Emerson Knives

Wolf1524 said:
I would accept this if their knives would cost 100-150 dollars. But for 200-400 dollars it is only a poor excuse.
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And yet the guy has been a knife maker for nearly 40 years and currently has a two year backlog on production orders.
He is obviously doing something right.
Oh yeah, and a couple of the best Emerson models are under $150.
 
Chisel grind is neither good nor bad, just a way of doing things.
Never had any blade play.
Never waited 2 years for a model I wanted. I got it cheaper on the exchange.
 
People say things like this all the time..."it's not what I'd usually want but it's fine because ____". I really don't understand how a good edge on a knife is worth the massive price of an emerson. If you want that sharp of a knife, strop it. I use an old belt that I got when I was 10. Cost me nothing. Anyways...if I'm going to buy something for a few hundred dollars I shouldn't have to justify my purchase in ANY way. The f&f should be excellent. The action should be smooth, and for god's sake there shouldn't be GUNK in the pivot. I don't care how great the designs or reputation are, if they can't even take care of their quality, we shouldn't be justifying buying them.
 
The little screws used to bug me too but they work just fine.
I'd like to Emerson offer a folder with the nut & bolt construction though. That'd be cool.
rolf
 
hapasnyper said:
I believe that Emerson's fit and finish is much improved as of late. I just got a 2013 horseman and it was stiff at first but I played with it for a few days then took it apart and cleaned and greased it smooth as silk now. My g10 scales line up pretty near perfect to the liners. The liners do have grind lines but they are not as bad as everyone makes them seem. The lock up is perfect no play and no stick. Blade is also centered.
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- I've had the same experience. I own various knives from 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013. The 2012 and 2013 knives have much better fit and finish than the previous knives.
 
I like my Spydercos, I like my Sebenza 21s, I like my Benchmades, I really like my Sebenza 25.

But I LOVE my Emerson CQC8. I can't explain it, there just is a fondness for that knife that none of the others can evoke. With better fit and finish, prettier hardware, nicer finishes. I get it.

But emotion cannot be easily justified sometimes. I don't know really why I love that knife so much, but I do.

And if it were the only knife I had, because times got hard and I had to sell off all the others to make ends meet, well that would suck. But I'd be fine.

Because I still had that one. And that would be all that I really needed, when it came right down to it.

If something needed opened, trimmed, scraped, sliced, diced or scared off, I'd have the tool for the job right there in my hand every time.

And opened faster than any of my automatics could be if it really came down to it.

And I guess that's why I love my CQC8. Because no matter what, it'll get the job done and I won't feel guilty using it to do whatever it was I was using it for.

Period.
 
Wolf1524 said:
I would accept this if their knives would cost 100-150 dollars. But for 200-400 dollars it is only a poor excuse.
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So what kind of wages and insurance and other benefits are the American workers in the factory supposed to expect from that exactly? How about the cost of making the knives? If you don't like them or find them off-putting in some way, the solution is quite simple, don't spend your money on them and buy what you do like. Not everyone likes the same thing, what makes one thing awesome for one, makes another yawn.

ETA: You appear to have a very visceral reaction to this brand. How many do you or have you owned? I can think of at least 3 other brands that truly deserve this level of scornful reservation. Another thing, no, it's not a status symbol. This is far from being the Fedora poppin, thrift store hipster, sweater vest wearin', Weezer twinkie pop rock lovin', grown man eating Flintstone's chewable vitamins, knife brand.
 
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Aw, and I love my Flintstones chewable vitamins :)

RevDevil said:
So what kind of wages and insurance and other benefits are the American workers in the factory supposed to expect from that exactly? How about the cost of making the knives? If you don't like them or find them off-putting in some way, the solution is quite simple, don't spend your money on them and buy what you do like. Not everyone likes the same thing, what makes one thing awesome for one, makes another yawn.

ETA: You appear to have a very visceral reaction to this brand. How many do you or have you owned? I can think of at least 3 other brands that truly deserve this level of scornful reservation. Another thing, no, it's not a status symbol. This is far from being the Fedora poppin, thrift store hipster, sweater vest wearin', Weezer twinkie pop rock lovin', grown man eating Flintstone's chewable vitamins, knife brand.
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L2bravo said:
Ok, before I put my flame suit on, I want to ask a couple of questions. What is the attraction to Emerson? I am not bad mouthing, but here is my take on the couple that I took in trade, and let go. They are not smooth, they have blade play, F/F is not what I would call at the top end, The steel is "ok", not great, they have a relatively mediocre liner lock, they use hardware that I would pick last (like the tiny phillips screws, as opposed to hex/torx).

I realize the astronauts used them, SF guys use them, LE uses them, and many other people. I only want why! I am missing something.
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I don't know who else uses Emersons. The only two I've seen carried besides mine were carried by SD instructors at a couple of gun ranges I frequent. I don't read mags where Emersons are advertised and I've never actually seen an Emerson ad so I'm not sure who they target. I just speak for myself. I handles an Emerson for the first time at New Graham in Bluefield and I liked the way it felt and worked. So I bought that one. Since then, I've had a chance to handle several others and I bought a mini-CQC15 from a gun shop in Athens. That's the one I still have and carry when I want a bullet-proof knife that'll do anything I want and cause me no worries about how it'll look afterwards. My 4 Emersons have all been solid with no blade play, early lockup, and a great feel in my hand. They fit my hand as well as my Para 2s do, and that's as good as it gets for me.

I've used my mini-15 for work around my house where it carved wood and scraped paint and construction adhesive to repair a front porch, I've taken it to work in the warehouse where it has cut zip ties, computer cables, cardboard, tape, and blister packs. I've used it to trim shrubs, open feed bags, and even mow grass at my house. It looks just about the same as it did the day I took it out of the gun shop over a year ago. The lockup hasn't moved one mm from where it started. I have a few scratches in the black coating but they don't go all the way through. I can use it, dull it, and have it back shaving again in 10" with a Sharpmaker and a bare leather strop. It ain't pretty, it ain't fancy, it ain't"cutting edge"... it just does what I want when I want with no fuss or worry.

The "OK" steel and the old-school liner lock work for me and they don't cause me any trouble. That's what I pay for... rock-solid reliability. If someone else wants to do high speed, experimental, cutting edge stuff... more power to 'em. If they like bling and glitter and fancy things, I got no problem with that. It's just not for me and my tools. I pay for plain, simple, and familiar.
 
The Super CQC-8 I recently got is pretty good.
Centered blade, smooth enough, sharp...lock works.
It is good, for the price I got it at.
For MSRP or the price I see it going for at most places, nope.
 
Joe Watson said:
You answered your own question :)

They are good knives. Smoothness, blade play and hardware choice are not only subjective, but not really areas of critique for military, LE and others who just want something solid that can take a whoopin'. There is also much to be said for a company who can deliver on their promises.

They also have an impressive manufacturing capability and history of taking care of clients mentioned above.
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How can they "take a whoopin"? The locks on most of them aren't very strong and even emerson says they're not strong enough for stabbing tasks.
 
RemyKaze said:
I think it is more the price point versus materials than actual critique over the knives themselves. EKI is a long standing business that obviously is solidly planted, so why the high prices? Please don't tell me it takes $200 for an established company like that to make a profit on a knife with those materials.
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What a lot of people don't realize is that Emersons are essentially handmade knives. There's a lot of handfitting and handfiling, not to mention each model is built in small batches. Compare this (EKI) to Benchmade's factory:

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Hand work = more expensive. Plus it gives the knives a certain character that other production knives don't have.
 
I really like the Horseman and nearly ordered it but I wanted the ZT0350 more. I could care less about how he markets his products or the 154cm, I love it on my Grip. If I am still interested down the road, I'll definitely pick one up.
 
adamg01 said:
I really like the Horseman and nearly ordered it but I wanted the ZT0350 more. I could care less about how he markets his products or the 154cm, I love it on my Grip. If I am still interested down the road, I'll definitely pick one up.
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I've had one ZT350 and three Horsemen (and will eventually get another) if that tells you my preference.
 
fzla226 said:
How can they "take a whoopin"? The locks on most of them aren't very strong and even emerson says they're not strong enough for stabbing tasks.
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- I don't think I'll encounter any of the situations in this video, but it shows that the lock is strong enough for the things you are likely going to use it for in real world situations.

[video=youtube;psTeERN8xWM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psTeERN8xWM[/video]

At the end of the day, it's still a folding knife. If you want to do extreme things with a knife, use a fixed blade.
 
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