Emerson factory knives quality?

Emersons are good knives. They seem to all have very secure handles. Thier liner locks are as good as any. And I'd say thier over- all quality is up there with spyderco and benchmade. I did have a mini commander with a slight gap between the liner and g-10 at the butt, but it was only about 1/16 of an inch and didn't bother me or the knife. The high point of emerson knives for me is thier handles. Few bm or spydercos can beat an average emerson in that area in my opinion.
 
JTC said:
What makes a chisel grind better for self defense over a regular grind?
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i dont know that its better than a std "V" grind but it cuts which is what SD is all about. i dont know that its any better OR worse than a std grind.
 
hardheart said:
nothing, it's just easier to make
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maybe, IIRC all ernies early stuff was CG and thats the way he went when he started EKI, are ya saying he sat down and thought "i can save 10% on the grind costs on all the knives i sell if i go CG" or do ya think ernie simply cant do a std "v" grind?? i would have to say wrong on both counts.

doesnt really matter though all EKI's are pretty much CG except the '12 which is almost a std "v" grind but not quite, ernie likes them for whatever reasons and EKI is gonna make them that way at least as long as they sell (which IIRC they do) and if ya dont like the CG (again for whatever reasons, doesnt matter) then EKI isnt for you, get a spydie/BM/whatever. we can debate the cons/merits of a CG from now till gabriel blows his horn and irregardless of how it turns out EKI is gonna be mostly CG's because thats the way ernie wants to make them and he owns the co. and he is happy with the CG, and i would have to say a lot of folks must agree as they do sell the things. if the company belonged to me (which it doesnt) or i had a connection to ernie (which i dont) i would at least suggest considering a few std "V" grind knives, but hey what do i know?? evidently he is happy with the way he does things, hard to argue with success.

so like i said if ya dont like CG's EKI's are not for you get something else.
 
About CGs from Emerson's page:
There are several reasons for the chisel grind. For any of you who have ever used a correctly sharpened wood chisel for woodworking, you know what a chisel can do. Although a knife is not a chisel, those properties, when applied to a knife grind have almost magical effect. A chisel ground knife, being beveled, (ground) on one side only, possesses greater strength, (due to increased cross sectional mass) and they cut with an ease not found on any other type of blade. This is because there is no parasitic drag produced by the flat side when cutting --- no drag points. On top of that, they are much easier to sharpen --- you only have to sharpen one side.
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To me, increased cross sectional mass is just another way to say 'thicker', and no parasitic drag on one side means unequal distribution of forces, which is why chisel grinds don't cut straight.

There's other asymmetrical grinds, like Nealy used on his Y2K, Busse had one, and quite a bit of japanese cutlery. Some kind of full flat on one side, and convex or saber grinds on the other. Haven't tried those, but I know the chisel doesn't work for me.
 
Amen to that - My BM CQC7 always cuts to one side in an arc. I have also found that when cutting down heavy cardboard boxes a flat ground knife gave me less resistance - but its a matter of perceived degree.

Doesn't make it a bad knife, tanto point or not, I just appreciate the utility of a drop point flat ground blade.

All of which has nothing to add to an actual Emerson made knife, but I'm just another Man of the Year Internet user . . . :D
 
hardheart said:
To me, increased cross sectional mass is just another way to say 'thicker', and no parasitic drag on one side means unequal distribution of forces, which is why chisel grinds don't cut straight.

There's other asymmetrical grinds, like Nealy used on his Y2K, Busse had one, and quite a bit of japanese cutlery. Some kind of full flat on one side, and convex or saber grinds on the other. Haven't tried those, but I know the chisel doesn't work for me.
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dont cut straight in what??
 
well since they really arent for utility use how it cuts cardboard is irrellevant imho.

i do agree they arent the best for utility use.
 
shipwreck said:
How does Emerson compare with the big two, Spyderco and Benchmade?
I have my eye on an Emerson 10 drop point, was wondering if anyone here has had problems with Emerson in terms of quality. Just seems to be less and less said about Emerson nowadays, and Im hoping it isn't due to quality.

Would my money be better spent on a Manix?
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I've never been a big Emerson fan. I have handled quite a few of their knives, and the fit/finish and overall quality seems lacking to me. I would rate Spyderco and Benchmade as superior.

I'd get a Manix over any Emerson. The Manix is hard to beat for an EDC folder if you don't mind the weight.
 
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