Emerson Hard Wear Traveler
Review by Phil Elmore
Emerson's "Hard Wear" line is an attempt to make Emerson knives more affordable to the average buyer. The typical Emerson tactical folder can cost around 100 USD or more, which can be a bit steep. The Traveler model, by contrast, carries a very reasonable price tag that should make it accessible to almost anyone. Price is not this model's foremost selling point, however. It is, simply put, just a great little tactical folder.
The Traveler is a rocker-bar locking folder with a vaguely oval thumb hole in the blade, which provides purchase for one-hand opening. The blade has great belly for cutting and tapers to a needle-sharp point. The cutting edge is ground on both sides, except for the serrated section of the blade, which is chisel-ground. The knife is configured for tip-up carry only, but the clip can be removed or reversed for right- or left-hand carry.
Blade Length: 3 inches
Blade Steel: AUS 8
Closed Length: 4.1 inches
Handle Material: Textured Zytel (plastic)
The stainless steel pocket clip had good tension out of the box and is neither too small nor too large (much like the knife itself). It has a good upswept tip that makes for easy replacement of the knife in your pocket or waistband. The holes cut into the clip may reduce weight to some nominal degree, but mostly they're for appearance.
The Zytel handle is textured with something called Emerson's "Aqua-Tread grip pattern." It provides very good traction. The contours of the handle also afford a very positive grip; a deep index finger indentation forms an integral guard, of sorts, and there are grooves (really humps) in the handle behind the blade and where your little finger rests in a forward grip. The back of the blade itself has these same curved grooves. A thumb ramp like this is a feature I always appreciate in a knife (which is my personal preference and may not be yours). The handle also has a lanyard hole.
The blade opens smoothly and locks positively with no blade play. It was very, very sharp out of the box, cutting well and penetrating deeply through and in test media like stacked cardboard and plastic.
I love this knife. It's extremely ergonomic, has excellent features that are desirable in a self-defense and utility blade, and is neither too big nor too small for the job it is intended to do. >>
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