Emerson CQC8 and Gentleman Jim. - A gamble?

I've got a few Emersons and enjoy them. They offer enough positive features for me to be interested in some models. For example, I find the handles on the larger models to be simply perfect for my hands.

However, I don't think you can consider Emersons a great deal for the money. The materials used can be found on cheaper knives, and while fit and finish isn't bad it's not one of the brand's strengths. You can probably get a knife with better materials and better attention to aesthetic details for the same price. The way I see it, design is what you pay for in an Emerson.
 
Ive never really heard of linerlocks wearing out so fast. why do emersons need replaced so often??
 
^^^^^

LOL! They don't.

Whoever told you that is full of something up to their eyeballs.
 
A lot of the times when the locking liner wears out on Emersons, it's due to over waving. Waving is fine. But waving as hard as you can deforms the liner and stop pin.
 
ibute21 said:
A lot of the times when the locking liner wears out on Emersons, it's due to over waving. Waving is fine. But waving as hard as you can deforms the liner and stop pin.
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So in other words, it's not being worn out - it's being abused to the point that it becomes misshapen and doesn't work correctly anymore. There is a difference between "worn out" and bent. It takes a hell of a lot to "wear out" the average liner lock. Any quality liner lock should be able to withstand hundreds of thousands of openings before it just wears out.

I didn't wave my Emersons open when I had a bunch of them - even though every single one of them had it. I did it a few times just for kicks, and I did it a few times to show my friends, but I didn't just THWACK it out of my pocket to open an envelope. Some guys just don't understand that you don't need the tactical quick draw just to cut a string.

On the other hand, the wave feature is there for a reason.... maybe just don't do it full force.
 
I had an A100 for about 5 years and it was a great knife. A little locktite on the pivot. Lost it on a camping trip. Recently got a cqc7b. Great knife. When I got it I took apart & cleaned the pivot area. The liner lock was sticky at first but after about a week it settled in.
Most Emerson need a break in period. Don't mind that. I sorta makes it your own. I don't flick it open, no wave. I open it with the thumb disk in a smooth motion.
154cm chisel grind is great. Easy to get very sharp.
Fit & finish - There are better brands but I find Emersons to be fine.
If you don't like it then resell with minimal loss.
 
stonproject said:
Ive never really heard of linerlocks wearing out so fast. why do emersons need replaced so often??
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2006 Commander. Double Ti liners



2014 CQC-7



And a group photo, 2010 A-100, 2013 SOCFK, 2011 Horseman



All of my EKI's are users and I just wanted to offer an example of what is typical of the lockup on all 13 of them.
 
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I flick all my knives really hard. And its never, ever caused an issue, on any knife.

I mainly want an emerson because of the wave, and your damn right im gonna wave it nonstop for its entire life, and id expect a knife of this caliber to hold up to that use.

I wouldnt call flicking or waving a knife abuse. abuse is doing something to a knife that it was not intended to do. the emerson was meant to be flicked out hard, or atleast it should with a wave and ti lock.

My axis locks like to be flicked hard, and keep begging for more with no signs of use.

Im thinking about going with a Spyderco Military and waving it myself
 
Get back to me when you decide to flick a Sebenza as hard as you can repeatedly.
 
Yeah, see that is just something that I don't understand. There was a guy that used to work with us, he was about 12 years younger than the other 3 guys on our team. He used to open his knives like he was trying to start a lawnmower. It looked so ridiculous and drew all the wrong kinds of attention to himself. It's like the other annoying people out there, you know... Mouth breathers, mumblers- talk to themselves all day long, eating with their mouth wide open smacking and pissing everyone off, nose pickers that "play" with the treasure, etc. I'm not saying you need to concern yourself with that, it's your business what you do. I just honestly think it's completely stupid to flick knives open, I mean there is no point to it really. Then again, there are some folks that suffer from ADHD and they can't help themselves as well the obvious attention whores out there. Oh well. :rolleyes:
 
RevDevil said:
Yeah, see that is just something that I don't understand. There was a guy that used to work with us, he was about 12 years younger than the other 3 guys on our team. He used to open his knives like he was trying to start a lawnmower. It looked so ridiculous and drew all the wrong kinds of attention to himself. It's like the other annoying people out there, you know... Mouth breathers, mumblers- talk to themselves all day long, eating with their mouth wide open smacking and pissing everyone off, nose pickers that "play" with the treasure, etc. I'm not saying you need to concern yourself with that, it's your business what you do. I just honestly think it's completely stupid to flick knives open, I mean there is no point to it really. Then again, there are some folks that suffer from ADHD and they can't help themselves as well the obvious attention whores out there. Oh well. :rolleyes:
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How is it "stupid" to flick open knives?

Its just a very simple way to open your knife quickly. I dont see why thats stupid.

Thats essentially calling the wave stupid.

I use my knives hard, and if a "flick" can cause problems, than its a knife that wont stay with me long. Thats why im inquiring about hard use knives, because they will be used hard. Thats why I dont buy a sebenza, too much money in a knife that will be thrashed.
 
Do you mind elaborating on what is hard use for you? I'm a roofer so I'm almost certain what I consider to be hard use is different than your definition of hard use.
 
ibute21 said:
Do you mind elaborating on what is hard use for you? I'm a roofer so I'm almost certain what I consider to be hard use is different than your definition of hard use.
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I work in a factory, so the uses of the knife are unlimited. Id expect it to be able to handle any realistic cutting chore, even if its better suited for a fixed blade.

I want a blade that will not only work hard with no hiccups, but can also serve as a last ditch self defense tool, thus another reason id prefer rapid deployment with minimal motor skills involved.

Id like a blade I can even take camping. Helping prepare fire wood, building shelter in a pinch, even as far as lashing it into a spear for hunting, and then using it to skin your kill.

Id expect this knife to go above ad beyond the call of duty.
 
stonproject said:
I work in a factory, so the uses of the knife are unlimited. Id expect it to be able to handle any realistic cutting chore, even if its better suited for a fixed blade.

I want a blade that will not only work hard with no hiccups, but can also serve as a last ditch self defense tool, thus another reason id prefer rapid deployment with minimal motor skills involved.

Id like a blade I can even take camping. Helping prepare fire wood, building shelter in a pinch, even as far as lashing it into a spear for hunting, and then using it to skin your kill.

Id expect this knife to go above ad beyond the call of duty.
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I think you're going to be paying out for a knife that is essentially being asked to do the work of a hard-use fixed blade. It won't be cheap.
 
stonproject said:
How is it "stupid" to flick open knives?

Its just a very simple way to open your knife quickly. I dont see why thats stupid.

Thats essentially calling the wave stupid.

I use my knives hard, and if a "flick" can cause problems, than its a knife that wont stay with me long. Thats why im inquiring about hard use knives, because they will be used hard. Thats why I dont buy a sebenza, too much money in a knife that will be thrashed.
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It's very stupid in my opinion to flick open a knife. Why? Because it damages it. NO KNIFE will stand up to repeated "flicking".

The guys in my neck of the woods that THWACK their knives open are typically Rambo wannabes that buy the "Jin-yooo-wine Boo-wee-knafs" they sell late at night on TV. I hear you can get a whole lot of them for $50, and the guys on the infomercial say they are very rugged!

Bottom line is - if you know about knives, you know it's not a great idea to do a full force arm extended THWACK to get them open. If you don't know a lot about knives and what they are supposed to do, and what they are capable of, and how to take care of them and prolong their use, you will think it is a great idea.
 
stonproject said:
I work in a factory, so the uses of the knife are unlimited. Id expect it to be able to handle any realistic cutting chore, even if its better suited for a fixed blade.

I want a blade that will not only work hard with no hiccups, but can also serve as a last ditch self defense tool, thus another reason id prefer rapid deployment with minimal motor skills involved.

Id like a blade I can even take camping. Helping prepare fire wood, building shelter in a pinch, even as far as lashing it into a spear for hunting, and then using it to skin your kill.

Id expect this knife to go above ad beyond the call of duty.
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I would highly suggest that you not try stuff like this with a folder. Sound like you are looking for a fixed blade. Something in the "sharpened prybar category".
 
Honestly then I dont recommend an Emerson for you my friend. The brand itself is targeted towards leo/military/first responders. A very specific niche thats not going to fill your needs as a camp/bushcrafting/skinning knife as some other offerings might have. At the same time I firmly believe in using the right tools for the job. But as a general EDC go for it, I chose the CQC8 because of its utilitarian blade shape and its always good to know it can whip out in a flash with the wave in a "self defense" situation if ever needed.
 
Like others on this forum, I own knives from a lot of manufacturers. My two favorite knives I own are the Emerson CQC10 and Zero Tolerance ZT0777. There's no doubt that the ZT is the nicer knife. Better build qualty, better materials, etc. But I almost always carry the Emerson. I love the ergonomics, the Wave and the blade shape.
 
AntDog said:
It's very stupid in my opinion to flick open a knife. Why? Because it damages it. NO KNIFE will stand up to repeated "flicking".

The guys in my neck of the woods that THWACK their knives open are typically Rambo wannabes that buy the "Jin-yooo-wine Boo-wee-knafs" they sell late at night on TV. I hear you can get a whole lot of them for $50, and the guys on the infomercial say they are very rugged!

Bottom line is - if you know about knives, you know it's not a great idea to do a full force arm extended THWACK to get them open. If you don't know a lot about knives and what they are supposed to do, and what they are capable of, and how to take care of them and prolong their use, you will think it is a great idea.
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Cant tell what youre insinuating. But i simply flick the knife open with just enough force for it to open.

Sure the stop bar could wear after A LONG TIME WITH LOTS OF USE, but its not hard to replace that. and if thats the extent of the wear, whats the issue?

I can see on an emerson having the lock wore down because of it. but what about on an axis lock? How is the integrity of the tool being compromised by lightly flicking out the blade? for that matter, why are there knives with flippers and assisted mechanisms if theyre not designed to be flicked.

Saying no knife will hold up to flicking is quite the statement, and you seem to be getting pretty flustered about this, so can you enlighten me?

Ive been using knives for over 10 years, flicking everyone that can be flicked, and ive seen zero issues. So as far as me knowing nothing about knives because of the method in which i use to open them really seems like complete hogwash.
 
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