Emerson CQC8 and Gentleman Jim. - A gamble?

stonproject

stonproject

Joined
Nov 22, 2013
Messages
7,184
So I have been on the fence of purchasing the two above mentioned emerson knives for a little while. I really like the blade profiles, the handle shapes, and generally speaking the materials involved.

My only concern is that there seems to be a fairly unanymous opinion on Emersons that their fit and finish is extremely unpredictable. I even stumbled across a post by Ernest himself back from 2011 saying that fit and finish does not matter to him.

I am just very attracted to their designs, but for 200$, the fit and finish should be spot on in my opinion. I know these are working knives, but at the sametime, I feel for so much cash, there should be an extra eye attended to detail.

So im curious, what are the chances the knife I order coming in the box perfect? Whats the chance im gonna be bummed when I check it out closely?

If you have personal experience ordering emersons, what did you think when you got it? Ive ordered spydercos and kershaws in the 50-100 dollar range with impeccable fit and finish, im just curious what to expect from an Emerson for 240$.

Thanks for your time guys
 
You should have started this in the Emerson subforum.

Anyways. I don't see the issue people have with Emerson. Every single Emerson I have owned (close to 10) has been rock solid and with impeccable grinds. I love mine. You either like them or you don't.

Also, regardless of what people say, Emerson is extremely successful as a knife maker and I don't see that ending any time soon.
 
This is General question about emerson so I thought this was an appropriate place for the thread.

So your emersons all line up nicely? Good blade centering? smooth action on the pivot and lock out of the box?
 
I own around 12 now, half are users. I own the Gentleman Jim, couple Horsemen, and a Super 8. All line up dead center, and work just fine. See in my experience, I don't leave my knives loose enough to flick open. I like a little extra tension, especially on the Emerson knives. If they are too loose, they develop side to size and vertical slop (like almost every other folder sold). That is one thing of many that separates these knives from Spyderco, Benchmade, Cold Steel, ZT, etc.

What are the chances of a knife you order coming in perfect? It all depends on what your definition of perfect is really. Some people think a Cold Steel Recon 1 is perfect, others a Sebenza, others a Buck Pro Vantage. Not such an easy question to answer objectively. If a person nitpicks over absolutely every aspect of the knife, then they really have no intention of actually using the knife (from reading hundreds and hundreds of threads over the years). It later ends up in a sales ad not soon after. This goes for any brand really. Some (not all) of the most vocal critics of fit and finish are those that know the absolute least about what goes into making these things, the engineering behind them, and the time it takes to build them.

The Emerson crew is smaller than the Spyderco crew, and much, much smaller than the KAI crew. They have a system in place to get knives built in runs by model. As far as I know they don't run a multishift production line 24/7. So, there may well be some things that extremely picky folks find not appealing compared to a Spyderco or a Kershaw. I'm not talking poor fit and finish, but there is more emphasis placed on the overall design and function than on the aesthetic side.
 
im glad this isn't in the Emerson forum, I came real close to pulling the trigger on a Traveler twice last week and hesitated....unbiased opinions are what I want to hear.
 
Thanks for the insight rev I really appreciate it. Im starting to lean towards getting the cqc 8.

So now the question is, regular size cqc8 or super size?
 
I posted that because the Emerson haters come out of the woodwork in General Knife Discussion. RevDevil hit it right on head with the picky vocal individuals who don't use their knives.

Yes, all of my Emersons meet your requirements. I tend to focus on hard to find Emersons. But the last 8 I had was perfectly fine.
 








Whats a thread with no pics?

Anyways it will be money well spent in my opinion. My CQC8 is a heavy user and has held up fantastic. My Gentleman Jim is more of my gentleman carry to be honest, like wedding receptions etc. Both are super smooth. Might come from the factory a little gritty but once broken in they are some of the smoothest knives you will own. My CQC8 is smoother than my ZT560. In the pics they look off center but its just the angle of the pic and the chisel grind.
 
stonproject said:
I am just very attracted to their designs, but for 200$, the fit and finish should be spot on in my opinion. I know these are working knives, but at the sametime, I feel for so much cash, there should be an extra eye attended to detail.
Click to expand...


I think these are not for you, maybe try one of their ZT or kershaw offerings
 
Well, I'm not a fanboy that much is clear. If something truly sucks about a knife, I'll mention it (won't parade around beating a drum to it) but I will be honest about it. I own Spyderco, Benchmade, Buck, Kershaw, ZT, Cold Steel, CRK, Hinderers, Striders, (a lot of variety).

Ston, I recommend the regular, run of the mill, 8. I've put my Horseman to good use over the years and it's still has many more years of serviceable life. For me, it's just a bit too small though, which is why I don't use it as much as my 15 (my favorite of the entire lineup). The Super 8 is very large and will fill your hand and pocket. You may also look at the A100, extremely slim and completely utilitarian (another favorite of mine). The Gentleman Jim makes for a very nice slim knife, it's really a beautiful design and I am very glad to own one.
 
eric your a badass thanks for posting those!

Okay, so heres the deal breaker. Ive had some titanium liner locks before, and the stickyness kind of bothers me.

Ive heard emersons require a period of break in, will the stickyness in the ti lock ever "work itself out" on these knives in particular? I have a buddy in LEO who has a horseman thats been to hell and back, and its got a pretty sticky lock still after years of use, so Just curious what your experiences are with this aspect.

And FINALLY, emerson backspacers, or emerson standoffs?
 
I own 3, had one more but I traded it and all were/are great knives. One did develop some lock slip so I sent it in and got it fixed. I love these knives and will have more...
 
Get the backspacer. I prefer backspacers over standoffs. And if it's sticky (galling) just put some Sharpie or pencil graphite on the tang.
 
I own 13 Emersons and will gladly admit that the "finish" can be a bit rough around the edges, but "fit" has never been an issue. All of the pivots are snug and none of them has any blade play.
I have one blade that is off center; a 10 year old mini 7 that has been absolutely thrashed to hell and back however there is still plenty of travel for the liner and it is still rock solid.

Lots of folks hate on the G10 scales and that's fine but in my opinion Ernie has some of the best grinds in the game and that is what sets his knives apart for me, and the GJ and CQC-8 are two exceptionally beautiful, and functional knives.

My personal preference would be the Jim as it is more comfortable in hand and pocket.
 


The CQC8 is the one with a back spacer and thats my 2013 Super Karambit with the standoffs.
To me the standoffs are more handsome but with the back spacer I cant tell you how many times i used the CQC8 to hammer something lol

For looks - Standoffs
For more utility - Backspacer (for hammering abuse ;) )

My 8 has a tad bit of lock stick but very minute, like your little nephew grabbed your PS4 controller after eating a cinnamon bun....not that bad but just enough to notice it. I usually just rub some pencil lead where the tang meets the lock bar.
 
I have a few Emersons and I like them. The titanium liner locks have a little stick, but I consider it normal for the material.

Tom
 
The CQC-8 and the Jim are no gamble. Both are beautifully executed and very well made (yes, I have both). Every Emerson that I own has come perfectly centred and as far as I am concerned, well finished. With an Emerson, you are not buying a piano, you are buying a well designed tool for tough environments.
 
I have two Emerson knives, a CQC-8 and a commander. Both need to go back for service for the second time and third liner lock. Both will probably rot in a box until the day I die before I do that though.

The commander was my carry for a while but poor edge retention, bad geometry, and a liner lock that stuck on nearly every opening left a bad taste in my mouth. The liner only lasted 8 months on average and you could almost watch daily as the liner shifted across the tang from rapid wear.

To add insult to injury I asked when the commander first went in for service if they would examine the blade because the steel was not holding a edge. I was told that using power equipment could damage the edge.... I HAND SHARPEN WITH STONES!!!!

My CQC-8 has sat in a pelican box only taken out for show and tell yet somehow it also needs service again due to the liner slipping. Couldn't get it right the first or second time so I'm not betting third time will be the charm.

The ergonomics and designs are awesome but the knives themselves are a crap shoot on quality IMO.
 
Everyone in this thread has brought up excellent points.

Here are my thoughts on it: Emersons are excellent knives. I have owned several and still have a mini commander that has been beat to sh!t and still works fine. I think it looks awesome with all the hard earned wear on it. As for fit and finish - every Emerson I have ever owned (around 10 of them) came very sharp, with flawless grinds, blade dead center, and no lockup issues whatsoever. Like has been said, they were a bit rough to open, but once you play with them for a week or so they are smooth like buttah baby!

All Emersons have a utilitarian beauty to them. The designs are great and the materials are assembled and finished in a way that displays excellent craftsmanship. They have a certain je ne sais quoi to them. You really just can't understand until you own one. Then you will see what I'm talking about.

One great thing about Emersons is that they hold value like nobody's business. I mean, I bought a Commander quite a lot of years back, used it hard for years and sold it all beat up FOR A PROFIT.

My advice to you is to go ahead and go for it. If you are seriously considering buying the blades, you won't feel right until you get your hands on them and at least try em out. If you don't like them you should have zero problems selling them. Maybe buy one first and then the other. If you don't like the first one, don't order the second. Out of the two you are looking at I would suggest you get the 8 first. The Gentleman Jim isn't for everyone.

You should call your favorite knife dealer and ask if they will hand pick the two knives for you. If fit and finish, centered blades, and a strong lockup are important to you, you should tell your dealer about it and if they are worth their salt they will have no problem with hand selecting your knives. I have had my preferred dealer do this for me several times. Hint - it used to be a pharmacy/knife store.
 
I have several Emersons, but neither of the ones in question. As far as fit and finish... sure there are machine marks, and sometimes scales are not absolutely flush with the liners, so just throw it in the gravel, scratch the clip, ding up the G10, and you won't be so neurotic about the finish...just like any knife that gets used. If it gets too dinged up or if I get tired of the plain old G10, then I'll send it off to get customized and use/carry them even more after that.

Some people start crying when their clip gets scratched, news flash: Don't use it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top