Thinking about my first Emerson

[MathewLinder]

I was just hoping you guys might be able to help answer a few question. I was wonder how the heat treat on the 154cm is? Also, I've been told there is lock stick with all emersons, just overblown? Is a chisel grind as easy to sharpen as a traditional v grind? And what tool would you reccomend for sharpening? Last question, I promise..have any of you used the warrenty and what was your experience?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

[Dadpool]

I've had no problems with the steel. Used mine for years with good resuls.

Some have had a bit of lock stick. It goes away.

I've used the warranty and the service was exemplary. One of many reasons I keep coming back, and why I own several Emersons.

 

[Silent H]

I'll be honest, I only have one Emerson, and it's in S35VN, and I haven't used warranty. I can tell you their S35VN is excellent, so I would suggest that if you could find the model you want in that steel.

Mine had some persistent lockstick, it wasn't all that hard to unlock, but it didn't seem to break in like some of my other knives. I just apply pencil lead to the tang occasionally and that helps a lot.

It's pretty easy to sharpen Emersons on the Spyderco Sharpmaker. My Sheepdog came with an edge that almost perfectly matched the 20 dps setting on the sharpmaker. If your edge is slightly different, it shouldn't be too hard to match the edge or just reprofile it to match the sharpmaker.

 

[Yo Mama]

My lock would flex with gentle torgue, Emerson fixed it quickly and was perfect.

Ht on the 154 is great, they say its a bit low but with use i can't tell the difference. Where I think it more matters is the grind, which is spot on and what make Emersons so good.

 

[Silvanus]

I've been using Emersons, both production and customs, for years. The steel is good for a working knife that gets used. The edge retention is good but you have to remember that its 154CM, not S90V. Resharpening is easy due to the steel and the heat treat. Sharpening the chisel edge is easier than a V-grind knife since you only really have to sharpen one side and then just knock the burr off the other. I personally sharpen free hand but really any sharpening system will work to get a hair popping edge.

As far as the lock stick, it's not even an issue as far as on concerned. There is a little "pop" when releasing the lockbar but that's mostly it I'm my experience. I actually really like that little pop because it let's me know the knife is secure.

Emerson's warranty is one of the best in the business. I've used it a couple times for a few different reasons, and the results have always been great. Pre-COVID the turnaround time for production knife warranty service was about two weeks. Custom knife warranty turnaround is much longer (8-12 months), but with that you have to consider that it's one man working on hundreds of knives or more per year. The custom workload isnt usually for issues in function, but for "spa treatments" and sharpenings of the zero chisel edge

 

[Agent Orange Peel]

I have used the two Emersons that I have for over ten years. I have beat one of them up pretty good. It was my main warehouse/camp knife.

The 154cm is fantastic. Sharpens easy and gets insanely sharp. Edge retention is pretty good. But I have to the habit of touching the blade up as soon as it gets just a bit dull. I will say, I believe their 154cm to be better than my Benchmades I have of the same steel. But they are much older Benchmades, if that means anything.

The chisel grind seems like it would be really different to sharpen but it isn't. I have done it freehand with rods and bench stones plus with my KME. The chisel grind works great in my day to day jobs. I will say the pull of the chisel grind is not great for me when it comes to food prep or shaving wood for fire starting. It got the job done, but you can tell it was not built for that.

I have not needs to use the warranty yet but I have heard good things. The lock bar is just about all the way to the other side of one of my blades, so I might need to use them in a year or two.

Lockstick was not really an issue with my knives. It was very light and not constant. I would really only notice it if I have a very hard deployment with the wave feature. As the lock bar wears across the blade, lockstick does increase though. Nothing that graphite or Sharpie can't fix.

 

[timberweasel]

Hi Mathew,

154CM is a very decent steel with good corrosion resistance. I have had no issues with Emerson's heat treat--the balance skews more towards toughness than hardness, which I find appropriate for their overall design as general purpose/martial utility knives. I suspect this is also why Emersons are not offered in full flat grinds from the factory--emphasis on strength. Just my opinion.

I find the chisel edge easier to sharpen than a conventional v-grind edge. Some folks complain that the secondary bevel is ground on 'the wrong side' but I find it easier to sharpen as a right-handed user--especially during free-hand sharpening; no special sharpening system required. YMMV.

I've not used the Emerson warranty but I have heard mostly good things.

Lock-stick. If you're accustomed to other brands, I'd wager you will probably have an issue with the initial lock-stick on new Emerson knives. I find myself using the tip of my thumb and nail to overcome the ti-on-steel galling effect of the liner on the blade tang. Not gonna lie; it is pronounced--I've owned six and they were all the same BNIB. The good news is that it eventually goes away--broken-in Emersons are very smooth but it takes a while to get there. Don't be discouraged by any initial lock pop!

Breaking in a new Emerson is kind of like eating a bowl of coarse granola cereal. Starts out super crunchy and maybe even a little uncomfortably rough, but by the bottom of the bowl, it's just crisp and delicious. IMO, the best way to break in a new Emerson is just to handle and use it. Maybe a slight tweak to the pivot screw and perhaps a drop of mineral oil--that's it. Again, YMMV.

Emerson are wonderfully tactile knives. I would encourage anyone curious about the brand to try one.

Good luck, OP!

-Brett