to knives bought from street markets in Thailand and i have a few thoughts. 1) the most important thing is not the steel, its how sharp a knife is kept. If you dont keep it sharp then frankly white paper #1, blue super, zdp 189, hap 40 or VG10...none if it matters. People buying these knives probably wont keep them sharp so a good knife is wasted on them anyway 2) for most people genuine damascus is a scam anyway, trading on the techniques used to make Japanese weaponry when smelting wasnt of today's standards and so layers were needed to achieve a homogeneous metal. It does nothing to change the performance of a knife these days, so unless you are knowledgeable enough to recognize and appreciate the complexity of the particular forging method used to produce it, then its just a question of the knife being pretty. Painted pretty or forged pretty...if you dont appreciate the latter then its all the same. 3) given that these knives wont be kept anywhere near the sharpness one can achieve with proper quality steel, then what matters is the fit, finish, weight, balance, comfort shape etc of the knife (i.e. everything other than the edge) and this can be achieved in china at a pretty low cost, and so these knives are not necessarily substandard in this respect. I bought a knife like one of these, dirt cheap, keep it sharp and let the wife use it. Is it a collectors piece? no. Is it kept sharp? yes. Is the wife happy using it? Yes. Does it keep her away from my good knives? Yes. If people buy these knives, feel they have a bargain, are happy with the feel of it and the look of it....well good luck to them and to the people selling them. Who is being hurt? Telling people that they arent the real deal is like (and sorry to sound patronizing) like telling a child father christmas is also a sham. All it does is spoil the pleasure some people are getting from their knife. rant over :-)
I want to buy an authentic japanese knife but there are so many fakes around, sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. If they were to put up a disclaimer that the knives are fake and that's the reason they are cheap, then people wouldn't complain or feel cheated. But they are marketing the fakes as the real thing. You might be ok with that. I am not. Imagine if they were to sell authentic gold rings, only for it to be fake gold. The principle is the same, it is a scam.
I totally agree that someone is trying to sell fake Japanese Damascus knives and anyone buying these knives are being ripped off. I buy online but, I will always contact the buyer or buy from Amazon because I can return the item.
Thia is great information. Thank you for looking out for all of us. It's always best to buy a quality knife once instead of buying something that is almost to throw away item. 👍
Fell for this scam hard... lol. So needless to say I am now looking for a new set of knives. Hopefully I can find something of quality this time around.
I purchased these knives about 4 months ago. We use them nearly everyday and they are actually pretty good knives. Well balanced also. I also own a salesman set of the Cutco knives that we've had for going on 20 years (only reason why I bought these Damasukasu knives is because all my home is packed up in a storage container and I am waiting to move into a new place and in the mean time I needed some knives that weren't the aluminum Wal-Mart variety, thus this affordable and well advertised set peaked my interest). These fake Japanese knives have maintained their sharpness and we clean them, dry them and put them back in their case when we are done. Haven't seen any signs of wear, no rust, and they still cut very cleanly. I sharpen knives a lot and I haven't needed to sharpen these at all. So with all that said, they are inexpensive, designed to look like you are getting expensive knives, but what you get is a nicely designed blade that looks great and cuts well and doesn't cost $599. Maybe I was just lucky...
As someone who works in online marketing this looks to me a like a PBN (paid blog network) paired with a drop shipper. Often times you will find the same sale and reviews across multiple sites with drop shipping as all of that information comes from the one warehouse / supplier. Thats not to say its a scam, your order will very likely get forfilled and sent to you.... but it is deceptive marketing you are correct.
....and if you look closely, the same exact "Damascus" pattern. That's how you know it's fake. Real Damascus is like a fingerprint. No two are exactly the same pattern.
I maybe 2 years late but another way to check would be their office address, many drop shipping "scams" either have virtual offices or home based offices. Just do a google street view of those address and more often than not it will not look like a legit office of any legit business
4 years later, but hope this might help. People should read and question , if it takes 120 hours to make 1 blade, who would sell 3 knives for $49? Also, these knives are not Damascus steel, but the pattern is printed on. And the handles are plastic with a wood look.
I saw an ad on instagram yesterday offering similar knife sets for $200 "marked down" from $1300, and then the exact same knife set at $100 "marked down" from $500. Pretty easy for me to see some of these scams, but unfortunately some people still fall for it
is he talking about dalstrong being the other popular brand? I'm pretty much sure that the damascus pattern in dalstrong knives are laser etch and not really damascus.
dalstrong is also made in communist china. And they are flirting with semi deceptive advertising naming their knife shogun which is a Japanese title. But they don't out and out lie. Plus that company has GREAT customer care and they'd make it right if anyone really was stupid enough to think they were made in Japan.
I would like to see some actual specs: where the steel and knife were produced, the actual and steel composition (VG-10 or whatever). An actual cutting test for edge retention would tell much as well. I think this information by Ryky is useful, especially for those unfamiliar with these products. Good job.
That brown handled one from the homemade set in particular is everywhere on amazon, ebay and aliexpress. They're worth about 5 bucks each. Not a terrible knife at that price point, but worth nowhere near 50 for all three of them.
Exactly. Those sites selling them online are dropshippers. They ship the knives from aliexpress directly to the consumer, who never realizes they're being scammed.
@Burrfection can you give me any info regarding Regalia's "Emperor Series" knives? Are they looped in with this same scam? I purchased a few, on the website I purchased them from, they were advertised as: "Japanese knives," but when I unboxed them, the box said "made in china." If they were made in china, does that mean they could be questionable quality?
my sister recently got me a knife set for Christmas, they came in a leather holder with two buckles holding it closed, I asked where she got them and stuff but she did not tell me, So I don't know where they came from or who sold them... but they are "Damascus" knives....they also struggle to cut anything, I've sharpened one of them (I'm learning so...) but still cant cut through paper as I see people doing with their tests. I got a feeling they are a set from these scams, the knifes edge seems to be very weird too, unevenly sharpened
The knives he's talking about aren't even that. They have the pattern etched on. I own one, bought a couple years ago. They are everywhere - the same etched pattern, and the same cheap pakkawood handles, mostly for the same price. The blades are welded onto the tang. On mine, you can see the weld. It's disgraceful the dishonesty in the marketing. :(
@@73twall well they are all acid etched..... The pattern welded steel need acid etch to show off the damascus pattern, it doesn't matter if is Japanese or Chinese or Pakastani
I am new to this knife game and from what I saw it's very hard to know which company uses real japaneese steel and which is just advertising like it does. Is there a 3rd party site (ie. steel manufacturer) showing different companies that are "certified" knives makers from a specific steel?
They are still doing this today - not this particular brand but hundreds of them! Every time I look for knifes online I get bombarded with these ads on instagram. And now they use the “ONLY 9 HOURS LEFT ON SALE! BUY NOW!!” Phrase too.. but it’s always the same time .. every day :’)
hi, thx for the video. What do you think about the shan zu knives brand .? i've check all of the details of the knife itself, and for 70 euros, seems like a good knife, what do you think ?
I have been trying to find good information on Bokashi Steel Knives. They have a Facebook page but that means noting. I was wondering if they are worth the money they are asking... Thanks. Matt.
Yup, and this isn't the only knife that is being sold as a Damascus knife, from Japan, and yet one doesn't receive one. Scams all over the net, especially on pop up adds.
These jerks are everywhere, selling the same knives on different "sites" under different "brands". They aren't half bad. However, they are 100% pure false advertising and I HATE that. I wish they'd just be honest. They are quite sharp, and have a nice presentation. Why do they do this? They could sell just as many knives being honest. It's infuriating.
YES. point well-made. there is no need to lie and deceive. there are plenty of people who will be happy with paying those prices, knowing they were made for that purpose. it's short-term thinking
@@Burrfection The worst part is, you buy a half decent knife, at a decent price, and you feel terrible when you receive it, because you realize you were lied to. I like my knife in fact. However, the ad copy is so dishonest, it kind of makes you feel dirty. Like you were taken. Could easily be avoided by advertising it as a decent, mass-produced, sharp, well-finished Chinese knife at a relatively reasonable price. No shame in that. However, the way they have been marketing these knives for the last couple of years is NOTHING but shameful.
Actually they're doing a big amount of profit selling those knives like that. Which is pretty much a scam. Those knives are on aliexpress for 5 bucks. And they ship them from aliexpress directly to the customer. They create their online shops with "shopify" and advertise on Facebook to sell cheap products overpriced on their pages. More people need to realize that they're actually being scammed.
@@FB94121 Great point. I, however, don't mind them making a huge profit. That in itself is not a scam. It becomes a scam when the entire ad copy is nothing but a pile of lies, and people buy a knife believing those lies, and THAT is how the profit is made.
@@Burrfection Good I don’t want you to be offended. I’ve always wanted to sharpen knives freehand on a wet stone and you’re the only guy who explained well enough that now I can do it. :)
Watch out for the brand Kizaru too. I ordered my set over a month ago, took them five weeks to ship to me. OK I understand there is a global supplies chain issue going on, so I waited patiently. Then when I get to finally use the knife, they feel cheap. Has scratches on the knifes already. And they are not nearly as sharp as their advertisment. I tried to leave a one star review on their website, since they emailed me to ask for one. The review doesn't even load up onto their websites. I wish I didn't cheap out on my purches and buy a real japanese knife at the store instead
Darn Well, I wish I researched well enough. Just sent them emails on why my order hasn't shipped, and this isn't a good sign.... It's a birthday gift, are they at the very least, better then cheap knives I can get at Walmart?
The bastardization of the word Damascus began in the 1980s. Today in 99.9999% of cases, what is listed as Damascus is either pattern welded or etched pattern blades. The blades that purists consider true Damascus wootz crucible steel does exist, but it's either 150+ years old, or was made by Al Pendray before his death in 2017. Al Pendray and his team are the only people in the world that managed to reproduce a steel chemically identical to the ancient Damascus steel on the microscopic structural and visual level. I'm not saying what is advertised as Damascus steel ISN'T Damascus steel. That pedantic and etymological fight was lost 10+ years ago. I do say, understand that the term Damascus steel now only means steel that has a wavy pattern on or in it. It can be pattern welded, or etched and sometimes even painted. That's literally all it means now, because the blade industry whored itself out for sales.
Hi , I need your help , I never hear about Neseto knifes , I find one in Australia but totally confuse, is that Chanese manufactured or same fake ? Please help
what about kinzoku steel set? saw it on facebook but it has its own website and a disclaimer that their advertised knives are not damascus steel, but laser etched. they have a link to their damascus steel knives that are like $100 a piece
I had commented before but all my youtube comments have been deleted. One only needs to read the description then look at the price to recognise it for what it is.
Don't buy ANY industrial made Damascus steel knife. Damascus steel origins from times when large pieces of homogeneous steel were not available. Thus fire welding, folding and forging were used to homogenize large workpieces and by that improve their quality. Today a knife made from a homogeneous steels will outperform any fake damascus steel knife by far. Only blades from very hard and brittle steels require a layered design.
they just want your credit card number guys, don't buy anything from suspicious ads on a random website. I can't explain the details but what they do is just copy-paste some code and put different ads in it hoping someone would put their credit card number etc and get easy money. if you got scam, just go to your bank to cancel the transaction.
Hey Ricky, do u know any real vg10 knife selling on the aliexpress ? Or all of'em fake ? I check some and i think some sellers really use good quality steel like vg10 and aus10 . What do u think aliexpress knives?
It might be a scam, but I think in all fairness you ought to order these knives and see how they do for the money. I have bought Chinese knives supposedly made of Japanese Damascus, and they have been excellent for the money paid. I think the company was GRANDSHARP. They are made of very hard material, wear well, and the only quibble I had was that they weren't very well sharpened when I received them. In particular the tips weren't well finished. I thought they would be good knives to practice the sharpening techniques you demonstrate in your videos. Once I got a bit of practice sharpening, I reprofiled the edges on my Atoma 400 and then took them through my cerax 500, choseras 800 and 3000. Now I have a couple of very sharp knives which wear well and didn't cost much, just a bit of patience on the whetstones. So, why not make a video on these knives? If you can upload a video using a house brick to sharpen knives, then why not do one using good stones on unknown knives?!
On Facebook there are Kogami knives, 5-piece set for US $99. Same set on Aliexpress as Xituo: US $36.45. Don't be a thief of your own wallet as they say in my country.
@@daemon1143 yes the raw wootz came from India and Sri Lanka as well. But the shaping into armaments that the metal is famous for occurred in Damascus. Still no one has reproduced the manufacturing process of the ancient alloy. German researchers recently discovered carbon nano tubes in an old sample. Problem is true Damascus is so expensive due to rarity it's difficult to study.
I didn’t do the homework and got scammed on a FB ad for a seiko automatic watch. I bought two and I got two cheap imitation quartz watches. Thankfully my CC company backed me since it was a fraudulent seller and refunded my money.
It's very important to publish this scam! Handmade knife and cheap mass production knifes are a complete differnt thing. And nobody should beliefe these advertisements.
And what is wrong with the knives except that they are unlikely to be hand made (though it depends on exact definition -- human hand could have touched the knife indeed)? May I ask you to be more specific please?
I've seen a big influx of "damascus VG10 core" steel and knives lately. Now I can get a bar of VG10 for about $200, but somehow there are all of these new makers putting out complete "handmade damascus/vg10" chef knives daily for under $150? Kills me how quickly they sell.
Tojiro makes a whole line of real Quality Knives - the DP series - that have a Vg-10 core and are priced in the low Hundreds category. They are NOT fake and are actually really good knives that I have been recommending for Years.
I don't disagree with what you said - I also came across the ad on Newsweek and instantly became skeptical - but your vid would have carried A LOT more weight if you had actually purchased the knives and critiqued them based on your first-hand experience with them. As is, even though I am on your side on this issue, it is just odd that you're critiquing a product based solely on its advertising but that you've never seen in person.