The Emerson Vindicator - I'm in

Yo Mama

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Sep 25, 2011
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Got the Vindicator last week, and decided there are not enough pics around the net for those looking at this model! (thanks for those that put pics in my thread previously in the Emerson forum.)

So, after one week, I can say:

1. SOOOOO easy to carry this blade, it "blends" into my pocket, and for it's size I'm not sure how this happened?
2. The fit and finish is top notch on this model. It's my first Emerson, I do not have one complaint. It's literally perfect!

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3. Lockup was pretty sticky, after about 40-50 openings it's smooth as can be. Lockup as pictured, I'm sure it will move over a little more:

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4. No one every takes a picture of the "backside" of an Emerson. I guess it's not as sexy, but I love the V Grind. It's so simple, and dang sharp. In my head it's like a Chisel grind, but with an extra primary bevel on the back.

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I'm kicking myself for not checking out Emerson Knives before, now I'm eyeballing the Kryptek models fresh out this year.
 
I bought my first emerson a week ago or so. I always heard these horror stories of horrible fit and finish issues. I bought the CQC8 and absolutely love it. Then I bought a combat karambit for duty, I traded a buddy for his CQC10 which im waiting on to arrive tomorrow. I also ordered a CQC7V that should be here in a couple days. Those seem to be the models I like the looks of most although I may order a Tiger when they are available again.

They may have a bad rep, but I love them, rock solid and just plain work well. The only thing I would change is to make the chisel edge on the opposite side as I am a right hander and it would cut a bit better that way.
 
I have handled a few and thought they were pretty sweet. If I was going to buy am Emerson it would be a patriot or a vindicator.
 
I don't understand the desire for deep carry pocket clips, are there people around you need to conceal your knife from? Are you carrying a knife somewhere it's not legal? To me it's not like a gun, I've never seen people get scared/nervous with a bit of pocket knife visible. Plus in some areas if you can't see any of the knife it's concerned a concealed weapon (though I've never heard of anyone getting in trouble for it).

To me all the deep carry clips do is make it that much harder to get the knife out of your pocket in the first place, and with many it requires an extra hand position change to get to the opening mechanism.
 
I don't understand the desire for deep carry pocket clips, are there people around you need to conceal your knife from? Are you carrying a knife somewhere it's not legal? To me it's not like a gun, I've never seen people get scared/nervous with a bit of pocket knife visible. Plus in some areas if you can't see any of the knife it's concerned a concealed weapon (though I've never heard of anyone getting in trouble for it).

To me all the deep carry clips do is make it that much harder to get the knife out of your pocket in the first place, and with many it requires an extra hand position change to get to the opening mechanism.

Todd, you answered your own question at the beginning. Yes, people might want to conceal their knives. If you don't understand why people want deep carry pocket clips, it's because you haven't given the matter any thought. Remember that knife laws aren't the same everywhere.
 
Todd, you answered your own question at the beginning. Yes, people might want to conceal their knives. If you don't understand why people want deep carry pocket clips, it's because you haven't given the matter any thought. Remember that knife laws aren't the same everywhere.

Agreed 100%. Not everyone likes to advertise that they're carrying a knife. Discreet carry is a benefit for those with jobs where you deal with non-knife people, etc..
 
Coming strictly from an EDC standpoint, I really appreciate a deep carry pocket clip. The knife is not only out of sight, but it rides nicer in the pocket, and never catches on anything. It's only happened once or twice, but I have caught a higher carry knife on objects when brushing by. Although not an expert on the matter, one could theorize that in a strictly tactical scenario (as Emersons are primarily intended) it could save a fraction of a second to have a little extra knife sticking out to grab onto. Not saying it's a fact, but makes sense to me when I visualize it.
 
the vindicator is nice, i have one with a black blade.

i actually love the shape/design of the emerson pocket clip, it looks almost like a coffin or something.

also, deep pocket carry isnt a must have for me, but i do prefer people not knowing that im carrying a knife.
 
That is one fine Emerson and Kryptek models are uniquely cool.

First time I saw it, my knee-jerk reaction was that if an Emerson Commander and a Ken Onion model (thed Mojo comes into mind) lived in sin, this would have been the good-looking offspring.
 
Agreed 100%. Not everyone likes to advertise that they're carrying a knife. Discreet carry is a benefit for those with jobs where you deal with non-knife people, etc..

Emerson's are made to be easily accessible for emergency use, not easily concealable for office carry or whatever.
 
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Todd, you answered your own question at the beginning. Yes, people might want to conceal their knives. If you don't understand why people want deep carry pocket clips, it's because you haven't given the matter any thought. Remember that knife laws aren't the same everywhere.

Agreed 100%. Not everyone likes to advertise that they're carrying a knife. Discreet carry is a benefit for those with jobs where you deal with non-knife people, etc..

I don't like deep carry clips, they offer pretty bad retention from the ones I've had. Also, some of the styles I've seen used are not to my liking visually, they look like a hack on the knife and basically ruin the look of a cool knife. In any case, it does make sense that some people would like to conceal their knife and not advertise it. When I need to conceal my knife around people I work with, I simply unclip it and drop it in my pocket.

Emerson's are made to be easily accessible for emergency use, not easily concealable for office carry or whatever.

Correct.
 
Nice blade shape on that one. I've owned around 4 Emersons in my life. Each had their strengths and weaknesses, but they were all good users.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies!

Discussion on pocket clip: I love it, beafy, not hiding anything here, I'm not really into low rider clips, and it works.
 
I checked out a Vindicator at a gun show this past weekend and damn was I close to buying it! It was a lot lighter and smaller than it looks in pictures.
 
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