Emerson? Isn't that a country band? Oh wait...

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MagenDavid

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While no stranger to the world of EDC cutlery, the Emerson name is as foreign to me as pre-Columbian Meso-American obsidian use. And yet, the single, solitary gentleman I know in the military's special forces swears by Emerson's knives, carrying two at any given time. This made me wonder...
1) What is it about Emerson that makes the product so superb?
I ask in the context that Emerson seems to use 154CM exclusively, eschewing fancier steels like D2 or S30V, so it doesn't seem to be a super-secret steel.
2) Why the chisel grind?
What advantages does it offer to a conventional double bevel?
3) How does Emerson stack up to other American knives?
For example, is a mini-commander superior to a Benchmade Griptillian?
I was positing this very question to myself tonight. Ordinarily I carry a Benchmade Mini-Griptillian in D2 (or rarely a Spyderco Native in S30V). I (with utmost respect) defy the Emerson forum to persuade me of Emerson's virtues over Benchmade's.
 
MagenDavid said:
While no stranger to the world of EDC cutlery, the Emerson name is as foreign to me as pre-Columbian Meso-American obsidian use. And yet, the single, solitary gentleman I know in the military's special forces swears by Emerson's knives, carrying two at any given time. This made me wonder...
1) What is it about Emerson that makes the product so superb?
I ask in the context that Emerson seems to use 154CM exclusively, eschewing fancier steels like D2 or S30V, so it doesn't seem to be a super-secret steel.
Click to expand...

i'd guess ernie has been happy with the properties of 154cm and sees no reason to change. i would think he has experimented with various steels, but perhaps has not found any others that make change worthwhile.

2) Why the chisel grind? What advantages does it offer to a conventional double bevel?
Click to expand...

in fact, most are not true chisel grinds. the edges are pretty close to what one would consider a chisel grind, but most have a secondary bevel on both sides of the blade.

as to why ernie prefers this, i cant say.

3) How does Emerson stack up to other American knives?
For example, is a mini-commander superior to a Benchmade Griptillian?
I was positing this very question to myself tonight. Ordinarily I carry a Benchmade Mini-Griptillian in D2 (or rarely a Spyderco Native in S30V). I (with utmost respect) defy the Emerson forum to persuade me of Emerson's virtues over Benchmade's.
Click to expand...

superior? that is pretty subjective. i think benchmade makes quality products, however their designs do not appeal to me. that is not to say i think they are bad in any way, quite the contrary. when someone asks me for knife advice, i nearly always recommend they look at benchmades in addition to other companies.

ernie's designs have always just appealed to me. i like the ergonomics, materials, and aesthetics. i also carry at least one on duty, and trust in their reliability. my experiences with his customer service have also been nothing short of great.

ive been to the emerson shop, and had a great conversation with ernie at a show. he spent about 30 minutes with me, answering all my questions, even inquiring a bit himself. there were several dozen others waiting for his lottery drawing, and im sure wanted to talk to ernie as well. but we spoke as though no one else was in the room.

i had owned several of his products prior to meeting him, but that day i became a customer for life.
 
Great reply, Mark.
For me, there is just something about an Emerson knife. It feels so good in my hand. Hold one and see. Then, you'll get one.
 
There is a few things about Emersons that keep me coming back.

The handle ergoes are pretty much spot on on all of his knives.
The styling is minimalist, I hate busy designs so EKI appeal to me because of the subdued look.
The materials used are a good simple combination that leaves little to go wrong. Ti, G-10 and a bit of good steel.
The use of 154cm has been questioned a few times but as mentioned he has been using it for a long time and knows that steel inside out. "If it aint broke dont fix it"

Regarding the chisel grind, I quite like that grind and as mentioned they are not all like that any way.

From the EKI FAQ:

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.
Click to expand...

As far as Emersons Vs ....... they are just as good if not better than any other knives in the same tier but I suppose people just like the styling/hype of one knife brand over another. The CS and reputation of the company go a long way to getting and keeping customers as well as the rep. of the maker/owner.
I like Hondas more than Nissans and I also prefer Emerson over Benchmade.

The only BM knives I actually own are a couple of Balisongs and an auto, both are good quality knives but BMs just generally dont appeal to me much.

:thumbup:
 
One more thing...If you get a chisel grind, have Tom Krein re-grind it to a True chisel grind. The blade then will be not only stunning but it will be your sharpest folder.
 
I have heard about the legendary customer service before. I got the impression that Mr. Emerson will do anything short of show up with a six pack of beer to shoot the breeze and reassure you.
Is the single bevel preferable to a double bevel? I was pondering between the police sark and the mini-commander, and I'm curious if the bevel makes one knife preferable to the other.
 
i prefer the double bevel.

i only own two true chisels. a 1999 cqc7 and a combat kerambit. and the kerambit is carried purely for defensive purposes.

for a cutter i find the double beveled blades more useful.
 
For utility cutting, go with the V profile edge. The chisel grind will pull on a angle when cutting. If that does not matter, :) go with the chisel.
 
The only true chisel grind I thought was on the 7b series both super and regular. That is flat on one side and kind of like a high scandi on the left and then a bevel. The advantage is in a combat folder as it leaves a lot of meat behind the primary grind so it won't chip out. Also the juncture of the tanto point focuses point of impact at that point to really really cut deeply.

I like Emersons more than others just because of the handle ergo's. Do I think they are the number hard use knife in the world? Nah, Strider and few others I think are more robust imho. I don't know I always it seems carry a 7 of some sort and am happy about it. I was totally stoked when I rec. my Strider but it just may be too big for me to carry comfortably. But I still like it. It is a TANK of a knife. It is not as fast as my Emersons though but it is now as sharp. keepem sharp
 
I could perhaps venture a guess or two for the true chisel grind on a combat piece. Why not on the other knives, like the police sark? It seems as though an "almost" chisel bevel would be the worst of both worlds.

edit: let's face it, at this point my next knife will be an Emerson mini-commander. So that question is more pure curiosity.
 
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The chisel grind knives I have are the 7 series, Kerambit, La griffe and a SARK.
Iv also seen a chisel grind commander.

As mentioned a chisel grind will pull to one side and a V grind will tend cut in a straight line.
You can cut straightish lines with a chisel grind if you counter it but its still not quite the same.

Given that Emersons are not craft knives and are intended for SD and/or less refined cutting chores this is a non starter really.

They have an edge and a point so they can cut and stap :D:thumbup:
 
It sounds like a chisel grind would actually be preferable, then, as far as owning an Emerson. I mean, if I needed to do delicate work, it sounds like an Emerson would be legitimately inferior to my Benchmade or my Spyderco. But for work that demands sheer cutting power, the Emerson would be a supreme tool with a chisel grind. Well, either grind really. But the point is that a fellow buys an Emerson to kick the feces out of it, and a chisel grind has more feces out of which to kick.
In which case, the police SARK would be the better option, for which the tasks an Emerson is intended.
 
I carry Emersons every day and use them for all sorts of things from
martial arts practice to bush craft to opening packs of dog food or mail to cleaning my nails.

There is really no point trying to pick flys here. Any knife with an edge will
cut but if you really want to get super technical about it then a chisel grind
will behave in a different way to a V grind.

Im willing to bet "Joe public" would never even notice the difference though.

:):thumbup:
 
My Emerson Commander was my first real high end knife that I ever owned. Everything before that was less than $100 and were before I really knew anything about knives.

Emersons are among my favorites, as stated earlier, good materials and great ergonomics. My Commander feels like it's hugging my hand right back when I'm holding it. I've beat, chopped, batoned, and sent my commander to hell and back and it still locks up great and is saying,"please sir may I have another." :D
 
There are different kinds of chisel grind, either primary grind or secondary (edge bevel). Emerson uses both.

On his chisel ground knives, the primary grind is on one side only, and it has a secondary bevel on that side as well, although I don't believe any of his custom knives add this seocndary bevel.

On his v-ground knives, the secondary bevel is only on one side, giving them a very slight tendency to slip off to the side when cutting.

Why? Think about the geometry of a chisel grind. As you bring the edge down on material, the flat unground side goes straignt down, but the beveled side meets the material at an angle, pushing it away as the progressively thicker blade section cuts in.

Either the material is pushed away from the knife, or the knife slides away from the material, away from the chisel ground side.

For self-defense purposes, or slashing at branches, this is no problem. For cutting a piece of cardboard, it may be inconvenient to have the edge cut a curving line. If you hold the blade at an angle to the material, it will meet it as a v-grind would.
 
ya also have to remember that none of the stuff from EKi has a traditional "V" grind like say a spyderco delica would,


i like emersons stuff because the handles fit my hand so well,
 
154CM isn't a bad steel by any means. I tend to like it a lot and its used on the ZT 0200, a relatively new knife so it obviously isn't lagging behind anything.
 
I'm by no means attacking 154CM. If I understand, it sort of rides as close to being a tool steel as a stainless can while still being a stainless. And I think CPM makes it, and they have an excellent reputation.
I get curious because I think in an American Handgunner annual I remember an article by Mr. Emerson where he said something to the effect of W-1 being as good a steel as any, so I was curious why he chose a stainless steel over a tool steel.
To his credit, though, he is clearly not distracted by the changing whims of the knife market. He chooses to stick with what works reliably. At this point I ponder these things out of more curiosity.
 
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