Welcome to the year 2000 and Emerson Knives, Inc. where in two short years one talented knifemaker has made an overwhelmingly successful transition from back-shop craftsman to a manufacturer of top flight tactical knives. All of the tentative first steps are behind the new corporation, the learning curve is flattening and the company has taken off like a thoroughbred.

For proof, look no further than the 1999 Blade Show, the knife industry’s largest and most prestigious event, where Emerson Knives, Inc. received the "Blade 1999 Overall Knife of the Year Award" for the Commander™ tactical folder.

Problem Solving

Emerson eased into the production arena two years ago with his raven series tactical folders. Sleek in design, these knives feature Kydron™ synthetic handles with molded-in checkering and a choice of two blade styles, a modified spearpoint and a tanto, both made of 154-CM stainless steel. The Ravens were widely accepted and, for the first time in years, consumers could actually get an Emerson knife without a two-year wait. Problem solved.

In what would also prove to be a wise marketing move, Emerson followed the Raven with a production run of his CQC-7 series knives. Followers of the tactical folder genre will recognize the CQC name. This is the combat folder that put Emerson on the map years earlier during his custom knifemaking career. This was the very knife they couldn’t get their hands on without a two-year wait. Now they could. Problem solved.

Emerson didn’t scrimp on the CQC-7 series, but production techniques allowed the company to produce the knives at an affordable price of $135 retail, versus three and four times that for a custom made version.

The CQC-7 series of knives has G-10 handles, titanium liners and 154-CM blade steel, virtually the same quality of materials as Emerson’s original custom folders. Another problem solved.

While all of this may sound like a clever marketing strategy, it has more to do with the fact that Ernest Emerson is in touch with his clientele. As a custom knifemaker, you get to know a huge number of your patron personally because many sales are direct. The fact that Emerson had such close contact with his patrons – both serious users and collectors – for so many years proved beneficial in his shift to the factory side.

The move was also facilitated by the fact that Ernest already had a strong following among the world’s elite government agencies and fighting forces including the Green Beret, Delta Force, the Coast Guard, FBI, Navy SEALs and Scotland Yard.

Further groundwork had been laid by Emerson when he established a solid reputation as an edged weapons expert through his training courses in edged weapon combat skills. These factors contributed to Emerson’s smooth transition into the world of manufacturing.

Factory Force

From humble beginnings, in a scant two years Emerson Knives has built itself up into a factory force of 35 employees and operates out of two separate facilities in Redondo Beach, Calif. The main production facility – equipped with state-of-the-art laser cutters, CNC milling machines and lathes – houses the major fabrication, assembly and shipping operations.

The second facility is used primarily for dirty work, such as blade grinding, sharpening and other grit-producing operations. This allows the main facility, where all of the critical fitting and assembly procedures take place, to be as spotless as possible.

The second building also houses a separate, tightly held, top security area that serves as the Emerson’s skunk works. Here, is this secret shop, the development and prototype work on new models takes place. It is here that Emerson can get away from the day-to-day business and get down to the creative side of knifemaking – the actual design – at which he excels.

In a world of sharp edges humility can be uncommon, but Emerson gives much of the credit of his success to his employees. His philosophy is to hire employees who, Emerson says, "Believe in me, believe in my knives and believe in what we can do. I listen to them, they listen to me."

Emerson Knives is run like a tight ship with order and operational security. Emerson is often called upon to do special projects, known as "sterile works" in the SpecOps community, for various groups requiring the utmost of confidence and trust. So popular are his knives among elite and clandestine forces worldwide, they are often traded on the black-market as barter for goods and favors.

In addition, Emerson is often tapped to produce custom and personalized knives for government officials and dignitaries. Given such responsibilities, one would think that Ernest would have a full dance card with little time for anything else but grabbing a morsel of food when time permits. Not so.

Emerson continues to offer regularly scheduled training courses in edged weapons combat and travels to foreign countries several times a year to tutor royal guards and elite counter-terrorist units. In the midst of all this he is producing a series of videos and writing a book detailing his fighting techniques and training routines.

More Hardware

Emerson has added two more tactical folders to his line-up since the Raven and CQC series. His Specwar series of locking liner folders is patterned after his notable fixed blade-fighting knife of the same name, which was commercially produced by Timberline Knives for a time.

The Specwar pattern has characteristics of the CQC, a squared butt plus virtually identical spearpoint and chisel ground tanto blades. The top end of the handle, however, is a harbinger of things to come and serves as a hint to an evolution into the new Commander.

Here we find a wider forend offering ample finger protection followed below by a nice little indent for the index finger. There’s also more curve to the main body of the handle to better fit the palm.

The Specwar features 154-CM blade steel and G-10 handles. At over 8.5" in length, the knife comes prepared for any and all tactical chores. Blade finishes are available either bead-blasted or Black-T coated and serrated models are available for each blade style.

Until Emerson trumps himself again with another killer design, the Commander™ is the jewel in the crown. In the Commander design Emerson took all the best traits from his previous designs and added new ones. The Commander’s 3.5" blade is salaciously curved, offering up miles of cutting surface. An equally shapely G-10 handle design affords substantial finger protection along with excellent grip.

The Black-T coated modified clip point blade is available with an optional Dragon’s Teeth™ serrations pattern. In addition, the blade has an innovative, patented "wave shaped feature" on the top of the blade that allows the knife to be opened as it is being drawn from a pocket.

At 8.75" overall, the Commander is the biggest and baddest of the Emerson folders. Emerson Knives also offers two fixed blade knives – the Police Utility Knife and Dagger-BT – as well as an all-new neck knife affectionately called the "La Griffe."

Emerson calls the little claw knife "The ultimate backup tool for law enforcement and paramilitary users." When employed, "La Griffe" essentially turns the human hand into a Velociraptor claw, perfectly capable of making mincemeat out of anything that gets in its way. At just under 5" overall, the knife comes with a Kydex sheath and nylon cord.