I have had a fondness for the Emerson Mini A-100 for years (Gen 2 review, Gen 1 review). Its simple form, robustness, and ease of use make it a great knife for all kinds of situations. But there were a few things that didn’t work for my non-operator lifestyle. So, when I had the chance, I picked up a latest generation Mini A-100 and slowly set to work reconfiguring the knife until it was exactly what I wanted. Given the amount of changes, I thought the reference to the famous Ship of Theseus (an ancient thought experiment about metaphysical identity) was appropriate.

Here is a tour through all of the changes (note that I am not saying upgrades—Mr. Emerson knows how to make great knives and I don’t think my changes are improvements, they just make the knife better suited to me and my use).

Blade Changes

Stock: V-grind, chisel cutting bevel, straight spine

Mods: V-ground cutting bevel, crowned spine, mirror polished cutting bevel

Work Performed by: Spade Knifeworks

The blade hosts the most radical changes. Long known for their chisel grinds, I have found this grind is difficult for me to use, especially when the chisel compels one to “register” cuts incorrectly for the handedness of the knife. I am also a fan of crowned or rounded spines on folders. To that end, I contacted Spade Knifeworks and had him do three things: give the knife a standard v-grind and v-bevel, crown the spine, and give the bevel a mirror edge. The end result is a knife that is easier for me to use, easier to pocket, and darn good looking.

Handle Changes

Stock: Flat Coarse G10, Black, No Lock Bar Access

Mods: Contoured Smooth Gray G10, Lock Bar Access and Approach Channel

Work Performed by: Fastlt1nos

The normal Emerson G10 apparently comes from the same source as Cold Steel’s G10, which is to say it is around 120 grit sandpaper. Neither I nor the top lip of my jeans pockets were a fan of the G10. Andrew’s handles are among the very best the in Emerson modding community and they fundamentally transform the look and feel of the knife. Ernie’s handle shapes themselves are classics, but with the contouring here, the Mini A-100 reaches sublime levels of comfort. One thing I didn’t consider was just how nice the lock bar access and approach channel are. There are no flaws on the Mini A-100, but if there were, the fact that these are not factory might be one. Andrew mods a huge range of handles, so take a look at his feed.

Clip Swap

Stock: The FAMOUS Emerson Clip

Mod: MXG Sculpted Clip

Of all the mods and changes I have made to the Mini A-100 this is the one I am not convinced will stick. The clip’s tension and in-hand feel are truly astounding, but, um…well…it kind of looks like the clip on the Benchmade Anthem and the less written about that particular design the better. Still, with a rounded over body and nary a squared off edge on the rear of the clip, this thing is a dream when using the knife. But still…

The Mini A-100 is a gorgeously simple design but I wanted it to be a bit more convenient and less operator-y. In the end, I like all of the changes I have made and they make a very good knife even better for me. But all of these changes, I think, keep the soul of Ernie’s masterpiece intact. One thing that I did not plan on was the release of the PDW x Emerson collabs. They came out while I was in the 5 year process of doing these upgrades. By the time the first one was released a few years ago, I had already committed to this version of the knife. Perhaps great minds think a like or these were obvious changes for me to make.