Seventy two dollars is quite the jump from your original stated price point. This is how it begins, and I am thrilled to be an enabler.
You will also see a difference in quality.
Now. In this case, Youtube is going to be a better resource than anybody here, because the Homefront really is something new in the world of production knives.
But not necessarily better.
I can't make that decision for you. I don't need to field-strip my folder and clean out the gunk. If you need that feature, then it may be the right thing. Or, if it really just speaks to you: I've had knives come home with me for no other reason than because I felt I should.
As for Emerson's "CQC-" designations, I have no idea what the convention is. But that's never stopped me from speculating.
I guess the CQC-7 is the one that's been around the longest, followed by the -8, then the -6 and the -5.
Apparently, there is also a -10, and a -15. There are various letter suffixes after the number, for if the blade is coated, satin finish, or stone wash. The ones with serrations have a letter, and there are some custom versions with different handle slab materials. Those are the expensive ones.
Great! How do you feel about liner lock versus frame lock? A certain YouTuber says that his friend was cut because the liner lock failed, implying that a frame lock may be safer? And he also showed that a liner lock is thinner than a frame lock.
Great! How do you feel about liner lock versus frame lock? A certain YouTuber says that his friend was cut because the liner lock failed, implying that a frame lock may be safer? And he also showed that a liner lock is thinner than a frame lock.
Right. This is the "Facebook sound bite version". Further down is the stuff you don't have to read.
Lock strength doesn't matter in the real world. If you're going to be splitting wood, or self-extricating from a building or vehicle, there are specialized tools for that.
Lock type doesn't matter in the real world.
Blade bevel shape and blade thickness are what do the cutting.
Heat treat is what makes a blade hold an edge longer. Steel chemistry plays a smaller role.
cookie break
This is the "blah blah blah, you talk too much, Shorty", version:
The liner lock versus frame lock debate is like the 9mm versus .45 debate among pistol enthusiasts. You could also argue similar points about pull-on versus lace-up boots, and blondes versus brunettes.
As far as I know, nobody has been able to find a way to test lock strength in a way that allows one knife to be compared to another, but also reflects real-world use. Cold Steel does destructive testing, and there is a video where Benchmade tests an Adamas to failure (spoiler: the Axis lock fails, but it jams with the blade still open. If you were using it, there would not be any danger to your fingers). But these tests aren't quite "real world", because they are pushing against the lock in one direction, and knife locks are at their strongest when they're resisting force that's straight-on to the cutting edge, or straight-on to the spine.
The problem is, nobody cuts things in a laboratory-perfect way: people tend to "hook" the cut slightly right or left, and once you introduce lateral torque, you screw up your testing results.
A properly-designed liner or frame lock will "fail safe". It bends in toward the other handle slab, jamming the blade open, and now you have a fixed blade. I have yet to hear of one that fails in the other direction, letting the blade swing closed. If you can find evidence of a knife that has a "fold in" failure, I would be interested to see it.
The reason frame/line locks fold in is usually more subtle. Let's say you're fixin' to cut something heavy, like the kind of half-inch thick industrial rubber that's used for skirting on conveyor belts, so stone stays on the belt instead of bouncing all over. So you get a good, tight grip on your frame lock knife, and start to shove it through with everything you've got.
The edge is actually pretty dull by this point, but rather than doing the sensible thing, you decide to power through the cut, and as you twist your wrist a little, the death-grip you have on your knife pushes the lock tab out away from the face, and you feel the blade start to unlock. You stop dead for a moment, and decide that a trip to the sharpening stone really is a good idea.
This little story may or may not have been based on personal experience. The point is, since these locks rely on lateral torque from your thumb to unlock them, unintended lateral torque ("twisting" the knife) can put enough sideways pressure on the lock tab to move it.
Some people (including me) would start to wonder if a lock-back or similar thing is the better answer.
Maybe....?
The lock-back/back-lock/Triad lock is stronger than a frame/liner, in those laboratory rooms: the blade breaks before the lock fails. If absolute lock strength is all you're looking for, then we've arrived at an answer.
But.
Every knife is the sum of it's parts, and it's a compromise between strength and cutting ability. Where your needs fall along the spectrum from slicer to splitting maul depends on what you're using the knife for, and how often you figure on being willing to sharpen.
Last Edit: Nov 26, 2017 7:13:18 GMT -8 by Shorttime: Edited because this is the Internet
Depends on the knife. They have some generally good knives, and some..... really odd, knives, at a whole bunch of different prices. It would be difficult to summarize their entire inventory, because it is so diverse.
I've had a few Bokers, and I've read other people's thoughts on them. Their quality control is about the same as everybody else's, which means you can be sure you're going to get what you pay for.
Last Edit: Nov 26, 2017 15:08:51 GMT -8 by Shorttime
Seventy two dollars is quite the jump from your original stated price point. This is how it begins, and I am thrilled to be an enabler.
You will also see a difference in quality.
Now. In this case, Youtube is going to be a better resource than anybody here, because the Homefront really is something new in the world of production knives.
But not necessarily better.
I can't make that decision for you. I don't need to field-strip my folder and clean out the gunk. If you need that feature, then it may be the right thing. Or, if it really just speaks to you: I've had knives come home with me for no other reason than because I felt I should.
As for Emerson's "CQC-" designations, I have no idea what the convention is. But that's never stopped me from speculating.
I guess the CQC-7 is the one that's been around the longest, followed by the -8, then the -6 and the -5.
Apparently, there is also a -10, and a -15. There are various letter suffixes after the number, for if the blade is coated, satin finish, or stone wash. The ones with serrations have a letter, and there are some custom versions with different handle slab materials. Those are the expensive ones.
Pssshh. I don't get to do this much, so I feel like a kid who's just learned a magic trick. On the other hand, the way the Internet works is that you say something which isn't quite accurate, and people with the correct information show up to set you straight, so "thank you" to Roy, for teaching me something, too.
Follow up, anyone may respond, the more the better. I just would like to know what your idea of a perfect tactical knife is. As a newbie to knives, I'm still trying to figure out what features are important to me. I appreciate very much the Emerson design that have the wave feature (I don't know if that's important to you or if you think it's just a gimmick, let me know please) , but I also think it's awesome that the crkt knife that I posted can be taken apart without any tools (or maybe I'm just easily amused). What do YOU look for in a tactical pocket knife?
Also, I noticed that knives in Emerson's Website are far more expensive than Kershaw-Emerson knives, or am I missing something? Are kershaw-emerson knives made of cheaper material?
Also, I noticed that knives in Emerson's Website are far more expensive than Kershaw-Emerson knives, or am I missing something? Are kershaw-emerson knives made of cheaper material?
Emerson knives are the originals. They are made of more premuim materials and steels as well as being made completely in the US. A lot of guys who collect emerson knives collect them because of the name, history. The kershaw emersons are made of still very good but less quality materials. They are made in China. Emerson, collaborates with kershaw and gives them designs and use of patents and they then split the profit. Hope that helps
༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ Gimmie Yo Surefires ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
Well you dont have to be Stonewall Jackson to know you dont wanna fight in a fucking basement.- Lt. Aldo Raine
Follow up, anyone may respond, the more the better. I just would like to know what your idea of a perfect tactical knife is. As a newbie to knives, I'm still trying to figure out what features are important to me. I appreciate very much the Emerson design that have the wave feature (I don't know if that's important to you or if you think it's just a gimmick, let me know please) , but I also think it's awesome that the crkt knife that I posted can be taken apart without any tools (or maybe I'm just easily amused). What do YOU look for in a tactical pocket knife?
Well, it has a front and rear sight and goes bang. Knives are terrible self defense tools. Look into pepper spray, ccws, folding batons, or a very bright flashlight.
༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ Gimmie Yo Surefires ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
Well you dont have to be Stonewall Jackson to know you dont wanna fight in a fucking basement.- Lt. Aldo Raine
Follow up, anyone may respond, the more the better. I just would like to know what your idea of a perfect tactical knife is. As a newbie to knives, I'm still trying to figure out what features are important to me. I appreciate very much the Emerson design that have the wave feature (I don't know if that's important to you or if you think it's just a gimmick, let me know please) , but I also think it's awesome that the crkt knife that I posted can be taken apart without any tools (or maybe I'm just easily amused). What do YOU look for in a tactical pocket knife?
Well, it has a front and rear sight and goes bang. Knives are terrible self defense tools. Look into pepper spray, ccws, folding batons, or a very bright flashlight.
Roy said it, but I feel the need to expand on this, because self-defense, and armed combat in general, is serious business. Any time you begin to talk about a piece of metal entering another person's soft tissues, not only are there moral and ethical questions (which I will not address, ever), but in today's world, there are legal concerns which should be left to lawyers.
I'm going to link to a couple of other articles down below. They contain descriptions which may be unsettling for some readers. I'm trying to use reasonably well-regarded sources, but we're discussing the subject of bodily harm, so there's some possibility of "squick".
I am not a lawyer, or anything close to it. I know enough about the legal situations that can result from the use of knives (or guns) for self-defense, to know that I will never carry or use either one as an SD tool.
The problem comes from something called "disparity of force". If you want to read an explanation of it, this article:
Is a place to start. I've included the link so that you can run it through your browser's filtering programs to check it's legitimacy and SSID certificates, if you choose. The information I took away from the article is that you can go from victim to aggressor in the time it takes for you to take one step forward, and I don't trust myself to think that clearly in "fight or flight" mode. I grant you, a mugger is unlikely to have smart legal representation, but I'm trying to address worst-case scenarios.
The next problem comes from something called the Tueller Drill, or the "21 foot rule".
This is the time it takes to draw, target, and fire, your gun, at an attacker. Now, this is in a clear space, and everybody knows what's going on. If you're enjoying a day at the river, or a night in a crowded venue, your attacker can walk right up alongside you, and put a bullet through your ear, or a knife through your kidney, before you ever know something is about to happen. Again, worst-case scenarios.
So, it takes just as much time to get out a knife as it does to get out a gun. The problem is, your knife is only effective at kicking distance, which means that if you can hurt him with it, he can hurt you too.
A bullet works very differently from a knife when it enters the human body. I can't find a link to information about this, but I will try to summarize based on what I remember.
A knife is a long, thin piece of metal, and the wound track it causes is long and thin, as well. Yes, I know, there are places where you can open carry a fixed blade, but I'm not going to give you any advantages to work with, here: all I'm assuming is that you have a legal-length folding knife which will leave a wound track which is around half an inch wide, and three or four inches long.
Bullets are designed to hit with enough force to enter the body. Then, they slow down, the head expands, and they tumble, making odd-shaped wound tracks that damage a larger volume of soft tissue.
If you want more, "wound ballstics" will send your browser in the right direction.
The point of all this gory detail is that a bullet causes more damage, and does it faster, than a knife ever will. Unless you chop off a person's head.
We can argue back and forth about "what ifs" for days, and there are threads about it everywhere. Bladeforums has a sub-forum called "Practical Tactical", where you can watch "Mercop" and many others argue about lighting, distance, tactics and techniques, all day long. If you want to read some well-written articles on the legal aspects of guns and knives for self-defense, look up "Massad Ayoob". He's the guy being interviewed in the "disparity of force" article. His work is on firearms, but it's the same thing: gun or knife, somebody is bleeding out, and you need to do everything you can to stay out of prison.
So, what I look for in a tactical pocket knife has nothing to do with hurting other people. The design of a "fighting knife", another term that I don't like, is generally thin and sharp on both sides, with just enough metal behind the point to keep it from breaking on bone.
All right, I've said enough. The knives I like are pretty much everything that a tactical knife is not: flat-ground wharncliffe or spear-point blades without pronounced jimping or large guards. I'm going to climb down off my soapbox now, thanks for listening, everybody!
Last Edit: Nov 29, 2017 6:21:25 GMT -8 by Shorttime
Thanks a lot shorttime, would you mind posting a photo of your knife that has the qualities you stated: flat-ground wharncliffe or spear-point blades without pronounced jimping or large guards.