I've carried Emersons pretty consistently for, about ten years, with a SOG thrown in in the middle for a year of so because it was cheap. I started off with a Commander and currently rock a CQC-13. First, if you are cutting a lot of cardboard it will dull out a blade pretty quick, and all knives do require sharpening. No way around it. While I carried my Commander for years without sharpening it(Because I didn't know better), and my SOGs were sharp as hell out of the box, and held their edge well, but even they dulled over time, even more if you are using them a lot, and what denotes a lot of usage can vary from person to person. So honestly I think if you are going to run a knife hard you should expect to need to sharpen it on a regular basis, regardless who made it. That and if you are going to be opening a lot of cardboard a razor knife is probably a better option just since it is easier to swap out a razor then carry a sharpener on you.
Now, all that said, I own Emerson knives, I carry one daily, and only ever once had it exit my pocket without me drawing it, and that was because someone else pulled it from there(There in lies a story behind that), even catching clips on objects and bending the shit out of them(Have replaced several clips over the years, and keep a couple on hand, though I haven't bent one in years), I have never had one fall out of my pocket. Granted, I carry my Emerson on the right side with my wallet so the wallet kind of adds a little extra, I guess you could call it retention.
As far as is an Emerson worth it? For me? Yes, I love the feel and the design and features, and more. Also, if you are paying $300 for an Emerson, you must either want something special, or you are looking at a odd model, since if you shop around a decent Emerson shouldn't run much more than $200 or so. And on the used market you can find them for well under that at times. Hell my CQC-13 was bought for $100, which box, and paperwork and everything.
So, I suppose to answer the question in short, no it is not uncommon for a knife to dull if you use it a lot, and cardboard is considered to be touch on a blade. Would an Emerson last longer? Maybe. Maybe not. Is it worth it? That is for you to decide, but if you want a high(er) end knife, then there are worse reason to buy one.)
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