For some reason, Emerson has never appealed to me.

M

MrPres

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Sep 12, 2005
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I've never really had much desire to buy an Emerson knife. Not totally sure why. They have just never caught my eye. However, I used to think that way about Spyderco (way back when), and now that I've owned a few, my tune has changed. Would I be the same way towards an Emerson?
 
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They look pretty nice to me, but I can't justify spending $200 for 154CM steel and less than perfect build quality.
 
I was sort of in the same boat, and still somewhat am. They used to have absolutely zero appeal to me. Chisel grinds on the "wrong" side. chisel sharpened edge even on the v grind. Steel and build quality are on par with much more inexpensive(but quality) knives, with other production knives of the same price having improved steel for the most part. And the designs never stood out to me. I mean, I can get a spydie with a variety of better blade steels for half the price or less, and all of mine have impeccable fit and finish.

That said, something changed unexpectedly a month or so back and I really started eyeing a few emersons. Not enough to purchase one, but I could kind of see the allure. If I came into a bundle of expendable cash I'd probably test one out
 
I'm pretty new to the knife game. But looking around, they do seem pretty pricey for what they are.
 
What are the build quality issues? I'm only wondering because I've never held one in my hand, pictures only...
 
I've had a Horseman and liked it. Want a couple others, too. But I hear exactly what you're saying and agree. The decision to not offer anything beyond 154CM, especially for "the world's #1 hard use knife":rolleyes:, smacks of greed and complacency. Sure, offering newer, more exciting steels and materials would initially cut profits, but in end if they don't innovate and grow, or even just keep pace with the rest, they will inevitably fail. I believe the beginning of the end is already upon them. Hope I'm wrong, though. Their custom work is stunning.
 
iandh said:
What are the build quality issues? I'm only wondering because I've never held one in my hand, pictures only...
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I wouldn't say any of the ones I've held had ISSUES, but there was just this sense that you weren't handling something really nice. When you play with a para, with a zt0302, with a 710, you FEEL the quality. I guess Emersons seem a little rough around the edges.

I agree with the value point too.

Also, I hate chisel grinds.

That said, Emerson, as a designer, has innovated quite a bit. And it wasn't that long ago (maybe 6 or 7 years if I recall) that I felt his production folders set the standard for smoothness. The blade really shot out of those.

I actually really liked the mini-commander, it's almost ken-oniony, but the value and chisel grind held me at bay.
 
The problem as I see it and this is just my opinion. Mr. Emerson would rather spend time doing damage control to the reputation of his knives and quality control than actually addressing the problem. Flame me if you Emerson fans want to but this is my honest opinion.
 
I want an Emerson Persian. The blade just really appeals to me.

If I could find a similar design folder, I would look into it. Thus far I have not found anything even close to similar to Emerson Persian. Shoot I can't even find an Emerson Persian for sale.
 
SurvivetheCollapse said:
I want an Emerson Persian. The blade just really appeals to me.

If I could find a similar design folder, I would look into it. Thus far I have not found anything even close to similar to Emerson Persian. Shoot I can't even find an Emerson Persian for sale.
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You are not looking hard enough brother, they are out there....
 
For me I think Emersons look a little cheap for what you get...

They are probably very high quality and hard use, but to me they just look too plain.
 
I've owned a 14 and a 7 and have handled a lot of different models. They're fine knives, but they tend to be overpriced for me unless I'm getting a decent deal on the secondary market. Spyderco's Military and Paramilitary are direct competition to a lot of Emerson models I think and they arguably have equal or better materials, quality, ergos utility, etc and they can generally be bought at 50-70% of many of the Emerson models.
 
Don't know much about them because they don't appeal to me either, but I like some of the T-shirts. ;)
 
I've never been too interested in them either. The designs don't appeal to me too much, they seem overpriced for what you get, the F&F seems to be a bit hit-'n'-miss, and they are large knives (I prefer medium to smaller knives).

- Mark
 
I tried to like EKI, but could not find it in my heart to accept their "excuses" for the wrong sided grind and poor f&f. I even bought 2 of their flagship knife CQC-12, and both have disappointed me. They lock, they are useful, but they have the wrong price tag. For $200, I can find better knives than EKI. And I hate their claim about the number 1 hard use knives in the world; I just don't buy it. No more EKI for me.
 
Artfully Martial said:
I actually really liked the mini-commander, it's almost ken-oniony, but the value and chisel grind held me at bay.
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The mini-commander doesn't have a chisel grind; it has a saber grind. You're probably referring to secondary edge which is only sharpened along one side.
 
I've owned a Commander, a BM CQC7, a CQC10 and a CQC12. In each case I got the sense that I had paid for more knife than I had received. There weren't any specific problems with build quality, just an overall 'feel'. I'll give Emerson full credit for the cleverness of the Wave opener, but it shouldn't add $50 to the cost of a knife. Add to that the fact they are liner locks with chisel edges and they rapidly lose their appeal to me as 'working' knives.

So no, I don't think the same thing will happen to you with Enersons that will happen with Spydercos.

I should add that this isn't a knock on Emerson: if I needed somebody to teach me knife fighting he would be #1 on the list. He would just be teaching me how to do it with a Spyderco.
 
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Bryan J said:
The mini-commander doesn't have a chisel grind; it has a saber grind. You're probably referring to secondary edge which is only sharpened along one side.
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People often use the term incorrectly and don't distinguish between a chisel GRIND (like the CQC 7 where the blade is totally flat along the back edge like a wood chisel) and a chisel EDGE where the blade has a normal profile but the edge is sharpened into a 'ramp' shape rather than a V.
 
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