Not an Emerson fan but looking for my first

shinyedges said:
My son says he doesn't like some foods he's never had. I tell him at least try it before you decide you don't like it. Sometimes you may be pleasantly surprised.

For me, and only for me as I can't speak for others, I like knives and in this hobby it's more of a "why not" for me.

I can purchase a knife and if I don't like it put it on the exchange and be out a very small amount of $ (hopefully :rolleyes:).

I see nothing wrong with stepping out of my comfort zone to see something, use something, feel something for myself.

It helps me form an opinion that is based on experience rather than an opinion based on pictures and assumptions alone.

I'm glad I did, actually.
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I make sure not to feed my kids stuff they don't like so they don't start liking them; I made that mistake once with cold pizza.

Then I can continue to enjoy them myself without having to share.
 
BK14 said:
Lol! Glad to see I am not alone. It just goes to show that, at least for me, price does not determine beater status.
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Yeah, Emersons are like a luxury beater. They are just cool. They do have some sort of military and Americana mystique about them. I think alot of people get into them for those reasons. Plus there was like a trifecta one time of Strider, Hinderer and Emerson which all kind of grew in popularity together riding the "this is a seal's knife!!!!!!11" trend.
 
Lapedog said:
Yeah, Emersons are like a luxury beater. They are just cool. They do have some sort of military and Americana mystique about them. I think alot of people get into them for those reasons. Plus there was like a trifecta one time of Strider, Hinderer and Emerson which all kind of grew in popularity together riding the "this is a seal's knife!!!!!!11" trend.
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Another reason I like the Horseman is it’s the only Emerson to my knowledge not designed for combat. I am not a special ops soldier, and doubt I will need to be slicing any throats with my pocket knife. However, I am around horses everyday. I’ve used a lot of different knives in the barn, and the Horseman is the best there is. I’m always skeptical of hype when any knife is marketed for “tactical” use. However, if the combat designed Emersons are as good at combat as the horse use Emerson is for horse use, then I’m sold. Sorry for my mini ramble, but my experiences at least prove the Emersons are very purpose built tools. When not used for their purpose, they don’t shine. Just my two cents.
 
My recommendation for a first Emerson is a Horseman, Mini-CQC-15 or a CQC-10. I have a CQC-10BTS (black finished blade with half serrations) that has done more "dirty" work than all the other knives I've owned put together.
 
I sent in my Commander to Josh of Razor Edge Knives for a full flat regrind, some cerakote work, and he threw in some detent/action work. That ran me around $250, so the knife as it is now cost me like $500+. I have a Combat Karambit as well which has some really horrible detent and lockup problems for the price point. I really wouldn't recommend Emersons as any sort of value blade just because they need so many mods to work right, at least in an EDC setup. The lockup is still ridiculously late, and I don't know why Emerson uses a Ti locking liner when everyone knows Ti has lockstick issues and wears faster than a stainless lockface- plus he uses a stainless nonlocking liner which I am completely bewildered by. For whatever reason, I'm drawn to his designs, and will definitely buy more, but honestly if they don't do something for you design wise, probably not a great idea.
https://i.redd.it/u8upqsbqnauz.jpg
 
The titanium liner lock is definitely dated. Popular in the 90s and it doesn't offer any advantage over steel and in fact offers more of a disadvantage, in terms of wear on the harder steel blade. Weight savings are negligible in such a thin piece of metal and Emerson would be better off using steel.
 
jill jackson said:
The titanium liner lock is definitely dated. Popular in the 90s and it doesn't offer any advantage over steel and in fact offers more of a disadvantage, in terms of wear on the harder steel blade. Weight savings are negligible in such a thin piece of metal and Emerson would be better off using steel.
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Idk how much this applies to steel liner locks, but I heard that lockbacks that use a hardened steel lockbar, have a tendancy to develop play over time. If they would have used a lockbar softer than the blade the lockbar would have worn and broken in. As it was hardened it did not and the knives develop blade play. Having one surface of the lock abit softer apparently helps with self adjustment of the lock as it ages.
 
Lapedog said:
Idk how much this applies to steel liner locks, but I heard that lockbacks that use a hardened steel lockbar, have a tendancy to develop play over time. If they would have used a lockbar softer than the blade the lockbar would have worn and broken in. As it was hardened it did not and the knives develop blade play. Having one surface of the lock abit softer apparently helps with self adjustment of the lock as it ages.
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In my experience steel liner locks, properly fitted stay tight and the lack of movement is a plus, not a negative.
 
I've had several models when they were priced under $150. I had a Mini A-100, Mini CQC-8 (Horseman), Mini Commander, and a Specwar. Currently have a CQC-7A, and an A-100. What drew me to Emerson's are the G-10 handles, Liner locks and 154CM steel. Jill is right about the Ti liner...outdated. Steel would be better. I have looked at recent models and due to scores of people and several posts about quality...Emerson did listen and quality has improved. I personally don't care for E.Emerson himself, which is an another story. Too bad the prices went up. Emerson himself says his knives are for fighting first, utility second. I will probably trade off mine. I'm more into Benchmade and Protech. The Kershaw models like the CQC-6k are a far better bang for the buck.
 
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Of the Emersons I personally own, I like my old, non-waved CQC7B the most. I own at least seven Emersons, but have not purchased one since around 2001 or 2002 or so.

If Emerson has improved the quality of his product, I'm happy. I found the liner locks on mine became 'mushy/sloppy' after a relatively short time. And a couple developed lock slip. Probably because of the rather steep angles that were ground on the blade tang/locking liner mating surfaces. If he has corrected that, that would certainly help things. I would have thought that, since most of Emerson's designs are intended as combative knives, that he would have placed premium importance on lock stability and reliability. I have an old Benchmade AFCK from the late '90s with a titanium liner lock that, although lockup has moved past 60% over the years, has never had any lock slip.

I do like Emerson's ergonomics. They feel great in the hand.

For myself, personally, I haven't found Emersons to suit my purposes for my regular knife uses. For MY purposes, I find they lag behind virtually every other name brand make of knife due to their grinds. I'm not bashing Emerson. I'm talking about my personal experiences. I really wanted to like Emersons (as mentioned, I own at least seven of them), but in the end just came to realize they don't suit me. Someone else may come to the opposite conclusion, and that's great, too. As always, YMMV.

Jim
 
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