got my first Emerson, a mini A-100 satin plain edge.... with some thoughts.
i havent been here long, and only started buying knives this last month after going about 5 years since my last knive purchase.
i work as a mechanic on planes, and cars. and consider myself a handyman around the house and yard. and have to admit.... im alittle rough on my tools.
i EDC a flashlight, and have many. couple months ago, i was out and i could of really used a blade... so that got me thinking of EDCing one.
the previous knives i had was a leek, spyderco salt1, a CRKT M-16, and a cheapy gerber. none i was too fond of.
the last couple months since foinding BF, i purchased (and sold some) a spydero chicago, dragonfly G-10, para2, izula, boker subcom, ratmandu, and most recently my mini A-100.
did alot of research, and trial and errors to finally get my mini A-100.
dragonfly was too small and uncomfortable to use, para2 is nice, but the ergos dont work for me, when i grip the handle, the edge of the blade points too much left and makes cutting akward.
so... when i first heard of Emerson knives, i thought (and please forgive my ignorance at the time Mr. Emerson) that they were high class tacti"cool" knives. and honestly, the designs looked plain, so i didnt give it a second glance.
i never heard of emerson knives up until a few months ago before BF by the way. so i looked up some video reviews... and the first thing that struck me was the blade tip. a tip that inspires confidence. then noticed the larger pivot. saw a video of an A-100 and thought it was a really good looking knife. nice blade design, thick blade, big pivot, thick linerlock.
after carrying the para 2 for a week, i decided a 3 inch folder would be best for me. so... after some searching, i finally found a dealer that had the mini A-100 satin plain version. (i had a horrible experience with this dealer, and they even changed my order without consenting me and overcharged me about $20. it kind of messed up my afternoon after seeing the invoice). but after spending a couple hours with my new mini A-100, everything was alllll good, cause im loving this knife. within 20 minutes of having it, i grabbed the victorinox manager from my keys and took the knife apart. (now i ask why doesnt every company use common screws??) i cleaned, and lubed.
I adjusted the liners, and now it has 100% solid lockup. this was the first time i ever took a knife apart too. blade isnt perfectly centered, the little g-10 back spacer isnt flush, but those things dont matter to me.
another major thing i noticed, deployment with the thumb disc was not super easy. alittle more cut-out on the G-10 around the disc might help.
but the good part is, i dont need the thumb disc. for fast deployment, i can draw the knife from my pocket, give it a shake downwards to drop the blade, and a wrist flick to lock it up. making this the fastest deployment of any folder ive used. with my para 2, i would have to draw the knife, then either position my grip for the spydiehole, or compression lock, wrist flick, then reposition my grip again.
with my mini A-100, i draw the knife, and with the same grip, drop the blade, and wrist flick it lock, then reposition a secure grip.
clip works well, tip up, right side is my preference. so not much else to say about it. i might prefer it a alittle shorter, but its just a clip, so no big deal.
thumb disc also provides stability for when your thumb is positioned on the spine of the blade during use. quite comfortable.
lockup is great, even when i open the blade extra slow, the lock up is still the same when i give it a hard wrist flick.... 100% and doesnt ever feel sticky.
the pivot has come loose from my constant opening and closing the knife these days. but i can grab just about anything to tighten it back up.
no blade play whatsoever.
sharpest folder ive ever held. excellent grind job.
in my opinion, this is the way a knife should be designed. ive been looking for half my life for knives like this. and have my eyes set on a Horseman next
i guess thats it, thanks to everyone here at BF, and mr. emerson.
i havent been here long, and only started buying knives this last month after going about 5 years since my last knive purchase.
i work as a mechanic on planes, and cars. and consider myself a handyman around the house and yard. and have to admit.... im alittle rough on my tools.
i EDC a flashlight, and have many. couple months ago, i was out and i could of really used a blade... so that got me thinking of EDCing one.
the previous knives i had was a leek, spyderco salt1, a CRKT M-16, and a cheapy gerber. none i was too fond of.
the last couple months since foinding BF, i purchased (and sold some) a spydero chicago, dragonfly G-10, para2, izula, boker subcom, ratmandu, and most recently my mini A-100.
did alot of research, and trial and errors to finally get my mini A-100.
dragonfly was too small and uncomfortable to use, para2 is nice, but the ergos dont work for me, when i grip the handle, the edge of the blade points too much left and makes cutting akward.
so... when i first heard of Emerson knives, i thought (and please forgive my ignorance at the time Mr. Emerson) that they were high class tacti"cool" knives. and honestly, the designs looked plain, so i didnt give it a second glance.
i never heard of emerson knives up until a few months ago before BF by the way. so i looked up some video reviews... and the first thing that struck me was the blade tip. a tip that inspires confidence. then noticed the larger pivot. saw a video of an A-100 and thought it was a really good looking knife. nice blade design, thick blade, big pivot, thick linerlock.
after carrying the para 2 for a week, i decided a 3 inch folder would be best for me. so... after some searching, i finally found a dealer that had the mini A-100 satin plain version. (i had a horrible experience with this dealer, and they even changed my order without consenting me and overcharged me about $20. it kind of messed up my afternoon after seeing the invoice). but after spending a couple hours with my new mini A-100, everything was alllll good, cause im loving this knife. within 20 minutes of having it, i grabbed the victorinox manager from my keys and took the knife apart. (now i ask why doesnt every company use common screws??) i cleaned, and lubed.
I adjusted the liners, and now it has 100% solid lockup. this was the first time i ever took a knife apart too. blade isnt perfectly centered, the little g-10 back spacer isnt flush, but those things dont matter to me.
another major thing i noticed, deployment with the thumb disc was not super easy. alittle more cut-out on the G-10 around the disc might help.
but the good part is, i dont need the thumb disc. for fast deployment, i can draw the knife from my pocket, give it a shake downwards to drop the blade, and a wrist flick to lock it up. making this the fastest deployment of any folder ive used. with my para 2, i would have to draw the knife, then either position my grip for the spydiehole, or compression lock, wrist flick, then reposition my grip again.
with my mini A-100, i draw the knife, and with the same grip, drop the blade, and wrist flick it lock, then reposition a secure grip.
clip works well, tip up, right side is my preference. so not much else to say about it. i might prefer it a alittle shorter, but its just a clip, so no big deal.
thumb disc also provides stability for when your thumb is positioned on the spine of the blade during use. quite comfortable.
lockup is great, even when i open the blade extra slow, the lock up is still the same when i give it a hard wrist flick.... 100% and doesnt ever feel sticky.
the pivot has come loose from my constant opening and closing the knife these days. but i can grab just about anything to tighten it back up.
no blade play whatsoever.
sharpest folder ive ever held. excellent grind job.
in my opinion, this is the way a knife should be designed. ive been looking for half my life for knives like this. and have my eyes set on a Horseman next
i guess thats it, thanks to everyone here at BF, and mr. emerson.
