what's so good about emerson knives

arjung said:
However certain things I have noticed are every single one of them needed an immediate dismantling and cleaning. Always grit in the pivot when new, and they need a cleaning and a break in period. Wish a little extra time was spent on that to improve the out of box experience. Another thing I'd love is if they went back to using dual titanium liners, but it's not a deal breaker.
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I agree, some of them come gritty and you have to grease them up. These knives are meant to be taken apart and serviced by the user, which I think is one of the most important things for a 'hard use' knife.
 
What lube do you guys use? I tried using the Benchmade blue lube and the action got way worse and stiff. I had to clean it all out and used Chris Reeve grease and it's been great.
 
Despite what I've formerly written on BF about Emerson Knives Inc., I got to be straight up about a few points regarding his knife designs. While, I currenly don't own any of them, I used to have quite a few of his production knives. I've handled a LOT of knives over the last 7 years and as far as ergonomics goes, both the CQC15 and commander are at the very top of my list. Like many have said, fit & finish is just OK, but then EE has commented that his knives aren't meant to be pretty knives. Essentially, both the ergonomics and the grinds on the CQC15 and the Commander are just outstanding. Contrary to many, I like the chisel grind on his knives, because it makes for a very very sharp cutting edge. The combination of his grinds, blade geometry, chisel grind as well as the ergos would make it a very good knife to be used in a pinch. Opinions do differ and that's ok, but IMO they're mostly meant for SD.
 
Lots of folks don't like Emerson knives, and I get that, but just about every negative that was mentioned in this thread can apply to just about every other production knife.

Speaking for myself, a knife is worth the money I paid if I use it, if I enjoy using it, and if I trust it. If one of these three isn't checked, then I move on to another knife.

For my uses, Emerson's 154cm is top notch, it holds an edge for a good long while with minimal maintenance and takes a wonderful edge. Ergo's are perfect both in pocket and in hand, I work 10 - 12 hrs / 6 days a week, and of all the "hard use heavy duty" knives I own, Emersons are the only ones that stay in my pocket the entire time.
I have tried other brands first and found most to be too bulky and heavy so they wound up spending most of the night in my toolbox not being carried or used, so even though they may have better fit n finish and what some may consider better or exotic blade steels, for me they aren't worth the money because I never use them.

My dedicated work knife is a 2006 commander. At most it gets taken out and used 20x / day and the lockup is still extremely early. I don't use locktite on any of my knives and I maybe have to adjust the pivot once a week

Some guys say they don't like Ernie on a personal level, well I do. I had a chance to meet and talk with him and he was very gracious and generous with his time and we spoke about everything but knives.

Edit...
Question for the guys who say they don't like Ernie Emerson; how many other manufacturers sub forums allow you to come in, bash the knives and the owner, and not run you out on a rail?
 
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cncpro11 said:
Edit...
Question for the guys who say they don't like Ernie Emerson; how many other manufacturers sub forums allow you to come in, bash the knives and the owner, and not run you out on a rail?
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Good point.
 
I've watched You Tube videos of Ernest Emerson. He places a high value on loyalty, he has strict principles and political views which he sticks to. Some of which I agree with and some I don't identify with. However, this is perfectly within his rights to do so and it'd be difficult to fault someone for this. He's aware that some of his comments may come off as arrogant (as long as one is aware of it). The one and only thing I didn't like then, was that after buying so many of his production knives, I couldn't get my email questions answered by him or a staff member. I had a total of 17 of his production knives at one time - that meant a good deal of $$ spent on his knives, which certainly tells a story about my tastes in knives. Now, I'm not going to get so many of his production knives as I used to, but I'm considering either a CQC15 or Commander or both. Those would be plenty enough for my needs.
 
Cncpro11 :


My dedicated work knife is a 2006 commander. At most it gets taken out and used 20x / day and the lockup is still extremely early. I don't use locktite on any of my knives and I maybe have to adjust the pivot once a week
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That's pretty impressive. I guess you haven't waved it very much - most of the time, waving is unnecessary.
 
Emerson knives are very nice and well built, but for the price point I can get a knife that is of equal build quality, but more Astetically pleasing. I think the wave feature is cool, you can always pull a knife out without using the wave feature. The Spyderco knives with the wave feature are far more better looking to me and just as functional.
 
AddictedToGear said:
Emerson knives are very nice and well built, but for the price point I can get a knife that is of equal build quality, but more Astetically pleasing. I think the wave feature is cool, you can always pull a knife out without using the wave feature. The Spyderco knives with the wave feature are far more better looking to me and just as functional.
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I find Emerson knives somewhat expensive for what you get, when compared to other USA produced knives, i.e. Spyderco knives made in Colorado. It may or may not be entirely explained by the fact that EKI as far as I know, is a smaller company than say, Spyderco. It's hard for me to say for sure since I'm not in this business and I'm not up to speed on the cost of materials etc.

Personally, what I like about the above mentioned Emerson Knives are : the aggressive type of grinds and geometry E.E. has put on them, the chisel grind and the ergonomic handles. The wave feature is indeed cool and could serve in a pinch (car accident etc.). Having at one time owned many Emerson Knives, I can attest to the sturdiness imparted by those. On the topic of their cutting performance, I found them to be at the top of my list. Any of my knives need to be very sharp, because by definition a knife is meant to cut through various cutting media.

Here's an interesting anecdote : back when I owned many more knives than I now do, a friend of mine would enjoy checking them out while at my home. He found my Spyderco knives to be quite sharp (and they sure have a high out-of-the-box sharpness), but when he opened and checked out the edge of my Commander, he flinched and went : «This is a very very sharp knife». Judging by the look on his face, he didn't quite expect that degree of sharpness. To me, this is what a knife should always be like.
Generally speaking, one thing I find to be insulting is getting a dull knife from the factory.
 
chipdouglas said:
Cncpro11 :




That's pretty impressive. I guess you haven't waved it very much - most of the time, waving is unnecessary.
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Not trying to brag or insult anybody, but I've been in the trades since high school, and one of the first and lasting lessons was "take care of your tools and they will take care of you." and that is how I treat my knives.
Heck, When I was 16 my dad bought me a 200 piece Craftsman tool set, I have used them every day of my working career and the only thing I have replaced is the 3/8" ratchet.


chipdouglas said:
Generally speaking, one thing I find to be insulting is getting a dull knife from the factory.
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I am slowly starting to come around to this way of thinking as well, and in my experience, Emerson and Hogue are on a different level of sharp.
 
I am slowly starting to come around to this way of thinking as well, and in my experience, Emerson and Hogue are on a different level of sharp.
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Having owned products by both of these companies at one time, I have to agree with you.

Also, as to you first comment about taking care of your tools, well that makes perfect sense. Also, using the right tool for the job help towards preserving the integrity of one's tools. I certainly never use a knife as a prying bar or screwdriver etc. - all of my knives have always been used for one thing and one thing only, that is as cutting tools.
 
I've owned 4 of his models. I carry the cqc-14 for self defense purposes only. My area has strict knife laws so the 2.7" blade with a full size handle is great. I am left handed and carry in the left hand front pocket and draw with a reverse grip using the 'Wave". Fast Deployment, Legal, Good Ergos and Left Handed friendly. I have not found another knife that gives me the same level of confidence that it will work when I need it most. Hopefully I will never have to draw it for the reason I carry it.
 
stumbled across this thread so i figured id drop my 2 cents

i have only had (still have, and have listed for sale ) one emerson. Commander. I held it for ten minutes before deciding to sell it.

Now, I don't mean any disrespect, but I don't know else to put it: I've never been so disappointed with any knife I've purchased. This isn't to say its the worst knife I've owed. Its a combination of being so excited to receive it, due to all the hype, and cool designs, and the kind of legendary following these knives seem to have. Coupled with the price point........just really unhappy. I cant speak to what is typical of these knives as this is the only one I've held, but the fit and finish is actually very bad. I know that Emerson doesn't really focus on f&f, i was expecting that, not really worried about it, but this was much worse that was I was expecting. The 20 dollar enlan I have has notably better fit and finish.

There are good things about the knife, very ergonomic, blade is absolutely sexy looking and seems very well made. But its a catch and release for me. I'm going to give one more try with a CQC-7 without a wave, and hope that i can like it because id really like to have an emerson in my collection
 
I just got a CQC-12 from the latest run and the fit and finish is on par with all the striders I've owned (new striders, so very good f&f). Smooth as glass, no machine marks, PM2 style g10, and perfectly matched up parts (i.e. no edges hanging off). Emerson really stepped it up on this one.
 
Capolan said:
Do yourself a favor - and if you are looking at all at the "CQC7" line --- go find the no longer made BENCHMADE CQ editions. Its better made than the Emerson version (even though it's Emerson's design!). The benchmade CQ7 was the first "Quality" knife I had - broke the 100 dollar mark for a knife when I was young. I BEAT THE HELL out of that knife. it came back for more over and over again.
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Have to agree w/ the exception of the pocket clip. The screws thread into the G10 w/out benefit of a metal insert and are prone to strip. Not an
issue for me as I dislike clips and remove them from every knife I own. I have several of the 900 series and think they are better than their
Emerson issue counterparts.
 
Atheos said:
stumbled across this thread so i figured id drop my 2 cents

i have only had (still have, and have listed for sale ) one emerson. Commander. I held it for ten minutes before deciding to sell it.

Now, I don't mean any disrespect, but I don't know else to put it: I've never been so disappointed with any knife I've purchased. This isn't to say its the worst knife I've owed. Its a combination of being so excited to receive it, due to all the hype, and cool designs, and the kind of legendary following these knives seem to have. Coupled with the price point........just really unhappy. I cant speak to what is typical of these knives as this is the only one I've held, but the fit and finish is actually very bad. I know that Emerson doesn't really focus on f&f, i was expecting that, not really worried about it, but this was much worse that was I was expecting. The 20 dollar enlan I have has notably better fit and finish.

There are good things about the knife, very ergonomic, blade is absolutely sexy looking and seems very well made. But its a catch and release for me. I'm going to give one more try with a CQC-7 without a wave, and hope that i can like it because id really like to have an emerson in my collection
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Can I ask what specifically about the fit n finish didn't meet your standards, and also what hype were you buying into?

It is common knowledge that the scales don't line up perfectly with the liners, the liners are rough, and some are worse than others with cutout marks around the jimping etc.

But I really have to say that Emerson is in a different class when it comes to his blade grinds. I own five Emersons and a Benchmade cqc7, and the blade grinds are perfect in every regard.
Plunge lines on the V- ground blades are perfectly centered, the lines between the satin finish and stonwashed areas are flawless, and every blade has come razor sharp with no visible grind marks.

I understand that f n f is important to some folks, but in my opinion, he focuses all of the attention to detail where it really counts.
 
I've handled around a thousand different tactical knives.Emerson hands down has the best ergonomics...for me

Some of the "sharpest out of the box" knives I've ever handled were Emersons.

However,some of the worst lockups,stickiest locks,& sloppiest F&F sadly were Emersons.

If you can handle them first & they're good,They're REAL good.I wouldn't buy them online anymore myself.
 
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