My combat karambit is older and an original model, before they circumcised the tip.
I think what you are experiencing is quite common in NEW Emersons. Is this your first?
Is it that slight "grind" you can feel, sometimes you can even hear it? Sounds kind of like two sheets of paper being slid together. Not loud, just enough where you can hear it in a quiet room and sort of feel it through your fingers. Is that basically it?
If so.....when new, Emersons can be very finicky. They are a bit of a different animal from most knives. There is a period where they may require break in, even a bit of screw tweaking, and
it can be frustrating for a first time owner. It's NORMAL. An Emerson does not require lube or oil. Especially when new. I never lube any of mine.
You may even notice periods where the action seems to be suddenly sluggish and stiff for a period, then the next day, for no reason, that will be gone and very smooth. When new, this is fairly common too during it's break in.
If this is your first Emerson my advice would be
not to take it apart and for God's sake don't lube or oil it !! If it's new, and everything else seems satisfactory and 'tight' you should allow it to break in for about a month. The more you open and close it the better and smoother it will get. After, say 500-1000 or so openings and a little time, if it's still not like you like it, then try tweaking the pivot screw slightly to adjust it. When new though I'd let it break in naturally.
Emersons are lifetime knives---a break in period is but a dot of their lifetime and patience is all that's needed. And you probably paid decently for it so don't rush it..
Barring some major problem that maybe I'm not picking up in your original post, my advice would be just USE IT. Or at least wave it some, open it some....work the action for a while.
Worst thing you can do might be do dive into it, taking it apart, trying to oil it or whatever then get it back together with it brand new. It may never work the same as a factory assembly again.
Because you're working with dual detents on anything Emerson, don't expect it to become even close to a zero-friction flipper. Emersons aren't for that--esp. the karambit. It should wave beautifully though and open very smoothly once a little time goes by.
People are of differing opinions on this, but from what you wrote I'd say all you need is the patience to let it break in. Emersons do require break in generally. Down the road it will be smooth as silk.
IMO it's still the best production karambit out there. Patience.
