Any long term experiences/reviews of the Kershaw Emersons?

[DangerZone98]

Purely out of curiosity as I don’t need one. I’m not too concerned about the blade steel, but more on the reliability and overall QC. Any experience with say the 7k or 11k? Thanks fellas.

 

[Dergyll]

I have a few, they are super heavy and bulky. QC is...alright not bad. My 4k XL came with so much lock stick and was stiffer than a mummy. The screws were so tight I actually sent it back to get them loosened. My 6k on the other hand, came pretty smooth, and had a slightly better fit and finish. Neither came very sharp, maybe like a 6/10.

Both I can wave open, I find the thumb disc hard to actuate well with my thumb.

They're cheap knives and definitely show, dont expect Civivi quality and you'll be fine.

 

[unwisefool]

My buddy has a Kershaw one, it's ok, definitely decent for the price. The ZT versions are so much better though. Which they should be since they cost 10x as much.

 

[jbmonkey]

I have/had a 6, 9, 10, 11 and couple 4k xls.

I gave the 6 to someone at work, as the size was smaller than i prefer. he's beat it to hell and its still workin well. I know cause i sharpen it for him sometimes. I've used the 4kxls a decent amount and they've held up fine. they arent bad knives. the higher pricing is paying emerson a cut, I assume. so higher than if kershaw designed themselves. thats the downside of them, the higher pricing.

fit and finish they arent bad....held up fine from what I've seen in mine and work associates 6 i gave him.

 

[Black Oak Bladeworks]

I had a kershaw 7k, It was very good for the price. I accidentally broke the blade while prying with it... It had a good lock up, okay centering and a decent factory edge. I actually liked the steel. It was easy to resharpen and I felt the edge retention was good. For 40$ its hard to beat and a nice way to try out the wave option.

 

[sgt1372]

Previously owned the 8K, 6K and the 4KXL. The action/construction of them was all fine, given their cost. My favorite was the 4KXL because of its 4" D2 blade. It's an excellent value at its current mkt price of around $60.

Sold them all earlier this year when I got rid of vritually all of my cheap(er) Kershaws and other knives.

 

[DangerZone98]

Thanks for the input fellas. Appreciate it.

 

[DocJD]

I just got the one , the BIG one , of course !

I agree with what's been said above . OK for the price , if you want a budget Emerson style to play with .

I've not really carried and used mine enough to determine reliability , but it doesn't feel like a hard use type I'd want to count on .

 

[toker]

I bought a CQC-3K because I really liked the design. It's much too heavy for it's size and the steel doesn't hold it's edge really well. I just leave it in my truck console in the event I ever forget my EDC knife. Not a fan at all.

 

[gazz98]

I had a CQC-4KXL. QC was average for the price point. Civivi, Bestech, QSP, etc do a better job in the QC dept at this price point nowadays.

I did sell it. I'm not a frame lock fan. I like a thicker handle for my big paws.

If you want an Emerson but don't want to spend the $, I think they are decent. Kershaw seemed to do a decent job on the D2 as well.

 

[CVamberbonehead]

Well.....they look cool! But they are cheap and they kind of suck. Nobody buys Emerson stuff for practicality and precise build quality though, we want them because they're cool!

 

[Nixelplix]

I have a CQC-10K. I bought it because I have a fondness for both clip points and od green. It deploys nicely with both the wave and disk. I haven't used it extensively, but it seems solid enough with the stainless liner and frame. I like it mostly because it looks cool, though.