Standoffs....Yuck

EmersonREP said:
There's less time in manufacturing that one piece of G10 which results in getting more knives out the door to you the customer. It's a win win for everyone.
Click to expand...

I disagree with this 110%! I do not feel this is a win win. I feel this is a company cutting a corner to get more product out the door to make more money. I'd rather wait longer to find a product I've grown to love than sacrifice standards for availability.
 
Do you own any Emerson's? Sorry that you don't like the new standoffs. We feel that they were an improvement for the knives and they don't compromise the integrity of the construction. Some people forget that EKI is still a family run business and very small compared to the rest of the knife manufacturers. We strive to make our customers happy but sometimes you can't please them all. We get that. EKI actually cares about their customers and the product that they put out there. Sure like every company they need to cover their overhead but not every company is going to sacrifice their product to make an extra dollar.
 
Last edited:
EmersonREP said:
I understand your gripe and you have a right to your opinion but I don't understand how it's adding to more parts being lost. I'm guessing you mean when you take it apart to clean. IMHO it's easier to clean. My way of cleaning is definitely different than some of you. Most of the time I just run the knife under the faucet and let it dry. Done. If I do have to take it apart I find it much easier now. You only need to disassemble on the pivot side really. Going from a back spacer to standoffs was EKI's decision and a good one I think. There's less time in manufacturing that one piece of G10 which results in getting more knives out the door to you the customer. It's a win win for everyone.
Click to expand...

I agree with the "pivot side disassembly only" -- my recent acquisition, the CQC 10 has horrible sticky lock. To ease it out, I disassembled it, and was surprised when I only required the pivot side disassembly to pretty much take down the entire knife. The lock has set in a bit, but the stickyness hasn't eased out. Maybe some other trick to get that fixed, but that's a different story. I personally liked the standoffs, and also as someone else said, feel there are a tad too many than actually required (4 on the CQC10, 3 would have sufficed). But knowing Emerson, I believe they are there for a reason, and have no gripe against it. Pretty easy to see-through and maintain a much clean knife.

To each is own - I have a few with backspacers, and a few with standoffs. Both are equally good for me.
 
If people don't like the look, fine.
But it should fix the issue of stripped threads in the liners.
I have a Combat Karambit that needed to be sent in due to stripped threads in the non-locking liner.
Showed up that way, new.
With standoffs that would not have happened.

And if, by some chance it did, it would be a very simple matter for Emerson to send out a standoff.
You can't just go around shipping out new liners though, especially if it happened to be the locking side.

So yeah, I don't see it as an issue at all, unless you're really loving the backspacer look.

Hell, I remember people whining that Emerson WASN'T using standoffs!
You just can't win when it comes to pleasing the public. :D
 
I like the standoffs and look forward to many more Ernies with them.
One thing I could suggest is that if you call and speak to an online retailer, some may have old stock with the back spacer.

You just need to ask.
 
EmersonREP said:
Do you own any Emerson's? Sorry that you don't like the new standoffs. We feel that they were an improvement for the knives and they don't compromise the integrity of the construction. Some people forget that EKI is still a family run business and very small compared to the rest of the knife manufacturers. We strive to make our customers happy but sometimes you can't please them all. We get that. EKI actually cares about their customers and the product that they put out there. Sure like every company they need to cover their overhead but not every company is going to sacrifice their product to make an extra dollar.
Click to expand...



The trying to make every customer happy is a noble goal, but it is in possible in business today. I am sure if EKI offered a free Presentation Box in Oak, with every order of a CQC 7.

Some people would say they wish the free box was Walnut, others would grip, but I think it should be al orders.
 
I have a mini cqc 7 with a backspacer and a mini commander with the stand offs. Personally I like the look of the mini commander better. To each their own.
 
EmersonREP said:
Do you own any Emerson's?
Click to expand...

I own/owned 10+ Emersons. I also own/owned several CRK's, Striders, Microtechs, Benchmades, Spydercos, etc. And by far Emersons have been my favorite. That being said I do understand that a company must change with the times in order to grown and be successful. I also believe over the years Emerson has made many positive improvements and are leaps and bounds from where they once were in terms of fit and finish. The point that I was trying to make is that I do not agree with a company making a change in order to get more product out the door. Maybe it's just that I haven't warmed up to the new standoff look and feel on Emersons but like I said earlier after ordering a new Horseman that came with standoffs I was immediately put off by them. Maybe it is a change for the better. It just didn't have that classic Emerson feel to me.
 
Last edited:
I used to like stand offs and open construction. Until I had some crap in a pocket find its way in and damage my edge. The handle of the knife should protect the edge when the knife is closed. Open construction doesn't do this as well, IMHO.
 
DrFish said:
I used to like stand offs and open construction. Until I had some crap in a pocket find its way in and damage my edge. The handle of the knife should protect the edge when the knife is closed. Open construction doesn't do this as well, IMHO.
Click to expand...

^What you said^
 
DrFish said:
I used to like stand offs and open construction. Until I had some crap in a pocket find its way in and damage my edge. The handle of the knife should protect the edge when the knife is closed. Open construction doesn't do this as well, IMHO.
Click to expand...
I have had similar problems with a kershaw leek, with a back spacer. I like stand off s.
 
They don't particularly bother me. Nothing else usually rides in the same pocket as my Emersons anyway.
 
I personally love the idea of the stand offs. I just put these titanium standoffs in my Commander. They're a bit bigger than the originals.

2yzc3sx.jpg
 
I also prefer the backspacer over standoffs. Lately I've taken to finding used "classic" Emersons instead of new...
 
I own a CQC7 with the G10 back spacer and I just got my first Emerson with the standoffs, I much prefer it.
 
EmersonREP said:
Do you own any Emerson's? Sorry that you don't like the new standoffs. We feel that they were an improvement for the knives and they don't compromise the integrity of the construction.
Click to expand...

I have owned, and sold or gave as gifts (or returned, see below) the following Emerson knives over the last 5 years:

- Super CQC-7 SFS
- Super CQC-7 BTS
- Commander SFS
- Combat Karambit BT
- CQC-7 BTS (Opened box and was like "standoffs...yuck!" and sent it back)
- CQC-7 SF (see above)
- A-100 SFS
- A-100 BTS
- A-100 SF
- A-100 BT

I currently own a CQC-7 BT (with backspacer) and have a CQC-7A BTS in the mail on the way. I will be replacing my plain edged A-100s this year and want to get a Persian as well. I wear the CQC-7 BT every other day, the rest of the time I carry a Spyderco Military or Para2.

Most of the EKI knives I sold were great, but tastes and use requirements changed so I sold or gave them to people who would appreciate/use them more.

EmersonREP said:
Some people forget that EKI is still a family run business and very small compared to the rest of the knife manufacturers. We strive to make our customers happy but sometimes you can't please them all. We get that. EKI actually cares about their customers and the product that they put out there.
Click to expand...

You could sell aluminum backspacers with threaded screw holes. The Spyderco Military is made this way. You'd have trouble with people stripping the threads out, but it would be an aftermarket modification and they could just buy another one.

This would make everyone happy, I'd think. I'd go out and buy a pair of knives, and backspacers, the day they were available.

One thing I could suggest is that if you call and speak to an online retailer, some may have old stock with the back spacer.
Click to expand...

I spent an hour or two doing that, and everyone I spoke with was out of the old '7s.
 
I like the standoffs in principle. In fact, back in the day I always wished that these knives came with standoffs!

I just wish that the fastener pattern was redesigned when EKI made the switch- because like I said before it seems like there SOO many standoffs. It makes the knife look "cluttered" IMHO... I wonder if ALL of those screws are necessary anymore to make a strong frame?
 
The standoffs are a functional improvement, period. Tapping steel into steel is just flat out stronger than tapping steel into titanium. It's not a downgrade from the back spacer. Liking the LOOK of the spacer is a valid complaint against the standoffs, but accusing EKI of cheapening the product quality is just plain ridiculous.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top