Emerson Commander vs. Benchmade Mini-Skirmish for EDC...

Benchmade build quality is better than Emerson . Frame lock trumps liner lock every time . Plus you arent contending with a chisel grind , chicel grind may be fine for SD , but its a PITA for an EDC .

Chris
 
I own a Commander and i've handled the Skirmish in both full and mini sizes.

The Commander feels better overall, for some reason. Maybe it's the ergonomics or that the Skirmish handle just felt weird to me. Not sure, really.

I know for sure though, that with it's Tom Krein regrind, my Commander blows the Skirmish out of the freakin water. And i'm not too worried about the liner lock as i don't plan on doing anything hard enough to compromise the lock strength with this type of knife. Work smarter, not harder.
 
I have both as well. actually i gave my wife the skirmish she preferes the point down carry. where as i prefer point up. I have to agree with Lucien though the commander feels better in my hand. i have stuck both through sheet metal no problem. with either one you couldn;t go wrong.

they are both great companies to deal with, and are very helpful. shipping doesn't take long at all. also blackhawk(MOD) has the ATFK, just got it and it is really nice one too.



Rollover on thumbnails to view images/site
Show

Select Operation: ---Any Operation---Manual
Select Edge: ---Any Edge---Serrated
 
I have both as well. actually i gave my wife the skirmish she preferes the point down carry. where as i prefer point up. I have to agree with Lucien though the commander feels better in my hand. i have stuck both through sheet metal no problem. with either one you couldn;t go wrong.

they are both great companies to deal with, and are very helpful. shipping doesn't take long at all. also blackhawk(MOD) has the ATFK, just got it and it is really nice one too.



Rollover on thumbnails to view images/site
Show

Select Operation: ---Any Operation---Manual
Select Edge: ---Any Edge---Serrated
 
I had a Commander for a week and put it on eBAY. Hated the grind. Also as cdf said with the Benchmade you get a frame lock.
 
I spent like an hour staring at the Commander last night, wondering why I was feeling like I shouldn't buy it - and this morning I remembered!

I already bought one, I hated it (don't even remember why) and so I returned it right off the bat, I just had that adverse of a reaction. Alright, so the Benchmade wins this round, but I'm gonna shop around a bit more.

Is the mono-lock (frame lock) an issue? It's a little bit of a bummer imo.
 
cdf said:
Benchmade build quality is better than Emerson . Frame lock trumps liner lock every time . Plus you arent contending with a chisel grind , chicel grind may be fine for SD , but its a PITA for an EDC .

Chris
Click to expand...

Are you sure about the Commander having a chisel grind? Per the Emerson site the commander has a conventional "V" grind.

It's been some time since I handled an Emerson Commander and I didn't look that closely at the grind.

Thanks,
Rich
 
Anogar said:
I spent like an hour staring at the Commander last night, wondering why I was feeling like I shouldn't buy it - and this morning I remembered!

I already bought one, I hated it (don't even remember why) and so I returned it right off the bat, I just had that adverse of a reaction. Alright, so the Benchmade wins this round, but I'm gonna shop around a bit more.

Is the mono-lock (frame lock) an issue? It's a little bit of a bummer imo.
Click to expand...

Why is a frame lock a bummer for you?
 
Rich357 said:
Why is a frame lock a bummer for you?
Click to expand...

I dunno, it seems a bit more cumbersome than some other solutions, and I never really trusted it on my Camillus Cuda for some reason. Is it a solid mechanism, and am I just being dumb? :P
 
A well made frame lock is solid. It is strong and simple. One of the things I like about a good frame lock is that as I grip the knife my hand is pressing the lock toward the locked position.
 
Rich357 said:
A well made frame lock is solid. It is strong and simple. One of the things I like about a good frame lock is that as I grip the knife my hand is pressing the lock toward the locked position.
Click to expand...

That's a very good point. I rescind my 'bummer' assessment.

What do you think about the Spyder Para-Military vs. the Benchmade Mini-Skirmish?
 
2 totally different knives..... I own a para and its very light weight and yet very strong.. I trust the lock more than any other....
 
Anogar said:
That's a very good point. I rescind my 'bummer' assessment.

What do you think about the Spyder Para-Military vs. the Benchmade Mini-Skirmish?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I can't give you a good answer. I've not handled the Spyderco Para-Military.
 
I just picked up a Mini-Skirmish from a forumite to use as my EDC folder. I was using a Strider PT folder. While I've used that PT heavily and it has performed VERY well, I wanted a folder also with a frame-lock that was a bit more sheeple-friendly and more of a "gentleman's" looking knife.
You can't go wrong with the Mini-Skirmish - an excellent folder and razor sharp!

Regards,
Mike
 
Rich357 said:
Are you sure about the Commander having a chisel grind? Per the Emerson site the commander has a conventional "V" grind.

It's been some time since I handled an Emerson Commander and I didn't look that closely at the grind.

Thanks,
Rich
Click to expand...

With Emerson a conventional "V" grind is a chisel grind. A double "V" grind however is the normal "V" grind. Confusing as hell.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top