Emerson karambit

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smcjoecohen@yahoo

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Nov 22, 2011
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I just got my Emerson Karambit. It's nice but I don't feel it's $200 nice. I have a Boker plus karambit, it's a framelock, and honestly it's just as good as the Emerson, it cost $27. The wave feature is cool, but it's awkward to get a secure hold of the knife after pulling it out using wave, I switched the clip to other side so I can grab it w/pointer finger instead of pinky which made it better. My favorite knife right now is the ZT 0560. It's around $70 more than Emerson Karambit but it's sooooo much more of a knife, the craftsmanship, f&f, more solid and well put together. Neither of them has any blade play but Zt is smooth where Emerson is very stiff opening, I ssume it will break in some but hope that doesn't mean play develops. The liner lock on the emerson is very skinny which is a major concern. The knife is intended for self defense, (I will probably never use it for this I hope) but if I had the incradible bad luck to need this knife to defend myself I would have concern about the strength of the Liner lock, if it fails I can kiss my fingers goodbye! The boker has a solid framelock, I don't know for sure but it seems more robust. I'm thinking of sending it back. I got it from Howe's Knife which was great w/super fast free shipping, they sent me a cool rubber mat for working on knives, the price was $27 less than the next closest seller. Anyone have Emerson? Have you had it for a while, has it remained reliable and what are long term thoughts on it?
 
I completly agree, I was pretty disapointed in the one I bought. I like it and think it's cool but to me it sould be a 100$ at most...
 
The reason it's so much is that Emerson is known for their nice knives.
And the materials it uses, manufacturing and such, it just comes up to a lot of cost.
 
Emerson makes a solid, well built and reliable knife. But keep in mind you're going to pay for the fact that it's an Emerson.
Overpriced? That's completely subjective and only something you can answer. When you look at the materials being used (G-10, 154cm) I feel they may be a bit overpriced compared to some comparable knives.

You will always see the "is brand x knife worth it?" CRK, Strider, just about anything. If you like it, it's money well spent. Enjoy it and don't second guess yourself.
 
the kramabit when used correctly should never put pressure on the liner lock as it is a slashing and hooking weapon, but if you dont feel confident in it then it doesn't matter you will always have it in your mind that your lock could give out at any moment(alto i have never seen an Emerson fail) , so regardless of who makes it or what it cost if you dont like it send it back and try some thing else, there is quite a few others out there i personally love my 5.11 C.U.B master 2.0,
 
Emerson makes awesome knives. In particular, their karambits are some of the most ergonomic and comfortable kbits out there. If you are carrying the kbit the right way, for example, right pocket with blade toward the center of your body, you actually wave it in the opposite direction that you would normally wave an Emerson. That way, once it's waved, it automatically falls into a reverse grip for a slashing motion. If you wave it like a normal Emerson, then you're doing it wrong. You want to wave forward with an Emerson Kbit.
 
smcjoecohen@yahoo said:
I just got my Emerson Karambit. It's nice but I don't feel it's $200 nice. I have a Boker plus karambit, it's a framelock, and honestly it's just as good as the Emerson, it cost $27. The wave feature is cool, but it's awkward to get a secure hold of the knife after pulling it out using wave, I switched the clip to other side so I can grab it w/pointer finger instead of pinky which made it better. My favorite knife right now is the ZT 0560. It's around $70 more than Emerson Karambit but it's sooooo much more of a knife, the craftsmanship, f&f, more solid and well put together. Neither of them has any blade play but Zt is smooth where Emerson is very stiff opening, I ssume it will break in some but hope that doesn't mean play develops. The liner lock on the emerson is very skinny which is a major concern. The knife is intended for self defense, (I will probably never use it for this I hope) but if I had the incradible bad luck to need this knife to defend myself I would have concern about the strength of the Liner lock, if it fails I can kiss my fingers goodbye! The boker has a solid framelock, I don't know for sure but it seems more robust. I'm thinking of sending it back. I got it from Howe's Knife which was great w/super fast free shipping, they sent me a cool rubber mat for working on knives, the price was $27 less than the next closest seller. Anyone have Emerson? Have you had it for a while, has it remained reliable and what are long term thoughts on it?
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You mainly comparing aesthetics and "feel" not design and function. You really have no idea which knife has the better lock nor which one will perform better over time. Personally I find it hard to trust a 27$ china made boker, and you can read our own ZT forum to learn about the 560. Emerson's aren't perfect but their lock seems to be pretty good given that it doesn't seem to get any legitimate complaints on here.
 
I had a 0550 and compared to the opening to my super karambit the zt is way more stiff. To be fair the 0550 detent is a common issue with this model. Along with the super kbit I have a cqc 8 that has been worked over pretty good with zero play. Like all Emersons the liner lock is cut in such a way that it would take more than a tight grip to disengage.

Also check out a Youtuber who submerged his cqc 8 in thick mud and that bad boy still locked like a vault. How a knife "feels" and how it performs are 2 different things. You dont have to buy the super sparten soldier image emerson puts out there but you cant argue with results.

Part of the price tag is due to every bit and part of the knife is made right here in 'merica. That's a huge plus for some but not a big deal for me as I had a few taiwan and seki city made knives in my pockets and they were great. Yet those are gone and my Emersons remain.
 
You pay a lot for what you get with Emerson. I love many Emerson designs but have a very difficult time justifying the cost. Fox makes a very nice karambit with a wave feature for about half the cost and, at least in my opinion, a higher level of fit and finish. My take on Emerson remains that if you fall in love with one of their designs, go ahead and buy it. If you want to get the highest quality materials for the price, look elsewhere.
 
I've just bought a Boker+ karambit ( and I have an Emerson ), you can compare them, but you can't say that are (near) similar. The blade shape ( B+ ) with that straight tip it's quite useless: it isn't curved ( like a karambit blade should be ), it doesn't have a belly ( let's say for edc tasks ), just straight ( on a bad angle ). Quite big and heavy, it's not a regular knife nor a real karambit. If you want a good competitor for Emerson karambit, take a look at Fox karambit folder...
 
After this and a couple of other karambit threads recently, think I'm going to give one of the 5.11 Cubs a try! :thumbup:
 
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I love my emerson karambit(and all my emersons), I carry it regularly and trust that should I need it, it will work. That being said, if you don't like it get rid of it. They are a bit on the spendy side, but in the end you get what you pay for.
 
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