Placing Custom Order

B

BH

Joined
Jan 6, 1999
Messages
1,117
I'm thinking of taking the plunge and ordering a custom CQC-6. I just e-mailed Emerson Knives to see if it would be possible to order one w/ Satin BG-42 blade w/ the wave feature, with black Ti Bolsters, and Carbon Fiber handles. What does anyone else think? I was told over the phone 3-4 years with a $25 deposite. Is it going to be More like 5+ years? I don't mind waiting, as long as I am kept up to date on the status of my order. I would really like one, and would definately have the time to save my pennies to get it. At 4 years, it's only about 35 cents a day, I think that I can handle that. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks,
Brian
 

What you will generally hear is that you will not be kept up to date from the Emersons and that their deadlines will constantly slip. My order has gone from two years to three years to four years. I really don't know how long it will be. Now he is working on those $1270 titanium bladed commanders which will probably delay things longer. It just does not seem to me like the Emersons are too concerned about how long people have to wait for their custom order. They seem to just take more and more and more deposits. I've gotten sore about this subject and I wish the Emersons would participate more in this forum and explain themselves. I have seriously thought about asking for my deposit back not because of the money but because of the principle of the matter. Ernie definitely makes very nice quality knives; I have owned two of his production knives and I have been very satisified with them.

 
I Hear you. After a lot of thought about it, I decided not to order a custom. I had called them on the phone, and the person that answered seemed to know very little, and just told me to send $25 and I would get an invoice. In my opinion, Ernie should wait until he is ready to start making the knife, and then call you and ask if you still want it. If so, please send $25 to hold the knife and you will have it within a month. I don't think that he would have a problem selling it if he had it made and the buyer backed out. I also understand that he is not very accomodating with customs. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have one, and I like his production line, I just think that there are other knives that I would like more that are more obtainable.

[This message has been edited by BH (edited 30 September 1999).]
 
I ordered one of the Ti commanders...According to the Emerson website these were to begin shipping some time in September with a total run of 250. The website also stated that Emerson was grinding the blades himself; a major selling point.
I called a week later to make sure that my order had arrived and I was told that the response was much bigger than they had anticipated. The total run now had been reduced to "about 100". The ship date of my Commander was "three or four months".
I did not get the feeling that the gentleman that I spoke with was very sure about any of the info he gave me. When will I see the Commander? Who knows. Now, if only I had ordered that CQC-6 back in '94...

------------------
Never argue with a man that wears a size 5 hat.
 
BH - I started a topic a few weeks ago called "Have you received a custom from Emerson" or something close to that. Les Robertson had an interesting response. You might want to check that out. It seems as though Ernie has something like A COUPLE THOUSAND custom knife orders!

I'm going to Blade Show West. I think he will be there because his business is about 40 miles away. I might ask him about all of this but I'm sure hundreds of people have already.



[This message has been edited by Don G (edited 30 September 1999).]
 
When you find out, post it on the forums. I am curious to find out what he says. When I called, I was told that the backlog was due to Military contracts that had to be done first. I think that it is great that Ernie is so busy, It's the fact that they still take deposites that bothers me. I could understand If I could have the knife any way I wanted it w/ a choice of blade material, handle material and so forth, but it is my understanding that there are not many choices, I personally think a carbonfiber CQC-6 would look good, but I doubt that I would be able to get that as an option, although I still havn't heard back from Emerson about this that I sent to them in an e-mail. I guess I should have ordered one 4 or 5 years ago when I got the catalog.
 
I ordered my CQC6 over four years ago. Might as well have been 20 years ago or last week. The result will always be the same. No knife. Maybe I'm wrong. I still believe his tacticals are the best. For subtle reasons. For reasons of feel.Of style. Of panache. Possibly I'll take delivery tomorrow. Sure.
 

BH - I was told that the wait on my order was delayed from two years to four years because Ernie was spending a lot of time setting up his production business. Now he is claiming this thing to you about Military orders. It sounds like there is always an excuse. But, I guess he has enough orders and enough people not complaining that he can continue doing what he is doing.

I understand when custom makers have delays. But, in my opinion, the delays should be of a reasonable amount of time. The time originally estimated should not double or even more!
 
I just want to clarify that I have never personally spoke with Ernie. It was the girl that answered the phone that told me this. I asked what I needed to do, and she said to send $25 in and I would get an invoice. I thought that it was kind of funny, I told her that I had to think about it, and she started urging me for my credit card #. They seem to really make it easy to pay. None the less, I think that I will just hold off on ordering and wait the next 9 months for my R.J. Martin Q-36 to be done. At least Mr. Martin will return e-mails and keep me up to date after I ordered. All of this with no deposite at all.
 
(Subdued Rant mode on)

The wait is not unreasonable. James Piorek (as an example - one of many) is also currently backlogged 3-4 years. A $25 deposit? And you're complaining about what? All it does is (barely at $25) separate the serious buyers from the impulsive browsers who won't have the $$ when their turn is up.

If you want things handled on a strictly business basis, then why are you buying custom? Buy a knife made by a business, by people who see knifemaking as their "job". Or buy a knife from a dealer. Or off a show table. Or used. There are lots of ways that knife buying can be treated as a "transaction" rather than the commissioning of an original work, which will be created specifically for you.

For a custom knife to be worth squat, the maker has to be working out of his personal love for the craft. Sometimes things get in the way, like making a living. Sh*t happens. Things take longer than expected. By ordering a custom, you are saying, in effect, that it is not OK for someone else to pick up the work if Ernie is tired or sick one day. This is what custom means.

WRT the communication issue, it's a personality thing, and if it turns you off to a particular maker, so be it. Personally, I see it as my own responsibility (privilege?) to maintain communications with the makers producing knives for me. Truth is, some makers will be virtually invisible, with your knife one day materializing out of the big brown truck after a period of years, and others will call just to chat, sometimes even after the knife has long been in your hands.

This is what "custom" is all about, kiddies. What do you REALLY want? An Emerson(TM) knife, or an Ernest Emerson custom knife? And what is it worth to get what what you REALLY want?
 
Brian,

Thanks for the insight. The only thing that I have a problem with is that if someone tells me that there is a 3-4 year wait, I expect to have the knife in 3-4 years. I don't want to have the scheduled delivery date keep getting pushed back, not by months, but by years. I would at least like to be kept up to date. I have sent several e-mails and have made a few calls, but seem to get no definate answers. I would really like to have an Emerson Custom, but I personally do not have the money nor do I think that they are worth what they are going for on the secondary market. I hear what you are saying though, which is why I have chosen, for now, not to put an order in. Maybe someday, the market will become so flooded with CQC-6's that I can get one in the $450 range
smile.gif
. I do agree though, If you want a custom, be prepared to wait, and expect unforseen delays. JMHO
Brian
 
I just wanted to let everyone know that I did receive a response from Emerson knives via e-mail. Here is the original e-mail that I sent to them:

Hello,

I am curious about placing an order for a custom CQC-6. I wanted to know what options that I have, like blade steels, and handle material. Would it be possible to order one with the Wave feature? I would like to know if it would be possible to order a CQC-6 w/ BG 42 blade, satin finished, with a carbon fiber handle w/ black bolsters, w/ the wave on the blade, and what the price would be? Also, I was told over the phone that the wait was 3 to 4 years. I have heard from others that it is more like 5+ years. I don't mind waiting, as long as I am kept up to date. Thanks for any information that you can provide.

Best Regards,
Brian Huber

Here was my reply:

Mr. Huber,
In regards to your questions about the CQC6, here are some answers. First of
all, the wait is 3-4 years for Mr. Emerson's custom knives, however depending
on the features which you desire, the wait may be longer. We do not use
BG42, but do use 154. The knive is available with the black bolster and
micarta handles. At this time, the wave feature is not available on the
CQC6. Thank you for your interest in Emerson Knives. If you have any further
questions, feel free to contact us again.
Thank you.
And finally, here is the response that I sent back to them, conserning the order:

Emerson knives,
Thanks for responding. I just want to be sure, you say that the wait may be longer depending on the features that I desire, What are those features? Each feature that I desired, besides the Black bolster, were "Shot down" for lack of a better word. If I do decide to order, which features would require the quickest delivery time, and could you provide a cost on the knife? Also does the Deposite count towards the cost of the knife.

Regards,
Brian Huber

Any comments are welcome.
Brian
 
BH - Interesting response from them. Personally, I would not ask any changes from Emerson just because they seem to have so many orders. But, that is just me. It is interesting that they are saying 3 - 4 years; maybe I will get my order in that amount of time instead of 4+ years that I am assuming.
 
Don G,

I guess that there is only 1 way to find out, Maybe I will just Buck up and put an order in and find out. I think that I will set on it a week, and then decide one way or the other.

Brian
 
I have a couple of thoughts on this -

1) The price for getting in line is only $25, and it would seem that these knives are easily re-sellable. Since prices can only rise over the next 4-5 years, I would guess that upon delivery, if you don't want your knife, you will be able to get rid of it for at least what you paid, almost immediately. That said, if you're interested enough in the knives (and the maker!), I'd plop down the $25 in a heartbeat and basically forget you even ordered it. Nice surprise in 5 years!

2) It's my opinion that there are better custom folder values available out there, with much more "touchy-feely" between the user and maker, and (what would seem to be) more drive by the maker to produce the exact knife the user is wanting.

These things said, (again, MHO) if this is a knife that you want to carry and use, and have specific requirements, I'd look elsewhere, and get exactly the knife you want, in a shorter time frame, and probably for less money. If this is a "collector", one that will occupy your display case or be traded/sold, then by all means, I think that putting down a minimal deposit and hunkering back for a nice wait is absolutely reasonable.

I know that you're going ahead with another custom, but this is too good a thread to waste!
 
Brian-some very valid points. My thought on it is, who knows what the market will be like in 5 years? Maybe his knives will still be as in demand or more as they are today, maybe not, only time will tell. I personally get knives as users, the only ones that I put in the knife case are knives that I have gotten as gifts, those are never sold or traded. If I do order an Emerson custom, it will be to use and carry. I have to admit that I am somewhat caught up in the Emerson Hype. When Emerson announced that they were starting up a production company, I was on the phone to them and put on the waiting list. I also paid $220.00 for a production Raven, that now sells for less. I also no longer have the knife. Oh well, I am more or less mumbling now. I am thinking along your same lines, it would be a nice suprise in five years to get a call saying that your custom order is ready to be shipped.
 
Hey BH and Brian_Turner

I also look at it as a future surprise. You put a small amount down now and wait.

As to ordering a custom and letting it sit. Why don't you do as I did? Order two of that model, have one as the user and one as the babied one.
smile.gif
(Looking around to see if my wife can see that I ordered more stuff........)

Ross T.
 
Hey BH

When did you get that e-mail from the Emerson's stating that the CQC-6 won't be available with the Wave pattern?

Ross T.
 
Rosanghal,

I just got it today a few hours ago. I may just plop the $25 down after christmas is over, and sit and wait, Not sure though.
 
I just ordered two customs: a CQC6 and a CQC8. I told them I wanted them just like they look on their web site. No muss, no fuss. There will be plenty of nice knives I will pick up in the meantime, much better values and much less wait, but when the time comes, I will be one happy Mo-Fo. Fire and forget.



------------------
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top