I've enjoyed reading all the replies on this topic and I also got started by buying a Benchmade CQC7 from a friend of mine who is a big Randall collector. This thing was sharp, and I've got the scar to prove it where this sucker bit me while I was closing it.
I called Les Robertson and bought my first Emerson Custom, a CQC7 from him. From there on it kind of multiplied. Lately I've come to appreciate the early Emerson Customs coined the "Pre-Tacs" by Jackstraw, and have acquired several nice pieces.
The "Pre-tacs" are a completly different animal from the normal "Customs" and I've never seen two of them the same. As Jackstraw will also attest, the hunt for these elusive knives are all part of the fun of collecting them, and oftentimes the negotiations are even more difficult than locating them in the first place!
------------------
How fast you want to go depends on how much money you have to spend.
I called Les Robertson and bought my first Emerson Custom, a CQC7 from him. From there on it kind of multiplied. Lately I've come to appreciate the early Emerson Customs coined the "Pre-Tacs" by Jackstraw, and have acquired several nice pieces.
The "Pre-tacs" are a completly different animal from the normal "Customs" and I've never seen two of them the same. As Jackstraw will also attest, the hunt for these elusive knives are all part of the fun of collecting them, and oftentimes the negotiations are even more difficult than locating them in the first place!
------------------
How fast you want to go depends on how much money you have to spend.