Questions about Emerson knives

Lapedog said:
I actually had the opposite problem. Those hourglass shaped standoffs used by ZT on the 0620 are alumnum I believe and highly prone to stripping. I actually had one on my 0620 that would get somehow stuck so the screw didn’t want to feed in or out of it. Don’t get me wrong the 0620 is a great knife and I love it, I just find it abit heavy.

On the other hand I am not saying the Emersons ar perfect either. The older backspacer versions I prefer have the screws fastening directly into the Ti which is also not good.

If your knife was creaking when you put pressure on the spine that was likely a bad lock. The creaking was likely abit of lock slip. In that case you should send it to Emerson for warranty work.

Sorry you had a bad experience with them.
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I'm not sure if they are aluminum or not. They haven't given me issues with the threads, and I've taken mine apart a fair number of times, but ZT does use aluminum for standoffs on other knives. It does appear to be oxide coated steel to me, but I could be wrong.

Yeah, see, I thought the issue was the lock too, but the lock wasn't slipping. I checked very thoroughly. In fact, the lock was really sticky. The creak seemed to come from the scales and/or pivot assembly, which was also tight as is feasible to adjust it.
 
marrenmiller said:
I'm not sure if they are aluminum or not. They haven't given me issues with the threads, and I've taken mine apart a fair number of times, but ZT does use aluminum for standoffs on other knives. It does appear to be oxide coated steel to me, but I could be wrong.

Yeah, see, I thought the issue was the lock too, but the lock wasn't slipping. I checked very thoroughly. In fact, the lock was really sticky. The creak seemed to come from the scales and/or pivot assembly, which was also tight as is feasible to adjust it.
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It seems it is just a risk we take with any knife company that we may get a lemon. Obviously it is more common with some companies than others.

Everyone has their own tastes. I also got an Emerson with an effed up lock that I still have to get fixed. Still the cqc7 family is my all time favourite group of knives and if we include the Kershaw cqc7k and the zt0620 in that family then imho the Emersons are still my favourite. Don’t quite know why.
 
HowAmI said:
More like Informed and not brainwashed.
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Have you used the knives?
If not, and you are simply basing your opinions on secondhand information, then you may be the one who has been brainwashed. ;)

You see, I have used the knives.
That is how I know they do not fall apart.
It is also how I can admit that they are a tad overpriced, in my opinion.

But the steel is not soft as some say; you can use it all day in the woods without having to sharpen it to keep on going.

The pivots are not more prone to loosening than other brands of knives, and are easy to tighten using a thumbnail if it somehow does come loose...or one could use Loctite or Teflon tape like owners of other brands do if they don't want any pivot loosening.

If you like other brands better, great!
You should be able to afford most offerings from most of them for the same price that Emerson knives go for. :)

But saying that the knives fall apart or the edges go away at hyper-speed is just silly.
 
Emerson's are addicting. I've got a lot of them. I've got many models and the Commander is probably the best ergos out of them all. A really amazing fit in the hand, and I've got big hands.

The recurve blade is easy enough to maintain, and the larger distance from the frame to the thumbdisk allows easy ambidextrous opening by hand, which is good for me as when I don't want the wave to operate I carry in my left pocket... For ex: CQC-7 is a little harder to open with the left hand unless you install a larger disk.
 
HOKIE_FAN said:
My question is, are they worth the money compared to other brands in that price range? I hear complaints about fit and finish and weak detents. Are the weak detents common on pretty much all their knives or specific models? I would not be satisfied with my purchase if I could lightly shake my knife and the blade falls open.
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None of my Emersons has a weak detent. And certainly none can be shaken open lightly. Also, I have had no issues with fit and finish. In fact, it was the excellent fit and finish on my first Emerson that inspired me to buy more, and I've never been disappointed. Admittedly, I started purchasing EKI knives in the company's early days when quality control was apparently more consistent. But I've bought knives from many of the company's eras without any problems.

I'm glad that you decided to try out the Commander. I don't think you'll regret it. Please let us know your thoughts after you've had it in-hand awhile.


Officer's Match said:
"Lynn Thompson vs Ernie Emerson" is the difference for me. If we truly don't care what company/man we back, then there is no need for anything not China-CNC produced.
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Care to qualify that statement? Both men have proven track records in knife design, product innovation, and successful creation and management of a knife company. Both are proud and outspoken advocates for their company's products. Both have knives issued by the U.S. military. Both have been staunch supporters of military and law enforcement causes throughout their careers, routinely donating their own time and resources to better life for soldiers and police across this country and in war zones overseas.

I can also attest to the fact that both are perfect gentlemen when you meet them in person. I fail to see the distinction between them that seems so apparent to you.


Officer's Match said:
Additionally, I do find a "connection" with a true Emerson design (missing from the ZT/Kershaw collaborations). Cold Steel models seem like cheap discount store knives (grip particularly) to me.
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Ergonomics are personal, but I simply can't agree with this distinction, either. It seems to me that both companies go out of their way to produce knives that are rugged and comfortable to hold.

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Recon I and Commander, two of the most comfortable and well constructed folding knives currently available, in my opinion.

-Steve
 
A
stabman said:
Have you used the knives?
If not, and you are simply basing your opinions on secondhand information, then you may be the one who has been brainwashed. ;)

You see, I have used the knives.
That is how I know they do not fall apart.
It is also how I can admit that they are a tad overpriced, in my opinion.

But the steel is not soft as some say; you can use it all day in the woods without having to sharpen it to keep on going.

The pivots are not more prone to loosening than other brands of knives, and are easy to tighten using a thumbnail if it somehow does come loose...or one could use Loctite or Teflon tape like owners of other brands do if they don't want any pivot loosening.

If you like other brands better, great!
You should be able to afford most offerings from most of them for the same price that Emerson knives go for. :)

But saying that the knives fall apart or the edges go away at hyper-speed is just silly.
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Amazing how blind you Emerson fanboys are.
 
HowAmI said:
Amazing how blind you Emerson fanboys are.
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So have you, personally, owned and used Emerson knives or not? Or is this just a chance for you to be rude to strangers online?

You see, that forum member just offered you a civil post, based on genuine experience. You are now implying that he is either lying, delusional or stupid. None of those are true. If you bothered to read it carefully and dispassionately, which you clearly did not, you will see that he sees them as overpriced and also conceded the loose pivot issue.

Post your experience, if you have one, or don’t post at all if you can’t be civil. And just for the record, I do not own nor will I ever own an Emerson. I don’t like the hype, but more crucially they don’t appeal to me. That means I am totally unqualified to dispute the accounts of those who do own and use them; I wouldn’t be so foolish as to try.
 
Love the ergonomics of the CQC-7 series. Bought a Benchmade CQC-7 back in 95 prior to going active duty. Followed it up with the Emerson CQC-7 in '99. Probably the timeframe I used my knives the hardest and they performed just fine. Picked up a Emerson CQC-7V when it came out, but it looks new. Bit to big and heavy for my job now. I get by fine rotating out a Delica, Bugout, and Dividend currently.
 
HowAmI said:
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Amazing how blind you Emerson fanboys are.
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Yeah, I'm soooo blind. :rolleyes:
Basing my opinions on empirical data...what a weird way to do things.

Considering that I own about 4 times as many Spyderco knives as Emersons, how do you come by your naming me a "fanboy"?
Unless you are just being a snide sort of unpleasant person who enjoys trying to insult people when you have no facts to back up your assertions.

And it appears you have not used the knives at all, based on your resorting to insults rather than sharing any results of usage. ;)
 
Halfneck said:
Love the ergonomics of the CQC-7 series. Bought a Benchmade CQC-7 back in 95 prior to going active duty. Followed it up with the Emerson CQC-7 in '99. Probably the timeframe I used my knives the hardest and they performed just fine. Picked up a Emerson CQC-7V when it came out, but it looks new. Bit to big and heavy for my job now. I get by fine rotating out a Delica, Bugout, and Dividend currently.
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For my hand the cqc7 handle is probably one of the best handle shapes ever put on a knife. People don’t realize how ergonomic it is just by looking at it. At first glance it looks almost like a straight rectangular handle.

However for me I love handles that are inline with the blade rather than ones that have the butt sort drooped down. Actually it has just enough finger guard to keep your hand from ever riding up on the blade in a stab. I also like those inline handles because they make the knife comfortable in not only forward and reverse grip, but edge in grips as well.

See how the edge side of the handle fits the contours of my hand perfectly in reverse grip edge in? It’s like this thing was made for me!
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I highly recommend a Tiger while there available . My personal favorite and I’ve had a handful of Emerson’s :thumbsup:
Just my opinion and 2 cents .
I like them so much I’m considering a duplicate just to have and charish lol .
 
I have only one Emerson. A cqc7b. I bought it used like new and after a year have come to a conclusion. If I can help it I will never carry another brand of folder. Maybe I got lucky. I've not experienced any of the problems you hear about. In fact I'm looking for a twin as a backup. I love my Emersion.
 
It has arrived!
I will start out by saying that I have never been more pleased with a knife purchase.
When the box arrived, there was this tense anxious anticipation. I've been reading about these known Emerson issues like fit/finish, blade centering, detent etc. so I didn't know what to expect.
Here is what I found... I found the fit and finish to be 100% what I was hoping for. Honestly, I don't have a single gripe about the knife I received. The blade is almost perfectly centered, it has no blade play in any direction. The detent is in my opinion perfect. It has a single detent ball. I believe the older ones have the 2 detent system. I tried shaking the blade and it will not open inadvertently. The detent as a very distinct snap when closing. The action of the knife is what completely surprised me. I expected a tight and gritty action. This is not at all the case. It has butter smooth action that will fall shut with just the slighted shake. The G10 is perfectly executed, not a single tool mark or fitting flaw, no gaps etc. It looks like Emerson has stepped up their game from what others have posted in the past with problems. Also this blade is just beautiful. They did a really nice job on the stone washed finish. The brand stamping is dark and clean. It is razor sharp and probably the sharpest knife I have ever received out of the box. I thought my PM2 was sharp but this thing is crazy sharp. I wear a Band-Aid on my finger as I type this.
* I will post a couple pics tonight after work.
 
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TheFactor said:
I highly recommend a Tiger while there available . My personal favorite and I’ve had a handful of Emerson’s :thumbsup:
Just my opinion and 2 cents .
I like them so much I’m considering a duplicate just to have and charish lol .
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I handled a brand new 2018 production Tiger yesterday and was shocked to see it had a bearing pivot. Fall shut action. Perfect fit/finish, absolutely amazing knife. I've had other Emerson's with bearing pivots, and I can absolutely confirm that this one was smoother. I couldn't take it apart (not mine, just looking at it at a dealer) but I'd bet there is a different set of bearings in it than my previous ones, not that they weren't fantastic too.

HOKIE_FAN said:
It has arrived!
I will start out by saying that I have never been more pleased with a knife purchase.
When the box arrived, there was this tense anxious anticipation. I've been reading about these known Emerson issues like fit/finish, blade centering, detent etc. so I didn't know what to expect.
Here is what I found... I found the fit and finish to be 100% what I was hoping for. Honestly, I don't have a single gripe about the knife I received. The blade is almost perfectly centered, it has no blade play in any direction. The detent is in my opinion perfect. It has a single detent ball. I believe the older ones have the 2 detent system. I tried shaking the blade and it will not open inadvertently. The detent as a very distinct snap when closing. The action of the knife is what completely surprised me. I expected a tight and gritty action. This is not at all the case. It has butter smooth action that will fall shut with just the slighted shake. The G10 is perfectly executed, not a single tool mark or fitting flaw, no gaps etc. It looks like Emerson has stepped up their game from what others have posted in the past with problems. Also this blade is just beautiful. They did a really nice job on the stone washed finish. The brand stamping is dark and clean. It is razor sharp and probably the sharpest knife I have ever received out of the box. I thought my PM2 was sharp but this thing is crazy sharp. I wear a Band-Aid on my finger as I type this.
* I will post a couple pics tonight after work.
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The 2018 (new logo) CQC-7 I handled yesterday fit that description to a T. "Wiggle-fallshut" action, dead perfect fit/finish, single detent (that wouldn't shake open) and the newer small lockup surface on the blade tang. While the old fashion side of me liked the backspacer/screw-thru design (just more Emerson-traditional to me), this CQC-7 is IMHO the best production 7 yet from Emerson.
 
Congrats on the purchase. For whatever reason other guys love to hate on Emerson’s. Not enough crazy inlays or anodized titanium. Most guys just use ‘em, not bought for pocket jewelry or ADD flipping.

I’ve bought and sold higher end production and customs, the Commamder is my daily carry at work.
 
Officer's Match said:
I handled a brand new 2018 production Tiger yesterday and was shocked to see it had a bearing pivot. Fall shut action. Perfect fit/finish, absolutely amazing knife. I've had other Emerson's with bearing pivots, and I can absolutely confirm that this one was smoother. I couldn't take it apart (not mine, just looking at it at a dealer) but I'd bet there is a different set of bearings in it than my previous ones, not that they weren't fantastic too.



The 2018 (new logo) CQC-7 I handled yesterday fit that description to a T. "Wiggle-fallshut" action, dead perfect fit/finish, single detent (that wouldn't shake open) and the newer small lockup surface on the blade tang. While the old fashion side of me liked the backspacer/screw-thru design (just more Emerson-traditional to me), this CQC-7 is IMHO the best production 7 yet from Emerson.
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I had no idea the new Tigers were bearings . Mine is smooth like butter perfect and traditional of non nearing Emersons.Totally happy with the action but add bearings and that would be the frosting on the cake :thumbsup:
 
TheFactor said:
I had no idea the new Tigers were bearings . Mine is smooth like butter perfect and traditional of non nearing Emersons.Totally happy with the action but add bearings and that would be the frosting on the cake :thumbsup:
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I've had three older Tigers, one SF, one BT and an OD. The OD was dual detent, the others single.
 
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