emerson knives durability

One bad apple is not enough to judge the whole tree bad. What happened to you with the HD could happen with any company. I had a SARK that was not up to par also but the next five EKI knives after that were flawless perfection.


STR
 
Whoa...easy there fellas.

Never said I've only had bad Emersons, and I've certainly been buying knives long enough to know that every manufacturer spits out a clunker every now and again.

Let's clarify, shall we?

I said I've had good and bad Emersons. One most recently was an HD-7. Another forumite asked specifically what the issue with the HD-7 I got was. I replied in kind.

Sure, I've had less than perfect knives from many manufacturers, but in my own personal experience, I've had more wonky Emersons than any other, relatively speaking. I still buy them though. I'm happy for you if you've only ever had perfect Emersons, that's cool, but it doesn't make my own observations any less valid.

It is what it is. I'm not going to sugar coat what I've observed over the years because it might piss somebody off. ;)
 
Firebat said:
Re: The HD-7 I recently sent back to the dealer:

3. Lock bar traveled all the way across the tang, and I mean all the way into the G-10 side. No room for wear whatsoever. Not to mention that the angle of the lockbar face didn't match the mating surface of the blade tang at all.
Click to expand...

I have an HD-7 that I bought at a bargain price because the original owner thought this was a problem. I have opened and closed this knife over five thousand times (nervous habit in slow traffic) and the lock up is still tight.

I don't see this as a defect or problem although I admit many see this type of lock up as one.
 
roshi said:
I have an HD-7 that I bought at a bargain price because the original owner thought this was a problem. I have opened and closed this knife over five thousand times (nervous habit in slow traffic) and the lock up is still tight.

I don't see this as a defect or problem although I admit many see this type of lock up as one.
Click to expand...

Obviously. It would take a loooong time to wear to the point where it got loosey goosey. Ideally though, it's nice to see *some* room for additional engagement.

Were that the only issue, maybe I would of kept it. It wasn't though, and I didn't.

Look, I have had some really nice Emersons. The Mini Comm remains a favorite. But I personally don't care if it can pry the tracks off a tank if the thing doesn't pass basic fit and finish inspection. That goes for Emerson, Benchmade, Spyderco, Kershaw, etc., etc., et. al.

I have to believe there's plenty of other enthusiasts who feel the same.
 
I am a Federal Agent who works undercover full time and I have a CQC 7 and it is my primary carry. I have it where I can get to it faster than my pistol. It has never let me down and once you get the trick to sharpening them down they are great.
 
ive got a few freinds that work for the DEA and dont have a clue what a good knife is . they dont care as long as it works . every time im around they want me to sharpen their knives for em. good on ya for carrying a good folder georgia guy and stay safe .
 
My first cqc7 locked up so tight that I couldn't release the liner to close the knife. I fixed it myself by carefully stoning the liner with a fine stone. It worked flawlesly for months.

The next problem came when I removed the thumb disk so that I could grind the bevel down to a lower angle without damaging it. The screw threads were boogrered up and I couldn't screw it back in.

I sent it to Emerson for repair, and they sent me a brand new knife within ten days. The customer service was excellent.

Unfortunately, the new knife had problems. The liner quickly wore down to the point that it was almost touching the opposite side of the knife. It would slide across the blade tang if I put pressure on the spine, but would stop just short of releasing the blade.

I have lost all faith in liner locks (and lockbacks too, after a trip to the hospital for stitches), and now I carry a small fixed blade knife.

I figure if a quality manufacturer like Emerson has problems with liner locks (in my experience, your mileage may vary),then most other makes of liner locks must have similar problems.
 
I'm an Emergency Medical Technician in Western Mass. I use the hell out of my knives in both EDC and on the job. I want know what all of you fine ladies and gentlemen think about these knives. I checked them out at a boutique style dealer in Boston, and was fairly impressed with the design, opening, and lockup. I just want some input before I consider dropping $200+ on a knife. Let me know what you think!

Cheers,

Samson
 
I just acquired a HD-7 and while everything about is is perfect, the framelock does cover the whole tang of the blade. Its like was mentioned before. I was pleased to see Roshi chime in that he has the same observation but with no problems. The knife is perfect in every regard, rock solid lockup, but I am "used" to a liner or frame lock engaging at or left of center.

Every single other Emerson I have ever touched was perfect or near perfect out of the box. My old 7-A is as rock solid now as it was years ago, and I bought it used. I did re-profile the edge to a conventional V-grind, but I just like them better that way. I re-profiled my -10 and -11 also.

I have also had one experience with Emerson service. I sent a 7B in for sharpening, and it came back sharpened, tuned, and with new washers and screws. It was also in a new box. Excellent service.

I found this thread while searching for comments relative to the lockup on the HD-7. I may ask others if this is how it was designed (it is dead rock solid, afterall) but it still makes me a bit uncomfortable because of being conditioned on what to expect on liner/frame lock placement on the tang.
 
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