Opinions on Emerson knives made in China

gastonian

gastonian

Joined
May 20, 2012
Messages
828
Hey, guys I am curious to your opinions on the new Emerson Edc-1 multi-tool being manufactured for Emerson in China. I own two Emerson knives, an A100 and a Horseman, so I am by no means an Emerson expert; but I did do a lot of research on Emerson knives before I purchased them and discovered that many people reported that Ernest Emerson and the Emerson brand itself was a major contributor in their love of the knives.
So, I am curious. Do you think that the fact that their new multi-tool is made in China diminishes Emerson’s image in any way? Does it devalue the brand a little?

I personally think that it does sort of delude the image of the Emerson brand; at least in my eyes. I feel that each knife company caters, or at least tries to cater, to a certain niche and in my mind Emerson’s niche was building a relatively affordable knife, with excellent ergonomics, made in the USA for the average Joe.

What do you think?

As an aside, I don’t want to get into the whole USA VS China debate. (I, like everyone else, own plenty of things from China) I just want to know if it affects the way you feel about the Emerson brand.
 
The EDC-1 isn't actually made by Emerson at all. It was subbed out to Multitasker. They do in fact make it in China. It is a solid tool, and they did a very good job in the manufacturing of the multitool. I think it was worth every bit they charged for it. Something like this would have doubled in price if it were to have been made in the US.
 
I ordered one today! I think it's a sick deal for the price. I've handled a few Emersons, and I would never buy one of his knives. I'll buy these multitools all day long though.
 
IMHO no. Ernest is a smart man. Some would say too smart on a couple of past occasions. But being as intelligent as he is I trust that he wouldnt have entrusted a chinese company to make a tool with his name on it unless he felt they were capable of doing the job and at the quality level he expects. And "made in china" means something entirely different today than it did even 10 short years ago. If your a realist and have experienced some of the latest knives and multitools to come out of china then its pretty obvious they have got much better and will continue to do so. And to deny that has me feeling it is simply denial, pride or a combination of both that cloud peoples thinking. There is a stigma when people see "china" on anything. But few are willing to look at the whole picture. And tend to get hung up on only sliver of the whole pie that is chinese manufacturing. And in these bad times companies are doing everything they can to stay afloat. And if having a few select products in china allows that company to make the revenue to keep their company, jobs and USA manufacturing alive then I really cant argue with it. So if you support ernest and his company. Then I would buy one of those multitools. Because if he put his name on it, then you help him and his employees buy buying it.
 
I too have ordered one and It looks fantastic but I do get the feeling that you can get knives cheaper when they are made in China. That is just my honest opinion.
 
rickdarris2004 said:
The EDC-1 isn't actually made by Emerson at all. It was subbed out to Multitasker. They do in fact make it in China. It is a solid tool, and they did a very good job in the manufacturing of the multitool. I think it was worth every bit they charged for it. Something like this would have doubled in price if it were to have been made in the US.
Click to expand...

Doubled the $180 asking price if it was made in the USA? No way. They're killing it on profit having it made in China and selling it at the price point they are. Not that China can't produce a good product though, because they can. For the price point, I think a lot of people will turn to Leatherman and Victorinox when shopping for a new multi tool.
 
PURPLEDC said:
IMHO no. Ernest is a smart man. Some would say too smart on a couple of past occasions. But being as intelligent as he is I trust that he wouldnt have entrusted a chinese company to make a tool with his name on it unless he felt they were capable of doing the job and at the quality level he expects. And "made in china" means something entirely different today than it did even 10 short years ago. If your a realist and have experienced some of the latest knives and multitools to come out of china then its pretty obvious they have got much better and will continue to do so. And to deny that has me feeling it is simply denial, pride or a combination of both that cloud peoples thinking. There is a stigma when people see "china" on anything. But few are willing to look at the whole picture. And tend to get hung up on only sliver of the whole pie that is chinese manufacturing. And in these bad times companies are doing everything they can to stay afloat. And if having a few select products in china allows that company to make the revenue to keep their company, jobs and USA manufacturing alive then I really cant argue with it. So if you support ernest and his company. Then I would buy one of those multitools. Because if he put his name on it, then you help him and his employees buy buying it.
Click to expand...

^^ Thank you for your detailed response
 
bernard_s3 said:
Doubled the $180 asking price if it was made in the USA? No way. They're killing it on profit having it made in China and selling it at the price point they are. Not that China can't produce a good product though, because they can. For the price point, I think a lot of people will turn to Leatherman and Victorinox when shopping for a new multi tool.
Click to expand...

Welcome to Emerson prices :eek:

Onto the OP, I already don't really have a high opinion of Emerson production folders so this doesn't sway my opinion either way. A lot of companies I respect a lot more than this one have some products made in China, and I see nothing wrong with it.
 
I think that Ernie has a reliable product in his waved folders, and it's been proven over time. True, he could come up with something better than 154cm after all these years, but he defends his choice of steel. And he is loyal to the company who first supplied him with blade-steel. I've had a couple and they can be very good folders, although perhaps not worth the $200 that he generally gets for his stuff.
No, I don't do China...any more than I have to.
Sonnydaze
 
The EDC-1 uses D2, not 154CM. It costs around the same as a micro commander, but with substantially more features and better (to me) steel. I don't care for most Emerson stuff, but Multitasker tools makes some really high quality stuff.
 
I'll start by saying that I really like multitools, and use at work most days for one thing or another. I've used Leatherman, Swisstool, SOG, Gerber, and some of the really cheap $5-$10 big box store versions. I'm of a similar opinion to many here and I do not buy Chinese made items when I have an option to buy American made items. This is almost always the case exclusively with knives for me.

I've read and researched Multitasker tools (I've never owned one) and have read an amazingly high satisfaction rate amongst owners. Reading through some of the company reps posts in the Emerson forum, it seems that this particular item is made with extremely high tolerances of very good materials. Now, there are some very obvious chronic and very active Emerson Knives haters posting in the EKI forum and it's pretty much baseless IMO. It's an emotional situation for those people that has turned into a steady drumming type mantra tht commands them to post nonsense.

This particular tool has screw drivers that lock in 2 positions. Something that would be very handy for me as I often have limited space to work with hand tools. I love D2 knives, the Emerson wave n an almost 3" Commander blade w/ a PVD coating, prybar, wrenches, etc. I'd say it's loaded pretty well so far. Construction is CNC machined and not stamped according to the MT rep, there is no casting or MIM on the tools.

As for the peice, that is an Emerson Knives thing, MT doesn't have a say in it. They just slap the things together. I will be picking on up sooner or later.
 
PURPLEDC said:
IMHO no. Ernest is a smart man. Some would say too smart on a couple of past occasions. But being as intelligent as he is I trust that he wouldnt have entrusted a chinese company to make a tool with his name on it unless he felt they were capable of doing the job and at the quality level he expects.
Click to expand...

Just to be clear, we (Multitasker) are an American company. The tools are designed here in Atlanta, then subbed out to a group of specialty vendors in China.
 
People get too focused on country of origin instead factory of origin. Sure, Multitasker and Emerson may have chosen to use a Chinese factory/vendor, but (I assume) that's only after they audited the factory and made sure that it stood up to their standards. Odds are the procedures and documentation used during production are written by American engineers.

I mean if you buy the EDC-1, you might feel a little less patriotic because it says China, but Multitasker's and Emerson's quality and standards should be apparent in the final product.
 
Last edited:
I got mine today (I guess yesterday, it's after midnight) and I couldn't be happier. It's an absolute beast. Hopefully I'll get to test out the screwdrivers and wrenches at work tomorrow.
 
Mr. Multitasker. Please check your email concerning your membership level.
 
I think the EDC-1 offers a lot of interesting design elements: I really like the dual-position locking drivers that are long enough to get into awkward spaces, the detachable scraper/pry tool is pretty nifty, and you get a sizeable D2 blade that's big enough to eliminate the need to carry a separate dedicated folder. I think that, overall, it's a cool gadget for EKI fans but (especially) for the price, I'd much rather spend less and buy a Victorinox or Leatherman MT. Just my 2¢...

-Timber
 
i broke rule 2 - it does look cool. someone in the usa copy it, send them some usa steel, then have them make and i pay double! rebrand it!


------------------------- ok i research this--------------------

what $200 for chineeze knife i am confused. it is usa knife maker?
wiki says high end steel - then it is made in china?

Emerson Knives has a solid granite, if not legendary, status among the world's elite military and Law Enforcement agencies. This is a hard earned and much honored reputation for Emerson Knives. We fought tooth and nail for this reputation every step of the way, and we will not relinquish it. This status is the result of the way that we design our knives, the way we build our knives and the way we do our business. We know that your life, the life of a partner, teammate, or a loved one may depend on the use of that Emerson knife in a time of crisis. Emerson Knives is a serious company run by serious people. That's the attitude we have about our knives, our work, and our responsibility to you.

I will stand toe to toe with any other company on earth to defend it.


DOES NOT SEEM LIKE HE LIKES THE USA MUCH? I AM VERY CONFUSED?

i guess they make some low end stuff in china like all the big makers, when customer makers do this IMHO it degrades value of smaller custom maker - so i research it more
 
Last edited:
dragonsprayer said:
i broke rule 2 - it does look cool. someone in the usa copy it, send them some usa steel, then have them make and i pay double! rebrand it!


------------------------- ok i research this--------------------

what $200 for chineeze knife i am confused. it is usa knife maker?
wiki says high end steel - then it is made in china?

Emerson Knives has a solid granite, if not legendary, status among the world's elite military and Law Enforcement agencies. This is a hard earned and much honored reputation for Emerson Knives. We fought tooth and nail for this reputation every step of the way, and we will not relinquish it. This status is the result of the way that we design our knives, the way we build our knives and the way we do our business. We know that your life, the life of a partner, teammate, or a loved one may depend on the use of that Emerson knife in a time of crisis. Emerson Knives is a serious company run by serious people. That's the attitude we have about our knives, our work, and our responsibility to you.

I will stand toe to toe with any other company on earth to defend it.


DOES NOT SEEM LIKE HE LIKES THE USA MUCH? I AM VERY CONFUSED?

i guess they make some low end stuff in china like all the big makers, when customer makers do this IMHO it degrades value of smaller custom maker - so i research it more
Click to expand...

I have trouble understanding some of your posts. You could try to write them in microsoft word first, and use the convenient grammar correction tools? Do you think the EDC-1 is a fake made by a company trying to steal Emerson's brand? Do you think Emerson is a small custom maker? I want to hear what you have to say but I'm having difficulty understanding :confused:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top