Emerson reveals the “secret” Flipper 7

Emerson Knives have never been one to follow industry trends. While other companies experimented with exotic materials and blade steels, Emerson has stuck with a simple, dependable formula that works: G-10 handles, a titanium liner lock, and Crucible 154-CM blade steel.

“We are definitely putting this knife into production.”

So it came as a surprise to attendees of this year’s USN Gathering when Emerson unveiled ‘The Flipper 7’. The knife is part of Emerson’s CQC-7 line-up and offers a flipper, ball-bearing pivot, and S35VN powder-metallurgy blade steel. After selling out a special production run of 30 in just minutes at the show; this Wednesday, Emerson announced that The Flipper 7 will be going into full-production – “We are definitely putting this knife into production. And just in time for Christmas”.

Ernest Emerson has “grown rather fond of the flipper action.”

Earlier this year Emerson introduced another flipper – the Sheepdog; a knife designed in collaboration with Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, former instructor at West Point military academy and author of “On Combat” and “On Killing.” Ernest Emerson has called him the “world’s leading authority on the stress that humans endure in combat.” At Grossman’s request, the flipper was added to the design to give users as many ways to open their knives as possible: wave them out of the pocket, flip them open, or use the thumb disk. Ernest Emerson has since “grown rather fond of the flipper action,” and decided to try it out on another model – this time the CQC-7.

The CQC-7 was first introduced in 1994 by Benchmade, who produced a version until their license to manufacture it expired in 1999. Navy Seal Matt Bissonette carried a CQC-7 with him on the mission to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden.

“a broken knife is no knife”

Another surprise for Emerson die-hards is the use of Crucible Steel’s high-tech S35VN alloy, a high-carbide stainless steel developed specifically for use in cutlery. Will we begin to see S35VN rolled out onto existing Emerson models? According to an Emerson Knives rep, there are no plans to do so. The company’s conservative heat-treatment of 154-CM blade steel is very purposeful according to Ernest Emerson: “I am not as concerned with edge holding as I am with breakage. Because a dull knife is still a knife; a broken knife is no knife.”

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