Emerson Knives

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Gideons

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So, I almost alway hear about how disapointing emerson knives are. I own a ZT 0560BW, ZT 0301, Benchmade Griptilian etc. Recently I was around police units in Ontario and they are now being issued Emerson knives. So, I was wondering the how strong can the liner lock on an Emerson can be, they look very thing compared to even a ZT 0350. They have a "tough" reputation, and are used by Elite Military and Police units.... So why do I see all these complaints and issues, about liner issues, finish issues, overall quality control issues? From my experience, serious people don't put up with bad gear. What is your thoughts on the idea of how strong emerson is vs lets say Benchmade, ZT or CS. Also, how strong do you really need a knife to be?

-Gideon
 
My Emerson's liner lock sucked, and so did some other parts of the knife. Many other people will tell you that they use the hell out of their Emerson with no problems whatsoever. Emerson are probably one of the more controversial products in the production knife world right now, up there with Strider. You probably just opened up a can of worms with this thread, so have fun!
 
They work fine.
Some people have had actual issues, and had them fixed under warranty.

Far more people imagine issues, then spread the imagined issues on the internet.

The liner-lock is thicker on newer models than on older ones.

Liner-locks are not the strongest lock out there, but when made properly, they do function pretty darn well. :)

[video=youtube;woG2l1FWI3Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woG2l1FWI3Q[/video]
 
I would say that I see more complaints about fit and finish than anything else. For what they cost, a roughly finished scale and a basic 154CM blade are pretty bottom-rung. For the money, you can get an Emerson design Zero Tolerance knife which is made of better materials, with better fit and finish. However, like Striders, Emerson knives carry the "These are for operators" cache, and a lot of folks swear by them for that reason.
 
TBH, my favourite lock is the axis lock by Benchmade. I live the wave feature, and idk... For some reason was never into the ZT 0620, for some weird reason. I am not trying to start a shit storm, I am not into the hype or drama. Strider may be a character, but I have heard nothing but good things about his knife. For me, I try to work on systems and that depends on job needing to be done, and the flipper is a different training motion than wave (which I try to vary little as possible for muscle memory training). CQC-15 was always my favourite design due to blade design, blade length and weight.

-Gideons
 
Quiet said:
I would say that I see more complaints about fit and finish than anything else. For what they cost, a roughly finished scale and a basic 154CM blade are pretty bottom-rung. For the money, you can get an Emerson design Zero Tolerance knife which is made of better materials, with better fit and finish.
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I like my ZT 0630. It's a great knife.

I also have a Super CQC-8 though; while the blade shape is similar, the overall design and feel is different enough to be, well, a different knife.
I wouldn't buy one in Canada right now though, seeing as the price jumped by $150. :eek:
 
eon blue apocalypse said:
Which Ontario police services are issuing Emersons? My uncle is Niagara regional, I wonder if he got one...
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At this moment in time I doubt he would have received them officially. I know currently they are officially being tested/training provided for police in the GTA region as a trial.

-Gideons
 
Emerson knives are nearly as much a cult as a brand. Or maybe "llifestyle" would be the better word. A lot of Emerson owners, a lot like the knives, are cut a little rougher, have experience with knives and are usually beyond the jungle of knife tinkle B.S. the novice user or collector has to wade through.

A few things about the knives are controversial---the fact that they are tactically oriented, the chisel ginds some models have, a mostly liner-lock brand line, claimed fit-and-finish issues that frankly I've never run across, etc.

They ARE different. They are not necessarily thumb-flick flash blades nor are they artsy knives. They can take a while to break in and sometimes require a few tweaks. Impatient new owners are not their best market.

But they have an almost unmatched loyalty among those who own and use them. I have a number of them and they are very good knives.
 
EChoil said:
Emerson knives are nearly as much a cult as a brand. Or maybe "llifestyle" would be the better word. A lot of Emerson owners, a lot like the knives, are cut a little rougher, have experience with knives and are usually beyond the jungle of knife tinkle B.S. the novice user or collector has to wade through.

A few things about the knives are controversial---the fact that they are tactically oriented, the chisel ginds some models have, a mostly liner-lock brand line, claimed fit-and-finish issues that frankly I've never run across, etc.

They ARE different. They are not necessarily thumb-flick flash blades nor are they artsy knives. They can take a while to break in and sometimes require a few tweaks. Impatient new owners are not their best market.

But they have an almost unmatched loyalty among those who own and use them. I have a number of them and they are very good knives.
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Interesting ideology, and that is one thing that I enjoy about brands, they keep around the good models. All of the ZT's (possibly my favourite brand) have cancelled all the models I own, and their famous models. I also dislike knives that are finicky. Tough tactical knives are my primary market. I understand the "cult" like brand following, but I didn't think government officials would do that who are not knives guys themselves.
 
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The "wannabe commando" effect. Rather annoying no matter what company uses the commando marketing. Although some companies have a legitimate military tool like rmj hawks so I don't knock rmj.


The Emerson crusaders will arrive shortly and inform every one thin linerlocks are the cats meow and if your folding knife steel isnt 56 hrc 154cm, it will chip into dust while cutting zip ties lol.

Personally i think emersons are ok knives if you don't mind a left hand chisel ground blade. I think many guys like Ernest Emersons values and get a kick out of supporting his company. And I feel where they are coming from, I just don't by into the kool aid so I "don't get it" I guess. I'm good with not "getting it" because my modified 0620cf is freaking awesome and has a wave. Ernie knows how to design a comfortable knife I just wish he got away from liner locks, chisel edges, and made his knives with better tolerances.


I'd be more happy if he had more collabs with zero tolerance though.

Quiet said:
I would say that I see more complaints about fit and finish than anything else. For what they cost, a roughly finished scale and a basic 154CM blade are pretty bottom-rung. For the money, you can get an Emerson design Zero Tolerance knife which is made of better materials, with better fit and finish. However, like Striders, Emerson knives carry the "These are for operators" cache, and a lot of folks swear by them for that reason.
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Recently got my first Emerson. A cqc7b, I was so excited. What a let down. The fit is absolutely terrible. Lateral play that could be tuned out but resulted in the stiffest pivot.

The finish was actually pretty good and the lock was solid and stable. Would the knife work as a cutting tool? Absolutely and in that aim it works. But I'm a knife nut and other things matter to me too. My Tenacious is better built IMO.
 
"Serious people" don't sit around screwing around with their pocket knives to find out if the lock could possibly fail. There isn't a team of commandos running around with pocket knives using them as assassination weapons. As utility knives, they are probably fine.

The flip side of professional agencies like local PDs are that they don't make choices based on some sort of extensive testing, like a large military does. Police issue weapons last decades, but most PDs switch pistols much more often that that. Why? Because they get a new chief, new sales rep, whatever. I don't think there is ANY utility to referring to the choices of any group of LE that only has a few hundred officers.
 
shinyedges said:
The "wannabe commando" effect. Rather annoying no matter what company uses the commando marketing. Although some companies have a legitimate military tool like rmj hawks so I don't knock rmj.


The Emerson crusaders will arrive shortly and inform every one thin linerlocks are the cats meow and if your folding knife steel isnt 56 hrc 154cm, it will chip into dust while cutting zip ties lol.

Personally i think emersons are ok knives if you don't mind a left hand chisel ground blade. I think many guys like Ernest Emersons values and get a kick out of supporting his company. And I feel where they are coming from, I just don't by into the kool aid so I "don't get it" I guess. I'm good with not "getting it" because my modified 0620cf is freaking awesome and has a wave. Ernie knows how to design a comfortable knife I just wish he got away from liner locks, chisel edges, and made his knives with better tolerances.


I'd be more happy if he had more collabs with zero tolerance though.
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Don't you think the ZT 0620 is a little heavy and kinda a shorter blade for "tactical" purposes? Shorter than pretty much all tactical knives(most are 3.75+) and other ZT heavy use knives (most are 3.75"). Also kind of annoys me how high the pocket clip and shiny the titanium side is.
 
Yeah it sucks having to break in a new knife. The end product is worth it IMO.
 
Good, solid dependable knives, as a rule; if anything goes wrong Emerson will fix it. The liner lock strength is a non-issue for me; it provides a margin of safety but doesn't guarantee it, like any other lock. One-handed opening is very convenient. CM154 is OK steel, as good as most people need, and relatively easy to sharpen. I don't care for the chisel edge but that's just me.
 
RX-79G said:
"Serious people" don't sit around screwing around with their pocket knives to find out if the lock could possibly fail. There isn't a team of commandos running around with pocket knives using them as assassination weapons. As utility knives, they are probably fine.

The flip side of professional agencies like local PDs are that they don't make choices based on some sort of extensive testing, like a large military does. Police issue weapons last decades, but most PDs switch pistols much more often that that. Why? Because they get a new chief, new sales rep, whatever. I don't think there is ANY utility to referring to the choices of any group of LE that only has a few hundred officers.
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I am unsure if you are referring to my comment about PD but the police force I was referring to that was doing the testing is a rather large police force, thousands of police officers. The military often provides knives, but they don't force anybody to use a specific knife especially folding knives. How many serious people do you know :P ? Serious people may not "sit around screwing" with their knives, but they test all their gear in training extensively so they know it will work when it is needed. Depending on your job, knives are quite extensively used in the Army in a vast array of jobs.
 
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The blade is almost 3.75 on the 0620cf if I am not mistaken. Heavy is something that varies from person to person, for me it isn't heavy at all.


The term "tactical" and folder always make me chuckle. Just like "hard use" folder. Any item can be used tactically including rocks, pencils, chairs, tooth brushes and so on.


Many emersons fall well below 3.5 inches.. Although the super varients are longer bladed and the iron dragon i had was 3.75 if im not mistaken.

Gideons said:
Don't you think the ZT 0620 is a little heavy and kinda a shorter blade for "tactical" purposes? Shorter than pretty much all tactical knives(most are 3.75+) and other ZT heavy use knives (most are 3.75"). Also kind of annoys me how high the pocket clip and shiny the titanium side is.
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Iv never had a liner lock fail on me Emerson or not, but I use my knives as knives.
 
I think they're good knives that aren't worth the premium. I'm not a fan of liner locks in general, but I don't think those that Emerson makes are significantly worse except in that the ones I've seen and used have worn very quickly and they tend to have quite severe lock stick before they wear in. My main issue with fit is pivot screws backing out very, very quickly. Have a good friend who lost the pivot screw on his CQC-10 due to that.

The designs and ergonomics are top notch. Every example I've held the grind were spot on and their stonewash is exceptional, the best I've seen on production knives. That said, I think you can just get more knife for the money from a number of companies.

My bottom line about Emerson knives is this: If you just want a tough, solid, functional knife look elsewhere and you'll get as much knife for half the price. If, however, there's a specific Emerson design you're in love with, go ahead and pick it up. It will likely do everything you ask of it and more. Heck, I may very well pick up a CQC-14 Snubby, just becauseit fills a niche that very few other manufacturers address.
 
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