Emerson anyone?

[Splat]

I'm looking into the Emerson CQC-14 "Snubby" for a new EDC. I like the fact the handle's full size, yet the blade is right around 3".  Anyone own an Emerson?

[Benner]

I looked into getting an Emerson, but was put off by the chisel grind.  That is probably completely unjustified though.

[David]

I`ve got a few including the CQC14. Its a nice knife. For me its more of a urban carry where blade length can be an issue. I think it would make a great EDC for most. My favorite is the CQC8 aka the Banana.

[Styerman]

I have a love/hate relationship with Emersons . I would never buy one site unseen . I WANTED a CQC14 badly , checked several out at a dealer's , all had FF and lockup issues . Possibly fixable , but just not worth it to me . I also hate chisel grinds unless it's a woodcarving specific tool . That said , the Mini CQC7 is one of my Fave small tacticals .

Chris

[Anthony]

How much do the smaller Emersons go for?  I'm looking to unload a Benchmade Auto in a trade for a high end folder like an Emerson..

I've never carried a "tactical" blade, ie. tanto, serrated, black blade, wave...but the Emersons look interesting.  What kind of lockup issues were there?  The lock not engaging, or slipping, or what?  There's a pretty big following for Emerson knives so it can't be that bad..

[Splat]

I WANTED a CQC14 badly , checked several out at a dealer's , all had FF and lockup issues . Possibly fixable , but just not worth it to me . I also hate chisel grinds unless it's a woodcarving specific tool . That said , the Mini CQC7 is one of my Fave small tacticals .

What's an "FF" issue?  BTW, I've heard it's hit/miss with Emerson's these days but I figured I'd give the Snubby a shot. I ordered one from Knifeworks and will pro'lly get it the end of this week. Emerson does have a stellar cstmr service rep though.

[Anthony]

I WANTED a CQC14 badly , checked several out at a dealer's , all had FF and lockup issues . Possibly fixable , but just not worth it to me . I also hate chisel grinds unless it's a woodcarving specific tool . That said , the Mini CQC7 is one of my Fave small tacticals .

What's an "FF" issue? 

I think it means "Fit and Finish".

[eodtech]

Looking at a couple Emersons on closeout at a dealer going out of business ( 40% off ).

Looking at a CQC-10 and a CQC-8 , plain edge with satin finish

Any comments on these models.

[Tinnie]

Looking at a couple Emersons on closeout at a dealer going out of business ( 40% off ).

Looking at a CQC-10 and a CQC-8 , plain edge with satin finish

Any comments on these models.

+1 on CQC-8

Always wanted wanted one...price has not been nice

[Sean]

I have the horseman which is the smaller bro to the big banana.  I agree that I wouldn't buy one unless I could handle it first.  However in saying that I didn't play with the one I bought unfortunately and it has a bothersome sticky liner lock that is tuff to release.  Nice knife otherwise though.

[ringzero]

I have the horseman which is the smaller bro to the big banana.  I agree that I wouldn't buy one unless I could handle it first.  However in saying that I didn't play with the one I bought unfortunately and it has a bothersome sticky liner lock that is tuff to release.  Nice knife otherwise though.

Sean, isn't that an Emerson pictured in your MTO official icon (or whatever the proper term is for the little pic that shows up beside your posts.)

I've always liked the look of that little knife - looks very handy and practical for a small knife that could be carried IWB or as a necker.  Le Griffe isn't it?

What do you think of it?

.

[Gadget Guy]

I have owned several production Emerson's and a couple of customs. I haven't had too many problems and I would highly recommend them. Their customer service is second to none. I bought a knife that had a fairly large chip out of the blade and they fixed it for me for $5, now how cool is that! 

Here is a list of my favorite Emerson models:

Mini A-100
Horseman
CQC-8
CQC-7
CQC-10
CQC-14
A-100
HD-7
CQC-12

[Sean]

ringzero,

It's a cute little knife.  I gave it to my son at work one day to open a box and he put his finger through the hole and choked up on the handle and said "god look at this thing it's nasty". 
It's light enough for neck carry and built like a little brick.  It does have a funny finish on it (rough texture)  It's a kewl little blade though for smaller jobs.  It's a great backup blade if you don't mind wearing it around your neck or can find another method to wear it.  About the only thing that I find difficult at times is cutting with the chisel grind.  It makes a great slicer into cardboard tape and parcels.  I can't imagine it being all that good on thicker rope and such with it's small blade and as mentioned the funny blade grind.  The sheath is great and houses the knife very well and leaves enough of the finger hole exposed as to be able to insert and pop it out pretty quick.
Also with blade shapes such as these it's always nice to have the appropriate sharpener on hand which for me is the Spyderco Tri-Angle.

[ringzero]

ringzero,

It's a cute little knife.  I gave it to my son at work one day to open a box and he put his finger through the hole and choked up on the handle and said "god look at this thing it's nasty". 
It's light enough for neck carry and built like a little brick.  It does have a funny finish on it (rough texture)  It's a kewl little blade though for smaller jobs.  It's a great backup blade if you don't mind wearing it around your neck or can find another method to wear it.  About the only thing that I find difficult at times is cutting with the chisel grind.  It makes a great slicer into cardboard tape and parcels.  I can't imagine it being all that good on thicker rope and such with it's small blade and as mentioned the funny blade grind.  The sheath is great and houses the knife very well and leaves enough of the finger hole exposed as to be able to insert and pop it out pretty quick.
Also with blade shapes such as these it's always nice to have the appropriate sharpener on hand which for me is the Spyderco Tri-Angle.

Thanks for the info, Sean.

I got a couple of CRKT Bearclaws in PE and SE, and have started to really appreciate the finger hole design.

For a small knife it makes a lot of sense.

The finger hole allows really heavy duty cutting even in adverse conditions.  Even if the hand is wet or bloody the hole keeps the knife totally secure in the hand.

.

[Sean]

ringzero,
your welcome



gadget guy,

it looks like you like the whole fleet!  

[kwakster]

Sticky linerlocks can be cured with a simple lead pencil.
Just scratch the bladeramp with the pencil until it's all grey, and voila, no more stickiness, 

[Sean]

I am going to have to give that "another" try with my Emerson.   I did it once but it didn't make a difference.  Maybe I didn't put enough lead on it.  I would think that fix though would be temporary right?    Mine is really stubborn.  I guess I could send it off for a repair/fix.

[kwakster]

Mostly this is indeed temporary, if there is really stubborn stickyness the knife should go back to Emerson for a tune up.
However a little stickyness i don't mind, as this also means it will not easily disengage when used.
I also noticed the effect of the pencil works longer if you use one with a hard lead core instead of a soft one.

[Swiss Man]

I own two now, my first was/is a Benchmade/Emerson 975S which I bought with
a Camillus Arclite for $30.00 out of a pawn shop.

The second I don't know what it is I can't find it on their site (must be retired)
I got it NIB from a friend that use to run a knife shop (he is deceased) for $35.00.

 

[Splat]

Thought I'd come back to my thread and post my experience.

I've owned an Emerson CQC-14 since February. It is the most comfortable folder I've ever handled. I have medium-large hands and it fits my meathooks perfectly. I like the Wave opening feature but wish EKI used a thumbstud instead of the disc atop the spine. Pocket clip is sturdy and affords comfortable use in-hand. Clip placement will dictate about 0.5" of handle showing out of a typical jeans pocket.

After considerable use I've come to dislike the chisel grind. It is quicker to sharpen than a conventional v-ground edge because you only sharpen one side and knock the burr off the other. I dislike its steering off-center when making long cuts which I often do. The worst part is that the liner lock started slipping to disengaged only after 1.5 months of ownership. I don't baton, do spine-whack "tests" or abuse my knives. I sent it back to Emerson. I received it about 2 weeks later and the lock was again fine. Another month goes by with typical knife use, not even daily use mind you, and the lock starts slipping again. I've been so PO'ed about the whole thing that I've not sent it back to Emerson. It's been sitting on my dresser collecting dust. I might eventually send it back but the thought of having to pay shipping and probably having the lock slip again in time just chaps my ass. I love the CQC-8 and the A100's designs but I honestly must say that I'll never buy another Emerson again.

[Sean]

Spat,

Sorry to hear about this.  You should only have to send something off once to be fixed properly hopefully forever.
I agree with you and I will never buy another chisel grind knife again.  My mini-horseman is not a chisel grind but a funny Emerson v-grind which works quite well.  Funny meaning the edge's are different from the right to the left, less of an edge on the right side.  My La-Griffe is a chisel grind and it's the most inefficient cutting knife I own.   My liner lock that was sticky seems to be less so as I use it.
Hope your able to work something out with your knife.

Sean

[Benner]

It'll be interesting to see how I get on with mine after some use.  Shame about the lock.    Mine is about 18 months old and has clearly seen a lot of use and it's a tight as a drum.

[Gadget Guy]

Emerson makes a great knife, but they have had problems in the past for sure. 2008 was a pretty bad year for the knives that I bought. I was pretty unhappy with most everything from 2008. 2009 is another story... I've bought three knives this year and they are all fantastic! They have fixed most of the problems and I'm really happy with the quality.

Emerson knives stands behind their knives and will fix a problem and they have fantastic overall service.

Splat, call Mary over at Emerson and explain the situation and I'm sure they will take care of you. Don't give up on their knives because of one problem. 

[Sean]

you made me run to my horseman to check out it's date.  It's an '08.  The only complaint I had with it was a sticky liner lock.  So it sits by my couch and play with it while watching t.v.  It's getting better.  I think it must have been sprayed with the blade coating on the edge of the liner lock because I am constantly wiping off black from the edge of the tang.  This is probably the reason it's sticky?

sean

[Gadget Guy]

you made me run to my horseman to check out it's date.  It's an '08.  The only complaint I had with it was a sticky liner lock.  So it sits by my couch and play with it while watching t.v.  It's getting better.  I think it must have been sprayed with the blade coating on the edge of the liner lock because I am constantly wiping off black from the edge of the tang.  This is probably the reason it's sticky?

sean

I'm sure not all 2008 knives are bad, but I guess I just didn't have good luck in '08. 

[David]

Well my experience with Emerson titanium liner locks is that some of them produce galling. When that happens they can slip alittle. The simple solution is to wipe off the galling and the slipping usually stops. There can be other issues espically on some of the early knives but I doubt that the case with your knife. Emerson stands behind their knives so I`m sure if you talk to Mary all will be taken care of.