I assume these are "designer" knockoffs of the original RSK Mk5. Beware if you order any Mk5s from bargain sites or eBay.

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/steel-mini-pocket-knife-with-strap-4-5cm-blade-82055

Thanks for the head's up. Deal Extreme is known for its knock-offs and avoids issues with U.S. Customs by shipping individual orders direct from overseas, so they are damn near impossible to stop as they cannot readily seize large orders or go after a U.S. based importer, so their exposure is minimal. They have the concept of rip-off down to an art form.

The metal listed is different. The DealExtreme one is "513 Steel" vs. the 2CR13 of the Ritter. I am not a metallurgist, so I do not know if they are the same or not. I would tend towards believing "No".

They have a lot of gall putting the CRKT logo on a knockoff. Somebody needs a trip to the woodshed.

Gee, and what about the Doug Ritter logo. Am I just chopped chicken liver?

The reality is that this crap happens all the time. Look around and you will see that they rip off all the major knife manufacturers, including their trademarks and right down to their packaging in many cases. The Chinese have shown themselves to zero respect for intellectual property or most any business ethics.

It gets even more annoying when the idiots who somehow think they can get something at a price that's too good to be true send these POS knives into the legitimate manufacturers for warranty and are upset to discover that they bought a fake. DOH!

I'm glad I haven't bought anything from them. While something like the RSK is a little out of my price range I still do try to stay away from the other end of the range.

Assuming the following business model;

Specialist knife - RRP $25 - Wholesale - $14 - License $2. Distributor margin 50% i.e $6. Manufacturer price (China) to US distributor- $6. Manufacturer Subcontractor $4. Cost of manufacture $2.50. BOM cost $1.

Out of the back door from the same sub contractor manufacturer. $2.

Deal extreme margin and distribution cost across the planet $3

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. And many involved in the global business of 'made in China, retail in the USA/Europe' etc will secretly allow a limited number of 'fake' and 'imitation' product (which will sometimes cost more to produce to ensure a non identical product) to get the public to buy into the premium product idea. Thats what I call sharp business practice. This is especially prevalent in the luxury and fashion markets.

Any way I've ordered one of the MK5 knock offs before the 'Trade Mark' legal injunction goes ahead. POS it might be, but I won't hold my breath for $5 even if I need get the Fallkniven DC3 out.

This really disappoints me. I've made many purchased from DealExtreme for non-branded, generic type items and have always been satisfied. It's a shame to see them stoop so low as this.

I couldn't have said this better myself.

Of course its possible these are the real thing and were bought by deal extreme in bulk at low cost. Seems about the right time in the business cycle for this.