Emerson Knives have long been a collector’s piece and useful workhorse of many knife aficionados, military, LEO, and hard workers everywhere. The rugged durability and common sense design have long been sought after since the companies inception. I personally was a bit put off by the price point on some of their knives. After destroying my fair share cheap gear and equipment, I have come to realize quality is something you pay for. That money is quickly repaid within the first situation requiring quality gear.

The Emerson Horseman is a slightly smaller knife than their CQC-8 with the exact same design and features. It includes the dual opening system that Emerson is known for. First is the “wave system” Emerson is famous for. It opens the blade when quickly pulled from a standard uniform or pants pocket. The second is their circular thumb stud for easy left or right handed opening. The knife uses a liner lock which locks very positively and leads to my only small complaint of the knife, but more on that later.  The knife also includes a standard pocket clip that facilitates very easy retention of the blade. The blade is a chisel grind which I find very durable and for the month I’ve used the knife it has held an edge very good. The handles facilitate a very positive grip on their textured G-10 material. The matte black finish has also held up well under wear and tear.  As per usual with Emerson products, all of the materials put into this knife are of the highest quality.
So into the pros and cons of this blade. The only small complaint which I mentioned earlier is that the liner lock is at times too tight when the knife is opened rapidly, or when you cut something hard such as shaving wood. The pros are literally everything else. The Emerson knives are plain and simple all American workhorses. This blade was designed to be used around livestock and having worked on ranches all my life I can see it’s definite utility on a ranch. However now with my current line of work, it serves very well as an all-around tool. Plainly put I don’t baby my shit. Everything I own I use to its limits and push it past them occasionally but that’s why I buy quality equipment and tools. The Emerson Horseman has been one of the top knives I have ever owned and has served me well.
Author – Tanner Hodges is an Active Duty Marine Infantryman currently serving as a Platoon Sergeant with 3dBn 2d Marines. He holds two infantry MOS’s (0351/0365) and has completed Infantry Small Unit Leader’s Course, and Advanced Infantryman Course. He has trained in Mountain Warfare, Desert Warfare, and Jungle Warfare all around the globe.