Emer vs. CRK

S

squid meat

Joined
Jun 20, 2001
Messages
292
Please, not trying to start any s#it, but I'am curious of the fit finish & QC of a Emerson knife when compared to a CRK Sebenza. I have two sebbies, but am really thinking hard about purchasing a Commander (probably with wave) for my EDC rotation. I would get either the full-size, or even the mini. I'am military (navy), but the knife would be used for general purpose stuff, nothing to hard for a good quality knife to handle. Any info or comments would be appreciated.
Stinky

Merry X-mas & Happy New Year to all !!
 
squid meat

Chris Reeve Knives is known world wide for thier quality, even having won a few Industry awards for thier quality. EKI has won awards in that same industry for design. Your comparing Fords and Chevys. Both make great knives.

I take nothing away from the Sebenza, I carried one for years prior to the Commander (and the 'Wave') coming out. Try a Commander, you might like it.

John
 
I have no experience with Sebbies, but I can say without a doubt, that Emerson's knives are excellent. I have 3 Emersons ( 2 production, 1 custom ) and have NO complaint with any. I have used several other production knives and they were OK, but just pick up an Emerson for a bit and you won't want to put it down. As far as rotating the Emerson in with your EDC........you won't be sorry. Personally, I would recommend the Commander. Hope this helps.


Woody
 
John H. makes an excellent point. I personally like the EKI design better than CRK. I also think the Emersons have a better feel in the hand. Not so cold, and very ergonomic. Sort of like the proverbial "bar of soap" that handgunners achieve for in their customs.

CRK fit and finish are, bar none, better. The tolerances are much better and each is nearly undecernable from the next. Now if a guy were to choose his own EKI from a hand full of others, he could probably do it. All of mine have their own feel, and each one is somewhat diferent from the next, IMHO.

You can't go wrong with an Emerson. I think if you were to buy one and include it into your EDC lineup, you would be very pleased.
 
I just thought I would add my 2 cents here. I have never owned a CRK but I have handled them and have had the opportunity to examine them in minute detail. No comparison with an EKI of which I own 3. Hands down the CRK are better. Better steel, better ergonomics I think for an all around general use knife, better lock up although I have never had a problem with the lock up on an EKI. The CRK's are easier to sharpen and I belive would be easier to maintain. Then again you have to look at price point as a factor also. I own a CQC, a Mach1, and a Commander BT. I purchased 2 of them from dealers and the Mach 1 nib from a formite. Spent for all 3 less than what a new CRK costs. Am I happy with them well yes and no. The blade design I think leaves a little bit to be desired as for sharpness out of the box and just plain generally trying to sharpen them. I did get them all hair shaving sharp and with a very grabby edge. It took time but I did achieve it. Of these 3 I think the CQC is the best made of all of them. Takes a slighlty better edge than the other 2 also. I like the handle design on the CQC better too. I don't like the wave feature at all on my Comander and although very tactical as a knife design the Commander is not what I would consider a good choice for everrday carry. It seems to me be designed for one specific purpose in mind and as someone stated in a previous forums I don't think I will any time soon be removing a sentry. The Mach1 on the other hand is a very good edc blade design with a good blade to handle ratio. The CQC I have I think is the best of the bunch for edc and robustness of design. It is stout but as I said takes a better edge than either of the other two. The other two are extremely sharp but the CQC is just that much more so. For cutting stout materials I think the Emersons may get the nod just because there double v grinds may dictate that. You know heavy blade, heavy grind, with a sharp edge. I don't think the edges will last longer than the CRK but I think they may endure a bit heavier use is all. It's up to you, if you lose an EKI it is easily replaced and your not out that much when you think about it. The CRK is another story. I think the quality of manufcture is higher on the CRK but is it worth it to you spend that much more. It's up to you to decide. The EKI's will be good work horses for you just don't expect the level of quality that you would find in the CRK. You may also want to look into the SERE 2K. I still maintain that it is without peer in the commercially manufactured knife market. Flawless workmanship, highly polished thick liners with no tool marks, excellant lock up and nice thick locking liner, and scales. Uses VG10 steel and the thing opens and closes like it was on ball bearings! It is my favorite for edc without a doubt. Good luck in your decision. Oh yea you can find some very good prices on the AlMar SERE 2K from different vendors. Merry Xmas and keep'em sharp
 
Mate,
An Emerson is a tough workhorse of a knife.
First time I had it in my hand –
It slipped into my pocket and stayed there.
Perfect “blue collar” EDC

CRK, together with William Henry are undoubtedly the "best" built production knives on the market.
They are priced accordingly.
True thoroughbreds.

So, it is horses for courses.
:D
 
Originally posted by longbow
Better steel, better ergonomics I think for an all around general use knife, better lock up although I have never had a problem with the lock up on an EKI.
Click to expand...

The BG-42 in my Sebenza is most certainly a much better steel than ATS-34/154-CM, hands down. How much better? Alot better. Are the other two steels the junk that some people claim they are? No.

Better ergonomics on a Sebenza as compared to almost everything EKI makes?

I think we better take a hard look at the word "ergonomics" and define it. The Sebenza, as good as it is and it is my "PC-EDC," does not have the attributes almost every EKI does when it comes to ergonomics.

I've never had a problem with my EKIs liner locks either, but it does not take a rocket scientist to see that the [integral] frame lock is better. No argument there.

I don't like the wave feature at all on my Comander and although very tactical as a knife design the Commander is not what I would consider a good choice for everrday carry. It seems to me be designed for one specific purpose in mind and as someone stated in a previous forums I don't think I will any time soon be removing a sentry.
Click to expand...

It is EDC for the most part, still, along with a Sebenza. This thread is rather ironic. :D

Not good for EDC and don't like the Wave Opener? It all depends on what you are carrying that EDC for.

As for someone remarking that the Commander is better suited for Sentry Removal, I think something or someone is being confused. There were a few Emerson Custom SRTs floating around out there, a fixed blade [small], the Chris Caracci Design-I think only three of them were made and the CQC-9 Eagle. These were designed for that sort of thing.

I think people will say anything they want on a forum. :rolleyes:

And, I think I am going to get a SERE 2000 sometime in the future. They are very well made knives.
 
for all the quick replys to my orig. qustion(s). Since I've recently recieved a small sebbie wood inlay, I'am kinda out of the knife buying mode until after taxes in March, as per the wife's recent decree. Anyways, I'll hit a couple of B & M shops around here and let my hands (and wallet) make the decision for me in the spring time. Thanks again, Stinky
 
I own several Emerson Customs, and a couple of production Emersons as well. I also own a Large, Small, (fancys) and a Mnandi. They all have different purposes!

As I find myself in a office during the day and going to lots of attorney offices I normally carry the Mnandi. As soon as I get home into comfortable clothes it goes on the desk and a Emerson goes in the pocket. In the briefcase however, is a backup of a large fixed Emerson Custom which is a real comfort!
 
I have three Sebenzas and an Umfaan. The small Classic is my EDC. I just got a Commander from a forumite, in excellent condition. The lock-up was so stiff, I've had to use two hands to close it. It is getting easier, though!

This Commander is a great knife, as impressive a personal slicing machine as I ever handled. The Wave is absolutely intuitive; I had no trouble learning to use it, from my strong-side or weak-side (reverse grip) front pockets, or from my strong-side IWB. The quality of manufacture may not match CRK but it is very, very good, very reliable. I loosened the pivot to lubricate it, and it tightened back down with no trouble, and hasn't loosened up again with all the cycling I've done.

No, we don't have any sentries around here that need taking out :eek: but one reason I like my Sebenzas is the confidence I have in them if I did need to use them defensively. Still, I am much happier with the Commander in this role: I snap the blade open and the knife is perfectly placed in my hand. I lateral it over to the other hand, and it slips right into place with no shifting around. The handle design is perfect for me. I probably wouldn't find the mini as exact a fit.

One thing I already knew from my BM 975 -- every folder should have an opening disc. (OK, OK, or a Spydie hole!)
 
OK, let me throw this into the mix . . . I'm not a big "Sentry Removal" kind-o-guy. I imagine I could use a Swiss Army Knife on the poor sap, as long as I had the drop on him. I'd rather use something long range and suppressed to take out Sentries . . . if I had my way. :D

However, let me paraphrase our own Don Rearic . . . you can carry what ever you want. Hell, you may even be pretty slick at any number of ways to open your handy little folder, but when the chips are down and someone grabs you around the throat, cuts off your air supply, the worlds going black and you hear your pulse pounding in your ears . . . . . can you effectively deploy and use that pretty little knife your sportin'?

I'll take a Commander please. :D
 
I have 2 CRK, but i personally prefer Emerson Knives (hence my nick)....and john its not like compareing fords and chevys (holdens), Fords suck and a chev is a REAL car.....LOL
 
RougeShooter,
You named your car?? Its a she?? i thought it would be bad enough adnitting u own a ford, i was wrong....LOL
 
Ford makes some very good cars, it is just that they have Volvo or Aston Martin badges on them..... :eek: :p :eek:

On knife content, I have handled a couple of CRK knives (thanks General), but they have never "done it" for me enough to buy one. I can see that a frame lock will be stonger than a liner lock, but I have never had a problem with a liner lock. On hte QC front, I have never had a problem with any of the Emerson knives I have purchased, either custom or production.

Regards,

Ed
(suffering from post Christmas Mayo disease....:eek: :eek: )
 
Originally posted by Emerson_Girl
Fords suck and a chev is a REAL car.....LOL
Click to expand...

Chevy would probably be great [I owned one] if they would keep their own paint. :barf:

Chevrolet=Can't Hear Engine Valves Rattling Over Lousy Engine Timing. :D
 
I've had a sebenza, and I have currently a couple of emersons. I liked teh sebenza for its strength, but I really did not like the way it felt in my hand. Great knife, just not for me. I like the emersons better. I've never had a problem with the locks and i think you will like them.

As for a self defence knife, I'll take my emerson CQC-7 with a wave instead of a commander. I like the 7w better. Personal choice.

And I still like the .45 but not the 1911. (I am bracing now and preparing to get slapped.)
 
What is there not to like in the 1911. LOL. I have a first production run of the CCO, low serial # etc. Out of the box the BEST 1911 I have yet to own or carry. Matter of fact it is the only one I carry now. I have owned a good number of them too either Para, Kimber, Colt(several models), Spring.Armory. Only had one bad experience with one and that was with a Combat Comm. Kept shooting bushings out. Gun never jammed though. Would just shoot very far left! Will take a .45 over any knife for s.d. any day. Keep'em sharp

PS I like the CQC7A better than the Mach1 or the Commander as for fit and finish and sharpness along with ease of handling.
 
I sat down with sveral knives and my Sharpmaker last night and we had a round table conversation about edges and angles. I ended up leaving the Commander untouched because it's too sharp from the factory to need any work, and I should study how to sharpen that one-sided bevel. I know there's material on it if I search for it.

What surprised me -- the numbers don't mean a thing, only handling the knives does -- is that the Commander is very nearly as big as that vaunted monster knife, the Buck Strider. The blade is thinner, but the Commander's blade doesn't look fragile, either, does it?
 
Esav, I have done the same thing with a couple of my folders. Looking them over, getting out my hones and was going to have at them. Not many really needed any kind of touch up. Lucky me. I now have my Comm. and my Mach1 hair poppin sharp so to speak. My CQC seems to be that much more sharp than the other 2 EKI's. Don't know why that is but seems to be. I was amazed at my CS XLG clip point with a plain edge. Astoudingly sharp even more so than the CQC and that thing is sharp. This knife dwarfs my other folders and is what I consider to be the ultimate self defense folder. Unreal strong lock up for a zytel handled knife and the blade still swings out like the day I bought it. Not like on ball bearings or anything but with some effort but with a very reliable hard locking sound. I really haven't paid much attention to it and haven't carried it much this past yr. but now that I have reaquainted myself with it I just may. I guess too, because I do carry a handgun when out and about I don't really feel the need for a "defensive folder". I wish I haven't had the QC problems I seem to be experiencing withe EKI's that I have bought but they have reared there ugly head. The CQC outside of not being sharp was the best in all regards. All of them have had tool marks on the liners and on the locking part of the choil where it is round. Now my Commander is starting to hit the liners when it is opened and closed. Doesn't seem to matter whether I tighten it down or not at the pivot. I still like the EKI knives for what they are but they are not is the best defensive/all around users out there. There are better made folders with the same price points and more intutive locking devices etc. Not bashing EKI as I still will carry my CQC on a regular basis. The damn wave is tearing up my jeans pockets and when I try not use it when withdrawing the knife it feels to clumsy not to use it. Go figure. Any suggestions on how to fix the problem with my Commander not centering would be much appreciated. It was not doing this when I recived it last week. When I first opened it up etc. I was much enamoured with it. Now it's luster is definetly starting to wear off as I get to carry it more and study and peruse it. Well keep'em sharp.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top