Commander (knife)

Commander
"Emerson Commander"
Type	Folding Knife
Place of origin	Torrance, California, USA
Service history
In service	US Navy
Used by	Navy SEALs
Wars	War on Terror, Operation Iraqi Freedom
Production history
Designer	Ernest Emerson
Designed	1997
Manufacturer	Emerson Knives, Inc.
Produced	1998 through present
No. built	3,000+
Variants	ES1-M, ES1-C, Super Commander, Mini Commander, Micro Commander, Waveless Commander, Thumbless Commander, SSDS, CQC16
Specifications
Length	8.8"
Blade length	3.75"
Blade type	Recurve
Hilt type	G-10 laminate and 64AVL Titanium
Scabbard/sheath	Pocket Clip

The Commander (knife) is a large recurve folding knife made by Emerson Knives, Inc. that was based on a custom design, the ES1-M, by Ernest Emerson that he originally built for a West Coast Navy SEAL Team. It was winner of the Blade Magazine Overall Knife of the Year Award for 1999.

The Commander has its origins with Emerson's CQC-8 or "Banana" folding fighting knife based on the Bob Taylor Warrior Knife and the Bill Moran ST-23: a knife designed with the blade in line for reverse grip or sabre grip fighting. This knife became popular among the British SAS and the US Navy SEALs, however the SEALs wanted something more aggressive so Emerson developed the SSRT(Silent Sentry Removal tool) model: a larger, hooked blade with a serrated, doubled-edged spine. This blade's profile resembled the horn of a Rhinoceros and its more popular name is the Rhino. The blade folded below the level of the handle scales so the user could not be cut by this extra edge, a small hole drilled through both handle scales and liners allowed the blade to be held in place so it would not open on a parachute jump and cause harm to the operator. Although the knife functioned perfectly in the field, its final design was too specific for the Navy.

During this same period, Emerson was working on a SERE (Survival, Escape, Resistance, and Evasion) folding knife for troops at Fort Bragg. When officers from Naval Special Warfare saw this knife they felt that with a few small changes such as the addition of a blade-catcher, it would suit their needs: the final result was dubbed the ES1-M. A civilian version was made and called the ES1-C; this model did not include the blade-catcher.

In field-testing it was realized that the blade-catcher would open the knife when drawn from the pocket. Emerson modified this design and secured a patent for it in March 1999. This mechanism is known as the Wave and the knife was added to the production line of Emerson's new factory and was called "The Commander". The Commander was the winner of the Blade Magazine Overall Knife of the Year Award for 1999.