any CRK fans who are also Emerson fans on here?

colubrid

colubrid

Joined
Nov 26, 2005
Messages
5,101
I am a huge fan of both.

Usually I don't see or find any others that make the connection between the very 2 different knives.

CRK= utility knives
Emerson= self defense fighting knives.

Can either be used for the other? Sure! I love both knives. I am not an "inbetween" type that is into Hinderers or ZT etc. Just Emersons and CRK.

Anyone else like this here?
 
Tons of respect to Uncle Emerson. I might try a CqC-15 mini some day.

He is one Hell of a proud American and I like his business model. But the knives fall short in the quality department.

Other than that , the Emerson company is equal to Crk, Hinderer and Spyderco in my eyes. My top four.

The whole package just happens to come together in the Inkosi for me. That might change some day.
 
My Commander is the only Emerson I have. Personally, I've found it to be a bit large for pocket carry, but that's just my preference. It stays clipped to my first aid/emergency bag in my pickup, where it can be put to use quickly if needed. It's a good, solid, hard use knife; but for the price I think the f&f could be better.
 
Nope. I tried a dozen of them and sold them all except an EDC-1 (made by Multitasker) and a combat karambit trainer. Interestingly, this happened about the time I discovered CRKs...

Emerson's designs are great but the execution is a joke: terrible fit/finish, untrustworthy locks. Very low value given the competition at the price point. If ZT made the exact designs (no ball bearings or flippers) I would buy several models.

I will say their customer service is good. My new Horseman developed terrible lock rock in a few weeks. They fixed it and did not charge me anything for shipping despite what their website said. They also sent emails when they received it and sent it back. Still, it was sold after I got it back.
 
CRK and Emerson are the only Knives I carry, one of each is with me daily. Emersons, I've carried for many years, CRK's only recently. CRK Knives have made me much more particular when it comes to what I'm willing to pull out of my pocket. Since my introduction to CRK, I've made improvements to the milling marks and overall rough fit and finish of my Emersons. (PM me if you're interested in those improvements)

-Sean-
 
I love both. I actually like Emerson knives deslite their rough around the edges nature. I also find that once cleaned and lubricated Emersons seem to get a very similar hydraulic opening feel that reminds me of CRks. Also I find the cqc7, particularly the HD 7 to be among my all time favourite edc knives.

I just wish Emerson would produce framelocks more often. The HD7 should be a permanent part of his line up.
 
I’ve mostly only seen Emerson knives in pictures and I don’t like the way they look. But, I was able to fiddle around with one a couple years ago; one of our local EMT’s is a big Emerson fan and let me handle the one he was carrying. He loved it but I just wasn’t impressed. I handed it back and didn’t even bother asking which model it was.
 
There are a couple models that I find interesting, but don't own any now. The stock production, don't really make the cut for me. The customs look real nice, but are cost prohibitive. If I find the right pimped(ti bolster/micarta+) configuration I likely would pick it up. Overall CRK''s fit me much better, but I can see why others are attracted to the Emerson.
 
Last edited:
I have 6 or 8 of each and what ends up in the jeans might last a day or a year
Cant explain why ?
Probly because im a welder,
to much bucket time i guess.
 
I love both Emerson and CRKs. However, I don't own many Emersons anymore because the fit and finish of CRK has spoiled me. Also, I enjoy the ability to take the knives apart and reassemble without issue. The chisel grind on most Emersons is also a deal breaker for me.

The reason I love Emersons is the handle and blade shapes. They fit my hand so well. While I adore all of my CRK sebenzas, there's nothing special about the feel of holding one in my hand. There is something magical about holding an Emerson, even a production.

The closest I've found to a middle ground is the ZT emerson knives. ZT0630 is a great one. It would be nicer if it had CRK tolerances and a pivot bushing. Also, if it didn't have the hideous hex-shaped pivot screw. But for just under $200, the ZT0630 is a steal.

What I've found is that I carry my sebenzas and keep my Emersons at home, as part of my collection to play with and look at. Which is odd, given that Emersons are meant to be "hard use knives". Emerson's are meant to be field servicable in third world countries. That's not my use case. I can use the heck out of a sebenza and mail it back to Idaho, and use a backup sebenza until that one returns. If I were a soldier stationed overseas who might need to sharpen his knife on a river rock and diassesmble the knife with my thumbnail, that would be different.
 
These are the Emersons I still have:
  • The EDC-1 was built by Multitasker in China. Better fit/finish than the real Emersons.
  • Trainer Combat Karambit. I got it cheap and it's nice to have a trainer.
  • Heavily customized CQC-14 by ferrrk. I forgot about this one. I got it super cheap and it's a pretty unique knife. It's hardly an Emerson though. I think the only original part is the blade and it has been modified by Krein.
i.ashx


I like the ZT collaborations.

i.ashx

i.ashx
 
If ever would produce some knives with a standard dual bevel instead of the chisel bevel, I would probably have a couple more. The F&F are not top notch by any means but that doesn’t really bother me so much. Just can’t deal with the chisel bevel.


I do have a Mini A100 that I love but it’s been converted to a standard dual bevel.
 
Yeah, I do... my favorite Emerson is that custom Kwaiken, which I got last year at Blade Show lottery:

emerson_kwaiken2_web.jpg

ATTACH]
 

Attachments

  • upload_2018-6-25_21-13-25.jpeg
    upload_2018-6-25_21-13-25.jpeg
    122.4 KB · Views: 1
PiterM said:
Yeah, I do... my favorite Emerson is that custom Kwaiken, which I got last year at Blade Show lottery:

emerson_kwaiken2_web.jpg

ATTACH]
Click to expand...


I also love the clip and Steel Flame products with it.

I have to get some Steel Flame products.
 
It's not pretty, nor is it a knife for those who are sticklers for things like micron-level tolerances, etc, but my CQC-8 can take a beating with the best of them.



Alas, my primary residence is in Manhattan, which is why this knife stays at my house in CT – this thing would be a "Go Straight To Jail" card in NYC. (Mind you, this is not to say that any locking CRK wouldn't be, but they're a helluva lot easier to "explain" to Officer Bob Friendly than a full-on tactical blade.)

Regards,
Adam
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top