I am judging EKI by both their PERFORMANCE AND F&F. Performace wise, yes they are reliable. They can handle heavy duty tasks. But again, there are also many cheaper folders that can handle those tasks but still have excellent F&F. This is my concern.
I'm not arguing that one shouldn't receive a product commensurate with the price. I understand where people are coming from. My first Emerson had burn marks with discoloration in the liner material, along the back of the knife, where the scales and liner had been clearly ground even on a bench grinder. It annoyed me at the time, I asked Mr. Emerson repeatedly about it on various forums he frequented, and I got an absolute 100% refusal to answer. I was annoyed.
That said, my best folder is a Chris Reeve Sebenza. It was a gift, and it's a beautiful pocket knife. I've carried it quite a bit, but it mostly stays in the safe. Not because it's not up to cutting and carrying, but it's too nice to bang up or lose. It's also got some sentimental value.
Now, an Emerson, I have no qualms about abusing, or even losing if it comes to loss. I'd rather not, and I try to take very good care of them...but I'm not worried about them getting scratched, banged, dropped, worn, wet, or otherwise being abused. They're not museum show pieces, and I don't think they're meant to be.
I think I've paid full price for one of my knives. The rest have been bought used, or bought for considerably less than retail. I've bought a number through Ebay and other such places, including classifieds in various forums. I had about half a dozen shipped to me in Iraq, where I carried some, and enjoyed the rest. So be it.
I'd be upset if one of the more expensive collector models of the Emerson line came with gaps, burn marks, or some of the other problems various posters have noted. I don't see any reason why the stock production knives can't come with more attention to detail. All the same, for my purposes, as an end-user (and not a collector...though I'll admit to a small compulsion of buying them when I can, which I suppose could be called a collection), I see the asthetics of the knife as the least important part.
Every one of my knives has locked up solidly, tight as a drum, with no play, save two. One was a CQC-15, which needed a little breaking in and a slight adjustment of the screw. The other was a CQC-14, which didn't want to stay locked open. A little pressure on the back of the blade and the liner lock would pop aside and the blade would close. This is obviously an operational concern for anybody who loves their fingers. I gave the knife a chance, gave it a few good snaps to open, and it's locked open and solid ever since. I haven't had a chance to abuse that one much, because it stays in the safe (it was too good a deal to pass up at the time, and I didn't have a CQC-14, so I grabbed it). The CQC-15 has seen all kinds of abuse, has been subject to a Krein regrind, and gets carried regularly. I absolutely love it.
I own several CQC-7's, and though it may offend some to say, I don't like the design much. Nothing against the knives: they're everything they're advertised to be, but it just doesn't do much for me. That said, I've carried one or two in my gear regularly (and lost one, unfortunately, on a trip on behalf of Uncle Sam, several years ago). The Commander, while not pretty, still serves as my favorite of all the Emerson designs, and despite Ernie Emerson's admonition to go with a serrated edge, I can't stand them, can't sharpen them to save my hide, and strongly prefer the utility of a clean-cutting plain edge Commander.
I don't fault people for wanting a nice knife for the price that's charged. The Emersons are beater knives: they're tools. They're thick, they're ground funny, they have a unique opening-assist feature, they're finished like utilitarian tools, and they're meant for some abuse. Never the less, I understand why people expect greater care in the fit and finish. I have six roll-aways of hand tools, and I expect for the sum I've paid to have flawless tools. I wouldn't accept poor fit and finish on my Mac or Snap-on tools, though I do find it regularly and put up with in on my many Craftsman tools. My snap-on's are pretty. My craftsman aren't. My craftsman tools have seen a lot of abuse in the field, however, and have been beaten and served hard lives, and I know each and every one of them by the scratches, nicks, and even the flaking plating here and there. I don't mind it; they've done what they were required to do, done it well, and some of them have served hard use for nearly 30 years. I can't ask more than that, and I expect that some of my Emersons will be in use long past that. Time shall tell.
My Emersons have been soaked, have fallen tens of thousands of feet, have been arc'd and burned, and have been bloodied. (Including my own...most recently a truly bone-headed act of snipping off the tip of my thumb while closing one, while climbing down a ladder in a tent in Iraq, last year...I'll never say they don't come sharp!). I won't be putting my knives in an art museum, but chances are that the next time I really need a knife I can trust, one or more of those same abused Emersons will be with me. Including the CQC-7...I don't like them...but I carry them anyway. I'm not even a fan of the CQC-7, just a respectful believer in them, because they work.
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