Emerson Knives Mini-Commander

Emerson Knives are all semi handmade. That means the pieces are laser cut. The blades are then hand finished and the entire knife is hand assembled. The company assembles knives in batches, say for instance, 100 Commanders, 150 CQC-8s, 100 CQC-6s, etc. That means that you can find a model for a while then they are gone for years (possibly). I have a Tactical Persian that I waited 7 years for.

Alright, the Mini Commander is a smaller version of the full sized model, The Commander. The Mini Commander is a recurve blade (curves in at the bottom of the blade) and tops out at about 3.25 inches.  That makes it great for an Every Day Carry (EDC) or for the trail.

Technical:

The blade is 154CM steel.  This steel will eventually rust if left at the bottom of the ocean for years then soaked in a 3 litre of Coke. I exaggerate but honestly have only ONCE seen 154CM rust and it was because it was exposed to something caustic.  The steel is hard enough to maintain a good edge as well.  It has a chisel grind. That's like a traditional Japanese knife or like the one-sided blade of a chisel.  Don't be nervous, you can sharpen both sides and [years down the road] it will eventually be a 50/50 edge like you're used to seeing.  It's not difficult to sharpen it to maintain a chisel grind either.

The liners are titanium and the outside is G10.  What this means is the knife is light, very solid, and will stand up to moisture like a champ.  The entire knife is put together with phillips head and flat head screws.  It is meant to be taken apart completely if needed.

Recommendation:

I have cut many branches with this knife, hammering it with rocks or other branches.  It also remains tight on my pocket as I canoe. I know that neither sweat, lake, snow, or rain will do any damage to this knife.  It is small and agile enough to be used for small jobs but is built to be man-handled. 

I HIGHLY recommend this knife for EDC and field use. Step up to the full sized Commander if you want a longer blade but beware that it may pose legal issues for EDC use, depending on where you live. Out of ALL my knives (I have a lot!) I have taken my Emersons to the most extreme conditions and they have performed flawlessly.

Bottom Line:

The Commander and Mini Commander are very functional and tough knives. Get them serrated, plain, w/ black coating, or bead blasted. Either way, if you can find an Emerson, you will own an uncommon knife that will be with you for a very long time.