Designed for Performance … Built For Extremes.

Emerson Knives have proven themselves in the most hostile environments on the planet. From the extreme limits of outer space to the blackest depths of the ocean, in steaming jungle rain forests, and on the icy granite walls of the world's tallest mountains. They have been called to task and have withstood the test.

Straightforward design, precision engineering, and high-resolution components, combined with a state-of-the-art, aerospace-qualified manufacturing facility, embody our search for constant evolution and manufacturing excellence.

All our knives are manufactured at our Harbor City, California facility from the highest-grade American-made materials.

Basic Knife Anatomy

Here is an overview of some of the terms we use to refer to various parts of Emerson knives, which you may see being used throughout our site and forums related to our knives.

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Emerson Blade Profiles

The Key to Emerson Grinds

Customers often ask why our knives are only sharpened on one side. The simple answer is that it's intentional. After over 30 years of testing and research, Emerson developed the single-side edge to create an extremely sharp, durable, easy-to-sharpen blade ideal for hard-duty use. While most conventional knives are sharpened on both sides, once you try our design, you'll find it cuts exceptionally well, stays sharp longer, and is easier to maintain—because you're dealing with one edge, not two. 

Interestingly, the sharpest piece of steel in your house isn't your kitchen knife or pocket knife—it's the razor you shave with every morning. Razors are sharpened on only one side, just like an Emerson Knife.

The Liner Lock

Liner Locks consist of a three-point contact system involving:

1. The point where the blade contacts the stop pin.
2. The center point of the pivot bolt.
3. The point where the liner contacts the bottom edge of the blade ramp.

Note: An angle between the blade lock ramp and the face of the liner lock is essential to create this three-point structure. The faces of the lock and the liner cannot be parallel.

Some may mistakenly believe that the lock face on the blade and the liner lock should be parallel with full engagement, but this is incorrect. With decades of experience as an aerospace mechanical engineer and one of the earliest knife makers to use the liner lock system, I assure you this design is correct.

Materials

We have over 30 years of experience making hard-use knives designed to persevere in the most hellish environments. They have been used and abused by some of the most elite military organizations in the world, and the feedback we have received has allowed us to refine our choice of materials and hardware for our knives. Our materials are chosen specifically for their durability, resilience, and maintainability.

Handle Materials

• G10: This material is standard for all of our production folding knives, and our G10 utilizes a proprietary grit texture to ensure that the knife can be held and used even when wet or caked with mud. G10 is a composite material made by fusing woven glass fibers with epoxy. G10 is heat, wear, and water-resistant. G10 is also non-conductive, non-corrosive, non-sparking, lightweight, electrical and thermally isolating.
• Richlite: Richlite is a material that was originally used as siding to protect houses from weather-related damage. It is made by compressing sheets of paper saturated with phenolic resin. Richlite is very durable, waterproof, and fire-resistant (<350°F). It is also naturally antimicrobial, stain and chemical resistant. 
  
• Micarta: Micarta is a composite material that may be made from numerous types of cloth, paper, carbon fiber, or other fabrics. Micarta uses a manufacturing process similar to Richlite, involving intense heat and pressure in order to cure a thermosetting resin. Micarta is very durable, waterproof, heat and impact resistant. Micarta is also electrically insulating.

Blade Materials

• 154CM: 154CM is the primary steel we use for our production knives. While it is not a "super steel," it is a tried-and-tested steel that holds a razor-sharp edge and allows users to resharpen easily and on various surfaces. However, 154CM is prone to rust if not properly maintained. Our target hardness for this steel is 57-59 HRC.
• S35VN: This steel has a higher toughness than our standard 154CM and can hold an edge longer. The primary drawback of this steel is the difficulty of re-sharpening. We generally use this steel for knives designed to be "heavy-duty." Our target hardness for this steel is 57-59 HRC.
• MagnaCut: Developed by a fellow knifemaker, Larrin Thomas, MagnaCut is the only steel officially developed for the knife industry. It boasts high toughness, very high corrosion resistance, and higher strength due to its manufacture via the powder metallurgy process. The disadvantage of this steel is the high difficulty of re-sharpening it. Our target hardness for this steel is 61-63 HRC.

Hardware Materials

• Stainless Steel: The hardware (screws, bolts, etc.) used in our production knives is made of stainless steel. The rigidity and toughness of our stainless steel hardware are necessary to ensure that the knife does not come apart during use and can be easily maintained without needing to replace any hardware.
• Titanium: We use titanium for all liners (both flat and spring-side) on our production knives. This ensures that there will be no buildup of corrosion byproducts inside of the knife and also reduces the weight significantly as opposed to steel (prone to corrosion and more mass).
  
• Nylatron®: Nylatron® is the material we use for the washers in all of our non-flipper knives. Nylatron® is a nylon impregnated with molybdenum disulfide (lubricant). The durability of the nylon combined with the lubrication ensures that our knives will never cease to function and will last for generations.

Blade Finishes

• Stonewash Finish (SF): Most of our production knives are given a stonewash finish, which provides a lustered appearance on the face of the blade and preserves the natural color of the steel. This is accomplished via an extensive tumbling process. This finish does not protect the blade from rust or corrosive substances.
• Thunderstorm Finish™ (TF): The Thunderstorm Finish™ is the newest finish we provide on our knives and replaces our now-outdated BT finish. This finish provides much more durability and additional resistance to rust and corrosion.
• Black Teflon (BT): This finish is no longer used on our standard production knives and has been replaced by the Thunderstorm Finish™. While the acronym "BT" officially stands for "Black Teflon," the term was often used universally for all our black finishes, including black ceramic. It has since been phased out of production.