I own 3 emersons and a ZT 301. IMO, the zt is a much better knife, and one of the best bang for you buck blades you can buy, considering the materials used. Nothing against emerson, but two of the three that I own, have linerlocks that move back and forth when light pressure is put on the spine. I know I could send them back to be fixed but I really dont feel like it. In my experience, there are much better quality knives out there for lower prices, than what you get with emersons. Just my experiences. I would be interested in buying one of their framelock models, but they are pretty hard to find, and still more expensive than the ZT.