comparing knives

[p7fl]

Emerson V Kershaw Emerson
I am knife illiterate.
Lost my favorite 10 year old Emerson at a class last year and replaced it.
As you know they are expensive. I bought a Kershaw Emerson at a local show for $40.00 and at least I am not worried about losing it.

It also points how little I know about quality. The steel used, grips, Emerson design are all costs.
What else can I look at to understand the difference between my $200.00 Emerson’s and the Kershaws?

[Adrenaline_6]

I don't know what models you are comparing, but as far as grips go, they both should be G10. There is a difference in steel though. 154CM made by Crucible (Emerson) vs 8Cr14MoV (Kershaw Emersons) which is Chinese. There should be a slight advantage with the 154CM over the 8Cr14MoV, but with the price of an Emerson, I would be expecting something like M390, M4, 3V, S90V, CTS-204P, Elmax, or at least S35VN. The ZT Emerson collaboration - the ZT0630 had S35VN (discontinued) but cost as much as an Emerson did although I would favor the ZT and Kershaw framelock over the liner lock of the Emerson. The Emerson build quality will probably be better than the cheaper Kershaw.