Fit and Finish - A Long Story

I look at Emerson knives like I would industrial grade tools. They don't have the flash and finish of the Snap-on tools but they work well for their intended purpose. I abused my old cqc7 like I never would my sebenza. The cost though should be inline with industrial grade tools.
 
I just recently acquired the Mini-CQC7 and I have no complaints about the fit and finish, matter of fact I love it and the only bad thing about it is it makes me want to buy more. I like the Emerson design philosophy and have this knife is simple, smooth, silent and strong.
 
just read entire thread, was looking at a horseman but there is no way now. There are just too many other quality blades in that price range to risk getting a Lemon. I've learned my lesson after reading all the QC problems on the Buck Vantage and buying one anyway just to get all the problems I was told about. Not worth it IMO
 
how in the world I have had 3 Emerson and I haven't had any problems with them? great knives
 
Schony said:
just read entire thread, was looking at a horseman but there is no way now. There are just too many other quality blades in that price range to risk getting a Lemon. I've learned my lesson after reading all the QC problems on the Buck Vantage and buying one anyway just to get all the problems I was told about. Not worth it IMO
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So, how many Emerson knives do you own? How many of the Emerson knives you own had/has a problem or problems? I own 4 of them - Persian, CQC7, Gentleman Jim, Gypsy Jack - they're all perfect.

When you take into consideration that all the major brands are mass produced, it's impossible to pretend that each and every knife is perfect. I have about 80 knives (from Spyderco, Benchmade, Emerson, Strider, Fallkniven, ZT, Great Eastern Cutlery, Laguiole, Opinel, etc. etc.) and so far only 3 came to me with a perceptible defect: 2 Spydies with the blade not well centered and 1 Queen Cutlery Toothpick with the same problem. That's it.
You can't single out Emerson as a maker that creates crappy products because someone received a knife that had a problem. If that's the parameter, you shouldn't buy any knife that is mass produced anymore.
 
I thoroughly enjoyed the opening post of this thread. Quite well said and exactly why I buy Emerson knives to use and not to just "look at", and have several models on hand to give to all 3 of my children one day.
 
Whats matter if some knife brand ever been used in the war???

The matter is Emerson knife m have mediocre F&F, poor QC and also way overpriced.
 
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RevDevil said:
Come on, this was dead already. :rolleyes:
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You said it man!

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shqxk said:
Whats matter if some knife brand ever been used in the war???

The matter is Emerson knife m have mediocre F&F, poor QC and also way overpriced.
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First of all, Welcome to the site and specifically, the Emerson forum.

Feel free to form comprehensible sentences and use proper punctuation it makes it much easier to read.

When I was looking for a good knife for duty use, it mattered a lot to me the reputation/history that was behind Emerson's products.

What I found when I made my first purchase was a very functional tool with good fit and finish. I found a quality made product and subsequently made another purchase. The price in my opinion for each knife wasn't horrible.

You kind of come off as a whiner, but what do I know?
 
I just got back from a gun/knife store earlier this afternoon and handled a few of their Emersons. While the knives felt great in the hand and the blades were impressive, I did notice a few issues that confirm what a lot of people gripe about.

1. The blades were *very* stiff to open and felt gritty. I suppose I could have adjusted the pivots or whatever and taken them apart for a proper cleaning, but why should a customer have to do that to a brand new knife that cost $175+?
2. On a couple of the knives, the blades were rubbing against the liner. Blade centering isn't terribly important to me, but I definitely don't want my blade scraping against the frickin' liner. Again, adjusting the pivot *might* correct it, but why wasn't this caught at the factory?

Note that the above gripes are not cosmetic in nature. They directly affect the FUNCTION of the knives.

Can't you just tweak your QC a bit to ensure all your knives can flick open properly out of the box and don't scrape the liners?

By the way, one of the knives did have a liner lock that was sticky but I didn't mention that above since it wouldn't technically be an issue in a self-defense situation (that, and I'd probably get flamed for being "unreasonable").
 
@austinguy23
By the same logic, why would anyone want to buy any knife that costs over say $15? Dropping $175+ on a knife is definitely not for everyone, goes without saying. At the same time, those that do usually know what they have and are getting. Ater using knives for many, many years, I can say that there is just no way to make anyone understand that concept.

More than likely, any decent knife you buy that is brand new is going to be stiff. I'd be pissed if I had something that simply flopped open just like that. I want to be sure that my knife is new, and most people that have owned and used a variety of knives already know this. There is no way to make everyone happy. People will find a way to complain about anything and everything, that is a fact you can see reading any of the forums here or anywhere else. It is not a secret.

It's not about being able to flick knives out of the box. Try and understand that wherever it was that you were looking at these knives, the owner more than likely "tuned" them on his own. This is done at several knive shops and shows to prevent the adventurous noob from slicing themselves open and bleeding all over the counter and tables. Edged tools are not a good fit for just anyone.

As far as the nature of the gripes you outlined, I will have to respectfully disagree with you. I own and use Emerson knives. Have a few, the oldest has been with me for 8 years. The blade does not hit the liner, the knife does not unlock itself, and it certainly doesn't maintain itself. Owning a knife is much like owning a firearm. You must care for it, sight it in, and learn what if any accessories will improve it. Sometimes you need a little tweak here and there. It is the nature of the tool. If you are looking for the perfect production knife at $175, you will be searching for quite a long time.
 
RevDevil said:
@austinguy23
By the same logic, why would anyone want to buy any knife that costs over say $15? Dropping $175+ on a knife is definitely not for everyone, goes without saying. At the same time, those that do usually know what they have and are getting. Ater using knives for many, many years, I can say that there is just no way to make anyone understand that concept.

More than likely, any decent knife you buy that is brand new is going to be stiff. I'd be pissed if I had something that simply flopped open just like that. I want to be sure that my knife is new, and most people that have owned and used a variety of knives already know this. There is no way to make everyone happy. People will find a way to complain about anything and everything, that is a fact you can see reading any of the forums here or anywhere else. It is not a secret.

It's not about being able to flick knives out of the box. Try and understand that wherever it was that you were looking at these knives, the owner more than likely "tuned" them on his own. This is done at several knive shops and shows to prevent the adventurous noob from slicing themselves open and bleeding all over the counter and tables. Edged tools are not a good fit for just anyone.

As far as the nature of the gripes you outlined, I will have to respectfully disagree with you. I own and use Emerson knives. Have a few, the oldest has been with me for 8 years. The blade does not hit the liner, the knife does not unlock itself, and it certainly doesn't maintain itself. Owning a knife is much like owning a firearm. You must care for it, sight it in, and learn what if any accessories will improve it. Sometimes you need a little tweak here and there. It is the nature of the tool. If you are looking for the perfect production knife at $175, you will be searching for quite a long time.
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Most folder's I've gotten NIB did not have stiff/gritty pivot issues out of the box. Benchmades/ZTs/Kershaw, an Alex Shunnarah custom; those were all smooth. Save for my M390 Military, but I didn't mind that one too much.

And in a way, owning a knife is not like owning a firearm. A knife will still cut well even if it has a gritty pivot and off center blade, assuming it even had a serviceable edge. If the lock's gone, treat it like a slipjoint. As far as I know, caring for a knife simply means keeping it clean and not abusing it in tasks it was not designed for.

Get a NIB firearm that has compromised parts, and you will risk reliability and accuracy (not to mention the feeling of disappointment if you paid good money for it). People generally don't like having to send their guns back to the factory or a gunsmith after their first range trip with it. If companies like S&W didn't send people prepaid shipping labels, they'd be even more miffed.

People aren't looking for something that feels like a CRK Sebenza at 175$. But at that price people are expecting more, not something that gives them an impression of a cheap gas station beater folder, even if that impression is not entirely accurate. When you are getting something at 150-175$ that knowingly lacks finish (which is acceptable), you'd expect it not to be deficient in other areas, such as the lock/pivot.
 
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Apec said:
Most folder's I've gotten NIB did not have stiff/gritty pivot issues out of the box. Benchmades/ZTs/Kershaw, an Alex Shunnarah custom; those were all smooth. Save for my M390 Military, but I didn't mind that one too much.
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- I may be very picky, but I usually take apart new knives when I'm not 100% satisfied with their action after about a dozen openings. I recently took apart a Kershaw Boa because the AO action was less than stellar. The flipper would not engage the AO about half the time. I simply took the knife apart, used some Mil-Tec1 grease and had it working in about 10 minutes. I was also less than enthusiastic about a Spyderco Persian that I bought for my wife. The action was very gritty and was a chore to open. Even after a cleaning and lubrication, it is still one of the most difficult manual openers to open that I have.

No complaints about my Benchmade Kulgera.
 
Apec said:
Most folder's I've gotten NIB did not have stiff/gritty pivot issues out of the box. Benchmades/ZTs/Kershaw, an Alex Shunnarah custom; those were all smooth. Save for my M390 Military, but I didn't mind that one too much.

And in a way, owning a knife is not like owning a firearm. A knife will still cut well even if it has a gritty pivot and off center blade, assuming it even had a serviceable edge. If the lock's gone, treat it like a slipjoint. As far as I know, caring for a knife simply means keeping it clean and not abusing it in tasks it was not designed for.

Get a NIB firearm that has compromised parts, and you will risk reliability and accuracy (not to mention the feeling of disappointment if you paid good money for it). People generally don't like having to send their guns back to the factory or a gunsmith after their first range trip with it. If companies like S&W didn't send people prepaid shipping labels, they'd be even more miffed.

People aren't looking for something that feels like a CRK Sebenza at 175$. But at that price people are expecting more, not something that gives them an impression of a cheap gas station beater folder, even if that impression is not entirely accurate. When you are getting something at 150-175$ that knowingly lacks finish (which is acceptable), you'd expect it not to be deficient in other areas, such as the lock/pivot.
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It all depends on experience and expectations. Some people have unrealistic expectations. They feel like the knife out of the box will conform to their every need without having to make any adjustments. That is nice, but rare and not very realistic. Of course YMMV.
Ultimately, some people can and will complain given any opportunity. You can't really deny that. If a knife closer to perfect is desired, there are other options available. The analogy with a firearm is valid. I know people that will buy a $1200 AR, completely tear it down, clean it, reassemble it, and site it. If most knives were ATF then knife companies would be required to meet an even higher standard. Most companies have some fit and finish issues. Are they based on genuine problems with functionality or safety or perceived issues based on "what I've heard"? Hard to say. Just buy what you like and be happy with it. :thumbup:
 
RevDevil said:
It all depends on experience and expectations. Some people have unrealistic expectations. They feel like the knife out of the box will conform to their every need without having to make any adjustments. That is nice, but rare and not very realistic. Of course YMMV.
Ultimately, some people can and will complain given any opportunity. You can't really deny that. If a knife closer to perfect is desired, there are other options available. The analogy with a firearm is valid. I know people that will buy a $1200 AR, completely tear it down, clean it, reassemble it, and site it. If most knives were ATF then knife companies would be required to meet an even higher standard. Most companies have some fit and finish issues. Are they based on genuine problems with functionality or safety or perceived issues based on "what I've heard"? Hard to say. Just buy what you like and be happy with it. :thumbup:
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:thumbup: I completely agree with you. But man jeeezzzz why is it so hard for people to just leave EE alone. If they don't like it simply don't buy it. It ain't that hard so much crap being repeated over and over again but I can say this.

I have a little over 25+ Spyderco's all NIB and everyone loves the F&F of Spyderco's or claims them to be PERFECT and compares it with Emerson knives. I LOVE my spyderco's to death but man I have received so many lemons from them... does that stop me from buying knives from them...? No. I simply just alter or fix what is needed or send it back? Why? Because I care enough about my knife and I'm not lazy and go "OH I just spent 175+ for this knife and be a baby and cry why mine didn't come perfect." Like seriously? Are you guys really going to be babies about a uncentered blade? Fix it or send it back in that is what Warranty is for. No production knife is perfect. If you get a lemon, well that just sucks, its life move on. Each has various experiences with different knife companies so I really don't understand why Emerson's are singled out..... especially for all those people who "read" this thread/forum and that automatically alters their minds into buying a knife from them BASED off what one or even a few said. So like the old saying, "If someone told you to jump off a cliff.. would you?" Why don't you go and try out their knives first and then talk? And if you don't like it just resell it. There are PLENTLY of emerson nuts on this forum that would snatch it in a heartbeat especially when they are like out of stock 24/7. that's my 2cents

Have a great day! :)
 
Some people expect a little more than you do in regard to fit & finish out of a knife that's close to $200. Why do you think that almost every thread in the exchange includes a picture of blade centering.

If I want a folder that looks like it was assembled by some 1/2 blind crack head, I can get one at the local carnivals we have in the summer. No wait a minute - their blades are almost always centered and the plastic or frn matches the liners too! :eek: :p
 
I checked out some Emersons at knife show and all had really good fit and finish (equal to spyderco)but they were almost twice the price!The only one Ill buy is a Persian!Nice knives but overpriced!Id like to see Emerson knives tested against Cold steel recon1 series..........that costs one third of price!
 
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