Fit and Finish - A Long Story

[Buffalohump]

Gee, and there it is right from the horse's mouth so to speak.

Most "operators" buy whatever is in the PX on sale.

That would be fine if EKI were only making knives for soldiers but despite what EE says, I would wager that the vast majority of the knives he makes goes to a civilian market. I would also wager that the vast majority of soldiers carry multitools and fixed blades and not EKI folders. And if they carry a folder, its some cheapie they got at the PX. Knives costing what EKI knives cost are typically bought by enthusiasts, ie, knife nuts. The kind of people you find here on BF. And we are generally more than happy to devote the time and effort it takes to keep our blades sharp.

 

[MikeyD]

AGREED 100%. Although I hate Emerson knives not because there not good in function just fit finish equals flea market quality.

I've only owned one Emerson knife, the SOCFK, and it is an awesome blade.
I did sell it. I am a civilian and much prefer slicers and higher end fit and finish, exotic steels, and materials.

Just as Emerson claims, his knives are rugged and can take a beating.

My gripe?
Why all the boasting and bashing Mr. Emerson?
If sales are great and Emerson Knives are indeed growing then why is there a need to post such threads like this?

People will continue to feel and voice themselves the way they want whether it be negative or positive.
I don't think long, boastful speeches are going to sway anyone different on how they feel about Emerson Knives.

I guess I don't see the reason or need to defend yourself or your company if you have such a substantial standing.
As a consumer I care about the product, not the history of the owner or how wrong the "haters" are. Sure some may care about this, but isn't that what a Biography is for on your website?

From peeking in on a handful of your threads I get the vibe you like a good [or bad] argument.
Satisfaction out of calling people out on their issues or talking down to someone who may not have the same experience as you.

Obviously this is just my personal opinion and maybe I'm the only one thinking this way, but in all honesty it deters my interest.

As stated before, if business is so good [and I can heartily believe that], then why even bother with the minority group who "bash" on your knives?

You are obviously a very aggressive person and I personally think that your sales speak louder than your threads.

I can appreciate your goals in a knife, but I thought I'd share my 2 cents since this is a community with people who all care about one thing; knives.

Sincerely,
Nathan

 

[Noctis3880]

The broke soldier stuff doesn't fly either. The reenlistment bonus for SF was 120K in 2005 when I saw the bonus sheet at MEPS.

E7 base pay is over 3k a month. Plus hazard pay, jump pay etc. Seriously, they can afford to carry whatever they want. Most of the guys in a unit doing these ops are not fresh E5s and such. Mostly guys that have had a almost a decade or longer in the teams or units.

It's not about how much money they have. I know a guy who spends thousands of dollars on cameras. He still thinks I'm nuts for spending almost $400 for that plain looking Sebenza.

For most people, a knife is just a tool for them to use until it breaks completely and they toss it out. However, I do see the appeal in Emerson knives as even my CQC Super 7 felt roughly the same weight as my Sebenza. My only real complaint is the lack of longevity for the lock. Would be easily fixed if he used an adjustable blade stop pin like Benchmade's 755 MPR, something relatively easy for the user to tweak with. That at least would add a couple years to the knife's lifetime without the trouble of sending the knife back and forth.

 

[viva la]

Did he state that?

You quoted him, and answered your own question:
"And also, we make a lot of knives for many pilots flying every type of aircraft in the US arsenal. They can carry whatever they want. I don't know what the pilots on that mission had on them."



What's not to believe? Which part of "I don't know" is deceptive?

"None of those knives were present when (all) of the Somali pirates were taken down. None of those knives were present when Al Zarqawi was captured and killed.

None of those knives were present when Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was taken captive. And none of those knives were present when Osama Bin Laden was shot dead. Yet, there were knives that were present at all of those and hundreds more firefights, assaults and covert actions. Anyone care to guess what knives those were?"

He is refering to Spyderco, CRK, CRKT. He is saying none of those three companies had knives present at any of the aforementioned. I am asking how he knows that for sure. He then goes on to contradict himself by saying he doesn't know what the pilots carry:

"And also, we make a lot of knives for many pilots flying every type of aircraft in the US arsenal. They can carry whatever they want. I don't know what the pilots on that mission had on them."

 

[ssblood]

This has gotten silly.

 

[d762nato]

This has gotten silly.

 

[Longtrang]

I've seen a lot of guys carrying CRKT, Benchmade, Spyderco, SOG, Kershaw, Gerber and yes a few Emerson knives. Vast majority were CRKT and Gerber though. I can pretty much guarantee from SEALs to SF, all of them carry a Leatherman or Gerber multitool. A multi tool is pretty much a part of your uniform if you are combat arms.

 

[Longtrang]

Double post.

 

[Wunderbar]

The funny part is... Emerson has a better chance of knowing what was in the soldiers pockets than 99% of the people on this forum. Wunderbar included.

Empty statement. Especially since you don't know if I'm a contract dealer to the military, or in the service, or have a good friend/family member who is serving.

 

[Knifein]

He is refering to Spyderco, CRK, CRKT. He is saying none of those three companies had knives present at any of the aforementioned. I am asking how he knows that for sure. He then goes on to contradict himself by saying he doesn't know what the pilots carry:

Yeah, I don't think every soldier is a knife knut whose principals would allow them to spend 200 dollars on a knife, unless Emerson supplied the knives himself.

But then again aren't soldiers issued fixed blades and not folding knives?

 

[IGotStabbed]

The funny part is... Emerson has a better chance of knowing what was in the soldiers pockets than 99% of the people on this forum. Wunderbar included.

Empty statement. Especially since you don't know if I'm a contract dealer to the military, or in the service, or have a good friend/family member who is serving.

I had the same exact thought as ssblood throughout this thread, I'm glad he shared it. Wunderbar, I don't care if you are any of those or even all of them at the same time, I just know for a fact you are not a knife maker that had contracts with our military, so from a 3rd person perspective, who do you think I'm going to believe in?

EE could be lying out of his ass, but the point is he has more credentials than some random person on the forum especially when he is talking about HIS OWN products.

 

[ssblood]

For consideration also, operators are a VERY small percentage of the military. They aren't for the most part guys on their first enlistment. They have the experience with gear to not just buy what's on sale at the PX also.

 

[pvicenzi]

This thread can be summed up in one sentence. Some customers are concerned with the fit and finish og Emerson knives, and Emerson doesn't care.

 

[ssblood]

No. He cares. His knives work. Men trust their lives to his knives just like they do with a lot of other makers. He said himself his knives are to be used.

You want something with flawless fit and finish? Buy a CRK and stick it in the safe. I could buy 3 Commanders for what my Umnumzaan cost.

You want something that will take abuse? Something that easy to sharpen and holds a detent edge? Something with great ergonomics? Something with a it breaks we fix it warranty? Buy an Emerson.

I've never heard Emerson say blade play was acceptable. A big name has been catching hell for that lately. It wasn't Emerson though.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. His fit and finish puts that big name to shame.

 

[Buck_110]

deleted

 

[RevDevil]

Their last names are actually spelled the same way. Christopher Reeve, not Reeves played Superman.

I'm aware of this Buck - hence the "lol" that started my post. It was meant as a joke, but the seriousness here is overwhelming, among other things.

 

[Wunderbar]

EE could be lying out of his ass, but the point is he has more credentials than some random person on the forum especially when he is talking about HIS OWN products.

So he knows where all of the products from his factory are currently? No. So he knows as a fact that not a single knife from another company like CRKT, Spyderco, or CR were carried in theater? No he does not. Maybe someone carried an Emerson in the operations described in the beginning of this topic but to say that no other brand knife was carried on these missions is purely hyperbole.

 

[cevtv]

So he knows where all of the products from his factory are currently? No. So he knows as a fact that not a single knife from another company like CRKT, Spyderco, or CR were carried in theater? No he does not. Maybe someone carried an Emerson in the operations described in the beginning of this topic but to say that no other brand knife was carried on these missions is purely hyperbole.

The Man has a close working relationship with the Teams. You do not. THEY came to HIM to design knives for them. That is how Emerson Tactical knives came about. You have NO insight at all as to what was being carried it these situations, but you continue to call BS. You have no clue.

 

[ssblood]

The Man has a close working relationship with the Teams. You do not. THEY came to HIM to design knives for them. That is how Emerson Tactical knives came about. You have NO insight at all as to what was being carried it these situations, but you continue to call BS. You have no clue.

+1 win!

 

[Knifein]

The Man has a close working relationship with the Teams. You do not. THEY came to HIM to design knives for them. That is how Emerson Tactical knives came about. You have NO insight at all as to what was being carried it these situations, but you continue to call BS. You have no clue.

That doesn't prove anything. If he personally supplied all those teams with the knives then yes, it's believable. However if he is just assuming they carried his knives due to past collaborations then it's a different story. Now, I don't believe Mr. Emerson ignorantly assumes things, I believe he is too intelligent to do that. However I do find it hard to swallow his claim of all teams that only carried his knives and no others when these events took place. A factor that plays a role in this is the fact that soldiers would be carrying fixed blades during combat and not folders. One, because they are issued fixed blades, and two because most soldiers would prefer to carry a fixed blade into combat. Now, if Mr. Emerson issued them a specially made fixed blade that was never released for civilian purchase in his production line then that would explain it all.

No, one is correct until we hear Mr. Emerson's response to this.