Southern grind vs Emerson. Which is the better decision?

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Smiffman

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Sep 5, 2023
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Deciding between southern grind and Emerson. Have heard some great things about Emerson and some not so great things. But have seen not much at all about southern grind. Out of these 2 brands, which is built better/has better quality and the better choice? I’m thinking the bad monkey/ spider monkey for southern grind or cqc7 or commander for Emerson. Also, would the bad monkey modified tanto be good for self defense if need be? Thanks for your help!
 
I've had a ton of Emersons, and more than a few Southern Grind Bad Monkeys, and a Spider Monkey. between the two brands you listed, it really depends on what you are wanting.

Southern grind has the best fit and finish between the two. you're pretty much stuck with a couple of variations on that pattern (tanto vs drop point) but they're both nice in hand.

as for the Emersons, if you don't mind the fit and finish not being perfect, and having rough machining in places, then they tend to be pretty solid knives against lateral blade stresses. They're very easy to disassemble and maintain if you tend to get your knives gross often... SG knives used to require a special spanner bit to disassemble, but that may have changed. While the Emerson is breaking in, you will run into lockstick, but if you have a tough thumb it's really not that bad.

Between the two, I found myself carrying my Emersons more than the SGs, but that's because I have a hard time beating on knives that are pretty, and I used to be rough on some of my knives when I was younger (at least the ones that advertised themselves as 'hard use').

Edge retention wise, they're both pretty similar. Both are very stainless, so I don't really believe it's worth getting too wrapped up between the Sandvik vs 154CM. SGs S35VN on the Spider Monkey seemed decent.

Durability wise, Emerson hands down. That's mainly because Emersons tends to use thicker blade geometry than SG. I tried several times to break my CQC7, CQC15, and Commanders prying out knots in wood, and prying up some cedar planks just to see what they could take. The blades bent over, but always returned themselves true when I let off the pressure... so they have excellent strength for tolerating nonsense. Never broke the tips off, but Im sure it can be done. Didnt try that with the Bad Monkey or Spider Monkey, but since they have thinner tips (better for piercing) my assumption is that they probably wouldn't have fared as well. Most sane people who enjoy knives don't do this to them though, so it may not matter to you.

For self defense, it depends on how you train. I don't recommend carrying a knife for self defense unless you actively train with it as such. The tip on the SG drop point has better piercing geo than their tanto... the tanto looks better in video, but it has a blunter profile to it, even with the sharpened top edge. If you care about piercing ability dont get the tanto IMO. I have limited instruction with knife fighting, so I'm not an expert. As a maker, if I was tasked with creating something for combat/martial arts I would make sure it at least had efficient geometry for thrusts. Other people may have different opinions.

In short, with the options you gave, if you want to beat on your knife go with an Emerson, if you want to have something that is still a good work knife that also looks more the part of its price point (no offense to Emerson, but you dont get bling for the buck from them unless you just want to admire their nice stonewashing) then get the Bad Monkey.

If you just want an Emerson Opener for fast deployment and value your fingers then Id go with a Spyderco Endura with Emerson opener to avoid the occasional slippage of liner locks I experienced from BOTH Emerson and Southern Grind's liner locks. YMMV. Hope this is helpful for you.
 
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The Bad Monkey is a great knife but ive sold 2 of them in the last few years; the last one i got for 185 and i just cannot justify 14c28 for the blade steel; and forget about the 261 standard price they go for that really doesnt add up.
 
Wirelessjunkie said:
I've had a ton of Emersons, and more than a few Southern Grind Bad Monkeys, and a Spider Monkey. between the two brands you listed, it really depends on what you are wanting.

Southern grind has the best fit and finish between the two. you're pretty much stuck with a couple of variations on that pattern (tanto vs drop point) but they're both nice in hand.

as for the Emersons, if you don't mind the fit and finish not being perfect, and having rough machining in places, then they tend to be pretty solid knives against lateral blade stresses. They're very easy to disassemble and maintain if you tend to get your knives gross often... SG knives used to require a special spanner bit to disassemble, but that may have changed. While the Emerson is breaking in, you will run into lockstick, but if you have a tough thumb it's really not that bad.

Between the two, I found myself carrying my Emersons more than the SGs, but that's because I have a hard time beating on knives that are pretty, and I used to be rough on some of my knives when I was younger (at least the ones that advertised themselves as 'hard use').

Edge retention wise, they're both pretty similar. Both are very stainless, so I don't really believe it's worth getting too wrapped up between the Sandvik vs 154CM. SGs S35VN on the Spider Monkey seemed decent.

Durability wise, Emerson hands down. That's mainly because Emersons tends to use thicker blade geometry than SG. I tried several times to break my CQC7, CQC15, and Commanders prying out knots in wood, and prying up some cedar planks just to see what they could take. The blades bent over, but always returned themselves true when I let off the pressure... so they have excellent strength for tolerating nonsense. Never broke the tips off, but Im sure it can be done. Didnt try that with the Bad Monkey or Spider Monkey, but since they have thinner tips (better for piercing) my assumption is that they probably wouldn't have fared as well. Most sane people who enjoy knives don't do this to them though, so it may not matter to you.

For self defense, it depends on how you train. I don't recommend carrying a knife for self defense unless you actively train with it as such. The tip on the SG drop point has better piercing geo than their tanto... the tanto looks better in video, but it has a blunter profile to it, even with the sharpened top edge. If you care about piercing ability dont get the tanto IMO. I have limited instruction with knife fighting, so I'm not an expert. As a maker, if I was tasked with creating something for combat/martial arts I would make sure it at least had efficient geometry for thrusts. Other people may have different opinions.

In short, with the options you gave, if you want to beat on your knife go with an Emerson, if you want to have something that is still a good work knife that also looks more the part of its price point (no offense to Emerson, but you dont get bling for the buck from them unless you just want to admire their nice stonewashing) then get the Bad Monkey.

If you just want an Emerson Opener for fast deployment and value your fingers then Id go with a Spyderco Endura with Emerson opener to avoid the occasional slippage of liner locks I experienced from BOTH Emerson and Southern Grind's liner locks. YMMV. Hope this is helpful for you.
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Yes very helpful and definitely appreciate the insight. I ended up going with the bad monkey tanto. I’m not going to use the knife too heavily the first month in case I decide to return it and go with something else. And I agree about the 14c28n, but it doesn’t bother me that much because according the to the knife steel nerd its actually an extremely tough steel but with mediocre edge retention.
 
Two very different knife brands. It depends what your intended use is.
A lot of Emersons are V grind with a chisel edge. The blade itself is a saber grind. They’re not cardboard cutters or paper slicers. I love all my Emerson knives but they have their uses.
 
I've had a few southern grind knives and a few emersons. Personally, I would choose the SG over the emerson everyday. The fit and finish on the emerson knives I've had want that impressive.
 
It depends on what you are looking for

I had some SG and sold them. Good knives but nothing special to them IMO

If you want a user and you don’t mind rough finishes, then you will have more fun with EKI
 
Look at the Dpx urban, the one made by southern grind and really steps up the game. The 2 I had in my hand were quite well made. I tried to talk Dpx into doing a left hand run but that never happened. I have had a bad monkey and it was very well made also. I've had a few Emerson but never bonded with them, blades were too thin for my tastes.
 
This one.........

southern-grind-folding-knives-11__86671.1521755420.jpg
 
Emerson built by ZT , Spyderco with Emerson Wave ; or get a better/stronger knife and lock with Cold Steel Tri-ad (and save $$$$) ! :cool:
 
Haven't had a SG in a few years, but everyone I had was top notch. I like the styling and F&F better than Emerson, but Emerson definitely has them beat on sizes and model selection. Has anyone purchased a SG since they were bought out by DB?
 
Smiffman said:
Sounds like a plan haha. Just send me your adress, DOB, SS number and mothers maiden name and that knife will be there in no time! Lol (just so I don’t get banned or something this is sarsarcasm
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In that case I'll just take both knives then
 
I travel a lot to some of the most dangerous places.. Emerson for self defense. I am a life enthusiast for many decades and when traveling to places where you have to rely on quick deployment and split second decisions (surprise) go with an Emerson. When I go to Brazil I never carry anything else except a Emerson Commander. If you travel to dangerous places (like Brazil) I think the Emerson is the clear choice.

PS
I am in Bali Indonesia now and there is practically zero crime. here I carry a Spyderco LCN , H1 or H2 because of rust issues. No need for a self defense stategy.
 

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Brasil, ihabela Island

Commander EKI
 

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colubrid said:
I travel a lot to some of the most dangerous places.. Emerson for self defense. I am a life enthusiast for many decades and when traveling to places where you have to rely on quick deployment and split second decisions (surprise) go with an Emerson. When I go to Brazil I never carry anything else except a Emerson Commander. If you travel to dangerous places (like Brazil) I think the Emerson is the clear choice.

PS
I am in Bali Indonesia now and there is practically zero crime. here I carry a Spyderco LCN , H1 or H2 because of rust issues. No need for a self defense stategy.
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All due respect, carrying a knife and thinking you can go to a favela in Rio at night would be foolish. Gangs in urban areas carry guns. Best to avoid dangerous areas. The Emerson Commander cant stop bullets.
 
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