Emerson chisel grind question

Dallas T

Dallas T

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Apr 6, 2013
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How does chisel grind perform in normal EDC jobs compared to regular v grind. Need new small EDC and considering small cqc7. I know I don't mind his a100 type blade just unsure of the full chisel. Thanks for any feedback.
 
I have not noticed any issues with my Emersons whatsoever in daily "EDC" type use. They are easy to make super sharp with a Spyderco Sharpmaker, several swipes down the chisel side, one or two on the other, and it's shaving sharp. You can open boxes, envelopes, and cut food and other things with zero issues. The grind isn't an issue. Plus, the ergos on Emersons are some of the absolute best.
 
I build chisel ground knives exclusively. I have had no complaints. Be warned that Emerson grinds his on the wrong side of you're right handed.
 
In my experience CG is only useful for wood working and scraping, for normal EDC use I prefer regular symmetrical V Grinds.
For me CG tend to pull cut to one side especially on food cutting, which forces me to twist my hand at awkward angle to try to make straight even cut pieces.
Also, CG usually are made for left handed people, and I'm righty!
 
Charlie Mike said:
I build chisel ground knives exclusively. I have had no complaints. Be warned that Emerson grinds his on the wrong side of you're right handed.
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CM, thanks for mentioning that, as I had forgotten. This CAN be a point of contention for some folks. I don't use my Emersons for whittling, so it's not ever been an issue for me, but I can see how others might not like it.
 
If you find yourself cutting something very dense (rubber, cheese, etc), you may find that the cut tends to curve one way or the other. I myself have trouble keeping a cut straight, so I can't tell the difference between operator error and the "push" that some people have observed with a chisel grind.

For EDC, it's not an issue, and IMO, the ease of sharpening makes up for an occasional sloppy cut. Who cares if the bag of salad greens isn't perfectly perforated? You've still got taco salad! :cool:

I haven't had to sharpen my Mini CQC-7 yet, and it has opened plenty of shredded cheese and romaine lettuce.
 
I have a mini cqc7. It was my favorite knife for a long time because of the ergos, tanto, and the CG. I now carry it on days when I am doing chores around the house or any other sort of utility work. I stopped carrying it as my EDC because it is a bit chunky in the pocket and it is hard to slice with precision. I use my pocket knife a lot for slicing, and it is not great at that. But, with a little practice I learned to slice with it fairly well. I tend to carry a Cryo G 10 most now. It is easily replaced if lost or broken and I find the blade is better suited for a variety of tasks. Still, I would recommend the mini 7. It is not perfect, but I think it is awesome.
 
Since I have no need in my daily, everyday life to make precision cuts on anything, my Emerson works just fine.

It's sharp and cuts stuff. That's all I need.

Now if I really want to impress myself with super thin slices of something, then I'll take the Spyderco Military out of my waistband. Instead of the mini CQC-15 in my right front pocket.

I just like to carry both. Don't "need" them both, but...well...I am on a knife forum 😀
 
I think sharpening chisel edges is just great. Especially for the way I sharpen because I go freehand on the sharpmaker rods and do one stroke and flip the knife, again and again. With chisel grinds I don't have to do this. I can just sharpen one side and knock off the burr.

I usually practice cutting with both hands. Emersons come usually only tapped for right hand carry and I want to wave into reverse grip I had to get used to left hand knifing. Anyway the grind is only set up for lefties if you're wittling or cutting veggies. On a combat knife it doesn't matter or even for most edc tasks.

If the chisel grind REALLY bothers you most Emersons these days come with a V grind but a chisel edge. You can grind a V edge on these without too much trouble.
 
Cutting the cheese :D
 
The mini 7's CG is super easy to sharpen. Give the CG a try. It is a nice thing to experience.
 
Chisel grinds are super easy to sharpen, but tend to "drag" to the side that's ground with the bevel. All Emerson's do this, to a degree, due to the edge they use, even on the V-ground blades.
 
Charlie Mike said:
Be warned that Emerson grinds his on the wrong side of you're right handed.
Click to expand...

Yep. That's one of those weird things about chisel ground folders. Most people are right handed, but they (the knife makers) want the "presentation" side of the blade to be the side with the grind on it, for aesthetic reasons, which happens to be the left side of the blade if you open the knife right handed, but having the ground side on the left is backwards for a right handed person, in terms of cutting. I'm fortunate in that while I do chopping and other types of heavier cutting right handed, I generally do fine edc cutting with my left, even though I carry and open my folders right handed. :thumbup:

Wait...was that confusing enough for you? :D
 
If you don't mind the A100 type grind (V-ground primary bevel, chisel-ground secondary), the CQC7 is offered in the same grind as the CQC7AW and the mini version as well.
 
CPP said:
If you don't mind the A100 type grind (V-ground primary bevel, chisel-ground secondary), the CQC7 is offered in the same grind as the CQC7AW and the mini version as well.
Click to expand...

Yeah I knew the full size offer this, and Emerson website has mini cqc7 a but not in stock and they said they do only very limited small batches from time to time.
 
EKI's are mostly V ground but sharpened only on the left side(sharpened primary grind). The 7b series of his knives are truly chizel ground. That is flat sided on one side. Keepem sharp
 
Chisel grinds can't slice, and Emerson grinds it on the wrong side anyway. I've never actually had to sharpen a knife on a rock in the field (and I doubt you have, either), so I'll stick with literally anything else. (This said, they will still cut—my Leatherman Squirt has one, but that would obviously be a last resort.)

EDIT: No offense to CM, btw; I know he makes his knives as practical weapons first, so if that's your style…
 
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