CQC-11 UTCOM- Opinions

V

Vanguard.45

Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
76
Well, I've taken the plunge into Emerson Knives once again and decided to purchase the UTCOM, which used to be the Blackhawk Model.

Anyone have one? It looks big, but I liked the blade/handle shape and just the overall look. I decided on the black and non-serrated blade. Seems like the 4.1" blade length could get a lot done!

What have been your experiences with this model?

CQC11-BT.jpg


Thanks in advance!

Vanguard.45
 
The 11 is a nice piece, I love the handle on that knife (the same SARK) its right up there
with the best for ergos but I just didn't warm to the blade shape, not being a fan of recurves.
The knife is pretty big but with all the larger EKIs like the 8, 13, Persian, they are slim enough to still be carried easily.
The 4" blade is also defo. big enough to be of use in a lot of situations so no problmes there.:thumbup:
 
Probably the sleeper of the EKI line imho. I love the design and the shape. Cuts extremely well and is easy to sharpen and has a robust point on it. Makes a great hunter/skinner as well. I used mine a deer a buddy got and have to say I was very impressed with the way it worked from start to finish. I am not going to say it lasted the whole deer through, from gutting to cutting it up. But it worked extremely well and when I had to sharpen it it was pretty easy to do. keepem sharp
 
I traded mine off like a dumb-ass. Its a great Emerson, a classic.

Be advised however, that it is BIG. And I have a CQC-12, 8, 13 and regularly carry a full sized Crawford Kasper.

This is not a knife for the mall. It is a full sized man's folder.

That said, mine was razor sharp and that blade shape will take on anything you care to hand it.

I miss mine :(
 
I agree that the blade shape is certainly not the most "wicked' looking of the Emerson line. In fact, it looks rather boring. However, I felt like I wanted a blade shape that would cut well in a variety of circumstances, and recurve blades tend to do that very well.

I guess I am kind of looking forward to the BIGness of the knife. It's kind of nice to pull out a pocket knife and have enough blade to either open a letter or open up a Sherman tank!

The point certainly doesn't look very tactical/ aggressive, but how aggressive would it have to be in a SD situation to thrust into someone? We humans don't have much protection from such things, so unless I am fighting some sort of medieval knight in plate mail, I felt like it would do the job.

Some of the Emersons just LOOK mean, and I guess I was looking for a knife with a great deal of practical potential without all of the MEAN attached!

Any more opinions?
 
I had an 11, and it was a nice big Emerson. Felt beefier than the other models and I used it the hardest of all my Emerson that I had at the time. The tip on the 11 is hella strong too and I would pry paint cans, pop nails out with the spine side and even used the edge to adjust the pivots on my other Emersons. Yeah, it was one of my favorites for edc. I'll get back to Emerson again when finances permit. I still have my 12 and a LaGriffe and that makes a solid pair for edc, to cover all the bases if you will.

Matador-
 
I love mine. However, I have had to instances where the knife opened up in my pocket, cutting my pants, so I can't carry the knife anymore. I think the "wave" feature get snagged on the inside of the pocket and pulls the blade open. The blade is not loose, and sits snugly when closed.

It sucked - I really liked carrying that knife. It was a hell of a conversation piece when someone would inevitably ask "Hey, anyone got a knife?" and you could produce that big Emerson. Definitely made a few people want one!
 
What pocket do you generally carry your knife in ?

I find that only happens if I carry in my back pocket. The blade can open if I jump
over something or do something to give enough of a jolt to get past the detent.

You could also make the detent stronger by bending the "finger" it sits in on
the non locking scale, as all but the HD knives have the double detent set up.
(it's the detent on the non locking side that hold the blade closed and not the one on the lock bar).
 
mmike87 said:
I love mine. However, I have had to instances where the knife opened up in my pocket, cutting my pants, so I can't carry the knife anymore. I think the "wave" feature get snagged on the inside of the pocket and pulls the blade open. The blade is not loose, and sits snugly when closed.

It sucked - I really liked carrying that knife. It was a hell of a conversation piece when someone would inevitably ask "Hey, anyone got a knife?" and you could produce that big Emerson. Definitely made a few people want one!
Click to expand...

ya might have had the pivot too loose or the detent was bad, i havent ever had an EKI come open in my pocket and thats really all i have edc'd (except for once in a blue moon a spydie ti ATR) for the last 8 yrs or so.

the '11s are ok, like all EKI's, just not a big fav of mine, mostly due to the blade grind.
 
I carried it in my right leg pocket in a pair of 5.11 pants. These pockets are very loose, and I think that with certain movements the loose fabric of the leg pocket "catches the wave" so to speak and pull it open.

The detent - if I hold the knife "wave down" parallel to the floor, and shake it, the blade will open. My CRK does not do that, so perhaps the detent does need to be adjusted.

Haze - could you be a little more detailed to a "knife noobie" on tightening the detent?
 
OK, I tightened the pivot a tiny bit. What keeps that screw from backing in / out? If you actually tighten it down the knife is impossible to open.

With it a little tighter, the knife doesn't open when shaken as I described above. The detent feels solid, but I don't have any other Emerson's to compare against.
 
mmike87 said:
Haze - could you be a little more detailed to a "knife noobie" on tightening the detent?
Click to expand...

If playing with the pivot is solving the problem then thats great, if you find its not helping in the long run try tweeking the detent.

If you have a look at your Emerson and you will see there is a second detent on the non lock side liner near the pivot.

It sits in a small tab/finger cut out of the scale and bent out towards the blade. If you bend that out more it will
make it stronger. Just don't do it too much as it will start to make the blade sit off center if you do.

I'll get a few pics up tomorrow, it 1:30am here and I just can't be arsed the now :)
 
I'm wondering if another reason for the blade opening in pocket is because of the weight of the large blade.
Jim
 
use loctite or teflon tape to keep the pivot screw from backing out.

if the pivots adjusted correctly and the detent is functioning correctly it shouldnt open up, blade length/weight has nothing to do with it, or shouldnt anyway.
 
When I close the knife, I can feel the detent enaging. However, with the pivot screw backed out, the blade can easily fall open.

So, should the deten be strong enough to hold the blade closed regardless of the tension in the pivot screw?
 
The detent is there to help keep the closed, it's not suposed to be a lock of sorts.
Having the pivot loose will "free up" the blade some what, backing off the pivot lets
the liners seperate and that will decrese the "grip" the detent has on the blade.

The problem here is with out having your knife to actually look at it's hard to say if what
I think to be loose is the same as you do. It might just be normal but it might not be too.
 
I think I am going to call it good. I tightened the pivot a fraction of a turn and that's helped quite bit, and I think that the wave catching on loose pockets is what's causing the knife to open in the 5-11 pants.

The knife rides in a soft mag pouch now and fits in there nicely, anyway.

Thanks for all the information. I am slowing learning more and more about my various knives.
 
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