- Joined
- Mar 1, 2003
- Messages
- 102
Just bought my first Benchmade, a 941S Pre-Production #477/1000. I love this knife! Silky smooth, no flaws, and great looking too. I am truly sold on Benchmade now. I was always hesitant with Benchmade, I really don't know why. I also own an Emerson CQC-7B (serial# 1515). Which is what this review is really about. I like the Emerson, but I was thoroughly disappointed with the QC compared to my friend's 910 Stryker, which I guess is the closest thing Benchmade makes that compares. I did a little comparison of the too knives because they seemed so similar, if you can get by the blade styles(chisel grind vs. standard V grind). Little things I noticed: like the scales weren't flush with the liners,the scales felt flimsy compared to the 910, the liners appeared to be about 1/4 thinner that the Benchmade, and the action was tight and seemed to grind, even after lubrication. The blade was also scraping the liner and I read on another forum, that to correct it, one has to open the knife and actually bend the handle!? I further read that other people had this problem and when they tried the solution, it worked, and there was much rejoicing! I saw a huge problem with that, like...there shouldn't be a problem in the first place. I did like the fact that the Emerson does not use torx screws, which makes field disassembly more convenient, but I also understand why Benchmade chooses to use them. I also like the thumbdisk to open the blade, which is also on the 910. IMHO, it provides a more positive opening, especially when wearing gloves. I believed the hype over Emerson, and it was a big letdown once I began to look at other linerlock knives such as the AlMar SERE, Benchmade 910, etc. I think if Emerson wants to claim to be the #1 hard use knife, the knife needs to be more bulletproof, and there are some areas regarding QC that need to be addressed. I could go on, but I don't want to get long winded. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy using my Emerson, it has survived all of the abuse I've put it through thus far. But the CQC7 does not hold up next to it's closest rival, IMHO, the Benchmade 910 Stryker. I will buy a 910 and replace my Emerson as my tactical folder for on duty use...or maybe an 806D2...or a 710 in M2...or Socom Elite...or Watson Trident...maybe I'll buy them all!