Finally got an Emerson

ElectrikHellfire

ElectrikHellfire

Joined
May 19, 2008
Messages
1,534
Okay so I finally broke down and got my first Emerson (CQC15). I've been fondling it last night and this morning. Overall, I am very impressed with it. The build quality is supurb and the ergos are very good. Its lighter than I had anticipated probably due to the titanium liners. I really like the knife. However, it is super stiff. I cannot seem to open it without great effort when using the thumb disc. If I loosen the pivot enough to make this happen I get side to side blade play.

So my question is, has anyone else noticed this and will it get better over time or is there something else I am missing.

Mods, if this needs to go to the Emerson sub forum please feel free to move.

Enough talk, here it is.

emersoncqc15001.jpg
 
Awesome knife man :thumbup:

It looks great, do you think it's hard to open because of the thumb disk or is just not broken in?
 
Thanks! It really is a fantastic knife. I suspect its due to being really new since I have had folder with the disc before and not had any issues.
 
It'll break in.
Loosen it up, oil it, tighten it back up. Personally, I'd use graphite instead of a liquid lube at first (that's what I did to my 7).
 
Take it all apart and clean everything with acohol or wd40. Then relube the pivot washers only using what ever you have handy. I use tetra myself or rem oil. Even wd40 will work. Put everything back together and it should be way smoother to open and close. You might want to put some teflon tape on the pivot screw to lock in place and give it more bite when adjusting tension. keepem sharp
 
My mini a100 was really gritty at first, so I took it apart and wiped out everything inside. Swabbed on some mineral oil, put it all back together and it's been silky smooth ever since.
 
After action report: Took the knife apart, which was a lot easier than I thought it would be, cleaned everything with WD40. Not sure what kind of washers are in EKI knives but they don't appear to be phosphor bronze. Anyway, there was a lot of metal dust and junk in there around the pivot. Got it good and cleaned and lubed it up with Militech-1.

Reassembled and the difference was immediate and stark. Opens much easier now and seems quite smooth. Not as smooth as some other knives I have but I feel like it will improve over time. I wonder why they don't use phosphor bronz washers??

Anyway, thanks to all for the advice.
 
(My CQC-10 doesn't have phosphorous-bronze washers either.)

I think EKI uses nylon or nylatron washers; on the Spyderco forum a while back, someone mentioned that they (nylon or nylatron washers) are somewhat self-lubricating. I've got several knives with these washers on them, and I've never had to oil them.

You've got a great knife there - it'll probably outlast you! :p

thx - cpr
 
they are indeed nylatron and when broken in should be much smoother than PB and they can be self lubricating. They are also much tougher than teflon is so don't worry about their long term performance its a non-issue.
 
Don't worry, my cqc 7 was like that. I couldn't open it without hurting my thumb but after some break in, it opens silky smooth. :]
 
first off CONGRATS on your first Emerson!

the nylatron are self lubricating, as others have mentioned, and the knives do need a break in for a bit. You may find as you open and close it a lot you'll need to tighten the pivot slightly.

Also a TINY drop of loctite on the pivot screw thread will keep it frosty!
 
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