Spyderco Southard – Clone?

[Steven N. Bolin]

I wanted to check with you guys and see if anyone has had any experience handling a Chinese copy of the Spyderco Southard, specifically the most recent copy with brown G10?

The reason I ask is a buddy of mine decided to randomly buy one off eBay late one night last week. From what I gather, it was an impulse buy after several adult beverages. :pinch: Anyways, I got the chance to check it out a couple nights ago. We were outside so it was too dark to really get a good look at it. But, a few things kinda threw me off right off the bat, mainly the weight, finish, and overall feel of the edge as I cut through a few pieces of cardboard. It was sharp but, man, something just felt off.

I still haven’t expressed my thoughts to him regarding the matter and don’t want to until I’m certain… Hopefully it is real and I never have to.

I asked him to let me put a WE on it, a) Because I wanted to sharpen it of course and b) I wanted to inspect the steel further to see if is in fact responds to sharpening the same way CTS-204P would and should respond… But… he declined. So, the next day I asked him to snap a couple pics and send em to me just for the heck of it.

I’m not an expert by any means so I’m wondering if anyone can help me determine whether or not his is a fake… Any things to look for in particular?

Thanks guys!

[Lance Waller]

I’ve seen fakes before. An easy way to tell is if the finish on the lock side of the frame is stonewashed or not.Also…the fakes have a polished clip and its not stonewashed. The steel used is where they save on the cash. Heat treat and quality steel cost a lot of $$$. These new clones are getting harder and harder to spot because they’re getting so good. This one looks good but it kind of looks to me that the frame isn’t stonewashed……looks bead blasted. If thats the case…..its fake. Like I said…..check the clip and the frame to see if they are stonewashed. It looks legit to me though.

[Steven N. Bolin]

Thanks man!

I’ll try to get a few more pics with some natural indirect light. Hopefully that’ll help clear things up.
It’d be REALLY helpful if I were able to disassemble it… But, again, the buddy that owns the knife isn’t aware that I have a some concerns… Plus, it’s not mine to take apart.

[Author]

Posts