Duty Knife: Emerson Commander vs ZT 300

scsu74

scsu74

Joined
Apr 29, 2012
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I am an officer in a large metropolitan area and recently started looking for a new duty knife. I want something that is very heavy duty and can handle some abuse. I have large hands (XXL gloves) so the full sized 300 or commander aren't an issue. The only negatives i have found about the ZT is the weight, as far as the commander i have read several threads about the chisel ground blade being less than desirable. My main concern is the ability to get the knife out fast and ease of opening. The emerson wave feature seems like it would have the advantage, but the speed safe seems fast also. I can purchase either for $200 so the price point is a push. Just wondering what everyone thought if they had to pick one and use it on a daily basis. Thanks in advance for the help!
 
For duty use with the ease of deployment i can tell you that nothing and i mean NOTHING beats a wave feature. The spring assist is fast, but in order to activate it you need to remove the knife from your pocket completely, then open it. With the emerson ya pull it out and its open. the chisel ground is not that big of a deal imo. if the chisel is something you will not like there are many a people here who could change that for you. search in the knifemaker services offered. good luck in your search, welcome to the forums and be safe out there
 
I would get the 300. For a duty knife, the Emerson liners seem a bit thin ad I wouldn't put my life on that. I have owned both and I prefer the peace of mind knowing that when I grip the knife, I am reinforcing the lock. I modified the 300 by removing the assisted opener and cutting a wave hook into the blade.
 
I'd suggest the Emerson. I like the ZT 300 a lot but with all the gear policeman carry, I'd go with the lighter Emerson. I've owned several and never had a lock fail.
 
I've owned them both, I sold both my 0300 and my 0301, the commander is one of my top 3 favorite knives. I have had no issues with the chisel grind my emersons are just as sharp as any other knife I've had. The wave feature is going to be faster than the A.O, you just pull the knife out and it's open, I have had several emersons and never had a lock failure at all, it's gonna be personal preference, I've never been one to complain about the weight of a knife, but the 0300 is a pocket hog and if i hadn't of had a belt on when I carried it, it would of probably pulled my pants down. My vote goes Commander all day long and twice on Sunday, also the ergos on the commander make it the most comfortable knife I own, the 0300 was comfortable too, but emerson knives are known for their ergos, my commander feels like it was custom built to my hand. I suggest if you can handle both knives and go from there. Either way both knives are wildly popular, which ever you buy you would have no problem selling/trading it off on here to someone.
 
Iv held a zt 300 and while it is comfortable i much prefer a commander in the ergo department. The commander isnt my favorite Emerson, I really like the cqc13 better. But a wave is the fastest and easiest way to deploy a knife. Just play around with it for an afternoon, break it in a week and it will serve you just fine.

emerson's liner thickness fluctuates over the years so the year will help you determine the liner thickness if you are worried about that sort of thing.

As i said i dont have a zt 300 or particularly use my knives hard (in my opinion) but I seriously doubt either knife in-spec will fail on you.

also you might want to check the total weight of your gear because as awesome as the zt is you might not want to carry that much metal.

If you buy an Emerson it ought to last you long enough to snag a zt 300 :rolleyes:

solid choices either way
 
Appreciate all the help guys. Plan on going to the store again, had my mind all but set on a zt until I started reading about Emerson's haha. Does anybody know if it would make more sense to get a left handed version direct or just change the clip side on the Emerson? I carry my knife in left front pocket so the right hand clip won't work for me. Thanks again
 
scsu74 said:
Appreciate all the help guys. Plan on going to the store again, had my mind all but set on a zt until I started reading about Emerson's haha. Does anybody know if it would make more sense to get a left handed version direct or just change the clip side on the Emerson? I carry my knife in left front pocket so the right hand clip won't work for me. Thanks again
Click to expand...

You can't change the clip side on an Emerson. If you want it for left hand carry, you have to buy a left hand model.
 
I'd take the 300 over the Emerson
- Better steel
- better Fit and Finish
- in my experience ZT just feels more quality.

I will say I really like the ergos of Emersons, they just don't feel like $200+ knives, they also run their 154cm soft, so you'll be sharpening it more often, the chisel grind isn't bad to sharpen just different, and since it is softer it will be easier to sharpen, my CQC-13 isn't smooth to open at all nor have the 5 or 6 I've handled at knife shops, I still want a CQC-8 because I like the design I'm just not willing to pay more than $150 for it, on the other hand I just bought a ZT 560 ($260) and am very happy with it. Also I'd suggest looking at the ZT 200, I actually prefer it to the 300 series as far as ergos.
IMG_2353.jpg
 
Yeah, take a look at the 0200, I'd recommend that over the 0300. The ergos on the 0200 are the best I've ever felt in a knife. Both the 0200 and Emerson are liner locks with 154cm steel, but the 0200 is much sturdier, has a solid bolt as the pivot, which is fit well enough to keep the blade centered, has better fit and finish, and a better warranty. The operation is very smooth with the thumbstuds or flipper, so it shouldn't be a problem to get it out fast. Yes, the wave will open your knife faster out of the pocket, but it will also tear up your pants, so you won't want to do that a lot.
 
Charlie Mike said:
I would get the 300. For a duty knife, the Emerson liners seem a bit thin ad I wouldn't put my life on that. I have owned both and I prefer the peace of mind knowing that when I grip the knife, I am reinforcing the lock. I modified the 300 by removing the assisted opener and cutting a wave hook into the blade.
Click to expand...

Can't, it's what hold the blade shut (there no active detent to hold the blade shut).


travclem said:
You can't change the clip side on an Emerson. If you want it for left hand carry, you have to buy a left hand model.
Click to expand...


Emerson can drill and tap any right hand model for left hand carry, you don't HAVE to buy a left handed model.



To the OP (scsu74), carrying the Emerson reversed in your left pocket isn't a bad idea (right handed I assume). If someone goes for a gun grab you can draw into a reverse grip and cut them off. just be careful putting other objects in that pocket (don't want something catching the wave and opening it in your pocket).

Both are great knives by great companies, you can't go wrong with either in my opinion:thumbup:

-sh00ter

EDIT: One more point, the WAVE feature is a huge plus when wearing gloves. Even thinner police glove still affect your dexterity, with the wave you just grab and pull.
 
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I drilled a detent hole in the blade. The locking scale has a detent ballto prevent the lockbar from scraping the blade.
 
Of course Emerson can drill and tap a right handed model for left hand carry. Hell, I could do it. I was just telling him that they aren't set up for more than one carry option.
 
I can also recommend the ZT0200. Comes tapped in all 4 positions for whichever method of pocketcarry you'd like. Most comfortable knife i've ever held but that may vary for you. I personally don't care for the speed assisted knives but thats just me (the 300 is a damn beast of a blade though). The waved Emerson's are the fastest knives out of pocket if you don't count fixed blades. You can get lefthanded models or send a right handed model back to be tapped. But you don't have to worry about doing that with a ZT. Hope I helped some.
 
Learned this in BF
Even without a wave mod most ZT's are "waveable" by pressing the thumb stud against the side of your pants pocket as you pull out if you wearing denims or cargos

Takes a little practice

Also the ZT0200 is cheaper than the Commander and the 154cm steel of the ZT is treated to a harder RC (60 - 61RC) than Emerson (57 - 59RC) as per both sites
 
You don't even need to cut a wave hook. Just cut a few lines of agressive forward slanting jimping into the spine.
 
At 8.5 ounces, more or less, the 0300 is a big, heavy chunk of steel. As well as being big and thick dimensionally. I would not want to carry it all day, especially in addition to everything else you carry. It could certainly be done, but thats not an insignificant amount of weight and bulk to be honkin' around day after day.
 
I cut an "L grind" into mine just in front of the jimping on the blade spin. I don't have any power tools so took about 7 hours of grinding with an extra course Diamond stone with some very sore hands :D (That blade is freeking hard!)

Wave opens perfect
 
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