Convince me to buy an Emerson!

J

jonthamo

Joined
Feb 26, 2011
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Convince me to buy an Emerson!

Why do I title this post in this manner? I have been buying production knives as a hobby for over ten years. ALL of my knives have seen pocket/carry time and have made cuts other than just phone book paper. I have Spyderco, Benchmade, Boker Plus, Kershaw, Zero Tolerance, Leatherman, Cold Steel, CRKT, Buck, Esee, RAT, KA-BAR etc. Considering that none of my knives are simply collected and then never used, I like quality, durability and VALUE. I love the look of Strider knives and CRK blades as well, but I'm just not at the place where I can justify thrashing on something that nice. This has led me to Emerson knives. The aesthetic appeal is totally there for me, they are mean looking knives but is something made of 154CM worth $200+?. There is a lot of hype surrounding the brand, so I want to hear from you guys: Emerson owners. Are you satisfied with your purchases? Have you had good customer service? How long have you been using Emerson? Are there REALLY as many fit/finish issues as rumored? Will I be happy buying one being someone who is gonna use the blade as well as someone who appreciates great value to performance ratio?

Thanks in advance!!

Jon
 
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It may be that the best value folding knives are Spyderco or Buck or Benchmade. I have knives that I like very much and carry from those mfg's. I also have some high end folders that I cannot bear to "use and abuse" and will likely sell them as they end up in the safe and not being used, but only admired.

I like the Emerson's as well. The wave is a plus, I like the different grinds, I like that I can get a model that fits my large hands. They are not priced so high that I can't bring myself to use and abuse them. The grips are a mixed lot. I love the grips on the ETAKs and the Patriot. Not so much on some of the others. If you find a model you like, you can sure get rough with the knife and not worry about the knife slipping or dislodging from your grip. I like the steel, it is easy to sharpen and regain the sharp edge.

I have a large Sebenza that I got used and it has proven to be a wonderful knife for many years, but the Emerson has knocked it out of my pocket.

If am going out in "tropical" clothing I will like take a smaller knife.

But all in all, the Emersons are in my pocket most of the time now.

Slim
 
I've been an Emerson fan for 3 years, but I wish I'd known about them way before that.

Firstly, the 154CM is used for a reason. It's meant to be minimally maintained yet tough and easy to sharpen in the field. If you are a steel snob, look elsewhere. I'm 110% satisfied with my purchases. I own 11 Emersons, two of which are customs, and I'd buy every one again if I had to do it over. The customer service is top notch. I know that gets said about many companies but this is no exaggeration. They are the best out there and you will be taken care of. Fit and finish is not CRK quality nor was it ever intended to be. They are put together well and a lot of human contact is involved in the process. I'd say fit and finish is comparable to ZT in the current 2014 model knives. They are a great value, I wouldn't own so many if they weren't. I've sold off all my other brands and exclusively carry Emersons, that includes ZT, CRK, Strider, and Hinderer

Get one. They aren't for everybody but you need to try to see for yourself
 
Hello Jon,

I have been a user of Emerson knives for the past 14years. I have also owned many other brands ranging from the $50.00 to $900.00 mark. I have gone through many of the brands that you have mentioned. I ended up with Emerson due to many factors.

They use the same steel being that it has worked for the desired intended purposes. I have yet to break any tip of a Emerson compared to another brand due to blade grind geometry. I have fewer issues with edge chipping on the Emerson's lower Rockwell rating which makes sharpening very quick.

The fit and finish. Majority of the issues would be finish for people. Fit is in regards to alignment of the screw holes, pivot holes, lockbar alignment and so on. Finish would be for the most part the edges of the liners having fabrication marks and or the scales being a tiny bit off in regards to shape to the liners but were talking a business cards thickness. People whine about the cosmetics and put that in regards to fit as well but I disagree.

The Wave shaped opening feature. You either love it or hate it. The Wave is a fantastic feature for opening the knife coming out of pocket. Convenient is even the right word to describe it for ME. The shape also makes for a excellent thumbramp platform.

I personally have purchased over 60 Emersons from them directly or through their dealers. Currently own 26 with 2 in my pockets everyday. Not once have I had the desire or need to send a knife back for warranty. I have spoken to their people on the phone and that was a great experience. I use and at times downright abuse my tools and the Emersons have always gone back into my pocket at the end of the task, not on the workbench for repair. Their knives are designed to be easily serviced and that is the pleasantly the case (more so with the standoff's). No tiny torx to strip out. No funny springs. No BS! Quality tool that you can depend on. I know that I may sound like a fanboy but all my comments are from experience and lots of hard earned dollars spent/wasted on other brands only to be "meh" with them.

Ray
 
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I too have had a lot of other brands, up to the CRK level and even a bit beyond. Most have been sold to fund even more Emersons (I'm past the 30 mark now).

With that introduction established, I can pretty much tell you that nothing I can tell you will suffice - you absolutely must hold one... scratch that, you must use one to "get it". There is a soul that goes into Emerson knives, an intangible that for me far surpasses any technical specification.

As for the fit/finish matter, there have been periods where some fairly lax output did occur, nothing that in any way effected use, but nonetheless the aesthetics could be bothersome to some folks. I will tell from considerable personal experience that recent production Emersons, say 2012 and up, have reached a level of aesthetic finish that I would actually rate as outstanding. The Mini Commander SFS I received yesterday (2013 vintage) is absolutely perfect. And while touching on the aesthetic, I have yet to see any knife with a more beautiful stonewash than that of an Emerson. Similarly, some of the most gorgeous blade grinds you'll ever see, case in point:









 
OM, nice Super Karambit. You don't see the ones with the old style blade that often
 
There you go. ^
Emerson has the perfect formula for a perfect knife design. EVER.
rolf
 
To interject some humor to the person who started the thread, you question is like asking a PRO Death Penalty Group if a killers life should be spared as they sit on death row.

I had never spent $200.00 for a folding knife before buying an Emerson, if was not as expected, it would be returned for refund, less restocking fee.

I still have the knife, and have no intention with parting with it.
 
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Thanks for all the helpful input guys!

To Akapennypincher: haha, quite right! Multiple people listen to the opinion of the "pro death penalty group", otherwise there would be no group! I myself want to buy an Emerson, my wallet just needs convincing! :)
 
Just keep an eye on the exchange here. You won't know until you hold and use it to know.
 
Jon,

When I got into the knife hobby about 5 years ago, I always dismissed Emerson as shoddy, overpriced knives. I was a steel snob (kinda am to an extent but that only goes to M4 and it's variants and 154CM/CPM-154) and a stickler for fit and finish. I ended up having most knife companies knives (including Strider and whatnot) and found myself never carrying them excluding spyderco.

About 18 months ago I said screw it and found a CQC-8 for cheap. I paid up, carried it for a while and ended up trading it off as it was just a tad big for my tastes. Well. Little did I know 3 months later I would start buying exclusively Emersons. Just everything about the knives just work. Easy to sharpen, just melt into your hand ergonomics, tough, great customer service and Mr. Emerson is a stand up fellow. Yes they are expensive, but you are supporting an all American company who sources all their materials from American companies.

I've drank the Emerson kool-aid, butif you had told me 3 years ago I would be into Emerson knives I would have laughed. They just work.
 
The exchange sometimes has Emersons for less than a hundred bucks. Just keep your eyes peeled. When you get an Emerson, you will want to carry and use it. That quality gives a knife (a tool) a better value than one that just sits in a drawer because you don't want to scratch it.
 
I am selling some of my knives to buy Emerson's, hoping to find good deals here in the Forums.
 
jonthamo said:
Convince me to buy an Emerson!
Click to expand...
Jon,

I've owned Emersons since 2007 and there is not much I can add that hasn't already been stated.
I would definitely suggest handling a few different models, if you can, prior to purchase. Some Emerson knives will feel better in your hand than others -- and there may not be any rhyme or reason to it. Case in point: due to my larger hands I prefer a Super Commander over a regular Commander. However, my 7 feels like an extension of my hand. Logically, that doesn't make sense but it's the truth and serves as an example of the importance of handling the various models if you are able to do so. The other thing about trying out different Emerson models is to see if you like the wave feature. Some folks really like it and others don't.

Joe
 
Jon...

I've only been buying Emersons for about 4 years now, so my experience is a bit limited compared to some of the folks here. I, too, have a bunch of other brands hangin' around. I even carry some of the once in a while. Too much invested in them to just let them sit.

What I like about Emersons is that every part of the knife and its design has a purpose and the purpose is not to show off the latest and greatest "anything". Emersons aren't for steel snobs or lock gurus or pocket-jewelry folks. Emerson picks tried-and-true materials because they're known quantities, he's really good at getting the most out of them for his design intentions, and the knife works well as an overall package when everything is put together. It's the "overall package" part that really attracts me to Emersons. A lot of people make tanto blades... a lot of people do recurve blades... quite a few can make a liner lock... etc. Not so many can put together a total package that works... first time, every time and is simple and easy to maintain with minimal skills and gear.

As far as value for your dollar... here's how I look at that. I'm the only one that can say how much value an item has to me. My opinion is the only standard of measurement that matters for me. I know what my priorities in knife buying are... nobody else does. I know what I like, dislike, and don't care about... nobody else does. I know what I'm willing to pay for... nobody else does. I earn my money... nobody else does. So when I consider whether an Emerson (or a Spyderco or a Benchmade or any other brand) is a "good value", that means nothing to me except do I want that knife enough to pay what's asked for it. No comparisons to "other brands" or how company "X" does their pricing or anything else... just me and my pocketbook.

I don't know whether you'll like Emersons or not, but you'll never know until you try one or two. I like them. I carry an Emerson most of the time that I carry a folder and I trust them to work like they're supposed to from the first time they come out of the box. I can't say anything about F&F issues because I've never had one with the 20 or so Emersons that I've owned over the past 4 years. But then, I'm just a regular user and if a knife opens, cuts, closes, and doesn't cause me any grief in the meantime, I pretty happy with it.

HTH... and if you do decide to try one, come back and let us know what you got. Pics would be nice, too.
 
I'm a new Emerson owner, and couldn't be more pleased. I have a CQC-7, and it's my first Emerson and my most expensive knife to date. I bought it just a few months ago when the left handed versions were back in stock. I frankly don't know what type of fit and finish issues folks talk about in the past, but mine has the fit and finish I would expect from an expensive (for me) knife. It's easy to take apart / service, is the sharpest knife I've purchased out of the box, and I'm really liking the chisel grind. I'm not sure I'll have 10 more in a year as there are still other interesting knives out there, but maybe a mini Commander might be in my future. I don't think you would be disappointed.
 
I bought a mini commander, and I saw first hand what everyone was raving about. It's just simply a no BS, no nonsense tool. The materials are tried and true. G10 and 154cm. Not the top of the line or anything, but very little that can go wrong. The fit and finish on mine was very well done. Centered blade, beautiful stonewashed finish on the blade, etc. (2013 model) It hit a lot of points I liked but I sold it for funds. It's not for everyone, but it's definitely worth checking out.
 
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