As far as I can ascertain, it has to do with alot of sour grapes and jealousy. There were some valid criticisms of Emerson's policies regarding Custom Orders in the past. The main person that fueled that controversy wanted a deal of some sort of exclusivity with Emerson and when that did not happen, the person fired a broadside at Ernie. You see, the policy in question was absolutely OK until someone did not get what they wanted, then the torrent of nonsense was released.
Ernie rectified that situation, much to his credit and came out stronger but a bad taste lingers in the mouths of many because of this. And they fire on him.
Then, the other people who don't know what is fueling it, they jump on the bandwagon and grab a stick too.
I think at this point, it is like a Mob Mentality thing, similar to a riot phenomenon in microcosm, in that, one person starts, then they all pile on him.
This is my opinion and not necessarily that of Ernie's or EKI's, I'm not employed by them, I don't even own a Custom. I do, however, own more than a "few" of their Production Models and I can't say that I have been disappointed.
I am reluctant to whine about knives I have had that have failed. Or from crappy Customer Service I have received.
I do have to say this, however, I see some of these same people who criticize Emerson Knives, I see them in other venues extolling the virtues of Spyderco Starmates and Military Clipits.
I have been more or less silent on this issue in the past, but I am entirely nauseous with the current Online "Sport" of beating EKI up.
When the Spyderco Military came out, I purchased one. I slashed through a damned cardboard box in an "X" Pattern, those in the Filipino Martial Arts will recognize that as #1 & #2. That was about 8 to 12 cuts in total. Brand new knife. The flat of the blade did not hit (please, I know how to orient the edge, I know how to cut) and the blade was incredibly loose. Lateral wobble that was significant and dangerous in my opinion. A failure. There was no harsh treatment of this knife, especially in light of the fact that it is called, "The Military," right?
I explained in a note to Spyderco Customer Service what happened and sent it back. They sent it back a couple of weeks later, I performed the same movement and it did the same damned thing. They tightened it up as I had been trying to tighten it. I paid USPS Priority Shipping and Insurance for them to turn an allen wrench. Big deal. I had done that myself, I did not have to send it to Colorado to do that, I wanted it fixed.
It sat in the knife drawer until a friend of mine saw it and just had to have it. I explained it to him, he didn't care. OK, whatever, give me a $100.00 and it's yours.
Some time ago, I traded one knife for many, and in that batch of "many," was a Spyderco Starmate. It suffered the same problem. I did not waste my money sending it back to Spyderco. I used it for a boxcutter at work and that was it. And it came loose every night just cutting through several dozen boxes, to open them, not "practice" on them.
Someone at work wanted it, I explained they would have to tighten it constantly, they did not care. Thank you, give me $75.00 and it's a deal.
I see people criticizing the Commander in particular for this very same problem. While my Commander will loosen, I don't even have to take a screwdriver to it. My thumb turning it about 5 mm does the trick.
Could Emerson solve this problem? Of course they could! They need to switch to another type of screw, that's all. Why don't they? I have no idea.
I bought a friend of mine a Spyderco Endura for his birthday, he was cutting tape over his head, while on a ladder, working on some wires or something...the spine of the blade tapped an overhead "I" beam and the knife closed on his knuckles. A failure of the lock on a brand new knife.
Benchmades? My AFCK and CQC-7 I once had, a frame screw on each walked out from normal use after awhile. Guess what? They were stripped from the factory, that is why they walked out on their own.
That is not to say that Spyderco cannot make a good knife, or Benchmade for that matter. What it points out is, for some reason, people keep quiet when it is someone else and scream bloody murder when their EKI is not quite up to par.
As for the Spyderco Military and Starmate, they have a single liner and the problem lies there. Why isn't this an issue? it makes no sense.
I have had a bum knife at one time or another from everyone. Anyone's QC can slip, anyone can put out a bum knife or a whole batch of them. It is the nature of production. Isn't it?
I just get a real bad feeling when I see the other group of "Usual Suspects," whom I refer to as, "The Usual Whiners" talking up other designs that are not as good as EKI's, then, have the balls to try to nutpunch EKI, Ernie Emerson or people like me that like Emerson Knives.
------------------
"You are no more armed because you are wearing a pistol than you are a musician because you own a guitar." ~Jeff Cooper
And the same goes for a knife...
And, I'm a Usual Suspect.
Some of my Knives and other neat things
[This message has been edited by Don Rearic (edited 05-05-2001).]
