CQC15 – Worth the money?

R

richlu

Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
6
Hello all,

New here but want to get some valuable opinions from the seasoned pros here. I have a bunch of Benchmades and CRKT's and in my opinion they are nice knives, but I am searching for the one knife that would make me stop turning my head every time I saw a new one. My current carry knife is a Benchmade Tanto Griptilian (that's because I made my Auto Presidio a safe queen) and while it is nice, I think there is still much to be desired. The Emerson CQC15 recently caught my eye and I am wondering if the Emerson is really worth the money. Is it, in 1911 parlance, the difference between a Wilson Combat and a Springfield? I have read in some reviews that the difference is such, but I want to get some real world opinions here.

Thanks in advance for any input.
 
Emerson makes a fine knife. A definate hard-use blade. The wave makes any other knife slow to open by comparison. Plus, the warranty is unbeatable. You are making a great choice with the Emerson.
 
they are worth it if ya want a '15.

EKI is a well made knife albeit one designed more for SD than utility, the earlier models (pre '01 or so) occasionally had some problems but the last few yrs they have rectified any problems they mighta once had imho.
 
I own several Emerson knives ( but not the 15) and I'm trying to be as unbiased as possible in my opinion.... As far as construction and materials they are definitely worthy of being part of the over $100.00 niche.

However you are not going to find a vast improvement in design and quality when compared to Benchmade and Spyderco products.

My point is if you think an Emerson knife will stop your search for the perfect knife, it won't and I'm a big Emerson fan.
 
thanks for the advice. Upon reflection, I doubt there will be that one perfect knife anyway. But, I really do like the looks of the CQC 15. I have seen the comparisons of the Benchmade Strykers and the CQC it was patterned after and I have read that the Emerson kicked a$$ over its counterpart. I'm sold.
 
There's no such thing as "the perfect knife"! The more knives I buy, the more I realized this. Emersons are pretty sweet, though. If you don't have one yet, you should definitely pick one up. They're very nice, but I agree with JPD above- they're not a quantum improvement over a high-end Spyderco or Benchmade. To find something markedly better than a high-end Spyderco, you really need to venture into semi-custom/ custom territory (Hinderer, Darrel Ralph etc.) And you'll have to spend a lot more money. If "the knife" really does exist, it's a custom.
 
I am a fan of EKI's knives. I like the Commander and the 11 the best of the bunch. Don't think there advertising is quite up to snuff as being the #1 hard use knives around but they do have certain mystique about them. The Commander series I think has the BEST ergo's of any folder I have ever owned. But there are some trade offs too. They don't pierce real well save for the tanto point(7). They have "normal" sized liner locks I guess you could say. They are chisel ground on one side so if you don't like that feature it might be a hindrance. The QC has gotten better but I purchased 3 new EKI's in Jan. of this year and each one had some sort of problem where I think they shouldn't have made it out the door. There warranty is stellar though.

My favorite of the bunch is the 11 just cause of the drop/spear point tends for me to be a bit more useful. It is a big ass knife too and you don't realize how substantial it is until you hold one. I am also a big 710 fan and I never used to be that either but I am now so go figure. I also like the older MOD's alot in the Point Man and Tempest. My all time favorite carry knife has to be my 98 SOCOM though. Anyways look around and handle a bunch of knives to see what you like. If you like the 15 by all means snag it. keepem sharp
 
I have to agree about the 11. It's about as perfect for me as it gets (maybe an axis lock 11 ) and Mr. Emerson seems to be a standup guy so EKI works as a total package IMHO.

Matador-
 
well, i think how good/bad a design is would be a personal opinion but imho no one has more innovative designs for SD than EKI, will agree the F&F is maybe a degree or 2 behing spyderco, but not enough make a difference in how the knife performs at all,
 
lomgbow,

what problems did you have with the Emersons? I personally balk at anything that I have to send back to a manufacturer to get fixed. And does anyone know where their production knives are made?
 
Emerson knives are manufactured in the US (California). Emerson Hard Wear knives are made in Japan.
 
Correcto o mundo on the mafg. of them. Beats me about the 3 I recieved. ONe is the 11 I still carry. Blade is off center to where it almost hits liners but not quite. Did everything I know of to fix it so I kept it like that and use it. The other 2 were Commanders that were ground round at the tips. Fixed it myself on the PE much better than onthe PSE I currently have. Anyways keepem sharp
 
Carried a CQC-7 since 2000, still going strong. Going to retire it a bit as I just got a CQC-12 this last show. Even better is that I also got a custom CQC-12 in the lottery.

Great knives.
 
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