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“You can never have too many knives.” -- Logan Ninefingers, a.k.a. “the Bloody Nine" in The First Law, a trilogy by Joe Abercrombie
With that sage advice in mind (and who on BladeForums would disagree) I ordered a CQC-7BW – Ernie Emerson’s classic chisel edge tanto, which hits its 25th anniversary this year.
Not that I need another knife, but the CQC-7 is a classic that every knife knerd should have, just because. It’s one of the coolest knives around, as well as one of the most controversial. A CQC-7 carried by a US Navy SEAL in the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden was sold at auction for $35,400 recently, making it the most expensive and valuable production knife ever produced.
One problem was that Emerson no longer ships outside the continental US, citing difficulties with various customs agencies, including Canada’s. But I got my son in LA to order one and picked it up on a recent trip south.
I wanted a CQC-7B, without the wave, but it was out of stock. However, the CQC-7BW with the wave was available. What the heck, I thought; if I don’t like the wave I can always cut if off.
A few years ago, when you could order Emersons from Canada, I bought a CQC-7A from a Vancouver distributor, the spearpoint model with the V grind, no wave. Good solid knife, but the chisel edge didn’t seem to make sense with the V grind, so I reprofiled it to a convex edge on a DMT extra coarse bench hone. I ended up with a dandy slicer which does a sterling job cutting grotty stuff like the burlap wrap on plant pots and cardboard boxes.
The CQC-7BW is a full chisel grind, completely flat on the right side (or the wrong side, if you’re right-handed
) and ground on the other. The edge and tip have about a 25 degree bevel, not a zero grind like some of Emerson’s CQC-6 customs, but more practical for general use
The clip tension is firm, not as tight as on my Cold Steel folders which I had to tweak. Some folks question Emerson’s use of Nylatron washer bearings. They’re lubed with a copper impregnated graphite grease that won’t degrade with exposure to salt water like bronze or brass washers. Some time ago I ordered some replacement brass washers from the river company for my CQC-7A, but never got around to installing them as the Nylatron washers work just fine. The G-10 grips work well, and (so far anyway) haven’t eaten any pockets. They could be smoothed with a few passes of emery paper.
Emerson has been criticized for sticking to CM-154, which has been around since 1959. Originally developed for high temperature jet turbines, it’s highly corrosion resistant, tough, and easy to sharpen. Knife Steel Nerds has a lot more technical information on its history and characteristics. In any event, it’s a tried-and-true steel that is easily sharpened in the field. Emerson does offer a CQC-7 in S35VN, albeit it’s a flipper with bearings, which seems a bit overkill IMHO.
First impressions out of the box: It looks a bit industrial – or maybe military -- with that flat side of the blade and the black, utilitarian G-10 grips. Despite that, fit and finish are as good as (gasp!) my Sebbie 21. Let us all give thanks to CNC machining. No wobbles, misalignment of grips and liners, the titanium liner clicks perfectly into place on opening, and the perfectly centered blade is flawless. Shaving sharp out of the box. When I got home from LA (where I slew a number of hostile bagels and slaughtered some fruit at the hotel), I made a few passes on a DMT fine (600 grit) just for the heck of it, not that it needed sharpening. A couple of very light finishing passes on the ultra-fine DMT (1200 grit) on the back, flat side, and it was hair splitting sharp. Easier to sharpen than powder steels, definitely.
The CQC is not a lightweight; it weighs four ounces, or a quarter pound, but tucks nicely into a jeans or jacket pocket. You know it’s there but it’s not obtrusive.
So, how does it work for day-to-day cutting chores? Pretty well, actually. Emerson says he doesn’t slice many tomatoes, but the CQC actually does very well at slicing softer stuff. Ditto steak. Cutting through firmer material, like a round of cheese or an apple, and the blade veers. It’s easy enough to work around if you hold the knife with the flat side of blade against whatever you’re cutting. It’s not great at whittling (for a right hander) but does OK, though it’s not a slippery whittler like my Bradford Guardian 3.
Emerson did a lot of testing with SEALs and other military personnel when he developed the CQC line, and concluded that the left hand grind was preferred. He cites tasks such as scraping barnacles off a boat hull so you can attach a mine. Admittedly, that only occurs rarely in Alberta as we’re landlocked and about 3,000 feet above sea level (at the moment, anyway), but if the need arises I’ll be ready.
So far I haven’t even deployed the wave. I just take the CQC out of my pocket like any other knife. The only mod I’ve made is to back off the pivot screw a few degrees. Some CQC-7 users advise using Teflon tape on the pivot screw threads so it won’t loosen, but mine hasn’t budged so far. There are all kinds of gadgets like custom clips and lanyards and grips available, but I like it just the way it is. I’m not giving up my conventional blades, but when it comes to rough work I’ll keep the CQC-7BW handy. As they taught us in Scouts, Be Prepared. The CQC-7BW fits that role.
With that sage advice in mind (and who on BladeForums would disagree) I ordered a CQC-7BW – Ernie Emerson’s classic chisel edge tanto, which hits its 25th anniversary this year.
Not that I need another knife, but the CQC-7 is a classic that every knife knerd should have, just because. It’s one of the coolest knives around, as well as one of the most controversial. A CQC-7 carried by a US Navy SEAL in the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden was sold at auction for $35,400 recently, making it the most expensive and valuable production knife ever produced.
One problem was that Emerson no longer ships outside the continental US, citing difficulties with various customs agencies, including Canada’s. But I got my son in LA to order one and picked it up on a recent trip south.
I wanted a CQC-7B, without the wave, but it was out of stock. However, the CQC-7BW with the wave was available. What the heck, I thought; if I don’t like the wave I can always cut if off.
A few years ago, when you could order Emersons from Canada, I bought a CQC-7A from a Vancouver distributor, the spearpoint model with the V grind, no wave. Good solid knife, but the chisel edge didn’t seem to make sense with the V grind, so I reprofiled it to a convex edge on a DMT extra coarse bench hone. I ended up with a dandy slicer which does a sterling job cutting grotty stuff like the burlap wrap on plant pots and cardboard boxes.
The CQC-7BW is a full chisel grind, completely flat on the right side (or the wrong side, if you’re right-handed
) and ground on the other. The edge and tip have about a 25 degree bevel, not a zero grind like some of Emerson’s CQC-6 customs, but more practical for general useThe clip tension is firm, not as tight as on my Cold Steel folders which I had to tweak. Some folks question Emerson’s use of Nylatron washer bearings. They’re lubed with a copper impregnated graphite grease that won’t degrade with exposure to salt water like bronze or brass washers. Some time ago I ordered some replacement brass washers from the river company for my CQC-7A, but never got around to installing them as the Nylatron washers work just fine. The G-10 grips work well, and (so far anyway) haven’t eaten any pockets. They could be smoothed with a few passes of emery paper.
Emerson has been criticized for sticking to CM-154, which has been around since 1959. Originally developed for high temperature jet turbines, it’s highly corrosion resistant, tough, and easy to sharpen. Knife Steel Nerds has a lot more technical information on its history and characteristics. In any event, it’s a tried-and-true steel that is easily sharpened in the field. Emerson does offer a CQC-7 in S35VN, albeit it’s a flipper with bearings, which seems a bit overkill IMHO.
First impressions out of the box: It looks a bit industrial – or maybe military -- with that flat side of the blade and the black, utilitarian G-10 grips. Despite that, fit and finish are as good as (gasp!) my Sebbie 21. Let us all give thanks to CNC machining. No wobbles, misalignment of grips and liners, the titanium liner clicks perfectly into place on opening, and the perfectly centered blade is flawless. Shaving sharp out of the box. When I got home from LA (where I slew a number of hostile bagels and slaughtered some fruit at the hotel), I made a few passes on a DMT fine (600 grit) just for the heck of it, not that it needed sharpening. A couple of very light finishing passes on the ultra-fine DMT (1200 grit) on the back, flat side, and it was hair splitting sharp. Easier to sharpen than powder steels, definitely.
The CQC is not a lightweight; it weighs four ounces, or a quarter pound, but tucks nicely into a jeans or jacket pocket. You know it’s there but it’s not obtrusive.
So, how does it work for day-to-day cutting chores? Pretty well, actually. Emerson says he doesn’t slice many tomatoes, but the CQC actually does very well at slicing softer stuff. Ditto steak. Cutting through firmer material, like a round of cheese or an apple, and the blade veers. It’s easy enough to work around if you hold the knife with the flat side of blade against whatever you’re cutting. It’s not great at whittling (for a right hander) but does OK, though it’s not a slippery whittler like my Bradford Guardian 3.
Emerson did a lot of testing with SEALs and other military personnel when he developed the CQC line, and concluded that the left hand grind was preferred. He cites tasks such as scraping barnacles off a boat hull so you can attach a mine. Admittedly, that only occurs rarely in Alberta as we’re landlocked and about 3,000 feet above sea level (at the moment, anyway), but if the need arises I’ll be ready.
So far I haven’t even deployed the wave. I just take the CQC out of my pocket like any other knife. The only mod I’ve made is to back off the pivot screw a few degrees. Some CQC-7 users advise using Teflon tape on the pivot screw threads so it won’t loosen, but mine hasn’t budged so far. There are all kinds of gadgets like custom clips and lanyards and grips available, but I like it just the way it is. I’m not giving up my conventional blades, but when it comes to rough work I’ll keep the CQC-7BW handy. As they taught us in Scouts, Be Prepared. The CQC-7BW fits that role.
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