Emerson Mach 1 bts pawn shop score

Kitten Party

Kitten Party

Joined
Jun 9, 2014
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Got one at the local pawnshop today for $80, 2000 vintage. I've never had an Emerson before but I saw it amid the sea of crap under the glass and bought it in about 20 seconds lol. It was lightly used, there is some tarnish on the pivot screw but everything else looks great! I'm assuming I got my moneys worth? They also had a near perfect condition pardue benchmade auto for $110, I may go back tomorrow and get that lol.

Couple things, this knife is SOOO dull, I tried for about 30 minutes to give it an edge on some rods but it wont even TEAR through paper. I almost want to pay somebody to put a v edge on the thing. The other issue is that there is lock rock unless I tighten the pivot screw to the point were I have to use a wrist flick to get it open. I'm new to emersons and not sure how smooth their actions generally are.

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Tell you what. You ship me the knife and I'll fix it up and sharpen it and then send pictures of how perfect it is! :D

I kid, I kid. This seems like the perfect opportunity to practice your sharpening and repair skills. Take the knife apart, clean it, put it back together, etc. Read some threads on how to restore a completely dulled edge and on how to adjust pivot screws. You did pay a decent price, so don't worry too much about perfection. Use this knife to learn the way of knives. (Even though we are both non-paying members and shouldn't discuss price, I'd recommend not buying the benchmade. They often pop up here for great prices!)

Oh, and post some pics.
 
jfalkos said:
Tell you what. You ship me the knife and I'll fix it up and sharpen it and then send pictures of how perfect it is! :D

I kid, I kid. This seems like the perfect opportunity to practice your sharpening and repair skills. Take the knife apart, clean it, put it back together, etc. Read some threads on how to restore a completely dulled edge and on how to adjust pivot screws. You did pay a decent price, so don't worry too much about perfection. Use this knife to learn the way of knives. (Even though we are both non-paying members and shouldn't discuss price, I'd recommend not buying the benchmade. They often pop up here for great prices!)

Oh, and post some pics.
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hehe, ok. I did take it apart and clean it and re-lubricate it. The action is still very similar. I'm guessing that after `14 years the titanium liner has worn down a little. I don't have any experience with Emerson's CS, wonder if they would service it for a postage fee. I have been trying and trying to get the dang thing sharpened, watched some yt videos on sharpening chisel grinds. It is still dull as a butter knife :(
 
What are you sharpening with? To sharpen a chisel edge like that, I just make 4 or 5 swipes on the ground side, then one swipe almost flat on the other side to knock the burr off so it doesn't build up into a wire edge. Just do that on medium grit a few times, then switch to fine. Should get sharp no problem!

You got a great buy on a great knife... Just don't "sharpen" it down into a toothpick.
 
Also, the action on Emersons need to be broken in. Just squirt a little of your favorite lube down in the pivot, then open and close it a bunch. It'll get smoother. Emersons are notorious for this.

Don't be so concerned man. It will be a great knife once you get those couple things taken care of. Enjoy it.... Or sell it to me, and I'll enjoy it!
 
Send it back to Emerson, the warranty should take care of the lock rock and have them put a factory edge on it. Or sell it, you should do well, I would personally keep it.

Great score.
 
This would be something I'd dream about. Great find! If this thread were in the Emerson forum I'm sure Emerson Rep would point you in the right direction. He'd probably love to check them pics out too!
 
Nice score, mate! It looks to be in rather good condition, if it needs some maintenance just send it to Emerson (assuming you're in the US). If you don't like the chisel edge, you can always find somebody to modify it for you or try your hand at doing it yourself (I put a symmetrical convex edge on my Emerson Persian and LOVE how it turned out).

Personally, I'd send it over to Emerson because of the blade play.
 
try to sell it, and use the money to buy a more current emerson model. they definitely need to be broken in though, they need lube and need to be open and closed a bunch of times. i also usually sand down the g10 handles on my emerson to make them smoother and more pocket friendly.
 
Sleek mama.
That's an Awesome find!
As suggested, have the folks @ Emerson tweak it back to life.
It becomes obvious where the handle on the current Kershaw Emerson cqc5&6k draw inspiration from.
 
Just sayin, but $110 for one of the 3550 pardue autos is an average price...great knife, and I'd encourage you to buy it, though. :) that emerson is a score!!
 
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