Your opinion on Emerson Knives

First the good: Ergonomics are excellent, grinds are almost always perfectly executed, stonewash is both beautiful and one of the best in the industry (IMO) and, while I don't personally care for him, Ernest Emerson is one of the best knife designers in the industry.

Bad: Poor fit and finish, pivot screw can back almost completely out in only a few days, ridiculous lock stick is normal, sweet spot for opening smoothly but without play is miniscule, expect gritty opening for quite some time until broken in, pricing is absolutely uncompetitive in the current market.
 
I have owned 4 in total, all of which were part of an initial burst of interest and purchasing. Ergos great on all 4. Lock stick on all 4. One came centered. I took one to their shop in Harbor City to drop off for bad blade rub fix and the dude at the shop put a towel on the counter, opened the blade, and pressed down with his body weight in opposite direction the blade favored; told me I might as well wait because that's how they fix them. Still wasn't centered.
I don't like their chisel orientation. Pricing is way off. Can't stand the man's politics. Sold all 4 at significant loss. Happy to have moved on.
 
Ther kershaw emersons are not great and feel cheap, they dont wave open well. The normal emersons are bulky and heavy, they also dont wave as well compared to a spyderco wave knife. If you want a wave knife get a spyderco endura, matriarch or delica. THey are hands down way better, and easier to open beers with. Save your money and get a spyderco. I have owned several emerson and played with a few of the kershaws. Once I discovered the spydercos I sold off all the emersons with their stupid grinds.
 
I bought into the emerson hype. The CQC7 was just too tempting. Being a lefty I hated keeping it in my right pocket with the clip, and hated it in my left pocked with a lanyard. I thought I'd go up to something bigger, the CQC 15, just for a fun woods knife and a beater on the range at work. First day at the range I dropped it from pocket height to the gravel and busted the G10 and screws. Had to use a countersink bit to get the broken screws out. The fit and finish on both knives was rough. The chisel grind didn't really bother me as it's a pretty simple resharpen process for me, but overall I hated both knives. I lost the CQC15 around the house earlier this year and honestly don't really care. The CQC7 I sold to a friend at work and he loves showing it off more than using it, so good for him.

These are just over priced ego boosters honestly. I've owned .511 knives in the 30-80 dollar range that have better fit and finish and function.

I suppose at some point in your life a bubble or two has to get busted.
 
Wow, I can only chime in with my opinion having owned 2: Sheepdog and Vindicator

1. Love they are made in America (raises costs period, I'm good with that)
2. Wave feature, unlike anything else, quicker than any automatic at deploying
3. Fit and finish on both mine were excellent
4. V grind is great, I'm not sure why everyone is stuck on chisel grinds, you don't have to go with a model that has a chisel grind as Emerson makes a lot of models without it.
5. One of the beefiest liner locks out there
6. It's a plain knife, get over it, if you don't want flathead screws buy something else, I love the serviceability and aesthetics of a workhorse knife.
7. HT on mine were spot on, I haven't seen a difference in 4 Rockwell points.
8. Customer service for Emerson is amazing.
 
I don't know I like Emerson knives. When I hold an Emerson it's just a feeling. Like how Harleys just appeal to some people. I love my Emersons though I admit I was very disappointed in my Super Roadhouse which came with terrible lock slip. All my other Emersons work perfectly luckily. I know the liner lock is not the best system. My Emersons that lock up the best are the ones that came with lockstick and wore in. Just if you are going to buy an Emerson buy it in person and not online so you can check the knife over.

For me the Cqc7s are such great knives because they are a good balance of edc knife and self defense knife. I know it's not the best edc or sd knife but it can do both.

Also I feel no ways about prying staples out of wood with my Emersons' tips. I can't do that with my Sebenzas I'd worry I would break the tip off. It's true ZT does make Emerson designs with better fit and finish but I prefer to carry my Cqc7s because I find the ZT abit bulky.
 
I'm not a fan of the production Emersons, the custom CQC-5 and 6 without the wave are a different story.
 
Love them. They seem to like to be used. They have their flaws as do most every knife. Hence why I haven't found the perfect one but Emerson is definitely one of my favorite brands
 
I handled one in a shop once. Not sure what model it was but I didn't like it the minute I picked it up. The fit and finish left much to be desired and the action and lockup was horrible. It might have been that it was a display model for years with people messing with it, or it could have been brand new. Based on what people say, you can never tell. To me it was a heavily built piece of junk. I remember the guy at the counter telling me "thats a nice one" when i picked it up. If you say so
 
Lapedog said:
I don't know I like Emerson knives. When I hold an Emerson it's just a feeling. Like how Harleys just appeal to some people. I love my Emersons though I admit I was very disappointed in my Super Roadhouse which came with terrible lock slip. All my other Emersons work perfectly luckily. I know the liner lock is not the best system. My Emersons that lock up the best are the ones that came with lockstick and wore in. Just if you are going to buy an Emerson buy it in person and not online so you can check the knife over.

For me the Cqc7s are such great knives because they are a good balance of edc knife and self defense knife. I know it's not the best edc or sd knife but it can do both.

Also I feel no ways about prying staples out of wood with my Emersons' tips. I can't do that with my Sebenzas I'd worry I would break the tip off. It's true ZT does make Emerson designs with better fit and finish but I prefer to carry my Cqc7s because I find the ZT abit bulky.
Click to expand...

I've yet to break a tip off of a Sebenza prying staples, nails, or digging.
 
I mean, a nice finish doesn't make a knife not a "user knife" right? I certainly appreciate the functionality of a knife but at the same time, I surely consider how my knife looks like when I am about to spend 200 plus on a single knife.
 
They serve their purpose for folks who carry and use them. They even have a solid niche for collectors at the high end market of custom folders. Who am I to judge others for how they spend their money?

All that said, I just don't have the ability to collect ANY brand name. Buy what you love folks and leave it at that.
 
115Italian said:
Im just curious as to why the material is not worth the money.
Click to expand...

My guess is, Emerson's are made with 154 cm steel, which is a good steel, but not enough to justify the price point on these knives considering the f&f. The scales are basic g10, and the screws holding the handle together are too small considering the knife is supposed to be designed for hard use.
Folks complain about Al Mar knives being overpriced because of the basic materials, but they have top notch f&f to back the price up.
 
I never saw the appeal of them, either. My Mini CQC-7 chose me, not the other way around.

That doesn't mean I don't think they're overpriced. MSRP for mine is around $180. At $160, it would still feel a little overpriced. $140 would be fair, and $120 or less would be a steal.

I had some bonus cash from work in my pocket, and it felt right. I don't regret the purchase, in fact, I like it very much. But the thing that makes them good knives is that they are a study in utilitarianism. There is nothing that does not have to be there, and if it ain't broke, Emerson doesn't fix it.

Are you paying a premium for the name? Yes, I believe you are. But you're still getting a good knife.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top