Tell me about Emersons

I just don't get the Emerson love yet but I did finally come around to liking Striders, a lot, so time will tell.

But I am living proof that it's possible to like Emerson's and Striders without being a fan boy but there is a lot of that in those two worlds as well. I don't think I'm a Strider Fanboy but I think they are great knives most of the time.

I served my country with honor but I still just like Striders because of the knife. Nothing more.

To be honest, I get a little uncomfortable with some knife MFG's carrying the US Military banner as a means to help sell their knives when there are/were a lot of good men and women who served quietly but still served.

Maybe that's an unfair accusation but that's what it looks like to me sometimes . . .

I still fear the quiet warrior more than than the outspoken warrior . . .
 
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Ive owned three blades, and while I have no vendetta against the company any longer, and I believe Ernest to be a good man, I do not have faith in his knives. The blades are wobbly, opening/closing is gritty, blades are uncentered. In fact, I broke the tip of my Karambit because it closed on the scale! The heat treat must have been weak on my CQC 15 because it had 3 chips from normal use. Emersons are to Spyderco Para's as 8CR13MOV is to S90V.
 
5.56 said:
Nah, not really. And I own several Para's.

Hope you never have to pry with that Para.
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Have you pried with an Emerson? Do you pry with all your folders? If you find yourself in situations where you are prying with a damn folder, you need to invest in some tools. FWIW, I dont think an Emerson is going to fare well prying either... unless you can post a vid instead of anecdotal evidence.
 
glockfire said:
Have you pried with an Emerson? Do you pry with all your folders? If you find yourself in situations where you are prying with a damn folder, you need to invest in some tools. FWIW, I dont think an Emerson is going to fare well prying either... unless you can post a vid instead of anecdotal evidence.
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No, I dont pry with my folders. Para2's are notorious for sticky locks and blade play, so your F&F analogy is way off.

If we're talking hard use, I'll take an Emerson over a Para any day.

Here are my knife pics too, so you know I'm not blowing smoke.

CQC-10-2.jpg


Para2-2.jpg
 
glockfire said:
Have you pried with an Emerson? Do you pry with all your folders? If you find yourself in situations where you are prying with a damn folder, you need to invest in some tools. FWIW, I dont think an Emerson is going to fare well prying either... unless you can post a vid instead of anecdotal evidence.
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In all fairness, I didn't expect the tip to hold up that well:
[youtube]woG2l1FWI3Q[/youtube]
 
Emersons are great knives. Great ergos, materials, and tough.

When I first got an emerson, I thought, "Meh, it's okay I guess." I wasn't very pleased with the knife so I treated it like absolute trash. That is what made me a believer. It took all the abuse just fine.

That particular Emerson didn't fit my hand very well and had lock problems so I gave it to my friend and told him to contact emerson. He did, they took care of it. Ernie really does stand behind his products.

Since then I have owned 3 commanders, 1 mini com, 1 cqc8, 1 mini 8, C-Kbit, and 3 HD7. I have also played with an abused 15. Everyone has been tip top. Lock problems are a thing of the past.

As far a flickability esp against a millie, wait until the emersons break in with a lot of heavy use. These knives are stiff out of the box but once they smooth out(which takes awhile) there are truely few knifes that are smoother.

As far as ergos, this is what kind of killed me, Emersons have great ergos but you have to find the right one for your hand. Unfortunately, there are no knife stores near me to try before I buy. The HD7 works well for me

Trust me this is not a biased opinion just the truth from someone who likes to beat on knives a bit. I own Spydies, Benchmades, Microtechs, Emersons, Sebbies, Striders, etc. The HD7 is one of my top three favorite knives. Emerson makes a good knife. If you actually use your knife, you will see. And in the event anything happens, Ernie will take care of you.
 
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Okay final question. I am going with the waveless CQC-7 with the black blade for my first Emerson.

So do i choose partial serrated or PE?


Since this will be my only Tanto blade and I never owned a Tanto with just one side sharpened. I don't know if the Partial seratted or Plain edge is best.

This is a really different knife platform for me. So i guess i might as well go all out.
 
I bought an A-100 for cheap on the exchange. Awesome knife that is shaving sharp, fast to open, has done landscaping duty, sandwich duty, steak duty, and never gave me a bit of trouble. Recommended.
 
colubrid said:
Okay final question. I am going with the waveless CQC-7 with the black blade for my first Emerson.

So do i choose partial serrated or PE?

Since this will be my only Tanto blade and I never owned a Tanto with just one side sharpened. I don't know if the Partial seratted or Plain edge is best.

This is a really different knife platform for me. So i guess i might as well go all out.
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That is a choice you will have to make for yourself. No one here knows your tastes or needs as well as you do. Either way, you'll probably be happy with your purchase. I just got a CQC-10 and I like it a lot. No fit and finish problems with it luckily. :)
 
I started with spyderco, then bought a emerson out of PP. Then I was issued a griptilian. I love the wave on the emerson. the steel is very hard, and hard to sharpen. I never liked the benchmade, not sure why, just did not like it. I have recently gone back to carry in a spyderco salt H1. I like how slim they are in my pocket. Having a spyderco in your pocket does not take up the whole pocket like the emerson did. When I go back to deploying I will start carry my emerson again. I think they are both great knives, but I would not pay retail for an emerson. If it helps this is my emerson after 7-9 years of very hard use.
IMG_0635.jpg
 
just an fyi that im suprised no one has mentioned yet. Emerson knives doesnt void your warranty if you dissasemble your knives which is a huge plus for me since i put my user knives through hell and then dissasemble them down to the last screw. I own 4 emersons currently as well as sebenzas so my taste spans the whole range. They are exceptional knives and unlike most companies almost every design they do appeals to me.
 
^I'll also add to that they have great customer service.

If you buy an Emerson and the Ti liner travels all the way over to the steel liner, you can send it in and they will fix it for you (only for the cost of shipping both ways in my cases).

I recently sent in a used A-100 I bought on the forums. It was well used and had a "totaled liner." I think they gave me a brand new Ti liner. I will know for sure once I take the knife apart. The liner sits at about 25-30% now, just like new. I even told them that I was not the original owner and that I was willing to pay for the repair.

I have had great experiences with their customer service and would rate it highly among other well respected companies. :thumbup:
 
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The Government said:
^I'll also add to that they have great customer service.

If you buy an Emerson and the Ti liner travels all the way over to the steel liner, you can send it in and they will fix it for you (only for the cost of shipping both ways in my cases).

I recently sent in a used A-100 I bought on the forums. It was well used and had a "totaled liner." I think they gave me a brand new Ti liner. I will know for sure once I take the knife apart. The liner sits at about 25-30% now, just like new. I even told them that I was not the original owner and that I was willing to pay for the repair.

I have had great experiences with their customer service and would rate it highly among other well respected companies. :thumbup:
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Agree. I bought a new CQC-10 and a screw on the pocket clip was bad so they sent me a few extras + one of their decal stickers which cost about $5.

I currently have 5 Emerson Knives which I have acquired over the last month and I have been completely satisfied with all of them. One foundational video that helped me is called 10 things you'll love or hate about Emerson Knives (something like that). This helped set my expectations with what I was getting into with these knives. I really do think that most of our good or bad experience with any knife company has to do with met or unmet expectations. If expectations are set properly then the experience will be great (isn't that true for most of life?). An example is that when I purchase 3 different Chris Reeve Knives my primary expectation was top-level fit and finish and anything less than perfect would have given me a bad experience (b/c of unmet expectations). After you watch that video on YT that I referenced above I think your expectations will be properly set.
 
Every purchase is based on your own personal perception of value. On a pure fit and finish, my experience is that Spyderco and Benchmade are done better, but in MY hands, the ergonomics of various Emersons is outstanding. I rarely have found another folder with the same in hand secure feeling from another brand. (Admittedly I do like the Spyderco Para2 and will pick one up.)

So if you pick it up and like the feel and can live with it not being 100% smoothly finished, buy one. If not, plenty of other choices out there.
 
The knives are pretty nice, but should be cheaper.
The locks are reliable enough; they haven't closed on me.
The "wobbly blades" some speak of are due to some folks keeping the pivot loose to facilitate easier waving open. Tighten the damned pivot and wave it properly...problem solved.:)
The handle ergonomics are quite good, and some of the designs are very well thought out.
Emerson should make more of the CQC-12, as it's one of the better folding knives around in many respects. If he made it waveless with a stonewashed blade, I'd snag one right away, finding the money somewhere.:thumbup:
MORE FRAME-LOCKS ERNIE, that's what the customer base wants.
 
This right here could cause me to give one a try, even against my better judgement! ;)


stabman said:
Emerson should make more of the CQC-12, as it's one of the better folding knives around in many respects. If he made it waveless with a stonewashed blade, I'd snag one right away, finding the money somewhere.:thumbup:
MORE FRAME-LOCKS ERNIE, that's what the customer base wants.
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Picked up an a100.
If you are picky about F&F [ie. have CRK standards] the Emerson will be sub par.
They are rough knives with thick blades.
Emerson is everything I don't look for in a folder ie. monotonous black, rough g10 [kills the pant pockets], chisel grinds, tantos, machine marks, uneven liners to g10, sticky locks, too sharp of jimping on the liner.
Of course none of these *preferences* affect the actual function of the knife and not every Emerson is like the previously stated, but broad generalizations from my research.

I've come to terms that if I'm buying an Emerson, it's for a folder I'm not afraid to beat on. They are built rough and therefore I'm not afraid to be rough with them.
I used to dislike Emerson, but more recently I do find some designs I like. I now see them in a different light.

I do feel, given the materials and finish, that they are a bit overpriced in comparison to other companies, but if it's a design and style of knife you have to pay the price.
You could say the same for CRK, Strider, and the inflated prices of Hinderers.

I would like to eventually try out a CQC10, RoadHouse, and Mini a100.

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