25 reviews for Mini Commander

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Jon D – July 5, 2023

   For me, a great EDC. Has had some substantial pocket time since recent purchase. Very familiar with the excellent Commander geometry. My super is a top 5 EKI in my harem. My micro is a great watch pocket backup carry. This mini slots perfectly in between the two. Big enough to be effective for most things without being a pocket hog.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Adrian – April 19, 2023

   EDC PERFECTION! This is my 6th Emerson and with everyone I always say “Ok, this is it. This is the one” but of course I always come back for more. This time its different. This knife is the perfect size in every aspect. I love a larger edc but this even though its smaller than my other ones just hits different. Whether its opening up a box or having to defend yourself, this little powerhouse has you covered. I got it in thunderstorm finish and it is SEXY as hell! You cant go wrong with it. I honestly dont see myself carrying another knife I own as much as I will this one. Go ahead and take command!

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Adrian – April 19, 2023

   EDC PERFECTION

4. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   Steven Fulkerson – November 17, 2021

   I've had this for a couple of years. it's a nice knife. Tough as nails and seriously sharp. Unfortunately it squeaks when it opens. No amount of oil or tension screw adjustment can eliminate the squeak. I don't carry it much just because the squeak drives me nuts.

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   charlesbaker2099 (verified owner) – September 29, 2021

   I bought my first Emerson knife about a month ago and it was quite a knives tale that has motivated me to write a legit non-bootlicking review of what I genuinely think of my mini commander and the process of getting there for myself. I “discovered” Emersons working as a wilderness guide in North Carolina. Being a huge knife guy myself I was surprised id never heard of y'all before. So I endeavored to get me one mini commander after a considerable amount of research and thought went into my purchase. I've been a huge benchmade man for years, and this is my first non benchmade knife I've bought in a hot minute and I've broken all but one of them. so as one could imagine I was totally pining for this knife to arrive. it took me so damn long to get the scratch together, but scraped it up I did. when that tracking number finally arrived home I was elated and almost giddy with anticipation. opening the box I felt like a kid on Christmas morning, seriously man. However, much to my chagrin when I opened the box and placed that blade in my hand, immediately all the joy in the world was sucked out of my soul. I discovered that my knife was sent halfway put together and I'm serious when I say the blade play was so loose the damn screws would fall out if this knife had landed in a less capable set of hands. I don't know maybe they are purposefully shipped that way on purpose I have no idea, if it wasn't supposed to arrive like a wet towel I would advise perhaps having someone take a looksy at the product before shipping it across the country for quality control purposes. once I touched the knife I was instantly furious with myself for wasting that much money on a halfway put together blade. I no kidding listed that knife on eBay not 20 minutes after opening the box. well about a day and a half went by before my curiosity got the better of me and I just tore down the knife to all its components and had myself a lookey loo. I scoured every single mm of that knife with precision level judgement and attentiveness. I soon discovered that the craftsmanship was not just unique, but very practical in its intended function. I also appreciate the fact that y'all don't use loc tight or didn't on mine. I seriosuly appreciate that man I have always voided probably every knife warranty I've ever had due to making the factory knife my knife by customizing the look and feel to my own needs and functionality, but y'all don't seem to mind, which rocks. think I'm kidding, try and buy a pivot screw from benchmade and I promise you it will frustrate the daylights out of you, as well as void your warranty with them evidently. as my frustration dissipated my admiration grew exponentially. All told over a a good 4 hours of tinkering and customizing to my personal satisfaction out on my porch I found the holy sweet spot of folding knives. zero blade play, which I absolutely loath in quality knives. dead nuts serious that first impression of picking up a 200 dollar plus knife only to find the blade is as loose as a 13 dollar gas station karambit. well it felt like walking in on Santa clause committing suicide in my living room on Christmas morning. seriously it sucked, imagine shaking hands with someone and getting that cold slimy limp wrist shake back. that's how my knife felt at first. nevertheless once I made the proper adjustments and made that mini commander my mini commander all was getting back to right. yet I still hadn't cut anything yet. now I must first quantify that I, until august have lived an incredibly rough, active, lifestyle and I've broken god knows how many “hard use” knives of every variety and price over the years. so I was quite skeptical of how the mini commander would perform in my hands, and my hands are hard, rough, and very skillful with a blade. I worked as a wilderness guide these past three years and by that I mean that there have been numerous times that if I hadn't had the skills I possess with a blade in tow, I, along with my clients would not have had a fire or hot food on many cold winter nights for 16 days a month out in the field, I've quite literally kept myself and a group of eight warm and fed solely because I had a knife that could perform under the most adverse weather conditions the blue ridge mountains can throw at you. so yes the efficacy of the knife needs to work, not just look pretty but function in high stress situations. now of course I'm a lowly graduate student who isn't half as hard on my knives as I've been in previous occupations. my hands are still quite rough, which is where I will unequivocally say the g10 handles grip is straight up phenomenal. if you have rough hands these handles are going to feel so good man. I can sort of understand the complaints I've read, but, well screw them, they don't have hands that could rub the chrome off a trailer hitch. . I could literally sand off the tips of my callouses with the handle, which of course I did. that amused me to no end. so once my hands courted the blade and learned how to wield the knife effectively I set out to cut stuff. now that recurve blade is one helluva good idea mr Emerson, you are a man knowledgeable about practical physics with regard to real world efficiency in how to design an amazing cutting tool. the mini commander cuts through cardboard with ease, whittles sticks with a comfortable grip, and my favorite part of all, is absolutely jaw dropping with its combat applications. luckily I've had a lot of combat training over the years and id go downrange again carrying this into combat for damn sure. the flowing nature of slicing with the blade just screams with killing efficiency. every piece of this knife was well thought out and functional, its legitimately worth the money as well as the the effort one may need to learn how to fight with a knife, or just cut stuff from day to day. a month later and I've made mymmini commander my official EDC. That wave feature though ohh good god that's a sweet happy accident my dude. I don't know if I could go back to a non wave knife again, it is so incredibly useful to use when your hands are full and you just need a knife right now and your in an awkward position. plus everyone who has seen me wave it out is like woahhh that's cool. so yes y'all made me one helluva good knife mr Emerson and I thank you for what you do.I obviously did not sell this knife on eBay of course. It took me awhile but if you're a knife guy or gal and you're unsure if you really want an Emerson, just get it, and take it apart slowly, you will see what I saw if you have the eyes and the patience to look, the craftsmanship will astound you. my only regret was not waiting a little longer to afford an etching into the blade from the factory, but then again there's always the next one. I am currently dead set on putting together the scratch for a combat karambit flipper, with the etching of course, and I look forward to that day. thank you for doing what you do Emerson knives.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Nicholas L. (verified owner) – July 30, 2021

   This thing is like a hot knife and everything is made of butter.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Ivan – June 26, 2021

   Always wanted one but the price is way above my usual budget for knives. Luckily, I found an excellent deal on a mini-commander for around $90~. It is a 2008 version, so it does not have the swedge near the tip and has the G10 backspacer. My mini-commander came with black coating and serrations. I can now see the appeal of Emerson knives, and I can say that I am converted to this brand following. Owning this knife made me realize that the “cons” reviewers usually mention against this brand / knife is majorly because they do not see the bells and whistles in Emerson knives they are used to from knives that are cheaper or of the same price of Emerson knives. And I assure you, they do get what they pay for: premium materials with premium action. Nothing wrong with that. But to say that Emerson knives are not worth it, that they are inferior and junk just because Emerson knives do not have the bells and whistles they are used to in this price range is unacceptable. First, to each their own. Second, they pay this price for other knives for the bells and whistles, and we people buy Emerson knives for its toughness and reliability, combined with genius subtle designs that actually IMPROVE the experience and uses of the knife (i.e. Misaligned G10 liners which are bigger than the liners means it will actually provide a fuller grip without increasing the handle thickness. Case in point: this mini-commander has the same grip feel with the regular sized Benchmade Griptilian, which has a thicker handle).

   It made me realize through this mini-commander that Emerson knives feel more like tools and machines that have a soul. Pretty much like automatic watches: they do not really accurately tell time as accurate as quartz watches, but they do feel they have a soul because of the genius behind the construction.

   Next on my list then is the regular commander, or maybe a mini, but this time without serrations. I will have to be more disciplined with my finances to be able to buy one again in the future.

8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Ben – June 23, 2021

   I have carried this knife every day for 15 years on duty and off. I am a police officer and I have used this knife for all kinds of things that it was not designed to be used for. It has held up incredibly well and taken everything that I have thrown at it without a hiccup. I will absolutely buy another one when this one is used up if that ever happens. Just buy it. You will not be dissapointed.

9. 

   Stephanie (verified owner) – February 1, 2021

   This is my third Emerson. I have four in total. Two CQC-7's, and this mini commander, and a Le Griff neck knife too. The M-Commander is now my favorite knife. It goes with me everywhere. There is no better knife on the planet, in my opinion. I started carrying Emerson knives back in 1999, when I was a executive protection specialist and owned my own Security company. Now I carry for self Defense and utility. I LOVE Emerson knives.

10. 

    Kenneth – October 26, 2019

    I do not have one……yet. I have seen and held the mini commander, it is on my list.

11. 

    Jonathan – October 8, 2019

    This is a great knife and best looking Emerson in my opinion. Also this is a great option over the regular sized commander for people with smaller sized hands

12. 

    Alan VanMarter (verified owner) – September 27, 2019

    Got this for my wife because she always takes my full size, now she is converted!! Another great product form a fine craftsman!!

13. 

    Jerry Jensen – September 27, 2019

    One of the best EDC blades around. Perfect size shape and weight

14. 

    Jason Raffensperger – September 27, 2019

    I was so lucky enough to win this knife in the 2018 pumpkin carving contest. Although it’s called a “mini”, it’s a perfect fit for me. It has become my super hard use life and never lets me down.

15. 

    Benjamin – September 27, 2019

    The Mini Commander is great for when you need the big belly of the recurve blade but you don't want to scare people. It is functional without being so intimidating.

16. 

    Jonathan – November 8, 2017

    This is a great carry version of the commander. The ergos are better on the original but this one is way easier to carry. The handle works best for medium sized hands.

17. 

    connerlamphier195 – October 8, 2017

    I purchased this knife about a year ago in 2016. The knife overall is a great knife. I am definitely a fan of Emerson. the Commander blade is my favorite. But there is one downfall that I experienced with this knife. When I carried it through training in California, (Im a Marne). I noticed some rust build up within two days of carrying. Had to take apart then clean and its fine but I did stop carrying while in the field and training. But it is great for just daily edc where your not sweating an absurd amount all the time haha.

18. 

    James F. – September 20, 2014

    I bought a mini-com in 2006, and have carried it all over the world, including multiple combat tours. This knife is by far the best knife I have ever owned, and will be passed down as an heirloom. It is perfect as an EDC, both open and concealed, and is also great as a backup knife in your pocket when wearing a chest rig.

19. 

    anthony clark – February 25, 2014

    My third Emerson I like the way it rides in hand for defensive situation very heavy duty construction best tactical knives at any price.

20. 

    Edward (verified owner) – January 30, 2014

    Great EDC…GREAT EDC
    Fits well in the hand
    Personally, price is good for the quality of the knife

    Neg- awkward to cut away from person with right hand because the blade is only sharpened on one side. If the blade were reversed it would make more sense

21. 

    SteveO – January 2, 2014

    Lost my spiderco so a friend told me I could dig through a bag of knives & pick one out. Neither if us had heard of Emerson knives but it had such a good quality feel to it I made my choice.

22. 

    macstyle01 – December 23, 2013

    Commander was a little too big as an EDC… and Super Commander is way too big, unless you have huge hands… the mini Commander is a great sized EDC…

23. 

    Brady – October 16, 2013

    Great knife first time I've bought one at this price but its nice to pull it out of my pocket and it opens right up so it saves u time very sharp blade! Im converted to this brand forever

24. 

    Docbp87 – August 9, 2013

    The perfect EDC knife in my opinion. The Mini-Commander was my first Emerson, and it was the knife that converted me. The recurve blade makes for the best pull cutting tool I've ever handled. Anything you want to cut just catches in that recurve belly, and explodes apart in fear! The handle shape is comfortable for any hand size, in any grip orientation, and makes it versatile in any situation. The Mini-Commander is also the perfect size for the pocket of any man (or woman) who wants the power of the Commander blade shape, in a more carry friendly package. Sharpening a recurve blade takes some getting used to, but once you figure out the trick to it, the Emerson single side edge grind makes it a breeze to get it hair popping sharp.

25. 

    Tim Frank – June 26, 2013

    Longtime Spyderco daily carry person >>> First Emerson was a mini-commander, purchased 2 years ago.

    Fully converted. Will always buy an Emerson from now on.

    Great daily carry.

    14 year Seattle FF