Emerson and DPX

[Shorttime]

Comparisons and contrasts.

I have a CQC-7 Mini. I'm looking at the DPX HEST/F Urban.

Now, awkward names aside, the two knives are similar in size and marketing style: that
"go anywhere, do anything, be hardcore", slightly over the top for my realistic needs, advertising.

I kind of like that. Sometimes, it's fun to carry an Oper8tor knife.

So I'm looking for experiences from people who have handled both, or those who, like me, are willing to stick their oar in on any subject.

How are they alike?

How are they different?

Oh, and please keep it polite. This is the Internet, and we are all wrong.

 

[Dallas T]

I haven't had dpx but have had an Emerson mini plain edge tanto with wave that I removed, and a drop point half serrated mini. I really like the size of both, awesome and sturdy construction. Both were centered and solid little tools, but in my experience they were both really terrible at their only job. Which was to cut, which is why I sold both. And aww man did I want to love em, but they were really bad at almost all types of cutting and you could forget slicing. Were outperformed in all types of cutting by plain ol regular mini grips! I contemplated seriously on getting regrinds but figured why spend more on an already expensive knife when 80 dollar mini grips already work better. Just my personal opinion, no offense intended on anyone with different experiences. Good luck on your decision.

 

[aleforme]

I've had or have both Emerson and DPX knives. They are both well made and tough folders but I would give the Fit & Finish nod to DPX. Mine was perfect.

It will really come down to which you prefer in terms of looks and intended use. I've never liked the chisel grind and like Dallas T above, just didn't like it for cutting. I have a Mini A100 that I had a regrind done on to make it a standard v grind. Much better cutter now.

 

[mt666tm]

I've not handled the DPX, but I see one thing I do not like: it has the frame lock recess cutout on the outside. This tends to get pant material jammed up in it for me when pulling the knife out of my pocket. it bunches up in the cutout before it can slide out from under the clip.

Might just be me, but it's happened to me on a few knives from different manufacturers so now I will not personally buy a knife with the cutout on the outside. Not worth the hassle.

 

[Jisatsu]

I haven't handled DPX knives, but I've owned a few Emersons so I have some experience with those. To be honest, for the money, you can get a lot better "tactical operator hard use omgwtfbbq" knives out there. I think every emerson I've ever owned has broken something due to minor use, to the point where I don't even use them any more. Usually it's screws or pocket clips. Actually I have one for sale here and I had to replace the screws on it due to it dropping from pocket height onto gravel a few years back. Not really a tough hard use knife in my opinion, as I've dropped plenty of knives before on hard surfaces and I've never had that result.

Also with emersons, if something goes wrong on the knife and you need to buy replacement parts, expect to spend big bucks. I think a pack of 6 screws shipped to your door will put you back $12 and some change. Yeah, little phillips screws for your emerson will cost you about 10x more than they would in a hardware store.

Now onto the blade steel. 154CM is a good steel, despite what most people will tell you, and it sharpens up just fine. Chisel grinds aren't that difficult to sharpen, so don't be too scared off by it. It does make it a little awkward to field sharpen an emerson when you are out and about, but I never had too much of a problem.

I think if you wanted a really robust tacticool knife that is durable and beefy, I'd look at a ZT 0350. The fit and finish are way better, and the knife is more durable than an emerson, hands down. The only negative is the speedsafe assist opening (which I happen to like honestly) that no one on the forum will admit to liking (except me). And the best part is, you can buy a ZT0350 new for less than a used Emerson on the forum.

Anyways, just my two cents. This is all opinion, and I hope no one takes offense. Emersons aren't all bad, but if I were to own another, I'd most likely buy used as the value isn't there when purchased new.

 

[Shorttime]

Thanks!

I was on the fence about it, anyway. $200+ is a lot of money in my little world, at least for a knife (I know, one of these days I'll be spending $500, but I'm fighting it, any way I can). If I'm going to go over that, even by $5-$10, it had better be darn good. Mt666tm's point about the lock bar cut out is enough that I'm going to save my money.

Thanks, fellas! It's not often that Bladeforums convinces me to NOT buy a knife!

 

[Burke]

For well under 200 now that they are discontinued, the ZT Emersons are great knives minus some of the "unique" aspects of Emersons.

 

[aleforme]

Thanks!

I was on the fence about it, anyway. $200+ is a lot of money in my little world, at least for a knife (I know, one of these days I'll be spending $500, but I'm fighting it, any way I can). If I'm going to go over that, even by $5-$10, it had better be darn good. Mt666tm's point about the lock bar cut out is enough that I'm going to save my money.

Thanks, fellas! It's not often that Bladeforums convinces me to NOT buy a knife!

The lock bar cut out on the HEST might be an issue for Mt666tm but I've never experience the same issue. The knife slides in and out of the pocket with no issues for me. First tine I've ever heard about this issue.

 

[HowAmI]

Now onto the blade steel. 154CM is a good steel, despite what most people will tell you, and it sharpens up just fine.

It's not a good steel in any way. Poor wear resistance while being outdated. Has no place in the market anymore. There are far better steels for DPx and Emerson money. My Code 4 can beat DPx and Emerson any day of the week.

OP buy a Cold Steel and use the rest of the money elsewhere.

 

[HowAmI]

The ZT Emersons are great knives minus some of the "unique" aspects of Emersons.

And what would that be? Paying for a name? Low end materials? Etc.

 

[Jisatsu]

It's not a good steel in any way. Poor wear resistance while being outdated. Has no place in the market anymore. There are far better steels for DPx and Emerson money. My Code 4 can beat DPx and Emerson any day of the week.

OP buy a Cold Steel and use the rest of the money elsewhere.

I agree that for what you are paying on an Emerson, 154CM probably shouldn't be the steel they use, but to say it's not a good steel in any way is pretty laughable. There are plenty of other steels that under perform 154CM that are commonly used on knives in the $100+ range that don't get nearly the same amount of hate as 154CM (except maybe AUS8..)

 

[HowAmI]

I agree that for what you are paying on an Emerson, 154CM probably shouldn't be the steel they use, but to say it's not a good steel in any way is pretty laughable. There are plenty of other steels that under perform 154CM that are commonly used on knives in the $100+ range that don't get nearly the same amount of hate as 154CM (except maybe AUS8..)

You're right about the low end market, though D2 and XHP exist under $100 price range.

 

[Shorttime]

I've owned a Gunsite, Mini-Tuff Lite, Micro Recon, Mini Recon, and a Code 4. Cold Steel has it's own set of things they do right, and things I would do differently.

Cold Steel and Emerson have some subtle differences in the way they present their products, which makes me feel that they are looking at different markets, or at least trying to make people think they are looking at different markets. It's difficult to capture in words, because it's a combination of things. Emerson focuses on the utility aspects of their knives, whereas Cold Steel wants to talk about the strongest lock mechanism in the world.

I like both, for different reasons. But comparing the Urban and the CQC seems more appropriate than comparing it to a Mini Recon.

 

[Hackenslash]

The lock bar cut out on the HEST might be an issue for Mt666tm but I've never experience the same issue. The knife slides in and out of the pocket with no issues for me. First tine I've ever heard about this issue.

I agree. I have a DPX HEST Triple Black and think it's a great knife. I've never had an issue with the lock bar cutout snagging pants. OP, make sure you weigh the advice you get on knives between those who own and use them and those who look at a picture and make an assumption.

I like my HEST enough that I've considered buying a HEAT. I probably will someday, there are just too many knives grabbing the same pool of funds.

I have one Emerson but it's not the model you're looking at so I won't offer comment on that.

 

[Hackenslash]

It's not a good steel in any way. Poor wear resistance while being outdated. Has no place in the market anymore. There are far better steels for DPx and Emerson money. My Code 4 can beat DPx and Emerson any day of the week.

OP buy a Cold Steel and use the rest of the money elsewhere.

I agree that there are better steels than 154CM but to call it "not a good steel in any way" is completely incorrect. It, like S30V and VG10, continue to serve admirably on many fine knives although replaced by newer formulations. I think it comes down far more often to the HT and the overall skill of the user. Changes on the molecular level won't make you any more adept with your blade...

 

[aleforme]

I agree. I have a DPX HEST Triple Black and think it's a great knife. I've never had an issue with the lock bar cutout snagging pants. OP, make sure you weigh the advice you get on knives between those who own and use them and those who look at a picture and make an assumption.

I like my HEST enough that I've considered buying a HEAT. I probably will someday, there are just too many knives grabbing the same pool of funds.

I have one Emerson but it's not the model you're looking at so I won't offer comment on that.

The Heat is a great little knife. The only downsides are the overall relative thickness compared to it's length and the thickness and geometry of the blade. It's a thick little brute of a knife. But, these are more personal preferences. It's not a great slicer given the thickness of the blade but that's not really the intended purpose of this knife. I love and carry mine quite a bit.

 

[Korean Hog]

I haven't handled DPX knives, but I've owned a few Emersons so I have some experience with those. To be honest, for the money, you can get a lot better "tactical operator hard use omgwtfbbq" knives out there. I think every emerson I've ever owned has broken something due to minor use, to the point where I don't even use them any more. Usually it's screws or pocket clips. Actually I have one for sale here and I had to replace the screws on it due to it dropping from pocket height onto gravel a few years back. Not really a tough hard use knife in my opinion, as I've dropped plenty of knives before on hard surfaces and I've never had that result.

Also with emersons, if something goes wrong on the knife and you need to buy replacement parts, expect to spend big bucks. I think a pack of 6 screws shipped to your door will put you back $12 and some change. Yeah, little phillips screws for your emerson will cost you about 10x more than they would in a hardware store.

Now onto the blade steel. 154CM is a good steel, despite what most people will tell you, and it sharpens up just fine. Chisel grinds aren't that difficult to sharpen, so don't be too scared off by it. It does make it a little awkward to field sharpen an emerson when you are out and about, but I never had too much of a problem.

I think if you wanted a really robust tacticool knife that is durable and beefy, I'd look at a ZT 0350. The fit and finish are way better, and the knife is more durable than an emerson, hands down. The only negative is the speedsafe assist opening (which I happen to like honestly) that no one on the forum will admit to liking (except me). And the best part is, you can buy a ZT0350 new for less than a used Emerson on the forum.

Anyways, just my two cents. This is all opinion, and I hope no one takes offense. Emersons aren't all bad, but if I were to own another, I'd most likely buy used as the value isn't there when purchased new.

Yep to all this. +1 for a ZT 0350 in any of its variations, I have the serrated tiger stripe model and it's really tough but not a slicer or fine work blade, but you're looking for tough and tactical

 

[mt666tm]

Due to this thread these knives were on the back of my mind, and a local deal came up for two of them so I pulled the trigger, and I am glad I did. I will chime in again to say I was accurate in my assessment of the clip bunching pant material due to the lockbar cutout, but before I get into that here is some info that may help:

The larger HEST is more comparable to a regular size CQC-7. I have large enough hands that a mini CQC-7 is too small, a Small Sebenza is too small, etc. The HEST fits my hand perfectly. The Hest Urban with smaller blade is probably comparable to a mini-7 in the same way.

These are built solid, excellent build quality, excellent ergonomics, and useful features. When I was doing electrical back in the day the wire strippers would have come in very handy vs. using the serrated blade on my old Horseman.

The "bottle opener" is a decent wave-opener, not as good as Emerson and i wouldn't count on it waving open successfully in a scenario.

Now the lockbar cutout. As you can see I have two versions; a newer one where the pocket clip rests on the lockbar and an older one with a pocket clip that rests on the fixed portion of the frame. The newer version does snag on my pants when drawing as I alluded to earlier as being my concern, particularly when waving it out. The older version does not snag at all. Clearly the pocket clip placement is the key to this issue. The Urban seems to have the clip in the middle...

PS: I did not know these were made by Lionsteel until after I got them. That was a nice surprise. I think their new Urban model is made in USA... so if you are on the fence comparing the Urban to the mini-7, I say get one!

 

[Dadpool]

Having now handled both a CQC-7 and a DPX HEST/F Milspec, I'd like to add couple data points based on my experience. For reference, I have larger hands (glove size L).

The HEST/F has a pocket clip that I found to be in my way and quite uncomfortable in virtually every grip, including saber, Filipino, and hammer, the three I use most often. It sticks out so far that I can't see how it wouldn't be uncomfortable for a lot of folks. My particular example also had almost no detent; a slight shake would dislodge the closed blade.

By contrast, the CQC-7 sports a clip that is comfortable in every single grip I use. (I think Emerson's clip is one of the best in the industry; I've yet to handle a knife with it that is uncomfortable in my hand, and even the "worst" is merely pretty comfortable, as opposed to fantastically comfortable.) Detent-wise, my Emersons have ranged from "can't shake out the blade unless I put a good wrist snap into it" to "can't shake out the blade unless I fastball it," suiting my personal preference for a strong detent.

I liked a lot of other things about the HEST/F I handled, but these two -- particularly the clip -- are deal-breakers for me.

 

[mt666tm]

^Interesting... The two i got both have a very good detent for what its worth, secure but a good wrist snap will open it up. I dont find the clips to be uncomfortable at all. Emerson is a bit more comforatable in a reverse grip, but hammer and filipino are ok for me.

Ive gotten really good at tuning my Emersons, sanding down the pivot washers to get em just right, adjusting the scales, deburring, so nothing is as perfect as one of mine for detent, pivot slack, lockup, etc. For me anyways.

Just goes to show you really need to handle a knife before you buy.