If you haven’t been able to tell by now, I’m a huge Emerson Knives advocate and user. My first ever Emerson Knife was the famous world-renowned CQC-7. Since then I’ve used other knives from other manufacturers, but I always find myself going back to my Emerson Knives, nowadays that is all I carry. My regular everyday carry has been the CQC-7 for several reasons. First, I love the design of the tanto style blade. Over time I have found that to be the most useful blade design for my personal taste and use. Second, the chisel ground blade is extremely easy to maintain whether at home, in the woods, or on the battlefield. The other Emerson knife I have grown pretty fond of is the CQC-8. The CQC-8 was designed and issued to the British SAS teams. The CQC-8 is one of the larger folders carried by Emerson Knives, but again due to the excellent design that goes into all their knives, it doesn’t feel too large to carry in the pocket. The blade of the CQC-8 is a longer blade with just enough belly to handle any field work you may need to accomplish.
Sometimes when you have two knives that you regularly rotate and use it’s hard to decide which to carry. Well for me that problem was solved with the Emerson Desert Roadhouse. The Roadhouse has that brutish strong tanto design of the CQC-7 combined with the longer up swept blade of the CQC-8. The Roadhouse when held in the hand feels like a war fighting knife, something you would picture a barrel chested freedom fighter carrying. Let’s take a closer look the specifications and design of the Roadhouse folder.
Style of Knife: The Emerson Knives Roadhouse is a fighter disguised as an everyday carry knife.
Blade Length: The blade length is 3.8″. This may seem to be too large for some when it comes to everyday carry, but I don’t find it too large for pocket carry. I have been carrying this blade as my primary everyday carry for at least a month now and have had no issues with weight or length when carried in either jeans or business casual clothing.
Type of Edge: The design and appearance of the blade is a cross between the CQC-7 and the CQC-8 as mentioned above. The chisel grind is what you would expect from an Emerson knife. Because of the chisel grind and the straighter lines of the blade, honing the edge is extremely easy with only a small sharpening stone.
Blade and Handle Materials: The blade is made from 154CM stainless steel and comes with a modified tanto point with a swedge at the tip. That small swedge gives the tip of the tanto increased strength and durability.
Weight: 6.2 ounces. Yes this is a heavier folder, but what you get in return makes it well worth every ounce.
MSRP: $263.95 direct from Emerson Knives.
Unique Features: As with most any Emerson Knife the unique feature is the wave opening feature. This feature allows you to deploy or open the blade as you pull it from your pocket. This feature alone makes the opening of the knife faster than any assisted opener or automatic. The major benefit I see to this is the fact that I can carry only this blade and use it for both daily tasks and as a defensive weapon. Some will argue that any pocket knife can be used as a weapon, and that is true, but have you tried to pull your other knife from your pocket and open it in a high stress situation? I have personally talked with victims of violent attacks who said they were unable to open their knife because they didn’t have use of both hands. Â That’s where the Emerson wave opening feature beats out all other folders. With one motion I can pull the knife from my pocket and have the blade open and ready.
Application: Everyday carry, military, security contractors, law enforcement
Pros: Well first off it’s an Emerson Knife! Secondly, the strength and durability of this knife are second to none. When you hold this knife in your hand for the first time you know without the shadow of a doubt that this will outlast your lifetime.
Cons: The weight and length of the blade will be a no-go for some. Others will see the price tag and decide that it’s outside of their budget.
Bottom Line: I absolutely love this knife. With the combination of the materials used in the design and the robust construction this is a weapon you can 100% stake your life on. You’re going to pay a higher premium for an Emerson knife, but for what you get it’s worth it in the long run. I will continue to own and carry Emerson knives until the day I die for a few reasons. First and most important is the customer service. When you deal with Emerson Knives you feel like you’re family and not just another customer. From a more practical standpoint these knives are extremely easy to maintain as long as you have some basic tools. I’ve stripped out way too many hex and torx screws in other knives over the years. The fact that they use standard flat head, and phillips screws is an absolute win for me. Lastly, is the design philosophy of Ernest Emerson. The materials he uses for his knives now are the materials he used when starting out. He has stuck with what has been proven to work even if other knife companies are changing to the latest and greatest materials. His materials and designs are combat proven and driven by some of the most elite units within the military. I applaud Mr. Emerson and his company for the integrity and loyalty they display not only to their customers, but to our military.
