Zero Tolerance 0393

[HolySteel]

Well...I knew I was jinxing myself when I told a friend that I had NEVER bought a clone knife. Then I bought a Chinese ZT 0393. I didn't mean to even buy a knife from the guy, but he had a Spyderco listed as something it wasn't, so I put in a $25 minimum bid to kill his BIN so he wouldn't have a disappointed buyer send the knife back. I then contacted him and explained. He was glad I helped and was such a nice guy that I bought a knife from him...and thus, this, my sad tale.

The knife is supposed to arrive in a few days, so I got excited and looked at some dealer sites to get specs. That's when I found out that no one was selling this knife with this hardware and these scales. So I googled 'ZT 0393 clone' and discovered my error. The seller was apologetic and told me that he believes he traded for quite a few clones by accident, including some Benchmarks. My guess is that the guy who traded them to him bought a bunch of $25 knives from Ali Express, then went out looking for a victim. The Youtube videos regarding this clone all say that it's a really good knife and that the Chinese are getting really good at cloning ZT's. So no more ebay high-end knives without boxes for me, other than Spydercos, as they are the only ones where I feel competent at spotting fakes.

[Samb]

Bmer

[1967redrider]

Yep, if you're only out $25 that's not so terrible. Maybe it's a good thrower?

[HolySteel]

Yep, if you're only out $25 that's not so terrible. Maybe it's a good thrower?

No, I paid him $125 thinking it was authentic. He's going to give me a full refund.

[Dan In MI]

So no more ebay high-end knives without boxes for me, other than Spydercos, as they are the only ones where I feel competent at spotting fakes.

While it stinks that you (and the seller, too, I do suppose) got burned, it is a good cautionary tale. I don't play in that league, but if I did, I'd be buying only from the manufacturer or a reputable authorized dealer. Amazon is another good source to avoid; I've heard of people buying a legitimate knife from them, arranging a return, and sending back a fake.

[HolySteel]

So no more ebay high-end knives without boxes for me, other than Spydercos, as they are the only ones where I feel competent at spotting fakes.

While it stinks that you (and the seller, too, I do suppose) got burned, it is a good cautionary tale. I don't play in that league, but if I did, I'd be buying only from the manufacturer or a reputable authorized dealer. Amazon is another good source to avoid; I've heard of people buying a legitimate knife from them, arranging a return, and sending back a fake.

That's generally my rule for modern high-end 'things'. This was a spurious purchase because I was in the market for my first ZT and I wanted to toss this guy some business. The other problem with buying on ebay, even if everything about the deal is certain, is the warranty on the item.

But don't underestimate the value of item-specific knowledge. I used to deal in pre-wwii baseball cards and other memorabilia. If I had avoided ebay I wouldn't have had a business. I bought several altered and counterfeit items over the years - I simply sent them back. The key thing was being able to spot forgeries, alterations, etc., and then being able to buy confidently. It's the same with knives - especially old ones. If I found a great deal on an 1800's pocket knife, 'knew' the brand and liked it, I wouldn't hesitate to purchase. Throw 'no returns' policies out the window - if it's not as advertised, you just return it.

[HolySteel]

Received this knife today and gave it a good looking-over. Surprisingly, it arrived in a ZT box - no barcode on the end. The screws were wrong, deployment was not what you would expect from a high-end knife and the lock area was rough with sharp edges. I doubt any ZT owner would think it had any chance of being legit. To me it just seemed clunky. I'll be ordering my 'first' ZT from an authorized dealer.

[1967redrider]

Yep, if you're only out $25 that's not so terrible. Maybe it's a good thrower?

No, I paid him $125 thinking it was authentic. He's going to give me a full refund.

Sorry to read it was actually $125, but I hope you get a refund and returned shipping. A good indicator of Chinese knockoffs is the weight of the knife. The knockoffs are generally lighter in weight than the legitimate knife, if there's not other glaring differences. I only buy modern tacticals from trusted knife sellers like Blade HQ, KnifeCenter, GP Knives, etc.

[HolySteel]

Yep, if you're only out $25 that's not so terrible. Maybe it's a good thrower?

No, I paid him $125 thinking it was authentic. He's going to give me a full refund.

Sorry to read it was actually $125, but I hope you get a refund and returned shipping. A good indicator of Chinese knockoffs is the weight of the knife. The knockoffs are generally lighter in weight than the legitimate knife, if there's not other glaring differences. I only buy modern tacticals from trusted knife sellers like Blade HQ, KnifeCenter, GP Knives, etc.

This one was actually heavier - weighed at 5.4 ounces, not 5. The seller was great about this, and accepted the return immediately.

Yeah, I should not have bought this one off ebay, especially since ZT's are not my thing. I've been conversing with the seller quite a bit - he's a completely decent guy and has quite a few real knives, but he also has checked through his Benchmades and some other higher-end knives, and has discovered some clones based on hints I've given him. All of his clones came from a single trade deal.

I've also gone back through some of my knives (nervously), but all were legit.