Love that Strider....great to see that your heart is in Emersons as well as in lowly Rough Ryders. So hard and so easy to see why some of us are so into knives.
Rant incoming... I've tried to like Emerson knives a few times. I bought a cqc7 while I was in the Marine Corp and even then (long before I was into knives like I am now) something just felt off about it. It just didn't feel like a quality/well made product that could handle anything resembling hard-use. Once I bought a 940, I never touched the cqc7 again. Middle of last year, I bought a Kwaiken and it was easily the worst quality _anything_ I've ever spent over $50 on. With all hardware tightened to the point there was no blade play, when a "twisting" force was applied to the handle, each side of the knife had ~3mm of play. It ended up being caused by gaps between the pivot and blade and pivot and liners. I really like the design, so I decided to put in the effort to fix it. I replaced the pivot with a Hinderer pivot, and replaced the 3 trash (non-shouldered, 2-56 threaded...) standoffs with one xm18 standoff and now the knife would actually be able to handle the warrior roleplay aesthetic that Emerson pushes.
Thank you for sharing I always appreciate the feedback you proved since I'm just a collector and really can't hard use my knife in an office environment where I spend most of my time and yes only under constant use you will see what the knife can and can't do. I got my first Emerson knife back in 2012 I got a modified cqc7 without wave or pocket clip so I really could not carry that knife so I had no special bond with it so I sold it. I also got a A-100 another knife without the wave feature yes it was ok but also nothing special so I sold it and yes I also saw all the bag feedback about the quality issues and high pricing for what they offer back them I was on a Spyderco and Benchmade rampage because the quality was great the material and designs this was a long time before any well known Chinese brand came out of the woods so I can relate with you on the 940 and for me, my favorite was the 710 still to this day I carry that knife on some days of the week but the problem was probably that I did not get one of the flagship models and that is the commander. If I would get a nice Commander back in 2012 probably I would buy more Emerson knives the same happened with CRK and Hinderer so I went for Strider and did not look back then something changed back in late 2022 and I did try to get some Emerson knives to my surprise they stopped to selling to dealers and not only outside USA bud also inside USA anyway I did acquire some more Emerson knives it did cost a lot of money and I will make videos about them to share my opinion and observations but for one I can tell you that the new generation of Emerson knives are far better than those I had and read about back 11 years ago. Wish you a nice day.
I do same as you do, 1st I own cqc8 I love the design.. But the g10 and liner lock titanium out od the lip, not clean at all like others brand.. All hardware also not satisfied my heart with the price is rip my pocket.. after 1 week carry and used with wave the knife, the blade wobbles each side and the lock stick wears faster than i expected.. I ask someone for custom from titanium replaced all cheap steel emerson thumb disc, standoff, screws, tank pivot screw (like hinderer knives).. now my cqc8 almost near perfect pocket knife, I can push to the limit without worry..
@@mohdzaudikhasni8829 Thanks for sharing and good to know that now you enjoy your cqc8 i'm more of a commander user most of the time this knife is in my pocket but I also like the cqc-7 and looking to a Iron Dragon or combat systems fighter
Had a CQC-7 issued to me in the Army. Gave it away. I got a Commander as a gift and gave that one away too. Quality, fit and finish were sub-par, and a chisel grind is only for specific cutting tasks like heavy straps….its garbage for most of the everyday tasks we use knives for. You certainly could get the edge as sharp as a razor, but because the blade is only sharpened on one side you are constantly manipulating the angle you have to hold the knife to cut through material. Emerson even says they put the chisel grind on the left side of the blade for aesthetic reasons. Really? For looks? MOST people are right handed and if they put the edge on the right side it would be more useful for most cutting tasks. 940 Osborne, Para 3 and Microtech UTX 85 D/E are all that I carry now.
I’ve been carrying my zt 0301 for a while which is basically my grail knife but I’ve always had an itch for an Emerson, I might just pull the trigger on one just to see if I like it, worst case scenario I know i can get my money back on the secondary market they don’t seem to loose any value
I like that you have to get the knives from emerson now. Makes collecting them a bit more fun. I do also think theyre quite tough and aesthetic. Theyre not hyped, on the contrary they are hated.
I have to disagree with you it is a big mistake that they don't sell outside USA. Emerson is a very legendary brand in our community it has a huge customer/user base all around the world and that makes it very problematic to get them. I hope they will be selling through dealers in the future. Thanks for watching.
@@nerv5th it would be ideal especially if you are from another country, but emerson has had production troubles for a while. People often complained of QC issues in particular. Then around 2020 due to covid I believe they pulled all their stock from retailers and started selling from their website. I presume they have a very small staff and that is why they went this route.
@@solidus1995 Yes this could be the reason but that was in 2020 now we have 2024 I don't see why they could not hire more staff the demand is high and they have so many loyal customers around the world why not cover that demand?
The interesting thing about Emerson’s designs is that his collaborators always make a better knife than his own company. I’d even put the F&F of the made in China Kershaw models above the ones made by his company. This whole thing about them being tools, so it’s okay for them to be a bit rougher is just bullshit, and an excuse for them to skimp on the details.
You make some valid points The Emerson Knives is one of those brands you love it or you hate it. I did see a lot of videos where there were many problems with the knife maybe I was just lucky because I had no such problems so far with my Emersons. Thanks for sharing.
I strongly disagree. I've been collecting knives for over 27 years. I have all the fun brands, customs, traditionals and so on. I definitely put my Emersons above Kershaw any day, and yes, I have both. The newer Emersons have the single detent and are producing great examples now. Some of the older Emersons were a little rough but my newer ones are darn near perfect. You might want to give them another try. It's not for everyone but they are their own style.
@@ImageLoX Thanks for sharing. I'm always looking to get some more models for my collection unfortunately Emerson Knives does not ship to Europe so I have to be patient and wait for some to pop up on local forums.
The war is over and the fad has passed. Tactical is 2010s. Emerson just got left behind. They were great knives and changed the whole game but just stopped innovating.
There will be a War somewhere always unfortunately we can't learn from the past. Yes, he did stop innovating probably because he wanted to make simple tools that can do the job and the demand is still high so there is no pressure maybe his son after he inherits the company will start to innovate but if we look at CRK or Spyderco well not much had changed.
Self protection is not a fad… it’s a way of life. Unless you’re talking about the commercial trend of knife design. Then yes. The fad now is pretty cnc machined china knives with “bang for buck” materials. As an American who believes in supporting local businesses and exercising my rights, Emerson fits the bill. To each their own.
@@ripsbongs I completely agree. I have many other knives, but there is just something about Emersons that i love. There's nothing like them in feel . There is nothing wrong with liner locks. I have every type of steel and handle material on the market. 154cm is a great steel. I truly love my Emersons in their own right. Actually have a Mach 1 from the 2000 year in the pocket right now. There's no need to "keep up" with trends when you build something that just works.
@@nerv5th Sorry, mate ! maybe I was a bit rude. My fault. I appologize. Probably I'm an old dinozaurus and used to see bare hands of the reviewers. Its Ok. BTW thanks for the review of the fake CQC7. I'm almaust got frauded with that one. Turned out ok. And as for the waved Endura - its funny but waved Cara Cara 2 is better since its FFG. One thing to mention is that added wave feature is the coollest thing on.....axis lock (crossbar, clutch lock whatever). I dig my waved Griptillian.
@@wind-catcher4454 No problem I understand. I'm happy that you did not get scammed. That is why I make those PSA videos. Thanks for watching and have a nice day.
Emerson is to knives what Kimber 1911s are to standard issue firearms. I love them both, but I know their place. In an alternate universe where Glock and Cold Steel don’t exist… even still - nahhh. (I own a bunch of Emerson’s and still know their place).
Yeah warranty seems a bit questionable. I’m lucky to be able to show up to Emerson hq and pester them until it gets done. But I shouldn’t have to feel like I’m pestering to get warranty work done. That’s kind of the whole selling point in my opinion on a “hard use knife”… I digress
@@ripsbongs you are lucky you can go there and request the warranty I would have to send it through half the world and then pray that the package does get lost and on top I would have to pay taxes and fees again on return not to speak about the shipping cost so you can imagine a warranty is a no go for me.. Basically, I buy all my knives with that in mind. As a collector, I'm looking for what speaks to me. Emerson knives might not be the best or have the current super steel or handle materials but I love the design language and I respect the maker this is why I like the brand and hope they will improve the materials in the future.
@@ripsbongs I took my custom CQC 13 right into their shop and Ernest walked out and took it in the back, cleaned it up, new parts, and it came out looking brand new while I was standing there. So far I've had great experiences with the warranty service.
I like my Emerson knives for what they are, my Chris Reeve and my Medfords for what they are - there’s room for all of these on my collection.
Yes I agree!
What’s this? Rational thinking? Imagine that.
If you like the way Emerson opens, check out the snaggletoothmf mod you can do to other knives like the coldsteel and Benchmade knives
Thanks for sharing. Have a great day.
Love that Strider....great to see that your heart is in Emersons as well as in lowly Rough Ryders. So hard and so easy to see why some of us are so into knives.
for me it is not about the brand but about the design if I like it a want it :-)
Rant incoming...
I've tried to like Emerson knives a few times.
I bought a cqc7 while I was in the Marine Corp and even then (long before I was into knives like I am now) something just felt off about it. It just didn't feel like a quality/well made product that could handle anything resembling hard-use. Once I bought a 940, I never touched the cqc7 again.
Middle of last year, I bought a Kwaiken and it was easily the worst quality _anything_ I've ever spent over $50 on. With all hardware tightened to the point there was no blade play, when a "twisting" force was applied to the handle, each side of the knife had ~3mm of play. It ended up being caused by gaps between the pivot and blade and pivot and liners.
I really like the design, so I decided to put in the effort to fix it. I replaced the pivot with a Hinderer pivot, and replaced the 3 trash (non-shouldered, 2-56 threaded...) standoffs with one xm18 standoff and now the knife would actually be able to handle the warrior roleplay aesthetic that Emerson pushes.
Thank you for sharing I always appreciate the feedback you proved since I'm just a collector and really can't hard use my knife in an office environment where I spend most of my time and yes only under constant use you will see what the knife can and can't do. I got my first Emerson knife back in 2012 I got a modified cqc7 without wave or pocket clip so I really could not carry that knife so I had no special bond with it so I sold it. I also got a A-100 another knife without the wave feature yes it was ok but also nothing special so I sold it and yes I also saw all the bag feedback about the quality issues and high pricing for what they offer back them I was on a Spyderco and Benchmade rampage because the quality was great the material and designs this was a long time before any well known Chinese brand came out of the woods so I can relate with you on the 940 and for me, my favorite was the 710 still to this day I carry that knife on some days of the week but the problem was probably that I did not get one of the flagship models and that is the commander. If I would get a nice Commander back in 2012 probably I would buy more Emerson knives the same happened with CRK and Hinderer so I went for Strider and did not look back then something changed back in late 2022 and I did try to get some Emerson knives to my surprise they stopped to selling to dealers and not only outside USA bud also inside USA anyway I did acquire some more Emerson knives it did cost a lot of money and I will make videos about them to share my opinion and observations but for one I can tell you that the new generation of Emerson knives are far better than those I had and read about back 11 years ago. Wish you a nice day.
I do same as you do, 1st I own cqc8 I love the design.. But the g10 and liner lock titanium out od the lip, not clean at all like others brand.. All hardware also not satisfied my heart with the price is rip my pocket.. after 1 week carry and used with wave the knife, the blade wobbles each side and the lock stick wears faster than i expected.. I ask someone for custom from titanium replaced all cheap steel emerson thumb disc, standoff, screws, tank pivot screw (like hinderer knives).. now my cqc8 almost near perfect pocket knife, I can push to the limit without worry..
@@mohdzaudikhasni8829 Thanks for sharing and good to know that now you enjoy your cqc8 i'm more of a commander user most of the time this knife is in my pocket but I also like the cqc-7 and looking to a Iron Dragon or combat systems fighter
The horseman is where it's at.
Had a CQC-7 issued to me in the Army. Gave it away. I got a Commander as a gift and gave that one away too. Quality, fit and finish were sub-par, and a chisel grind is only for specific cutting tasks like heavy straps….its garbage for most of the everyday tasks we use knives for. You certainly could get the edge as sharp as a razor, but because the blade is only sharpened on one side you are constantly manipulating the angle you have to hold the knife to cut through material. Emerson even says they put the chisel grind on the left side of the blade for aesthetic reasons. Really? For looks? MOST people are right handed and if they put the edge on the right side it would be more useful for most cutting tasks. 940 Osborne, Para 3 and Microtech UTX 85 D/E are all that I carry now.
I’ve been carrying my zt 0301 for a while which is basically my grail knife but I’ve always had an itch for an Emerson, I might just pull the trigger on one just to see if I like it, worst case scenario I know i can get my money back on the secondary market they don’t seem to loose any value
I like that you have to get the knives from emerson now. Makes collecting them a bit more fun. I do also think theyre quite tough and aesthetic. Theyre not hyped, on the contrary they are hated.
I have to disagree with you it is a big mistake that they don't sell outside USA. Emerson is a very legendary brand in our community it has a huge customer/user base all around the world and that makes it very problematic to get them. I hope they will be selling through dealers in the future. Thanks for watching.
@@nerv5th it would be ideal especially if you are from another country, but emerson has had production troubles for a while. People often complained of QC issues in particular. Then around 2020 due to covid I believe they pulled all their stock from retailers and started selling from their website. I presume they have a very small staff and that is why they went this route.
@@solidus1995 Yes this could be the reason but that was in 2020 now we have 2024 I don't see why they could not hire more staff the demand is high and they have so many loyal customers around the world why not cover that demand?
The interesting thing about Emerson’s designs is that his collaborators always make a better knife than his own company. I’d even put the F&F of the made in China Kershaw models above the ones made by his company.
This whole thing about them being tools, so it’s okay for them to be a bit rougher is just bullshit, and an excuse for them to skimp on the details.
You make some valid points The Emerson Knives is one of those brands you love it or you hate it. I did see a lot of videos where there were many problems with the knife maybe I was just lucky because I had no such problems so far with my Emersons. Thanks for sharing.
I strongly disagree. I've been collecting knives for over 27 years. I have all the fun brands, customs, traditionals and so on. I definitely put my Emersons above Kershaw any day, and yes, I have both. The newer Emersons have the single detent and are producing great examples now. Some of the older Emersons were a little rough but my newer ones are darn near perfect. You might want to give them another try. It's not for everyone but they are their own style.
@@ImageLoX Thanks for sharing. I'm always looking to get some more models for my collection unfortunately Emerson Knives does not ship to Europe so I have to be patient and wait for some to pop up on local forums.
@@nerv5th what country and is it legal to ship to you?
@@ImageLoX I'm from Slovakia you may have heard about my country lately we had some good and bad publicity.
Subscription goes out.👍⚔️
They were good for what they were 10-15 years ago but they have yet to innovate and adapt
Yes and the is hope with new models with magnacut blades.
The war is over and the fad has passed. Tactical is 2010s. Emerson just got left behind. They were great knives and changed the whole game but just stopped innovating.
There will be a War somewhere always unfortunately we can't learn from the past. Yes, he did stop innovating probably because he wanted to make simple tools that can do the job and the demand is still high so there is no pressure maybe his son after he inherits the company will start to innovate but if we look at CRK or Spyderco well not much had changed.
@@nerv5thSpyderco is the most innovative knives company ever!
Self protection is not a fad… it’s a way of life. Unless you’re talking about the commercial trend of knife design. Then yes. The fad now is pretty cnc machined china knives with “bang for buck” materials.
As an American who believes in supporting local businesses and exercising my rights, Emerson fits the bill.
To each their own.
@@ripsbongs I completely agree. I have many other knives, but there is just something about Emersons that i love. There's nothing like them in feel . There is nothing wrong with liner locks. I have every type of steel and handle material on the market. 154cm is a great steel. I truly love my Emersons in their own right. Actually have a Mach 1 from the 2000 year in the pocket right now. There's no need to "keep up" with trends when you build something that just works.
Emerson knives are the only way. That’s what happened
Whats the drill with the gloves? Every reviewer tends to wear disposable gloves. Thats weard as fuck since you're not a doctor :D
How do you know I'm not a doctor? Anyway, I like to keep my knives clean plus it looks much more professional than my bare hands. Thanks for watching.
@@nerv5th Sorry, mate ! maybe I was a bit rude. My fault. I appologize. Probably I'm an old dinozaurus and used to see bare hands of the reviewers. Its Ok. BTW thanks for the review of the fake CQC7. I'm almaust got frauded with that one. Turned out ok. And as for the waved Endura - its funny but waved Cara Cara 2 is better since its FFG. One thing to mention is that added wave feature is the coollest thing on.....axis lock (crossbar, clutch lock whatever). I dig my waved Griptillian.
@@wind-catcher4454 No problem I understand. I'm happy that you did not get scammed. That is why I make those PSA videos. Thanks for watching and have a nice day.
Emerson knives are overpriced, overhyped and held in high regards by the tacticool community. There are far better blades for way less money
Emerson is to knives as Glock is to guns. They don't need to keep up with all the Chinese fidget toy knives and titanium blocks. They just work.
Emerson is to knives what Kimber 1911s are to standard issue firearms. I love them both, but I know their place. In an alternate universe where Glock and Cold Steel don’t exist… even still - nahhh.
(I own a bunch of Emerson’s and still know their place).
I lost all respect for Ernest Emerson when he refused to honor the warranty on my 99 commander.
Try to contact them again I did hear only positive experience with the warranty service.
Yeah warranty seems a bit questionable. I’m lucky to be able to show up to Emerson hq and pester them until it gets done. But I shouldn’t have to feel like I’m pestering to get warranty work done. That’s kind of the whole selling point in my opinion on a “hard use knife”…
I digress
@@ripsbongs you are lucky you can go there and request the warranty I would have to send it through half the world and then pray that the package does get lost and on top I would have to pay taxes and fees again on return not to speak about the shipping cost so you can imagine a warranty is a no go for me.. Basically, I buy all my knives with that in mind. As a collector, I'm looking for what speaks to me. Emerson knives might not be the best or have the current super steel or handle materials but I love the design language and I respect the maker this is why I like the brand and hope they will improve the materials in the future.
@@ripsbongs I took my custom CQC 13 right into their shop and Ernest walked out and took it in the back, cleaned it up, new parts, and it came out looking brand new while I was standing there. So far I've had great experiences with the warranty service.
I bought a Lucas Burney Böker plus Kihon stainless steel tanto last week and am absolutely thrilled with the knife. ⚔️🫡