Forrest blade stiffener is it a knockoff?

[Zach Macklin]

I just received this stiffener from Amazon. The font is not the normal Forrest font. What’s the deal? Is it a knockoff?

[Ed Aumiller]

I looked at their website and do not see anything like what you show...
My Woodworker II is probably over 20 years old and has basically the same logo as the new ones with the lines going down from the "F" and "T" to a line going across between them..

Would ask Forrest themselves about it !!!!

Please post what you find out....

[Stephen Rosenthal]

There is a lot of counterfeit stuff on Amazon. I saw a recent thread (maybe here) about fake Woodpeckers items on eBay.

[Zach Macklin]

I’m going to call Forrest tomorrow and see what they say about it.

[Richard Fellinger]

Hi Zach,

I also ordered one from Amazon, but the front looks different than yours.

462187

[Steve Eure]

I have one that looks like Richards. Me thinks you might have a counterfeit. But if it works, use it. The only thing I would be leery of is if it is balanced. Don't know if that would make a difference, but possibly could.
Your suggestion of contacting Forrest would be wise though.

[Jamie Buxton]

On Amazon, it is good to be aware of who is selling the product to you. The offering web page will tell you who is selling it, and I think the paperwork which comes with the product also tells you. Amazon at least makes an attempt to not sell counterfeits. Outside sellers, perhaps from halfway around the globe, might be more likely to sell fakes.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Not a fan of Amazon, but after contacting Forrest it turns out to be a fake, it does have a no questions asked 100% return policy.

[Charles Taylor]

Me thinks you might have a counterfeit. But if it works, use it.


This is one of several reasons I don't do much business with Amazon anymore. I'd return it.

[Lee Schierer]

Not a fan of Amazon, but after contacting Forrest it turns out to be a fake, it does have a no questions asked 100% return policy.

I think the seller should be reported to Amazon if it is fake..

[William Chain]

Fake or not, it's a disc... Use it. It's not like it's a piece of carbide you don't trust or a low quality blade, bit, etc. It's a disc. Report the seller if it bothers you or if they're offering other stuff that might be dangerous if not authentic. It's whack-a-mole though. They'll pop right back up again under another name, so it really isn't worth the time to report them, sadly.

And yes, there's a ton of woodpecker stuff on ebay, some of which is fake and some of which is real. The ebay market on woodpecker, real or fake, I blame entirely on woodpecker. Their stuff, whether you like it or not, and yes it is good quality, is dramatically overpriced for what it is. Of course there's a market on ebay. The screwed up part of that market is the handful of youtubers/IG'ers that extoll the wonderful virtues of the woodpecker stuff (#sponsored) then dump it on ebay. Would woodpecker prices be more reasonable/accessible if they stopped sending free crap to the social media bobbleheads?

Back to the OP though - I'd be fuming if I paid for a knockoff blade, but this disc wouldn't bug me. You didn't buy direct from Forrest, so was this cheaper on amazon? If this kind of stuff bothers you, don't buy anything that doesn't say "sold by and shipped from amazon". The odds of fake/knockoff are a little lower that way. Not perfect, but lower odds.

[Jim Becker]

While I think it would be good to touch bases with Forrest to get their input, as long as the stabilizer is flat and the bore correct, it's certainly going to be usable for its intended purpose. If Forrest says it's not their product, absolutely report the vendor to Amazon. They do take action on this kind of thing...it's unfortunately the risk than Amazon, Walmart and others have with running a marketplace that's used by so many small businesses/vendors, and they can only make corrective steps if they know about bad operators.

[Scott Clausen]

I would return it. You have no idea what materials, testing or quality is going into that item. What happens if it disintegrates and hurts someone? I don't think Forrest is going to have their insurance pay out any damage claims.

[Zach Macklin]

Those of you that don’t seem to think that it would be a big deal if it was a fake, there’s a reason I ordered a Forrest stiffener and not the cheapest one out there… I wasn’t asking for any opinions on whether or not it would be fine to use it, or whether or not you think it’s worth spending an extra $15 for a Forrest stiffener compared to the cheapos you can buy for under $20.

I called Forrest and emailed them a picture. It is in fact one of their stiffeners. For whatever reason they changed up the font on the logo for the stiffeners. And, yes, when I order from Amazon I always check the seller. This one was directly through Amazon so I figured it had to be legit. Turns out it is.

[Stephen Rosenthal]

Zach,

Thanks for the update. Good to know that it’s authentic. I agree with you 100%; if I pay the extra $$$ and order a name brand, I do it because I believe in the quality of the product and the assurance that it will be the exact tolerances required. One time I made the mistake of trying to save a few bucks and ordered an aftermarket cabin air filter for my BMW. I figured it’s not a mechanical part so how much different could it be and why pay more. It looked exactly the same but was 3mm larger than OEM and would only fit in its compartment with a lot of fettling. The compartment never locked properly and I ended up returning it and buying a BMW filter. Lesson learned.

[Scott Clausen]

Sorry, I thought that it was verified to be a knock off. No w that it is legit its a keeper.

[Jim Becker]

Thanks for the update, Zach. 'Glad to hear it's legit. Enjoy!

[Bruce Wrenn]

My question is "What kind of blade are you running that needs a stiffener?" The only good use I have ever found for a stiffener, is to off set arbor nut where threads are worn down.

[Vince Shriver]

Glad you updated your post; I buy frequently from Amazon.

[Charles Taylor]

I’m glad as well to hear that it is a legitimate Forrest product.

[Jim Becker]

My question is "What kind of blade are you running that needs a stiffener?" The only good use I have ever found for a stiffener, is to off set arbor nut where threads are worn down.

It's true that for general cutting, particularly with a full kerf blade, there's not a whole lot of benefit to the stiffener. There is some benefit when running thin kerf blades to add some strength...maybe reduce a little vibration/runout due to the nature of thinner steel, etc. Objective and Subjective kinda balance things out. There's never any harm in using one, other than potentially limiting depth of cut. I did use one back when I had a contractor's style saw and ran thin kerf blades. There was a perceivable difference, albeit slight, in quality of cut.

[William Chain]

Particularly useful applications are thin kerf blades in radial arm saws or SCMS setups. The stiffener can reduce cut depth as Jim says, but the cut quality can be increased with reduced blade wobble/vibration/chatter.


My question is "What kind of blade are you running that needs a stiffener?" The only good use I have ever found for a stiffener, is to off set arbor nut where threads are worn down.