In my humble opinion, the best thing that can be done to a production Emerson is a framelock conversion.
I own 10 Emersons and 0 Cold Steels. That atto tell you something. I also own many knives from other knife manufacturers but none of which are Cold Steel. I don't really feel like we're comparing apples to apples here. I've always have and still think of Cold Steel knives as "cheaper" or "budget" versions of Emersons. Emerson pretty much started the whole tactical knife scene and if it weren't for him Cold Steel probably wouldn't even exist. The ONLY innovation I've seen from Cold Steel is the triad lock which is basically just a modified lock back.
Starting a thread in a manufacturer home forum comparing to another brand is doing a disservice to both.
I can't back Lynn Thompson, period. It takes a certain caliber person that actually "likes" his style and behavior.
Emerson pretty much started the whole tactical knife scene
and if it weren't for him Cold Steel probably wouldn't even exist.
The ONLY innovation I've seen from Cold Steel is the triad lock which is basically just a modified lock back.
Get the Nathawut treatment and all will be right with the world!+1 !..
Starting a thread in a manufacturer home forum comparing to another brand is doing a disservice to both.
Lots of people or idiots, misuse knives, then complain how crappy a build the knife was.
Then others continue to buy low grade knives and say how crappy a build the knife was out of the box.
IF it truly is faulty, return it and a quality maker will replace it no worries.
I've used an AFCK for 20yrs plus, the same knife. Only thing that went wrong was I broke the tip off due to misuse, and I knew I was doing something done, but didn't care at the time. Now my AFCK is a 1/4 shorter, BM reprofiled the knife at no charge, sharp and locks up solid still
Triad lock is a gimmick. Why would someone be twisting and pushing on a knife in the wrong direction with excessive force continually if not only to attempt to break a knife?
You want a "cool" knife, and have a lower budget, buy the knife you want.
Support China or Taiwan, or America. If you don't care, I don't either. Stick to your beliefs, be honest, and stand up for yourself.
Trash or class.
Well, whats required to make a lock fail then? I am talking properly made locks. I have never had a liner lock or framelock slip, or "fail" that wasnt on a total POS knife.
There seems to be a reacurring trend of people who dont like liners/framelocks to have had them "fail many times". Im just curious the exact circumstances that would cause this. I cant imagine a PROPERLY crafted liner lock would ever fail unless subjected to extensive use over a long period of time.
I personally had a couple of Emersons I could routinely and at will grip tightly enough to feel the liner lock starting to move or in some cases completely unlock. And while I'm a big guy, I'm NOT the Hulk either.
I buy only backlocks/lockbacks now in folders and have traded/sold/gave away all liner locks. I have turned into a Spyderco fan, but I will not buy any liner lock and that's a shame because there are some awesome blade designs that are liner locks.
Triad lock is a gimmick. Why would someone be twisting and pushing on a knife in the wrong direction with excessive force continually if not only to attempt to break a knife?
The Emerson wave works better than the CS thumbplate, the ergos are, when looking at each lineup as a whole, better, superior warranty and Emerson certainly has the edge in design pedigree.
See I disagree. Cold steel's ergos are some of the best around for my big old paws. The medium Espada fits my hand like it was made for it. for me the cold steel thumb plate wave works very well. But then again. So does my fox karambit's Emerson wave. But the added utility of the thumb plate makes it better for me. It's one of the most positive reliable opening methods I've come across. It also makes a great thumb ramp for really bearing down on a cut.
Personally I'll always thank Emerson for inventing the wave. That's a really cool and functional addition to the knife world. It essentially gives your defensive folder fixed blade speed. That being said I don't own an Emerson knife. Because I'm just not sold on what you get for the money. They are mostly g10 liner locks and they really just don't warrant the price IMO.
Cold Steel on the other hand has a ton of really robust models in g10 with triad locks and they cost under $100. Great value. Because of Emerson they made up their own version of the wave (thumb plate) which I actually like better. I own many cold steel knives. I also like that cold steel isn't afraid to make non PC knives. I want to get the 4 max
On a personal level, I've always preferred Cold Steel, but Emerson knives have always been in a different class than Cold Steel. However, I feel that the new Recon 1 with XHP steel and DLC coating will be a strong competitor that could give almost any Emerson a real run for its money.
I personally had a couple of Emersons I could routinely and at will grip tightly enough to feel the liner lock starting to move or in some cases completely unlock. And while I'm a big guy, I'm NOT the Hulk either.
The Emerson wave works better than the CS thumbplate, the ergos are, when looking at each lineup as a whole, better, superior warranty and Emerson certainly has the edge in design pedigree.
See I disagree. Cold steel's ergos are some of the best around for my big old paws. The medium Espada fits my hand like it was made for it. for me the cold steel thumb plate wave works very well. But then again. So does my fox karambit's Emerson wave. But the added utility of the thumb plate makes it better for me. It's one of the most positive reliable opening methods I've come across. It also makes a great thumb ramp for really bearing down on a cut.
It may come down to as simple a thing as what pants we wear. I find the CS thumbplate much superior once the knife is out, as I don't care for thumbramps, but I find it snags too aggressively on my pocket and gets a bit stuck.
Ergos are pretty personal, so it's hard for me to really argue this with conviction, but I think that Cold Steel has some knives that are really, really good, but they also have a number that I think are kind of lacking. I wear XXL gloves and it's more than a little weird to me that I can get an awesome 4 finger grip on the tiny Tuff Lite, but the 4" Talwar has a handle that's too constrictive for me to use it comfortably. It may just be bitterness of my part, though, because I really, really want to like the Talwar.