My first Em

B

butcherwing

Joined
Dec 5, 2008
Messages
14
Ok so I am going to buy 1 Emerson. Suggestions?

I really like plain blades. And I'm looking for a "full size" blade as my first Emerson. I looked at the following at a local shop:

Commander BT
CQC-15 BT
CQC-12 BT
CQC-8 BT

Out of those 4 I keep finding myself fondling the Commander BT.

The 12 is really cool and all but the guy wants a lot for it and well, its not very practical in my eyes. Its more of a "collector" or "speciality" knife.

The 15 is interesting... but i'm not a fan of tanto shaped blades but its kinda a cross between a commander/cqc 7. Again not sure how practical it is for EDC.

The 8 is also interesting but again, its more of a "special purpose" knife vs an EDC. But i do love the shape of the blade.

Any thoughts on the following models? I really am leaning towards the good ol Commander BT.

I will be using this knife for upland hunting (cleaning up game) and for EDC and lastly as a tactical tool. Thanks!
 
im not a fan of recurves, so i'd recommend the 8 or 12.

the 12 is pricey, but its a framelock, so more expensive and labor intensive to make.

ernie's edc is a 12, so i don't think i would call it a "collector" piece. im fairly certain he gets some use out of it. the 12 is generally considered the best production blade he has made.
 
i know but i don't think i want to spend the money on the 12 right now. its way over my budget even though i love the blade shape and the frame lock feature but...

What is the downside to the recurve?

The 8 is not bad either...hmmmmmm. but why do i keep wanting that Commander?
 
guys i can not. its not an option. i should have NEVER mentioned it on my list. its almost $300 i think. and the guy said its the last one he will ever get i guess.

but when i was in this guy's shop with all those models in front of me i kept fondling the Commander BT. The other one that sorta peaked my interest was the 8 but... i guess the Commander to me would be used a lot because of its shape but you guys disagree?

again i gotta take the 12 off the table. i can not justify the cost.
 
Go for the 12 :D

The 8 is a nice blade so Id probably go for that but my next favorite EKI to
the 12 is the Persian. That knife is really nice to handle and is the best looking Emerson, IMO :thumbup:
 
stop it with the 12 :D $300 is too much for a knife. I guess I'm not that die hard of an Emerson fan...

is there a reason why the Commander is sorta passed over? is it the blade shape? just lookin for reasons.

the 8 is cool but i'm not sure about it being an EDC or its not "speaking" to me ;)
 
If the 8 is a bit big for your needs maybe have a look at the Horseman, its a mini 8.

The Commander is a pretty popular EKI and lots of people have them.
Im not a fan of recurves so the commander is not a knife im crazy about but it is a "landmark" Emerson along with the CQC-7.

You should just go for the knife you like the best just now, you will end up getting the rest of them eventually any way :p:thumbup:
 
i hear ya, but the "ol lady" will kill me if she starts to see my knife collection begin to grow. emersons aint cheap. but i know it won't be my last one...
 
I just picked my very first Emerson and it was the CQC-12. I don't mean to flog a dead horse here, but you might be able to snag a better deal if you're willing to use the familiar auction site. That's what I did and I picked mine up for under $225USD.

It's really a beautiful piece and I'm almost scared to use it since I paid so much for it (my next most "valuable" knife is probably worth 100 bucks less) but I'm sure I'll break down eventually. The handle fits my hand perfectly and I get a charge out of the fact that it's patterned after an AK-47 bayo. Anyway, once again, I don't mean to pressure you to get into trouble with the wife, but it's a real nice knife and I wouldn't completely put it out of your mind. Just my two cents.
 
i find recurves to be less practical. the large belly and swept up portion of the blade are less usable in edc circumstances.

i normally do un-glamorous things with my knives, open mail/packages, cut threads, punch holes in cardboard, deanimate zombies, etc. a regular spearpoint or drop point, even a tanto, tends to be more useful for me.
 
hmmmm i see what u mean about the re-curve type blade. What was the Commander originally designed for?

I just can't, as much as I like the 12 I just can not do it. Too much money.

I'm still sold on the commander though. I guess I do not have any blade with that type of shape and feel it will be useful but... hmmmm. the 8 is not bad but like someone said, go with your first choice no???

My other knife is a Benchmade Nitrous Stryker that serves as my EDC so this Emerson was going to serve me also as an EDC but go with me when I go out hunting.
 
Get the CQC8 if it fits your wallet. Get the 12 if you can. Good luck in your quest.
 
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i went to the shop tonight, the 8 got sold to a collector he told me. The 12 is still available but its $300 + tax. Wow. forget it. that is way too much money for a knife. especially one that is going to be used a lot during hunting season. i just can't justify it.

he had 2 commanders and one mini. he sold 1 commander and 1 mini and has only one full size commander left. so i told him i'd pop in monday since he is closed on sundays. i think i'm gonna get the commander. doesn't seem like its a favorite blade at all around here huh.

the only other models he has left is a CQC-15 and a used CQC-7 BT in rough shape. He has a used BM 970 for $85 but that's not what I am looking for.

Told me he won't be getting anymore Emersons till Feb. 2009. not sure why. Told me he would sell me the last Commander for $145.
 
there is absolutely nothing wrong with the commander.

i simply find other blade profiles more useful.

make sure the blade doesn't rub the liner when closing, there was a period when knives were leaving the shop with marginal fit/finish. anything from 2006 on should be fine.

im sure you like the commander just fine.
 
The Commander!

It was my first Emerson and I wish I'd kept it. Now I'm looking for a Super Commander.

The Commander is Emerson's flagship model. If you don't like it you won't like Emerson knives. If you like it, there's a good chance you'll like some of the others later.

I can't say the same about the others on your list because they each have oddities that make them different than the norm and are more "variations" on a theme.

That said, even though I'm a fan of Emerson knives (and may soon own almost only Emersons for producions) I've always been a little critical of the fact that Emersons are all basically the same knife - just cut out in different shapes (and I'm not certain that it's a liability more than a benefit - there's something to be said for being so certain of your design that you don't need to "improve" upon it, so I'm torn). They're all the same materials and same "operating system".

.
 
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I will make sure the blade doesn't rub the liner. I did make sure it didn't and it seemed fine. Although the there is some blade play when closed. The blade was marked 2007 I think. Maybe 2008 I can't remember, one of those models were marked 2008 I think.

I know a lot of people that are up on the fence with Emerson saying its more hype than anything. Overpriced blades. Saying Benchmade is superior to any Emerson. Well I know one LEO that swears by his Commander. Told me its on him all the time. He is on a "SWAT" Team and says the majority of the guys carry this model with the exception of a few that carry auto knives by Benchmade and one by SOG. He did tell me if I am not familiar with sharpening that I take it to a pro. Said if I am anal I can even have it re-profiled but they leave theirs stock (sharpened one side).

This will be the first blade I own that has a "unique" or different shape. Hence why I am so interested in it. I own a lot of other blades and I tend to stick to spear points and the standard ol style blades. I'm not a fan of Tantos or anything really crazy. Also not a fan of serrations as I have my blades super sharp and they can cut through rope fine.

Ok, well after work I'm going to head over to the shop and make my purchase. I'll let you guys know.

heh, maybe i'll end up with the 12.... (yeah right)
 
i love my eki's. the blade play thing is an easy fix.

whenever i get a new emerson, i tighten the pivot screw until there is no play, but the blade still opens freely. then i loctite the screw in that position.

ive been carrying at least one emerson on duty for several years. always have my combat kerambit support side, and i have either a 7, 13, a100, or spydie police i also carry.
 
I have a Mini Commander and an 8 and love them both, I'm sure that the full sized Commander would be awesome as well.
 
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