Emerson Wave.....not working for me.

Screwdriver

Screwdriver

Joined
Feb 27, 2010
Messages
1,785
Well it does work if I think about it, meaning I twist the knife and concentrate on the wave catching my jeans. But, it is just not reliable for me.....

Now the Spyderco Wave on my Endura and Delica works great. Just pulling the knife back towards the edge of my pocket easily deploys the blade. Takes very little concentration to make it work reliably.
 
Which Emerson model are you having problems waving? The wave is different sizes on different models and the technique may need to be adjusted a little to get it to work. Honestly a lot of it is practice as I can get mine to work every time. In general you need to pull it out up and almost straight back to make it work most effectively
 
^^I agree with Silvanus. Some are easier than others. The Spydercos have the wave quite far from the slim handle where as the Emersons have a thicker handle which pushes the pocket away from the centerline of the handle and the wave shaped opening feature.
 
One of the best Emersons to wave is the Gentleman Jim I don't think I've ever taken it out of my pocket without it opening. My dad has the same problem opening his Kershaw CQC 6K and I keep telling him to pull it straight back and he gets it to work about 3 out to 10 times haha.
 
Pardon me for making an observation, as I have both a CQC-7's (2), and a Commander. All three have WAVE FEATURES, and honestly I have zero problems getting the "wave" to work per its design. When I first got Emerson # 1 LAST JULY 2014 a CQC-7 BW Lefty. I had to practice getting use to using the WAVE, now it is second nature. The "KEY" Word is practice. JMHO.

Let me make an observation, from my days doing photography. I used both Nikon, and than Canon equipment. The one big difference was both had focus rings, one was counter clockwise, the other was clock wise.

Don't ask me to recall witch was witch, as I have been retired over 19 years. Point was when I went from a Nikon System to a Canon System it too some time to retrain my brain to do what was second nature with Nikon, when I change to Canon.

BTW IMHO Canon was a better system, and when Auto Focus came on scene. I stuck with Canon.
 
Silvanus said:
Which Emerson model are you having problems waving? The wave is different sizes on different models and the technique may need to be adjusted a little to get it to work. Honestly a lot of it is practice as I can get mine to work every time. In general you need to pull it out up and almost straight back to make it work most effectively
Click to expand...

Mini Commander, CQC-8 and Tiger.....
 
When I still carried tip up I tried a few waved models. I found that from IWB carry the CQC7's wave didn't work at all for me. However, I had no problems fully waving a Horseman from IWB. It depends on your technique, the type of pants you're wearing, and where you carry.
 
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asdf12345 said:
When I still carried tip down I tried a few waved models. I found that from IWB carry the CQC7's wave didn't work at all for me. However, I had no problems fully waving a Horseman from IWB. It depends on your technique, the type of pants you're wearing, and where you carry.
Click to expand...

I usually wear Levi 501's and carry in my right front pocket.

Just playing around with the CQC-8 and Mini Commander now. While I can get it to work...it only happens if I do it slow and concentrate. Pop in the Spydies and it does it every time. In fact with the Spydies, I have to concentrate so I do not deploy them using the Wave.

Here is the issue that I see. The Emerson G10 is very grippy and the clip wants to snag/hold onto the stitching of the pocket. To get past that the knife pulls out quicker and it does not grip the Wave. The Sydercos are smooth under the clip and pulls evenly out and allows the pants to catch the Wave. Plus the Emerson thumb discs slightly deflects the pants before they can grab the wave.

I fully understand that practice will make it easier....I just wish it was as easy as it is on my Spydercos.
 
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If practice and all else fails, there are some videos on Youtube that explain how it should be done.
 
I find that twisting the knife slightly makes it wave every time. Of course you just have to practice until its second nature.
 
^^Bingo! It's something that you'll have to be conscious of initially but it'll be second nature before you know it. I find myself drawing my other knives in a similar fashion now feeling the thumbstud snagging and end up opening some of them like that though there's no Wave.
 
Different Emerson models don't wave with the same feel. I find that each requires a slightly different pivot tightness to wave optimally.

For instance, to wave it open I draw my Combat Karambit differently than I draw my Super 7. The Karambit is the smoothest waving knife I own, I guess due to the blade curvature and the shorter throw to lock. I keep the pivot relatively tight on this one. (Also because a Karambit is the last thing you want opening in your pants; mine still has a point, ala before this model's pathetic circumcision a year or so ago to a "reinforced point.")

I draw the Super 7 by the very end of the large handle to get the best leverage for a straight pull back. I keep the pivot about 'average' tension on this one.

The smaller ones, with lighter blades, micro Commander, etc., require a bit more concentration to wave open but pivot friction can still be adjusted to make it work well.

The common denominator is the pivot---I find that if a pivot is "too" loose, i.e. for easy flipping, etc. it can actually hamper the engagement of the wave hook on the pocket as the blade comes out too soon in the draw and pocket friction can have the hook out of position by the time it reaches the pocket seam. Too tight just requires a more deliberate draw and more definite movement at the pocket edge. They all require practice though.

Have you tried varying the pivot tension yet?
 
You can also carefully bend the pocket clip outward to reduce the friction between the G10 and your pants by slightly increasing the distance between the two of them.

I do that with all my new Emersons, and it works great. Just do it slightly, and carefully; I pull it out not in one pull, but repeatedly until I can just barely see light between the clip and the handle. I mean a minute amount.

Usually I get it just right, but if I go too far I just take the clip off and bend 'er back a little.

That way it opens easier, is easier on the pants and still doesn't go anywhere, meaning it will not fall out of my pants pocket either. The ridge along the top edge of the pocket prevents that, and the grippy G10 also contributes.

Pulling back ands lightly downward on the handle end, dragging the spine of the knife along the point where your pocket and pants meet helps, and pulling it faster rather than slower when waving it also helps.

Next thing you know, a resounding and satisfying "clack" let's you know you are good to go.

I love that sound!
 
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