My friend is getting his first Emerson, what do you guys think makes a great one?

S

SuperBro

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Oct 20, 2010
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67
Hi,

I own a couple of Emersons now (Karambit and Gentleman Jim) but not what you would consider a really good EDC Emerson knife. My friend is thinking of getting his first Emerson after getting to play around with the wave function of my knives. We sat down and looked up the Emerson catalogue and he really liked the 8 and Commander.

I myself have a Mini Com coming, so I can't yet comment on how it feels. He is going to be using it for EDC so I recommended the mini (or in Emerson's case, not so mini) knives. What do you think makes a better overall EDC urban knife, among the two? I myself like the point of the Horseman, and the belly of the Commander. I showed him the 15, but he doesn't like how there seems to be a 'guard' at the end of the knife, I think he prefers the open, flowing lines of the 8 and Commander.

I also recommended a BT finish to really maximize rust resistance, do you guys with stonewash finishes find this right?

Thanks!
 
1) 8 and Commander are awesome - I own both
2) Plain Edge - Easier to sharpen
3) Regular Size - No reason IMO to go smaller
4) BT Finish
5) Obviously - WAVE FEATURE is a must!
 
Myker said:
I've always liked the Comander myself, but after reading this

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/859777-Fit-and-Finish-A-Long-Story

I think I'll pass,
Click to expand...

Heya,

Thanks mate. I own two Emersons and the fit and finish issue never really bothered me. The way I see it, I buy Emersons to be used and abused. I treat them as a hard use knife that's gonna get its share of beauty marks over the course of its life time. If I was buying a safe queen, say a CRK Sebenza or an XM-18, then I'd be pissed if it came with sub par FnF. The worst I've had to deal with is a slightly uncentered blade and machining marks on the liners. Don't really mind tbh, blade centering fixed itself when I cleaned the entire thing and assembled it back. Machining marks don't affect how my knife cuts and I sure as heck didn't buy this knife because it is pretty :)
 
I have a CQC 7v & a 14 and enjoy edc'ing both, i have been thinking about picking up a Horseman but after holding a Roadhouse in my hand, i cant decide. I think of my Emerson knives the same way as you, i know what to expect with Emerson and thats a strong workhorse that cuts like a razor and feels like an extension of the hand. I expect and have no problem with the rough finish Machine marks b/c thats what Emerson's are, they have character and soul! Cant say that about any other brands, like you say if it were a CRK or custom or any other brand, i expect perfection! With Emerson its about business not show & i appreciate that. Obviously some will just never get that about Emerson knives.
 
Not to rehash it to much, but I personally don't care much for the guy after reading all that,
Just my .2 cents
 
I own a 7, a commander and a mini 15, i bought them in that order. As far as edc usage goes, the mini 15 gets the most pocket/carry time by a long shot. As much as I like the looks and feel of the 7, i found myself wanting a belly/recurve for cutting tasks, imo it just cuts better and gives you more every day use functionality. I bought a commander and that got some pocket time but it felt a bit large in my pocket for casual edc. Its a great knife, just a bit much at times. Finally I settled on the mini-15. Its by no means small, but certainly fits in the pocket a lot better than the commander and its slightly thinner and less blocky than the 7. Only owning 3 emersons I can say that the mini-15 is the easiest and most comfortable to carry. As for your friends comment on the "guard", i know what he is saying and i initially didn't like the looks of it until it grew on me. I love my mini-15 so much its become my favorite knife.

As for sharpening... yeah the commander has a pretty big recurve and is the most difficult one to sharpen. The recurve on the mini-15 is less severe and easier to sharpen... the 7 is the easiest one to sharpen.

As for rust, i havn't seen any at all on any of my stonewash and satin emersons. Not a speck, and they have gotten wet and spent lots of time in my pockets and hands.

While I don't own an 8 model I've been thinking about it and people really like them. The blade shape seems ideal for edc cutting tasks. If your friend likes it, I would say its a good choice.
 
Get the 15! I have the mini hopefully on the way soon and I'm super excited for it. I also prefer the 'free flowing' handle styles and didn't like the end bit at all. However, I figured it would be a really solid and ergonomic knife, in both forward and reverse carry. Only time shall tell.
 
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I just got the mini 15 as my first and love it so far. F&F seems fine to me... Not sure what all the hub bub is but I've never owned anything over $100 until now.
 
I have a Super 7, cqc 7, cqc-15, commander, cqc8 and had a cqc -10 and sold it off, my favorite is probably the 15 and the 8 and commander are tied for second.
 
My first-and only (soon to be remedied)- was the Mini Commander. I highly recommend this blade. It's the perfect size and weight. To address the fit and finish issue: My Emerson has perfect fit. The finish may be a little off, but I don't buy a blade for polished liners. If you buy a blade for finish reasons, then maybe you should re-evaluate your choice of hobby. Maybe you should get into collecting tea cups or spoons instead of knives. My Emerson is smooth, sharp, has tight tolerances, perfectly centered blade, super-even grind, and small tool marks on the liners. I have never had a knife with as solid of a lock up as the Emerson. These threads seem to devolve into a fit and finish discussion everytime they come up.

My suggestion is the Mini Commander. I have heard of people disliking the ergonomics on the Horseman more often than the Mini Commander.
 
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