How do you feel about Emerson knives?

I only have one Emerson, a Commander. It's everything it was advertised to be, but I feel it's a bit overpriced. In all fairness though, Emerson doesn't claim that their knives are pretty, or are made with state of the art materials. They advertise them as hard use, tactical folders & like some other knife makers, they have a loyal following.

I've always tried to avoid criticizing a guys hunting dog, or what he chooses to spend his money on.:)
 
I have a mini a100 from their last run. It’s fine, works. Ain’t winning any beauty contests but I didn’t enter it in any either.

Action is smooth, g10 is grippy and the chisel grind doesn’t really affect any cutting I do.
 
I own one. It's an earlier generation without standoffs. I like the blade and design (Gentleman Jim). The handle is another story. It's very sloppy, but functional. The lock-up is questionable at times too (lock slip/flex).

The ZT 0620 is a better Emerson than the one I own. It has a higher end steel (Elmax) AND is a Ti framelock for cheaper than what I paid for my Gentleman Jim. The ZT has a smooth enough action to middle finger flick (spydie-flick) the blade with the thumb disk. I cannot do that with my Emerson.
 
I bought an Emerson Commander in 1999, lost it pretty soon after. Three or four years later bought another Commander and still have it. The chisel grind blade has a tiny chip in it now for some reason but it was ground for a left hand user anyway. That is one of the issues I have with it. The lock goes too far over, some people’s are much worse than mine. If you use it much like I did for a while, you have to keep tightening the screw in the pivot. The Commander was the 1999 blade of the year or some such. Too many other really nice knives out there to buy another one.
 
Heres my personal expierence. With about 5 or 6 emerson knives. I had a cqc15 that I absolutely loved and it was one of my favorite knives ever the stonewashed was second to none and the grippy g10 was fantastic the detent was a little lackluster and it made me have to tighten the pivot more than I like to but it is a flathead and can be done with a coin. As far as an edc work knife it was one of my favorites because the design egos and f and f.

Next I had a cqc 15 with a coated blade I hated it from the start it suffered from worst action of any knife I have owned. It basically had no detent and you adjusted so called action with pivot tension. Add an impossible to center blade and it just didn't look as good as the stonewashed. Next I had a hmmvk hd and a cqc 12 hd they were great looking overpriced knives. The hmmvk hd was nicer than the cqc 12 but nothing to write home about. I also had a mini commander that was a tough little knife it suffered from self loosening hardware and lock play side to side.

All this being said if I could find another stonewashed cqc 15 and could check it out firsthand I would be tempted. But anything else I would probably just pass.
 
I personally love Emerson knives. For the $250 price point, I am very satisfied. I have never had an Emerson let me down. Are there other good knives in that range too...sure. But there's just something that draws me in. Every one I've owned has come razor sharp and well put together as I would expect.
 
They are overpriced but I like them
The horseman, A100 and cqc-7 are still in the right price range IMO
I would like to try a mini commander too

The 154cm is an older steel but EKI makes it good
The maintenance is easy
The pocket clip is good
The G10 is very grippy, kind of a pocket eater but I like it
The ergonomics are good on all the models I have tested
The chisel grind is very disturbing and I took me some time to get used to it but after a while it was ok
I am not a fan of the wave opener, it really destroy your Jean pockets and I prefer the non wave cqc-7

for me what I the most frustrating is the lock stick.... after a loooong break in period it gets better but I had it o all my knives from EKI and it was never a great experience
But when the knife is broken in the action in general is smooth
 
Just as the anorexic or bulimic person sees a grossly obese image staring back at them in the mirror despite the fact that they only weigh 28 lbs, the Emerson and Strider "owners" suffer from the same sort of mental deception called "Knife Dysmorphic Disorder" or KDD. :)

When you have knife dysmorphic disorder, , you intensely focus on the name and social following of the brand and usually some memory of youth involving military service, repeatedly checking the Emerson or Strider forums seeking reassurance sometimes for many hours each day. A person who has KDD suffers from the repetitive behavior of defending the purchase and ownership of the knife causing them significant distress and impacts there ability to use cognitive criticism of the object despite many obvious flaws. :D

..all kidding aside, I feel about the same way this guy felt when getting my first Emerson..
 
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Emerson’s only have 2 things going for them. Ergonomics and Cool designs.

Ive said it before and I’ll say it again. If Ernie let ZT make an exact copy of the CQC8 but with a better steel I would be on it like flies on S@@T! And yes I know it will never happen :-(
 
I got a user (mini cqc 8) at a decent price so I could try an Emerson. Meh. I carried it on and off for about 2 months before I sold it.

Like many others, I don't think they are worth the price. I also learned I don't like chisel grinds. Fit n finish was not good either. Emerson won't get any of my $ in the future I don't think.
 
The barrel spacers , plastic washers and hardware quality are a huge downfall for me. Plus I'm not into the wave opener.

Ergos are great. Blade steel and lock up are fine. In fact I find Emerson factory sharpening to be stellar and the 154cm heat treat is spot on to take a nasty edge. My worst self inflicted cut was on a freshly sharpened 13 :)

Price is hard to justify. Chisel edge is whatever.
 
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I buy mine on the exchange, they go around 30-40 % off the MSRP in new to very good condition. At that price, they are amazing.
The 154CM is well treated, can get a nasty edge and it's easy to maintain. Fantastic EDCs that I ain't afraid to use. My favorite designs are CQC 15, Roadhouse and Commander.
 
I have a super cqc 8 and Love it! Emerson does make some eye catching designs, but so do other companies. I'm not gonna drop the scratch for a full price one. maybe on the exchange. Now a custom Emerson is a whole nother ball of wax! I drool all time over them and would love to own one and use the hell out of it. Beauty and value is in the eye of the beholder!! In the end, as always it's what you think its worth .IMG_20200226_123829.jpgh
 
Feca10ne said:
Just as the anorexic or bulimic person sees a grossly obese image staring back at them in the mirror despite the fact that they only weigh 28 lbs, the Emerson and Strider "owners" suffer from the same sort of mental deception called "Knife Dysmorphic Disorder" or KDD. :)

When you have knife dysmorphic disorder, , you intensely focus on the name and social following of the brand and usually some memory of youth involving military service, repeatedly checking the Emerson or Strider forums seeking reassurance sometimes for many hours each day. A person who has KDD suffers from the repetitive behavior of defending the purchase and ownership of the knife causing them significant distress and impacts there ability to use cognitive criticism of the object despite many obvious flaws. :D

..all kidding aside, I feel about the same way this guy felt when getting my first Emerson..
Click to expand...

Built by someone who doesn’t care.....lol

that guy is a douche though for taking apart the knife then returning it. Once you disassemble it’s yours.
 
You like what you like, you don't what you don't. I'll never understand why people, especially knife people, are so obsessed with what other people carry/like.
 
They are pretty terrible for the price, but the worse-than-gas-station-knife level of fit and finish is sort of part of their charm. Even if you don't declare yourself an honorary seal or whatever they can be sort of lovable if you overlook the fit and finish (assuming you sort through ten or twelve to find the one with the least lockup issues).

I carry a CQC-7V semi-regularly and honestly it has grown on me.
 
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