Emerson...What's the big deal?

I like the look of several Emersons, but I'm not a fan of liner locks and the biggest thing is the chisel grind is on the wrong side for the benefit of a chisel grind to be of any use. They say its a no frills knife but they grind the chisel on the wrong side so it looks better while u hold it but detracts from usefulness. That said I won't write them off until I try one out, but at the prices they charge I won't be buying one new. I get that its american made but so is the zt 0620 which has better steel and is a framelock and is HALF the price of the Emerson framelocks with lesser steel...makes no sense. Seems like greed to me..
 
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I've had three Emersons, and they seem to be solid. The Wave is considered a boon by many folks, and is now found also on some collaboration folders. The blade-steel on standard Emersons has been 154cm which is a softer steel which will take a decent edge, but loses it fairly quickly. It has the advantage of being able to be sharpened in "the field" using minimal equipment.
I have no desire to purchase any other Emersons, as there are so many other good brands out there for similar or lesser prices.
 
SmedleyButler said:
I just got my first Emerson knife. I had never bought one because despite all of the hype, they just never looked good to me. I don't love liner locks. The wave seems unnecessary and looks awkward. But everyone seems to love them so I ordered a Jungle Commander. I'm holding now and just don't get it. There is a little side to side blade play. The liner lock is super sticky. How/why is this better than other less expensive knives? Not trying to start a flame war but I just don't get it. This Emerson is the most underwhelming (for the price) knife I've bought in the last 6 months - and I've bought probably 30. What am I missing?View attachment 504726
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That's the great thing about knives and personal tastes. One man's ugly duckling is another man's grail. Some Love Emersons and hate benchmade, some love Strider and hate Spyderco and some like me just love knives!!
 
Thanks for the thoughtful answers. I'm not bashing Emersons, I just don't see what many others seem to see and was asking those Emerson fans to enlighten me. I have no doubt that the knives have some excellent traits and that there are reasons for loving them. Sometimes when things get pointed out to me I'm able to appreciate what I might have missed.
 
Between the Spyderco and Kershaw/ZT models using the wave under license I see no reason to ever buy an Emerson. The 0620 is just like an Emerson, except with actual quality control.
 
Sell it here or swap for a different one- cqc8 is solid comfy n wicked handy blade IMHO. You know what they say about opinions and orifices. Full o crap n stink
 
I think Emerson's big selling point is more the designs than the materials and F&F (not that the latter two are particularly lacking). I've had three Emersons - a CQC-7 with and without wave, and a Mini Commander. The CQC-7 had a simple, utilitarian feel and appeal, whereas the Mini Commander has some pretty terrific ergos. They are pretty beefy (thick blade, thick washers, full Ti liners, thick & coarse G10 handles), so they might not fit some peoples EDC preferences. I happen to like my Mini Commander a lot.

For what they cost, there are other knives that I am more interested in, but there is something about them that certainly has some appeal. I've actually really enjoyed the Kershaw-Emerson collaboration pieces CQC-5K and 6K (also have a 7K, but haven't used it much), which cost a small fraction of the price of the EKI's. The handle on the CQC-5K seems very much like the Micro Commander. The 6K and 7K, being framelocks, are a bit thinner, but have a similar profile to the Mini Commander. I'm looking forward to trying out the ZT 0620.
 
I don't own an Emerson and never will. I don't care for the way they look. Funny how that works.
 
You might not have heard this before but my suggestion is if you're not happy with your production Emerson but you like the design, try entering a lottery either online or in person at a show for one of his custom knives. He sells his customs for about $550 direct I believe and they are as well finished and precisely made as most customs out there. They also don't suffer from the aspects of Emerson production knives that are commonly complained about - lock stick, lack of smoothness, unfinished appearance, etc. It's an amazing value at his price in my opinion.
 
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I just returned a CQC-8. I thought the handle was huge relative to the blade, the blade pivot was not as smooth as the Zero Tolerance, Reate, Sebenza, Benchmades or even the Kershaw Skylines that I have.

The main reason for the return was the lock stick. Folks say it will break in, try the pencil trick, etc. But it is the only liner lock I've ever touched that stuck so badly. Internet searches reveal it to be a fairly common problem, but Emerson hasn't adopted a steel insert like many makers to improve the disengagement of the lock.

It is the only knife I have ever returned, I wanted to like it, but didn't.
 
Gollum said:
From what I've seen the Kershaw/ZT Emerson's are better than anything Emerson themselves have put out.
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- The ZT0620 uses better materials than the Emerson brand knives. The Kershaw versions are a good bang for the buck, but they are nowhere near the quality of the Emerson brand knives, nor should they be.
 
Way to keep it classy Woodcamo.

I've had most of the Emerson production models at one time or another. I still have an CQC-8, Commander and a CQC-7. I probably won't part with those. I have never had a problem with any of them and still carry them from time to time in my rotation. I suppose if I didn't like them I would have sold them and moved on without further diatribe.
 
[Do not quote stupidity]
l.b.t.s.
 
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IDK i like them.. had almost all of the models over the years. I don't have any of them anymore, but they great knives with fantastic ergonomics.

They cut shit, easy to sharpen and comfortable in use.. whats not to like?
 
I really wish Kershaw made a version of the CQC7 and CQC7 super, as Gollum said the Kershaw versions are much better made than emersons. I really wanted to like the CQC7's, but poor quality, no frame lock, chisel grind, and very high price have all conspired to keep my dollars out of Emerson's hands.

Mike

Gollum said:
From what I've seen the Kershaw/ZT Emerson's are better than anything Emerson themselves have put out.
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gooeytek said:
If you don't like the way they look, you should have stopped there and moved on. Why bother to get something you don't like from the start? I've had, and still have a lot of knives. Emerson was the last of the 4 popular brands that I got into. These days, aside from my customs, they're mostly all I hold on to and use. To each his own.
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Well it year 2014, you are not being nicee, nicee, politically correct and sensitive, LOL. But the bottom line is Emersons are NO B.S., just business. Not pretty, not sexy, not kissee kisses, just. Get the F.....g Job done functional.

You want no BS Functional, think EMERSON.

BTW I own a CQC-7-BW Wave Left Handed.
 
Just like everyone else is saying it comes down to what you like, I'm not a fan either although I will say the wave can be a ton of fun and I guess if you look at it from the tactical stand point it's faster. All that said honestly if you do decide you want something with a wave in the future go for a spyderco delica or an endura (I think ZT has a wave feature on a knife). Now aside from all that my opinion on them is that they aren't worth what you pay for the, I've found there fit and finish to be very poor, I don't enjoy having to thoroughly clean and re-lube my knife so it'll stop squeaking out of the box lol. Overall they aren't bad but I don't think they are worth it however I do really like the kershaw emerson line because at 50< its easy to enjoy the wave and the knife and just be happy with the purchase, hope that helps a little.
 
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