How to identify fake/counterfeit Gerber Strongarm knives
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- čas přidán 4. 10. 2023
- Recently I purchased a Gerber Strongarm knife from the Gerber store on Amazon. The moment I opened the box I realized something was not right. Upon closer inspection I realized the knife was fake. A quick trip to Cabela's and I had a real one in my hands. In this video you will see a comparison between the latest fakes and a blister pack real one. I give the quick identification method to determine if you have a real one in your hands. Apparently this has been going on for YEARS but I cannot understand how a fake one was shipped to me despite purchasing it from the Amazon GERBER store. #Gerber #Strongarm #Knife #Fake #counterfeit #Amazon
Your serial number is one off from mine lol Our knives are brothers!
When I called Gerber to ask questions before making this video, they told me it was a serial number. Apparently its a "batch" number instead.
Finally, someone reviewing Strongarm in blister packs.I've seen this variant since 2020 but no one reviewed them & I assumed they were Walmart goods and somewhat "clone"
As someone who lives from Asia who cant buy from reputable seller, this helped me alot to confirm what I had is real.
Something tells me you take good care of your stuff by not ripping the blister packaging like an animal out of excitement.
Thanks man. I hope your reviews help alot of people like me!
I have been not able to open a blister pack without ripping it into a million pieces out of sheer frustration even once in my life
@@devildante9 that is soo true brother. I laughed at this one
I have the Strongarm, bought it directly from the manufacturer and it came in a box. Don't trust Amazon, I may pay a little more but I know I'm not being ripped off.
So true! Many people are buying from Wish, Alibaba, etc. & reselling on Amazon & EBay.
I also bought mine from the manufacturer and it came in a box also. Unless I heard you incorrectly, you stated “if you bought a Strongarm in a box, it’s fake”
I’m confused 🫤
No that wasn't me that said that @@markt.33
I bought mine directly from Gerber, it did come in a box with bubblewrap, but it was actually inside the official stiff plastic sheet-case packaging inside that.
Bought mine today in Sportsman’s warehouse at the knife bar, I seen the reviews and was aware they had a high bootleg market. So purchasing from a reputable dealer was my best route and yes I paid a little more but I got to hold the knife before purchasing and see it myself … that’s a plus and I knew I was getting the real deal too!
Knowing it was counterfeit I paid $28 for one on eBay. So far it’s not failed me. My theory is the good knock offs are made by Gerber in China to compete with lesser fakes. The workmanship on mine is absolutely perfect, it holds a good edge. I’m completely satisfied and I’m $50 richer
Sure you can. All of them are made in China. You're kidding yourself if you think that one factory in China uses materials far superior to the other China factory. All you do is make a CEO a bit richer. Ive extensively tested both and are nearly identical in quality. I've also had a few real gerber blades break . @@AK-bx3ft
Had this exact same thing happen recently. Thought I was saving a couple bucks on Amazon and ended up receiving the smaller box counterfeit. I returned it immediately and got a quick full refund from Amazon then went straight to the Gerber site. With my military veteran discount I ended up getting the REAL one direct from Gerber cheaper than what I paid on Amazon. Really nice serrated knife!
I won’t buy any Chinese made knives, legit or counterfeit, because I’m sick of the underhanded business tactics they use . These counterfeits are costing people jobs and screwing the consumer out of their hard earned money
I knowingly bought a copy for less than the equivalent of $20, just to test ergonomics etc. It rattles in the sheath and it needed the edge touching up but it's OK for messing about on the farm. Not sure if I'd like to have to trust it if SHTF but it's fine for general chores. The strong arm is $125 in the UK from the Gerber store, or approx $100 from other resellers. The steel and quality in general don't warrant that. I can buy far better European knives in the UK for the equivalent of $125.
I'm glad I've had fun trying out the design with a cheap fake, that wasn't actually sold as being a Gerber though.
Exactly...its freaking Oregon doing the same thing California has done. GERBER has to pay insane wages and taxes which could end up pushing them out of the state. Just like Cali did too Buck knives who moved to Idaho .
Systematic distruction of our coastal states is no coincidence. $69 was a great deal but $89 no way . I can pay $20 to $30 more for a Tops and Esee knife. Or buy a Joker blade from Spain which are beautiful blades for the money .
thank you, we will show ur findings to our factory in China to correct these issues
Carry on comrade
So they can make the fakes look real,eh?
@@michaeltaylor4984
duh, u must be slow, I make a fortune on fakes, can't beat em then join em buddy
LOL 😂😂😂
No doubt China is best counterfeiters in looks only. Search "Tofu dregs" and be scared or have a good laugh.
Thanks for taking the time to do this
👍👍👍👍 Thanks a lot indeed for your video!!! It helped me a lot! - You are absolutely right! All those mentioned points are the same with my fake copy!!! Exactly everything the same! So luckily with your help I could identify the fake copy immediately! - - one more additional point: The original Gerber Armstrong is 204 Gramms. The fake copy is only 194 Gramms. And yes, the fake ones seem to be a bit sharper right out of the box .... nothing to care about as you have to sharpen it anyway ...
I bought on Amazon Germany. The first copy was the fake, luckily at least the second an original one! (None of them came in blister package but the fake copy came in wrong pack (brown color for the black knife) and obviously already often opened box ..
I bought mine from Amazon, through the Gerber store also. But, it came in the wide authentic box. Mine is FDE with the drop point and half serrated edge. That was back in 2017. It cost me $52! Now they're $80+.Thanks for the video.
Do u think it will keep going up in value? I got mine for $50 too 😊
@@webguy943 maybe a little. But I'm keeping mine
for what its worth I bought a couple of them years ago when they first came out and the sheaths did and still do rattle a tad bit.. still an absolutely amazing knife.. and back when I bought them the price was insanely reasonable...
Amazon is the last place I'd buy anything like this
Impressive video bud, thanks for sharing.
Many, but not all fakes have hollow a hollow grind while the authentic Strongarm has a sabre grind.
The retail chain I work for receive Gerber directly from company and we receive boxes or blister pack depending on the modular layout of the particular facility.
Very Important video to watch before buying one. Thank you
Good video idae and working to be ahead of the curve this the blister pack 😎
I’ve owned the Gerber full tang knife for over a year and love it!
Interesting that the knockoff actually sharpens all the way down the blade. 🤔
Never tried the strongarm but I've got a Gerber LMF II and it looks very similiar and my LMF II is awesome so the strongarm is probably outstanding also. Gerber really does have great products.
um, no
So what are your recommendations instead?@@lyman135
Thank you for this.
Thank you for that info.
You would think Gerber would be pissed about the fake ones with their name on it. I read some of the reviews on Amazon about the fake ones and didn't buy one from Amazon. I want the real one.
I have one purchased from Sportsman’s Warehouse, came in the bubble pack, has all the same features as your real one, but mine is a bit loose in the case.
Darn interesting. Thanks
You made me check mine. Thankfully I've got a legit knife. Thanks much!
I thought I was crazy lol. I just picked up 2 from one of those stores where Amazon returns end up. Thankfully I only paid $5 each. I knew something was off, the moment I picked them up. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity at the real thing for only $5 lol. After comparing them to the real one I’ve had for 4 plus years, I started googling and your video came up.
I have strong arm that came in a bigger wider box, everything looking exactly like the one that in a blister plastic package except it has very little rattle 😅
Very well done.
Thanks for the video. 😁👍
Or the od green webbing on a FDE sheath maybe?
One thing to add. Notice the "fabric" does not match the color of the sheath on the fake. I have both an Amazon and a Cabela credit card. I accumulate points on both. For crap, I use Amazon points. For branded outdoor product, I stop by the local store and use my Cabela points. This is international trade violations, where is the trusty Feds.
They are definitely not cracking down on scamming at all on Amazon if the official gerber store selling fakes.. its probably an "official dealer" who decided he wanted a lil more profit
Wooooah! A fake from Gerber's own Amazon store, that FBI stuff right there. Thanks for the video.
I don’t know I just looked on the Gerber website and it does not have the sheen in the Gerber like you say the OG does
Look at the difference in the glass breaker pommels. On the real one matches the angles of the handle, and the tip is very sharp. In the fake it’s a separate piece & is blunt.
thanks!
deixando de lado se é original ou não, ela corta? ela é resistente? ela mantém o fio sem precisar amolar toda hora?
Hi! Thanks for the review! Mine is original (not fake) and it rattles a bit in it's sheath. It's the serrated variant btw. Also i know for sure it is NOT a counterfit. Just as a note! Have a great day!
What about ones with the serrated bottom
OMG~~~ Thank you!
I have a Prodigy model, from Walmart came in a box. Is it a fake???
How about the webbing on the sheath? The real one (in Dark Earth that matches the sheath) has thick durable webbing while the fake has thin flimsy webbing that doesn’t match the sheath. I also ended up with a fake though I don’t quite remember where I picked it up. The webbing on mine is so floppy that it is almost useless. Have you detected a difference in the steels?
In Canada i picked one up from Canadian tire I was shocked to see they didn’t source directly from Berber being a chain brand, whoever secured that sale probably made away like a bandit lol. They wouldn’t take it back til I showed them multiple sources showing that ALL they’re Berber products besides they’re buck knives were weird knock offs of the real ones. Small town shit though so wouldn’t shock me if someone got wise and bought replacement online and when they came in just switched them out an took the real ones home.
Cheers for sharing 👍
Sometimes manufacturers send their 2nd’s or slight off runs to the big chain stores. That’s how they are able to offer at a discount. When you purchase it at full price from the manufacturer it has to pass a stricter inspection process. I’ve purchased brands directly from manufacturers and received slightly off items before. This is called runs. Might be differences, between gen’s
💯. Amazon always gets the 2nds. Bad quality.
Dang now I'm really confused. I can't remember what package mine came in from Amazon. Everything about my knife looks legit from the video except the that it rattles in the sheath.
I can tell. There's been Gerber knock offs for decades even back with the old brass folders.
Check.
How can I tell I've worked there since 76.😁
Thank you for enlightening people.
Yea some management people don't care. I know the big guy that over sees all thing.
He's gone for a spell but when he gets back im going to ask him about that.
What is the model number of the genuine knife?
Thankyou friend
Got a genuine Strongarm & a TEMU copy & to be honest the copy is pretty good, fine for medium/light duties. I paid approx £70 for the Gen Gerber & £17 for the fake.
Yea, the fakes use all sorts of junk metal all melted together and then cast which break really ez.
@@TCK-9 that isnt true
You didn’t mention the grind. (Or did you?) The fake has a much wider flat grind than the real one.
And it seemed the fake one is a bit more hollow ground too, but that was difficult to see.
I didn't mention it. Wanted to keep it simple. But you are right.
Mine rattles in the sheath but it's an orginal. It's new, unused. It matches up with all your other points. Good video!
same, rattles. ALL other points match original, bbister pack at Walmart 3 yrs ago
I get that all the guys making how to spot a Strongarm counterfeit are just trying to help. My problem with ALL of them is they have at least one or two data points that are just not true. Listen to how certain TacSquirrel is about the sheath rattling. He says that is a sure way to tell it's a fake. I haven't seen a single Strongarm mine or friends and family that didn't rattle a bit in the sheath. Not one. Regardless when or where purchased.
@@PatApoo That information came directly from Gerber
Too bad I didn’t see this two months ago. Thanks.
Is the "Gerber store" actually supported by Gerber, or is it Amazon's database simply grouping all items clai,ing it is "Gerber"?
I bought 2 Gerber Strongarm Desert cammo knives on Amazon in December of 2016. Then about a month ago I bought a black one from Cabela's. The Desert Cammo ones have the same number on them. It is 8 digits, the fake one that you are showing has a number with 9 digits. The black one that I bought from Cabela's has the same number on it that the desert cammo one that you bought from Cabela's. 08723 interesting. There are a few differences in the black one and the desert cammo ones. Different factory runs can have differences sometimes. I have sharpened the desert cammo ones and they have very hard steel in them. I just hope the counter fitters weren't working back in 2016.
When I called Gerber to ask questions before making this video, they told me it was a serial number. Apparently its a "batch" number instead.
I did purchase my knife from Amazon(no more than two years ago) and I do not remember what type of packaging it was in. Comparing my knife to the one in the video that is claiming to be authentic it matches all, but for two of the descriptions. The knife does rattle in the sheath and the serial number has eight digits and not five. So now the question is still is my knife real or fake?
I wouldnt be much concerned if the knife rattles while in the sheath as long it doesnt fall off. It could just be wear and tear, getting loose over the years.
I got a counterfeit one time and it wouldn't fit in the sheath right. It wouldn't go all the way in to lock
Amazon did samething with Hk Benchmade knifes.
I could tell just by the color of the nylon.
Very informative. And very concerning that you managed to buy the fake from the official online store. I am guessing that someone in the supply chain is stealing the originals and swapping in the fakes....
Cool video! I noticed you got serial number 08723, I got 08720, pretty cool.
When I called Gerber to ask questions before making this video, they told me it was a serial number. Apparently its a "batch" number instead.
Sigh of relief. Mine was from amazon in a bubble wrapped box but its got the real features.
Grip on the handle is diff also
Bit late to video someone may have mentioned this already but I believe what you got was a returned knife there’s been an issue with Amazon for a lot of high end tactical products where people buy say a surefire light return/refund it but instead of sending back a real surefire they ship a Chinese airsoft clone looks close enough so Amazon checkers don’t catch it you then go and buy said light or in this case knife and you receive fake it’s from official store on Amazon but it’s a fake
I don't get why anyone would try to fake an already cheap knife like this. Oh shoot. I do get it. It's a lot easier to fake a cheap knife like a gerber than a much better knife. Time to level up from Gerber in general 😂 I do use a gerber dime multitool on my keyring. It came in a blister pack from Target. Is it fake? I don't care. I didn't buy it for the knife. Had it for over 5 years. Works great. Legit Gerber stuff does come in blisterpacks... just an FYI.
I wish they would use a better steel like S30V
Yikes, paying full price for a legit blade and getting a fake?
Somebody owes you like $90 😮
Honestly thank you I bought another a month ago and yep this one was a fake. It's fine because now it's a gift for a roomate who doesn't care lol.
For everyone putting down Gerber knives, I bought a S&W full tang tonto knife and it literally broke in half with some minor batoning.
Made me walk into my bedroom, and took a look at mine. Real deal...
I bought the blister pack from Cabelas in 2019, and it has bad rattle. It's definitely a legit Gerber from all the videos I've seen.
Can remember the Bear Grylls knives being counterfeited to ridiculous levels and figured they'd move on to other Gerber knives. It seems that if there is a Chinese look alike knife made under another name you can get outright counterfeits. There's a lot of look alike Buck 119s around at the moment, i wonder if they've tried to counterfeit them yet? Maybe Buck has been more proactive than Gerber so it hasn't happened.
Gerber has factories in China, and the Bear Grylls line were all made in China, so there's no telling if they were real or fake. The strongarm, prodigy, and lmf2 are all American made.
Rattling in the kydex sheath doean't mean anything. I have many Gerber knives including a Stongarm variant. I can make it rattle in the sheath if I try. To be honest, the knockoffs are actually pretty good knives.. If you want to buy multiples for bugout bags and what not, they're not a bad option.
Buy directly from Gerber. Can't go wrong.
The top bevel is fatter on the fakes too
The mismatch in colour on the nylon was the immediate red flag.
So i have a question i picked one up from bass pro today and it actually has the same S/n 08723!?? came in a blister back as the real one did. But mine is black..
This is not a serial number .... its maybe a batch number. i have one out of the cardbord box with the same number. so... relax its for sure a safe original because i buy mine in switzerland from the biggest reseller :)
@@lyronixone4567 When I called Gerber to ask questions before making this video, they told me it was a serial number. Apparently it's a "batch" number.
Mine came in a box but I think mines real as per your description.
A lot of non knife people don’t realize the Gerber Strongarm is a good knife and it is made in America
Well, guess that explains why I found a green one at the gun show for half the price. Guess that will be the beater. At least I have a legit one already.
I got mine at Dick's sporting goods the real Mc coy. For my Earthquake grab bag kit in my car.
The narrow box mine came in from Amazon said "Made in Portlamd Oregon" 😂 yep...
Portlamd.
I got $48 credit back.
Looks like Gerber could stop this. They are using Gerber's video for advertising which shows a real one. Order and it's a fake.
I started collecting Gerbers in the 1980's and quit when they went to crap in the late '90's.
I was curious about Strong-arm so I ordered from Amazon for $48.
A fake.
So once again I am done with Gerber.
There's a lot of good blades these days.
I got a fake and my sheath didn’t hold the knife in place very well. Took a hair dryer , heated it up and bent in the holding clip, holds it just fine. How does it perform? Watched a U-Tube video and it passed all the test with flying colors. $30 vs $90 here in the states . If it works who cares if it’s fake. Saved $60. Just saying.
I have a fake one and its excellent
Damn...
I just looked at two of my Strongarms, one black and one OD, and they both have the same serial number! Do I have two fakes on my hands?
When I called Gerber to ask questions before making this video, they told me it was a serial number. Apparently its a "batch" number instead.
Now I know the one I got was real. Thanks.
I guess I got one of these this week. The box is like the one on the left and it had the wrong knife name on the box and no paperwork at all inside the box. But the sheath and the knife are identical to the original. I don't get that. It's not like it's a cheaply made knockoff. I don't understand why someone with the skill to make such a perfect copy would spend their time making perfect copies of a $60 knife. That just doesn't make sense.
Wonder why he didnt read off where its made.
I found this video tryin to figure out why my nylon strap was so crappy n falling apart.. I guess I got a fake on Ebay. Didn't kno the difference til now. Was like 50 bucks oh well live and learn.
I've found a lot of stuff on Amazon is fake. Even the squeeky Kong balls for my dog.
Was considering buying a Strongarm. I'll stick to my Fallkniven, thanks.
...and the nylon is off-color...
...and the glass breaker is not aligned properly...
...and the serial number is misaligned...
...and the blade is too shiny...
.
Still a fantastic video.
Thats why im not buying expensive stuff on amazon. They just bundle all the same items together and whoever supplies them with the fake gets away with it. There is no traceability once the product is mixed up with other suppliers product. I only use amazon for small items that will be next day delivery.
own a clone knowingly (bought off aliexpress, under 25 bucks) and was actually more worried about a difference in materials like if the handle was made of anodized aluminum and not polymer like mine but i guess it's the same. also, not really any rattle. i'd have to be obsessive compulsive over the faintest i observed. the blade on mine is shaving sharp from the factory.
so my knockoff vs $154 original, i feel i'm really only paying excessively more for superficial reasons i could live without. the one i own is fractions of a fraction worse to the point it's unnoticeable.
what i'm saying? buy the fake under $25.00
I bought mine from an official online Gerber store.
It's terrible that fakes exist
I've got a knock off with no name on it. It's every bit as good as the so-called genuine article. I know this because I also own the genuine knife too. The knock off was £18. A £50 saving is always better in your pocket.
It is a okay multipurpose knife.
Id love to know what Gerber is doing about this ?
What can they do? It's on Amazon for knowingly selling fakes.
@jeffdur1330 Well the least they can do is conduct an investigation into the factory/manufacturers producing the goods and then file intellectual property right infringements and restraint of trade against them.....thats what other brands have to do so the market doesnt get flooded with fakes, its a reputation risk too.....but depends on if they care or not