When is a Fake, not a Fake?

“A Fairbairn Sykes reproduction Commando Knife dagger high carbon steel blade. A NEWLY  MADE  STEEL MADE ANTIQUE REPRODUCTION DAGGER WITH TANT LEATHER SHEATH  HIGH CARBON STEEL BLADE UNSHARP.” This is how one Ebay® seller lists his commando knives. Despite the slight confusion over certain words (due to translation issues). After reading that description, if you still bought one of these knives thinking it was a genuine WW-II Wilkinson Sword knife you are a complete MORON!  Yet, several people have been blowing horns and sounding alarms, calling these knives fakes and counterfeits, sending out warnings so that collectors will not be deceived. REALLY!  If you are this easily deceived I have a bridge to sell you.

 

 

I, on the other-hand, own the largest collection of fake commando knives in the world, according to some sources. One of those “fakes” is this newly acquired Agent’s dagger. While for sale on Ebay it was maligned by the experts as a fake. Unfortunately for them, there is a known provenance. It came from a reputable source, in fact one of the foremost authors on the subject of commando knives. He purchased it over thirty years ago in England from the original SOE agent who carried it in WW-II. Defining what qualifies as a “Fake” is often not as simple as it seems.

 

 

So, getting back to the “Fairbairn Sykes reproduction Commando Knife,” They are not fakes, they are very nice reproductions. I have talked with Mukesh, the owner of the company “Antiqueweaponary.” Mukesh tells me he employs ten or so workers making reproductions of many objects. He has been in business for over ten years, these knives being only one of many products they make. I bought two commando knives from him,” a 2^nd pattern and a 3^rd pattern. They are both well made and noticeably larger than a standard FS, maybe by 5-10 percent. They are of a quality equal to those made by most of the British firms today. The blades are not sharpened (although the maker says they are properly tempered). They are slightly larger in size than the original models and have a lovely, distinctive Indian flair about them. The prices are extremely reasonable and delivery is quite fast considering they are coming all the way from India. I do not hesitate to recommend these knives to anyone looking for a nice reproduction F-S for display or reenactment purposes. Before I would recommend one for combat I would have to investigate further into the heat treat and probably test one to failure. If anyone wants me to go that far send me money for a replacement, because I like mine too much to destroy it.

 

 

If you can find a nicer FS reproduction for under a hundred dollars, GO FOR IT!