Well good timing on this issue. I'm a long time lurker and not much of a poster here but felt it's time to chime in on my latest purchase, an Emerson mini cqc-15. I've wanted one for a long time but never did for certain reasons. Now I couldnt be happier and wondered what took so long.
Always carried a knife of some sort but never was really "into' knives. Up until last fall i carried a Kershaw Blur for about 3 years so it was pretty worn out and beat up. Back in October or so we hired a new guy at work that was a Navy Seal (really he was). He carried a cqc-10 and after seeing it with the Wave I was convinced I needed an Emerson. I found this forum and started to learn up on Emerson in general along with alot of other brands like Spyderco and ZT.
After going through the pages on the Emerson forum I saw a lot of negativity regarding the brand with fit and finish, bad quality, etc. It honestly scared me away from buying an Emerson since it's tough around here to actually go out and find one in a shop. They just arent around. You have to order them off the internet sight unseen and I didnt want to take a chance and get something I'd be dissapointed in.
So I settled on a ZT 350 to cure my Emerson desires. Nice knife, well made and heavy. I carried it for a couple of weeks but it just didn't do anything for me so I traded it off.
Next got a Spyderco Endura Wave for that very reason. Love it. Fastest way to get a knife out of your pocket already open. Now I'm a spyderco fan and set my sights on another, the Para 2
I ordered one, Camo with Black blade. Love it also. Perfect in every way. Not a flaw on the thing. Now I'm thinking Spyderco is the only thing I'll every buy from now on since they are great knives.
All the while I just can't shake that desire to get an Emerson. I really wanted to buy one to see what all the fuss is about good and bad. So I finally figured out which one I really wanted which is a mini cqc-15. It seemed like the perfect compromise regarding size, blade shape, handle. It's pretty tough to find one and just got lucky to see some in stock on a dealer online the other day. Ordered it and just got it yesterday. After reading all the crap you hear about these knives I wanted to share what I found as a first time buyer and the knife I got.
I can see what people say when they talk about Fit and Finish on these knives. As far as the fit is concerned its about near perfect. It locks up perfect. The G-10 is beveled perfectly and matches up right with the liners. The blade is perfectly centered and there is absolutely no wiggle at all. It is tight as can be but still smooth opening. One thing I can't stand is play in the blade.
As far as finish is concerned. If you buy an Emerson knife expecting to get the finish of a Spyderco or ZT you will be dissapointed. Totally opposite ends of the spectrum. Sure the liners still have marks from where they were cut. Underneath the wave hook you can obviously see where it was milled as the marks are still there. the jimping on the top of the blade has left the steel a bit rough and discolored. There is even a small bit of rust spots on the SS Liner.
The blade though has a perfect grind on it. It is very well done and looks like great. I imagine grinding this particular shape is a bit of a task but whoever did it got it perfectly right.
I guess what I'm getting at is if you want a perfect knife in everyway buy something else. I love the spyderco's I have but they are almost too perfect and sterile looking. Kind of like they were made by a machine.
If you want a knife that has "character" and can see where human hands constructed it then have no reservations when thinking about buying and Emerson. These are tough knives built with a purpose and that is to be a tool and not a perfect showpiece.
Always carried a knife of some sort but never was really "into' knives. Up until last fall i carried a Kershaw Blur for about 3 years so it was pretty worn out and beat up. Back in October or so we hired a new guy at work that was a Navy Seal (really he was). He carried a cqc-10 and after seeing it with the Wave I was convinced I needed an Emerson. I found this forum and started to learn up on Emerson in general along with alot of other brands like Spyderco and ZT.
After going through the pages on the Emerson forum I saw a lot of negativity regarding the brand with fit and finish, bad quality, etc. It honestly scared me away from buying an Emerson since it's tough around here to actually go out and find one in a shop. They just arent around. You have to order them off the internet sight unseen and I didnt want to take a chance and get something I'd be dissapointed in.
So I settled on a ZT 350 to cure my Emerson desires. Nice knife, well made and heavy. I carried it for a couple of weeks but it just didn't do anything for me so I traded it off.
Next got a Spyderco Endura Wave for that very reason. Love it. Fastest way to get a knife out of your pocket already open. Now I'm a spyderco fan and set my sights on another, the Para 2
I ordered one, Camo with Black blade. Love it also. Perfect in every way. Not a flaw on the thing. Now I'm thinking Spyderco is the only thing I'll every buy from now on since they are great knives.
All the while I just can't shake that desire to get an Emerson. I really wanted to buy one to see what all the fuss is about good and bad. So I finally figured out which one I really wanted which is a mini cqc-15. It seemed like the perfect compromise regarding size, blade shape, handle. It's pretty tough to find one and just got lucky to see some in stock on a dealer online the other day. Ordered it and just got it yesterday. After reading all the crap you hear about these knives I wanted to share what I found as a first time buyer and the knife I got.
I can see what people say when they talk about Fit and Finish on these knives. As far as the fit is concerned its about near perfect. It locks up perfect. The G-10 is beveled perfectly and matches up right with the liners. The blade is perfectly centered and there is absolutely no wiggle at all. It is tight as can be but still smooth opening. One thing I can't stand is play in the blade.
As far as finish is concerned. If you buy an Emerson knife expecting to get the finish of a Spyderco or ZT you will be dissapointed. Totally opposite ends of the spectrum. Sure the liners still have marks from where they were cut. Underneath the wave hook you can obviously see where it was milled as the marks are still there. the jimping on the top of the blade has left the steel a bit rough and discolored. There is even a small bit of rust spots on the SS Liner.
The blade though has a perfect grind on it. It is very well done and looks like great. I imagine grinding this particular shape is a bit of a task but whoever did it got it perfectly right.
I guess what I'm getting at is if you want a perfect knife in everyway buy something else. I love the spyderco's I have but they are almost too perfect and sterile looking. Kind of like they were made by a machine.
If you want a knife that has "character" and can see where human hands constructed it then have no reservations when thinking about buying and Emerson. These are tough knives built with a purpose and that is to be a tool and not a perfect showpiece.