Better of two evils...

Which Emerson is best Emerson

  • CQC-7

    Votes: 21 20.8%

  • Horseman

    Votes: 16 15.8%

  • Don't buy an Emerson

    Votes: 64 63.4%
  • Total voters
    101
stabman said:
If people want to say the Zero Tolerance collaborations are better built than the Emerson offerings, I can dig it. Zero Tolerance makes a damn fine knife. :thumbsup:

The Kershaw collaborations are not nearly as good as the actual Emerson knives.
Smaller pivots, smaller stop pins, lower quality materials, softer screws, and I don't really like the G-10 either.
They are far cheaper though, and are okay as far as knives go.

But they are most definitely not better...not by a long shot.

They are about as good as you'd expect a knife in their price range to be.
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Counterpoint: I purchased three of the Kershaw collab knives and none of them had lock stick (0%) or lock failure (0%). I've purchased six Emersons and five of them had lock stick (83%) and one of them, a CQC-7B, had total lock failure (17%). Perhaps my sample size seems too small? One day I handled five or six CQC-7V knives at a huge knife shop at the far end of my state, and 100% of them had lock problems of one sort or another (all had serious lock stick but for the one which made a noise if you pressed on the blade spine with the lock bar noticeably moving). I consider the functionality of the knife's lock to be reasonably important. QED (at least to my satisfaction) Kemerson > Emerson.

FWIW, the three I've kept aren't perfect either. I do sometimes carry two of them (though mostly just the CQC-7V). The good two have annoying but acceptable amounts of lock stick (the 7V has barely any at all, really, just enough to annoy). My Horseman, on the other hand, has lock stick of the variety that once opened it's basically a fixed blade--it's so hard to close that I've solved the problem by not opening it anymore. It's a nice size and shape so I'm considering trying to fix it at some point.
 
evilgreg said:
Counterpoint: I purchased three of the Kershaw collab knives and none of them had lock stick (0%) or lock failure (0%).
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I bought two of the Kershaw/Emerson trainers, to use on the heavy bag.
Had to grind down the tip...too pointy. Had to grind it down even more, when it stabbed through the bag (D'oh!!!).

With all the grinding, there was grit that needed to be removed, so disassembly was the order of the day.
That was when I learned about soft screws, and how small the internal components are compared to an Emerson.

Then, upon reassembly, I learned about how much worse they are at being realigned when reassembled!
It took much, much more work to get it close to being centered.

The lock has held up fine though.

As to lock-stick, I don't consider that a flaw, unless I need to use a secondary tool to close the damn knife. ;)
If my thumbs are up to the task, I actually prefer if the lock sticks a bit...I actually dislike how the lock-stick on my Medford Praetorian went away. :(
I actually want a bit of that lock-stick to come back.
 
evilgreg said:
Counterpoint: I purchased three of the Kershaw collab knives and none of them had lock stick (0%) or lock failure (0%). I've purchased six Emersons and five of them had lock stick (83%) and one of them, a CQC-7B, had total lock failure (17%). Perhaps my sample size seems too small? One day I handled five or six CQC-7V knives at a huge knife shop at the far end of my state, and 100% of them had lock problems of one sort or another (all had serious lock stick but for the one which made a noise if you pressed on the blade spine with the lock bar noticeably moving). I consider the functionality of the knife's lock to be reasonably important. QED (at least to my satisfaction) Kemerson > Emerson.

FWIW, the three I've kept aren't perfect either. I do sometimes carry two of them (though mostly just the CQC-7V). The good two have annoying but acceptable amounts of lock stick (the 7V has barely any at all, really, just enough to annoy). My Horseman, on the other hand, has lock stick of the variety that once opened it's basically a fixed blade--it's so hard to close that I've solved the problem by not opening it anymore. It's a nice size and shape so I'm considering trying to fix it at some point.
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Counter-Counterpoint: The Emerson liner lock is based on the original Michael Walker liner lock design. In this original version lockstick was considered an improved security feature and not a defect. If you read material by Michael Walker part of the reason he chose titanium was BECAUSE it galled, which he felt would make the lock more secure.

Every Emerson I have owned that has had lockstick has broke in to a point where the stick goes away. Now that the galling done the lock wear virtually stops and the linerlock is broken in and locking up perfectly. (I have heard some theorize the galling actually also work hardens the Ti) That said the lock is Emersons biggest issue. I have a super roadhouse that has lock slip. Also alot of time Emersons experiencing lock slip actually just have too much titanium stuck on the steel blade tang lock face. Clean off the Ti on the blade tang and lockstick usually stops.

Today with better methods and understanding liner and framelocks can be built so they are secure and don't gall at all. Ideally Emerson should update their locks.
 
To the OP:

I will say that when buying an Emerson, you very well may feel like you spent more money that it was entirely "worth"...because you kind of did (this is coming from some one who has bought Emerson knives, kept them, and will buy more).

So why buy one?
Because if you want one, another knife just won't scratch that itch, no matter how awesome it is.

I know this to be true.
I have wanted a few different brands of knives, but knew they were overpriced...so I bought better value for the money knives.
Some of these were better quality too.
But (and there's always a but ;)), I still wanted the knife I had avoided buying, so I bought it too, eventually.

If you want an Emerson Horseman or CQC-7, just buy the damn thing now, because eventually you will anyway.
 
But damn you evilgreg, you now have me wanting to buy a Kershaw/Emerson, because they are cheap!
But since they are cheap, I'd have to buy 3 of them...damn you!!!
 
Thanks for the replies fellas.

So the general consensus is that if I must get an Emerson, buy a ZT colab, and if you can't to that, buy a Kershaw colab..

In reference to the suggestions for the Adams.. This has been on my radar for a while, and I plan to get one eventually, but I already have two Benchmades - Which brings me back to the Emerson; I feel like I should sample all the flavors of the knife world, not just one or two brands. I can always sell it down the road.

Looking at the pole statistics, I would also agree with the Harley and muscle car to Emerson analogy.

So I suppose my next step aught to be to find a B&M Emerson dealer and go handle said knives, see what fits and feels best in my hand, and make sure I'm not getting a lemon.
 
The lock stick goes away. I had one that was really bad and it looked as though the lockbar was curved to meet the blade. Due to this the detent ball was also pressing harder on the blade. I straightened the lockbar and problem solved.

If there is any grittiness just take the blade and washers out, clean it all to get the factory grease out, put it back together with a tiny bit of motor oil wiped on the washers. Put a tiny drop of oil on each detent ball, and open / close it a few times.

Do the above and your Emerson will have a buttery smooth breakin, every time.
 
duffman0500 said:
So I suppose my next step aught to be to find a B&M Emerson dealer and go handle said knives, see what fits and feels best in my hand, and make sure I'm not getting a lemon.
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THIS is what you should get out of the thread. :)

And buy a Zero Tolerance ZT 0630 as well. ;)
Or the ZT 0620 if you want a Tanto design.
I have both, and they are great knives.
My dad really, really likes the ZT 0630...and he's 71 years old, and doesn't like frame-locks all that much!

You can always try the Exchange here to find Emersons at good prices, too.
Find a seller with lots of great photos, who communicates with you promptly, and you can avoid much of the "sticker shock" that comes with a new Emerson.
 
scottyj said:
Mantis? I did just get a Manix 2. Love it, and wouldn't trade it for an Emerson if you paid me. :thumbsup:
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Manix is great, although I prefer the version with the lock-back.
Mantis is the brand I would not accept for free. :D
Seriously, and I like free knives. :eek:
 
stabman said:
Manix is great, although I prefer the version with the lock-back.
Mantis is the brand I would not accept for free. :D
Seriously, and I like free knives. :eek:
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Me too. Every Christmas I give some knives as gifts. My friend is getting a Buck 110, and my kid is getting a SAK Tinker model this year.
 
I've had about four...never used one hard...sold them. 154cm is not attractive to me.
 
scottyj said:
Me too. Every Christmas I give some knives as gifts. My friend is getting a Buck 110, and my kid is getting a SAK Tinker model this year.
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Nice! :thumbsup:
Knives are the main presents being given here as well.
I should be receiving a couple as well. :)
 
You should get it and tell us if it lives up to the hype. ;) I have never owned one because I just cant see paying that much, but their designs are amazing and I have never heard anything bad about Earnie before. I am dying for a Roadhouse just because of that blade shape haha
 
stabman said:
But damn you evilgreg, you now have me wanting to buy a Kershaw/Emerson, because they are cheap!
But since they are cheap, I'd have to buy 3 of them...damn you!!!
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Just do it. The cqc7k is one of the best edc knives at any price. It is thinner than the real emersons while the quality is good. (Just don't disassemble)

Also for some reason my cqc7 came with a thin edge inclusive and I have never been able to get a knife as sharp as my cqc7k. (It push cuts paper by the weight of the knife alone)
 
mt666tm said:
The lock stick goes away. I had one that was really bad and it looked as though the lockbar was curved to meet the blade. Due to this the detent ball was also pressing harder on the blade. I straightened the lockbar and problem solved.

If there is any grittiness just take the blade and washers out, clean it all to get the factory grease out, put it back together with a tiny bit of motor oil wiped on the washers. Put a tiny drop of oil on each detent ball, and open / close it a few times.

Do the above and your Emerson will have a buttery smooth breakin, every time.
Click to expand...

This is true. In my experience all real Emersons must be disassembled and cleaned upon purchase. Only the ball bearing models seem to not need this. (They come clean)
 
I have a Horseman. I have a CQC 7. I have carried both a lot. And used the holy bejesus out of them. I don't understand why some folks don't like 154CM. It is a good steel to sharpen down range or in the field, wherever you are. Emersons are very tough, well built and can take a lot of abuse. I have never had any kind of lock failure or problem. I have average sized hands and Emersons seem to be custom made for me. Obviously, other folks have different opinions, but in my opinion they are very good knives.
 
Survey seems to be running ~2/3 for "Don't ..." . For a moderately expensive folder , they often seem to need a lot of attention .

Hard core Emerson fans "embrace the suck" and take pride in the overcoming .

More finished and trouble free : ZT Emerson or just a Kershaw Emerson for a lot less $$$ with still a taste of Emerson .My CQC-4KXL was surprising perfect in function , right from the clamshell .
 
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