My first emerson

T

thantos1858

Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Messages
390
Recently I bought a my first emerson a new CQC-7, satin finish, waved, and serrated for $111. When I recieved it I was very excited, but after fully trying it out I was dissapointed. First the good, the knife looked awesome and cool, it was crazy sharp and very light, alot lighter than I expected. Now the bad, it had significant blade play,unless i tightened the tension screw all the way of course. Also, the wave was not as effective at deploying the blade as I had hoped. It took some time to get used to the wave and it still was not 100% effective. So overall I was very dissapointed in it's quality and returned it, I have many way cheaper knives of better quality. So I have a question, is this common for Emerson knives or did I perhaps just get one that was bad somehow. Also, should I try and get another? thank you all.

oh and I may have accidentally posted this topic twice sorry if I did
 
the emerson pivot screws are, whether by design or not, typically in need of adjustment at some point.

i find the "sweet spot" where there is no blade play and opening is smooth. i either loctite or teflon tape the pivot at that point. some prefer a looser opening and are willing to accept a little lateral play, and vice versa. emersons, like sebenzas, are easily maintained by the end users. like most pieces of equipment, they need to be cleaned and taken care of.

as far as the wave, nothing is 100% effective. i dont care what your weapon of choice is, you need to practice with it to maximize deployment effectiveness. this applies regardless of whether it is a firearm, knife, stick, oc, or whatever. however, once proficient, there is no faster way to deploy any knife, autos and most fixed included, ime.

i like emerson products. many do, many don't. but what you mention in your post are not quality issues. what comparisons are you making with your "cheaper knives"?

if you are displeased with fit/finish, you probably won't find production emersons to your liking.
 
Sorry dewd. You got a clunker.
I never had a single problem with an Emerson knife.
Try them again. ;)
 
I agree with MORIMOTOM there is a sweet spot(something we emerson owners live

with). You will be able to wave your 7 with practice.I found the same problems with

my first....Emersons are a different breed of cat. I replaced the stock washers with

brass washers ( with some sanding on med. and fine diamond stone) much much

smooother. If you can put with the issues youre having ...keep your 7 if not send it

back your your dealer.
 
You didn't give it a chance. You can tighten the screw. It's made for you to fine tune.

The "Wave" takes some technique to say the least. You have to practice and get used to it. Not to mention that some Emersons "wave" easier than others. You have to practice with it like you would a balisong or drawing and opening different types of auto knives.

I've owned Emerson "waves" off and on for several years and when I get a new one I have to relearn how to wave the new model right to get it to be reliable. All the different models have different shaped "waves" and wave differently. You just have to get used to it and carry it for a while.

I think you came to judgment too fast.

.
 
I was in the same boat as you were, Got my first 7 and was not impressed... Thought to my self what was all this hype about. Then I thought they have this CRAZED and I mean it CRAZED following so that's gotta mean something. So I carried if for a week, that was a year ago and 4 emersons later I cant get enough of them... They are truly the #1 hard use knife. And I actually use them. You should give it more time... the wave takes practice but it will get better. The pivot needs to come out and put some Teflon tape around the threads and set it the way you want it. Give emersons another shot I know you wont be disappointed. OHH and the sticky lock will stop eventually... that is what got me. Try the Mini Commander. Its my EDC
 
Think you jumped the gun by returning it. The pivot screw is there so it can be adjusted, that is a plus! Forget the wave, snapping it open over and over only accelerates wear especially on the larger mods. Emersons are built to work when other blades would fail, and the 7 is one of the toughest knives money can buy at any price. To some, the price is hard to validate, it was for me at first, but if your mindset is function over fashion, then you will be triple hard pressed to find a better blade. Think of them as the Glock of knives. Hope you give 'em another try. :D
 
Well thanks everyone for your input, I will give emerson another shot. I am looking for some new CQC-7s on ebay without the wave, I have found some a few spearpoint ones and one with a tom krein edge on it. I will give that teflon tape trick a try as well since many of you have had success with it
 
you know, on every other brand of knife, i am extremely anal about setting the pivot to the perfect setting with blue loctite. otherwise, you need a torx to set it.

but the emerson line is the ONLY brand that i never set the pivot on. you can change the tension with your thumbnail in a flash, so keep it loose to deploy/wave easy, then if you are gonna work it really hard, then simply tighten the pivot with your thumb real fast to eliminate any play.

that is something you should use to your advantage, don't lock it away.
 
I usually just use my thumb pad to keep the pivot tight, thats usually about right for most of my knives.
I have my wee Ti pivot tool for the older and newer knives that need a bit of extra torque :):thumbup:
 
Compliments here are the same as where I work. You're never quite sure how to take them. If someone gets a compliment, they are either going to be assigned a bunch of extra work, or they are about to be fired.
 
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