Emerson Sheepdog Spearpoint--HUGE Disappointment

try the old pencil trick...stops lock stick and galling. plus easily reversible. being a cop you got a pencil for writing those traffic tickets, right?.:)
 
Boscobarbel said:
Bingo. Sorry for any confusion. I'd heard that jargon used in reference to this problem in other places...if there is a more technical term for the problem, I'm happy to learn something today. :o
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Not really technical, but just as spot on and less confusing. Lock stick or a sticky lock.

Frame lock, while accurate is very confusing as thats already the name for... a frame lock.:D
 
Lock stick is something that some, not all, frame and/or liner locks with a titanium-to-steel contact surface have to go through and when they do it is usually a 'phase' that will eventually be alleviated by the lock and tang interface mating with each other over time. I at one point owned an Emerson custom with perfect lockup for the first three months, severe lock stick for a week, and then back to perfect, albeit slightly deeper, lockup for two years after that.
 
One of my Emerson's had really bad lock stick, walked it into Emerson's shop and they took care of it. No issues at all. The rest of them usually come with stick but not to the point of needing 2 thumbs to close it. They wear in eventually, but having some lock stick helps to keep the liner from failing.
 
jbmonkey said:
you really dont like Emerson or fans do ya? he do ya wrong at some point or..............
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No, not at all, he did nothing to me. Some of the fans seem to be pretty hurt that others find a lot about them less than desirable which I don't understand seeing as its not their company.


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Why'd you go ahead and do that? I'm sure we'd have been delighted by another one of your insightful posts.
 
trevitrace said:
Why'd you go ahead and do that? I'm sure we'd have been delighted by another one of your insightful posts.
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Damn!!! I saw the Edit and was VERY disappointed!!
I have a feeling the original post was a really good one!! Wish we got a quote on that one Trev!!
Damn!!
Joe
 
Honestly just keep using the knife and the lockstick will go away. Most of my Emersons came with lockstick which caused the lock to wear to a point where it no longer stuck. The lock will stick until it has worn to its sweet spot. Once my Emersons lock wore to their sweet spots the lock stick stopped and most wear on the lock seemed to halt all together. I theorize that the galling of the lockbar to the tang of the knife over and over causes the lockbar face to become sort of work hardened.
 
bodog said:
No, not at all, he did nothing to me. Some of the fans seem to be pretty hurt that others find a lot about them less than desirable which I don't understand seeing as its not their company.


Edited for content.
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The fervor elicited by the rabid fanboys and the rabid naysayers are two sides of the same coin.

You'll get both of those in nearly every thread about Emersons (other brands too) yet, they are usually outnumbered by folks that are just sharing the pros and cons of their experience in a respectful manner.

This thread, for example, is filled with Emerson fans not knocking a person because they don't like what the received but instead reassuring that the issue at hand is not the end of the world and easily fixable.
 
rxavage said:
i heard zt makes a good emerson
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They do indeed.
They don't make a version of the Super Commander though, so when I wanted a Super Commander, I bought the Emerson version (being the only version there is :D).


It has some lock stick, and this is after a number of months of carry, opening and closing, etc., but I don't mind a certain amount of lock stick.
Each person has to decide for themselves though what features they like or hate, and what issues make a knife unenjoyable.
 
Boscobarbel said:
HOWEVER, after just a dozen or so openings I got frame lock like you would from a decades old knife...bad enough that it takes two hands to unlock.

Am I wrong?
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Yes and no. Save yourself the $20 fee and postage and use a #2 pencil on the lockface of the blade, then flip it open and shut a few times. Now go rest your fingers. My knife had the same issue starting out, now it's a favorite EDC.

Time and Graphite
 
Thanks to everyone for their helpful tips. Emerson has already gotten back to me and mentioned a shipping label for a return, but I'm determined to see if I can make a go of this knife.

I'm going to use some graphite and fight my way through a few hundred openings to see if I can smooth it out. It's a beautiful knife, with a great fit and the perfect size. And the flipping action is worlds better than some others I own (looking at you, XM-18).

I'll report back after a couple of days.......
 
That's what I was hoping you'd say brother!!!
Believe it or not, if it smooths out you will love this knife more than if it was perfect out of the box!! I kind of 'bond' with a knife that needs a little of my help to be just the way I like them!!
Sounds weird, but for me it's true!
Now get to flicking the snot out of it!!
A pencil or a sharpie work!
Joe
 
the ______ villagers will show up with their torches and pitchforks if you suggest that a brand new $200 knife shouldn't have lock stick, or questionable lock up, or bad fit and finish--those are all tactical features. If you don't know that, you're not a slick enough high speed low drag operator to handle an Emerson.
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HahHaHaHa
ain't it the truth.

I'm such a toad head newbie I have never even touched an Emerson, nor wanted one, though I can appreciate "the hook". Not saying good or bad I'm just a city slicker, lunch makin', letter openin', thin blade sort of person . . . sounds like you have actual serious use for the Sheep Dog so more power to you and I hope you get the knife you want with as little hassle as possible.
but
I couldn't help commenting :
Apparently ANY fault in a knife's difficulty of deployment (or poor design/construction) should be made up for by pumping MORE iron in the gym. :thumbup:
Wyyyy you should be able to over come this little bit of lock sticky with only ONE thumb, while smoking a cigar and draining a pint.
Anything less is . . . well . . . slightly unseemly . . . if not down right candy ass.

Door locked on the car ? Forgot your keys ? Well . . . a REAL man would just rip the door off and hot wire that sucker.

Being well shy of 250 lb and tending to spend more time in my metal shop than the iron den I tend to bussssout the diamond files, disassemble the knife and do my own tweaking/tuning to make the knives (mostly Cold Steel) work with little effort but that's just me.

Remarkable how much improvement can be made that way.
 
I think . . . this is probably a reference to the extremely common tendency for new Emerson liner lock knives to display lock stick, in which the lock bar seems to have decided the knife just needs to stay open forever.
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As I always suspected . . . Emerson's daddy spent some time in Europe during the war and fooled around with a French Opinel and so produced this knife. Opeinels tend to get welded open if a single rain drop touches the wood at the pivot let alone, heaven forbid you were to wash the knife after using it.

Maybe soak the Emerson in a cup of boiled linseed oil for a few days or weeks.
After all pocket knives are "do it yourself kits" didn't you know that? Buy it, take it home and start in to making something useful out of the thing.
What's the problem ?

Of course some manufactures of knives don't even know pocket knives are "do it yourself kits" (Spyderco, Chris Reeve . . . you know "Those Guys").

That's OK they'll go broke soon enough; raking in all that money from those of us who don't want to soak our knives in oil, file and bend and hammer on 'em etc.

Oh . . . wait . . . that doesn't make sense does it ? Hmmmmm
 
Wowbagger said:
I'm such a toad head newbie I have never even touched an Emerson,
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Perhaps some acquaintance with the knives would be best before a 2 post bash-fest?
Just a thought.

I tend to like to get some hands-on time with a knife before bashing it...except for Mantis, naturally.
They just suck. ;)
 
perfect lockup for the first three months, severe lock stick for a week, and then back to perfect, albeit slightly deeper, lockup for two years after that.
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OK . . . I'll be serious . . . THIS TIME. . . :

Serious comment now . . . try disassembling the knife and or reorienting the pivot parts especially if the pivot has a flat spot(s) on it to keep it from turning. I have seen this kind of lock . . . vary in bar engagement and some what in stiction after dissa/reasembling a knife. The pivot parts may not have been made super precisely; head or flats more toward one side thus moving the blade stop in or out.
 
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