Spyderco Military Vs. Emerson CQC series - production and material quality comparison

[Esav Benyamin]

Gentlemen, discuss the knives, do not discuss each other.

 

[SaintWarrior]

the locking bar is steel and it is really tight, the knife itself is kinda too big for everyday carry but the built quality is definitely good

I am quite happy with my Millie too. Rock solid clip (basically you can clip the knife to the pocket inside your jacket and turn it upwards down and shake as long as you need and the knife will never fall out - I have tested that). I don't know the limits of the blade strength in certain areas, cutting edge is very solid but I am afraid to push the tip really hard when doing something.

 

[syntaxerrorsix]

All the statistics are in the online shops listings. These knives are not available for purchasing. In general knife/outdoor gear stores they are not available at all (at least here in Northern Europe) and in online shops you get such notices like here on Knifecenter .

Trust me I have enough cash to buy any Emerson out there, but they won't sell it. Give me any store that will accept MasterCard and will ship the knife after the payment and I will buy any CQC or PUK or something. It is impossible! When I was buying my Spyderco Military Digital Camo I asked the local dealer how could I order and get Emerson in my location. They told me that it is nearly impossible to get one and suggested to take the Millie saying that it is as good as Emerson folders and is a "folding classic". I bought my Millie in the result.

After that I started digging Emerson Knives website just to find out what is so special about those knives. And I saw that handle materials were the same G-10, steel was worse - 154CM, liner lock was titanium though and SPEC WAR badges on all blades.

I started researching various forums on these knives but found nothing but unclear exclamations. "You hold any Emerson knife - you hold a real thing" etc. etc.

That's why I absolutely don't understand why Emersons are that expensive, of that constant unavailability while Spydercos are almost the same. What makes people grabbing those knives out? Probably carefully maintained reputation of "elite gear" choosen by specialists as it has been shown in "Tears of the Sun" movie and noted in the description of every knife.

Description of PUK:



Description of Super CQC-8:



Description of Commander:

Have you considered buying one from members here? I see quite a few Emerson knives in the classifieds.

 

[Hallucinosis]

While not made for prying, the Military is tougher than you're giving it credit for. I don't think you will lose the tip if you nick a screw.

It pains me to think that anyone uses their knives for prying... there are cheaper steels/tools that are better for prying. I carry one of those keychain slotted screwdrivers for such tasks.

 

[mongomondo]

Emerson is a smaller company than Spyderco. Spyderco has a factory in the USA but also has knives made in China, Taiwan, and Japan. Emerson is much smaller and everything is made in their one factory in California. They make knives in batches and they sell out quickly. Emerson has recently moved into a larger facility so you should be able to find knives easier, hopefully.

 

[Mitchell Knives]

Emerson says that all their knives are hand made and of always limited availability while companies like Spyderco have assembly lines and produce the same Millies in tens of thousands that's why they are so widely available.

Spyderco and Emerson are factory knives; neither are hand made.

 

[Shotgun]

I find Emerson's to be extremely ugly and over hyped. I could care less what "certain circles" are using because "certain circles" know guns, not knives. Even if they did know anything about knives that doesn't translate into a knife that will work for me.

 

[SaintWarrior]

Have you considered buying one from members here? I see quite a few Emerson knives in the classifieds.

Well, I would like either a large folder like CQC-8 or small fixed blade like PUK and that's all but I haven't had any luck of finding any for a couple of years now. I think I might consider buying one from somebody if I finally fail in purchasing them from online stores.

 

[5.56]

I could care less what "certain circles" are using because "certain circles" know guns, not knives.

You mean LEO's and Military? Guys that hard use their knives daily?

I don't think Emerson's are over-hyped, and yeah, I own a few knives and firearms.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

The hunt is often better than the kill. The longer it takes you to find, the better you'll know what you really want. Impulse buying is rarely as satisfying as informed buying.

 

[mongomondo]

I really doubt Tears of the Sun made much of an impact on sales. It had a budget of $70+ million and made about half of that back in the USA. It bombed and not many people saw it, much less people that care about knives.

 

[SaintWarrior]

I really doubt Tears of the Sun made much of an impact on sales. It had a budget of $70+ million and made about half of that back in the USA. It bombed and not many people saw it, much less people that care about knives.

The PUK model got attention of all people who were more or less interested in knives. That is without any doubts.

 

[A.P.F.]

Shows ya how observant I am. I have seen the movie 4 times and never noticed the PUK.

 

[Rudeco]

If you looking for a good thrashing knife, try a work horse the Onterio Rat 1, and its dirt cheap, a pretty good slicer and you can thump on it and not worry so much about the tip being chipped. check it out but if you want something alittle more expensive what about the ZT 551

 

[stabman]

You mean LEO's and Military? Guys that hard use their knives daily?

If you want input from "guys who hard use their knives daily", talk to construction workers and farm workers, not military or LEO guys.

 

[stabman]

I have a CQC-12 and have owned a few Spyderco Military's.
When it comes to chopping through tree branches, the lock didn't disengage on my Military EVER...it did a couple of times on the CQC-12.
For prying, the Emerson has a more robust tip.
However, my brother smashed his Military into a steel pipe, and knocked off some of the tip...a whole whopping 1/16-1/8" worth. No big deal, and it took me about 10 minutes to fix it to the point where it was as nice as from the factory (nicer actually, and I got it sharp again as he does "hard use" his knives).
Get an Emerson or get a Military. Neither will disintegrate during use.

 

[SaintWarrior]

Can anybody tell me what makers produce most reliable liner locks for their folders? I mean what knifes never (or almost never) close during intensive and hard use? How are Emersons, Spydercos and maybe other manufactures if compared from that point?

 

[stabman]

Can anybody tell me what makers produce most reliable liner locks for their folders? I mean what knifes never (or almost never) close during intensive and hard use? How are Emersons, Spydercos and maybe other manufactures if compared from that point?

The Military is often held up as the poster child for what a proper liner lock should be made like.
Emersons generally do quite well too. My liner lock Emersons have done rather well, although I haven't used them as hard as my Military's, seeing as my liner lock Emerson's are Karambits, which aren't so wondrous for chopping type cuts.
I've had some liner lock Benchmades (Stryker, Mini Dejavoo, Gravitator) all of which held up well.

 

[Handwrecker]

How are Emersons, Spydercos and maybe other manufactures if compared from that point?

Emerson and Spyderco both make great knives. Neither liner lock is bad. The liner lock on my Military has never disengaged during hard use. The Military is a tough knife in a very slim/lightweight package. Plus the grind and angle of the blade make it the most aggressive cutting knife I own.

If you're worried about locks disengaging during hard use and prying, why are you looking at folders? Get a prybar for your key ring, or get a small fixed blade in some tool or carbon steel.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Wow, lot's of bad information here too.
[...]
some stainless steel are nonferrous as well so the magnet trick isn't reliable either in this case.

There is no such thing as a non-ferrous steel. Ferrous metals contain iron (atomic symbol Fe, after "ferrum", its Latin name) and steel MUST contain iron to be classified as steel. :thumbup: