I recently received a new pocket knife from the guys at Emerson Knives. The company is one of the top manufacturers of bladed products both folding and fixed. Being already aware of the Emerson reputation, I had high hopes for this knife and they definitely didn’t disappoint.
The overall length of the knife is 9 inches with a 3.6-inch-long .125-inch-thick blade. I’ve been doing a lot more cutting than normal lately and this blade has really been maintaining a razor-sharp edge which, in my opinion, is one of the most important qualities in a knife. The handle has a very aggressive texture on it that insures positive control of the knife in all conditions, even when wearing gloves. The texture is so aggressive, in fact, that it can quickly start to wear at your trousers if you carry in your front pocket, but for me it is a huge advantage.
Right behind the disc shaped thumb assist on the back of the blade is a notch meant to catch on your pocket as you draw the knife so that it opens it as you pull it from your pocket. It can be somewhat unsafe if you aren’t used to it because even pulling the blade from a pocket slowly can open it slightly. Once you get a feel for it though it is an excellent feature that allows for rapid deployment.
The Emerson Journeyman is a very well designed and built knife for just about everything whether its self-defense, survival, or work. It is tough, light and fits well in the hand. I will say that it is my favorite folding knife I have carried so far and is now my EDC knife no matter what task I will be tackling that day.
Author – Wes Nanny did 8 years as a Marine Corps grunt being a team leader and squad leader. I deployed to sangin, Afghanistan in 2010-2011 with 3rd battalion 5th Marine Regiment. After that I stayed with that unit and went on the 15th and 31st MEU’s. Iv attended numerous schools like CLS, TCCC, Assault climbers course, combat hunter trainer course, HRST masters course, infantry squad leaders course, raid leaders course and some others I cant think of. In my spare time when im not with my family I like to climb, shoot, and hike. I stay very current on firearms and fear of all sorts. I also did some side work with custom kydex for the last two years.