Emerson HD-7 Back in Stock

Officer's Match said:
I can certainly understand where you are coming from sutherland - probably could have held on to it until they sell out and get your full purchase price on secondary market.
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True. Certainly could, but there is no guarantee of a full return or a net greater than Purchase Price - Shipping - Restocking.
 
sutherland said:
My HD-7 arrived a few minutes ago and was promptly returned to Emerson. I was not aware of the bearing pivot assembly until it was en route to me (I purchased the knife prior to the product description/information video being published).

Some other things I noticed in the few minutes I had the knife in hand:
- a considerable amount of lock-bar tension and detent strength that makes the knife difficult to be slowly opened (likely resolved with continued use and break in)
- when slowly opened, lock-bar does not fully engage with the tang, resulting in lock slip (likely resolved with continued use and break in)
- the lock-bar cutout is unfinished and sharp

Not exactly ecstatic about the $20 dollar restocking fee, but those were the terms agreed to at the point of transaction.
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My iron dragon came the same way when I first received it. The detent and lockup did "fix" themselves after a bit of use but was kinda annoying at first.
I have one of these new HD7s on the way and am pretty curious to see how I like it. I didn't realize it had bearings until I had already ordered it but did know about the lock bar insert. I don't like the insert but don't hate it either. It's nice to have options.
 
Well mine arrived about 3 hours ago and I'm impressed. I had a CQC-7BW and while I thought that was a great knife, I do feel that the HD7 has (IMO) a few improvements over that one from what I remember.

* As stated, I was surprised to hear that this had the bearing system, as that bit of info was not listed anywhere on the sight. I had heard that the Iron Dragon was an extremely smooth operator from those that have them. When I took the HD7 out of the box it flipped open easily, and even free-dropped back to closed. Again this was the FIRST time I opened it.

* I really like the feel of the Ti back with the G-10 scale. The smooth Ti makes the knife easier to wave without chewing up your pants pocket like the double G-10 version. The clip still provides great retention, but the HD7 is noticeably easier to insert and remove from the pocket.

* Build quality is awesome, IMO. Sutherland mentioned that his had a sharp lock bar cutout. Mine is actually *chamfered* in that area, and is not sharp at all. That might just be that mine was built on a Friday and his on a Monday, but it was impressive that they had that little touch on mine.

* In typical Emerson style there was some lock-stick out of the box, but it's improved greatly to where there is now only a hint of it, and that's without adding any pencil lead/sharpie to the area, too.

* After playing with the knife for about 20 minutes it developed a bit of a gritty feel in one area of the action. I cleaned the detent ball with alcohol and a Q-tip, then dipped a toothpick tip in Kroil and touched it to the detent ball. After working the action a few times the knife was even smoother than before. I've been playing with this off and on since I've got it and would now describe the action as wet-glass-on-glass smooth. I'm talking ridiculously smooth here. And this is not even a day old! I understand that some may think the bearing system was not necessarily an improvement to the overall design, however having owned both, I would definitely say it was an improvement in terms of pure function.

All in all I'd say I'm more than happy I decided to grab one of these. ;)
 
Very good to hear! Despite all the personal "quirks" I had with the HD-7, I definitely think it is one of the most pocket-friendly Emerson I have ever handled:
- smooth Ti Lockside doesn't destroy the pockets and makes for quick/fast extraction
- light in pocket (mine weighed in at around 4.3 oz)
- narrow in pocket, however still providing adequate grip

How is the lock-bar tension on your HD-7? Does the lock-bar sit close to flush with the frame when the knife is closed?
 
sutherland said:
How is the lock-bar tension on your HD-7? Does the lock-bar sit close to flush with the frame when the knife is closed?
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The tension is firm but not hard, and the lock-bar does sit almost flush with the frame when closed. The cutout on mine is chamfered (micro-beveled at that), and the lock-bar basically goes over to where the chamfer stops, which is probably less than 1/16th of an inch. I can feel the ridge with my finger, but just barely.

I haven't put mine on the scale yet, but it does feel deceptively lighter than the reported 4 oz. in the specs. I guess we shall see tomorrow.
 
Lycosa said:
Thanks for the writeup, Glock Guy!
Gotta pic?
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The last lockbar side is kind of deceptive. Since I'm shooting it from the left, it looks like it's over farther than it is, but it's really only about 1/16th of an inch or so.
 
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Damn I really hope my local knife store orders me one of these as requested before they run out. The HD7 is one of my grail knives. In some ways I want it even more than an Emerson Custom. That is because I wouldn't be scared to use the HD.
 
Well I'm going to be the guy going against he grain here and say that I'm looking forward to the new ball bearing system.

I've purchased a couple of emersons knives with their captured bearing systems (2 sheepdogs and a CQC7 Flipper). All three of them are incredibly smooth and reliable. They're also the most easy emersons to open via wave in my experience (I've probably owned - and mostly resold including an original HD7 or two - somewhere around 30-50 emersons in the last few years). I'm a huge fan. And this system isn't a definitive improvement but it's an innovation. It's a change. Some will like it better. Some won't. Me? I like both, washers and the ball bearings.

I will say I took my flipper 7 and One Sheepdog apart a couple times so far and they're probably the easiest emersons I've ever "recentered" when reassembling. Maybe it's design, maybe it was dumb luck, but I liked that a lot about them.

I'm not happy that I wasn't aware of what I was purchasing when I dropped almost $400 on a new Emerson. Because I've owned a couple HD7s in the past and I had some sellers remorse.

However - I'm still really looking forward to checking out this new variation!
 
sutherland said:
My HD-7 arrived a few minutes ago and was promptly returned to Emerson. I was not aware of the bearing pivot assembly until it was en route to me (I purchased the knife prior to the product description/information video being published).

Some other things I noticed in the few minutes I had the knife in hand:
- a considerable amount of lock-bar tension and detent strength that makes the knife difficult to be slowly opened (likely resolved with continued use and break in)
- when slowly opened, lock-bar does not fully engage with the tang, resulting in lock slip (likely resolved with continued use and break in)
- the lock-bar cutout is unfinished and sharp

Not exactly ecstatic about the $20 dollar restocking fee, but those were the terms agreed to at the point of transaction.
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I very much agree on the detent. Didn't realize it was all of them until I got home today and tested my exchange, after the above pic. It was amazingly difficult to open. I was at EKI today and exchanged mine for one which was not as strong. Apparently he went through a few and found my new one #717, which was less yet, still sticks when trying to open via thumb disc. It's very light and different for me, as I was not privileged to own one of the earlier models. The frame lock is cool, however I must admit, I like the traditional EKI. I'm with Shannon on the return. I will most likely let it sit in the box, and wait for them to sell out. Hoping someone will want to purchase at EKI cost and get my money back. Just purchased a 15 and I think that's going to be the EDC for awhile. I love it.
 
Sjg1966 said:
I very much agree on the detent. Didn't realize it was all of them until I got home today and tested my exchange, after the above pic. It was amazingly difficult to open. I was at EKI today and exchanged mine for one which was not as strong. Apparently he went through a few and found my new one #717, which was less yet, still sticks when trying to open via thumb disc. It's very light and different for me, as I was not privileged to own one of the earlier models. The frame lock is cool, however I must admit, I like the traditional EKI. I'm with Shannon on the return. I will most likely let it sit in the box, and wait for them to sell out. Hoping someone will want to purchase at EKI cost and get my money back. Just purchased a 15 and I think that's going to be the EDC for awhile. I love it.
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Sorry to hear about the issues you guys have been having. I feel the detent on mine is perfect - It requires some force and won't open no matter how hard I try to just wrist flick it open, but it's not sticky and far from impossible to open. It almost feels like a weak magnetic pull, if that makes sense.

If you haven't already, you might want to try cleaning the detent ball with a Q-tip and alcohol and then putting just a faint drop of oil on it. I used Kroil, but any type of oil should work fine on the detent ball. I would avoid grease though.

I agree that the CQC-15 is a bad mofo, and should serve you well as an EDC!
 
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I agree with Glock Guy. I returned the HD-7 because I prefer washer pivots (I like the rigidity and the smoothness that is achieved over-time). The lock engagement and action (as the detent ball burnishes a smoother ramp out of detent hole in the blade) will improve with time.
 
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