EMERSON CQC 14 - WOW! What a Great Knife!

P

PSB

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Dec 21, 2003
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:thumbup::D:);) Well, I finally bought the Emerson CQC 14 "SNUBBY"..............Wow! It's simply a great knife. I'm quite surprised. It has a feel unlike any other knife I've ever owned. I would describe the feel as a hybrid between a Spyderco Military and an Ontario RAT 1. The finish and construction of the knife are quality. I must admit I'm a little concerned the way the liner lock catches slightly more than the corner of the blade when opened, unlike these other two knives that feel as secure as a tank when opened. I assume that will change with time. All in all it's a great knife and a greater EDC. The full size handle makes it truly feel like a much larger knife. Instantly one of my favorites.
 
Its a great grip isn't it? Probably the best out there. Whats neat is the blade could be longer but it actually works quite well and for a short blade you can really work it hard with all that handle so it performs like a bigger longer blade pretty much across the board.. I was looking at the MUDD knife and I think the reason I like that one so much is because of the similar blade to the 14.

STR
 
I handled a snubby, definately well made....But the smallish blade makes me so glad I'm in knife/gun friendly PA!
 
I don't disagree with you, but for a shortened blade it's surprisingly effective. In fact, I never realized a short blade could be so effective. I can't recall whether it was an article in Knives Illustrated or Tactical Knives magazine referring to the "Snubby". Basically it said not to look at the shortened blade lightly as a defensive weapon. I was rather shocked and read on. The author had mentioned that moving in very close and slashing, not stabbing, was the most effective means to deter an attacker. That goes against everything I've ever read about knife encounters. The article insinuated that blade length was irrelevant. I have no intention of using my CQC 14 as a defensive tool. Although I am certainly not an expert in defensive tactics, I still believe in knife length, if only for the deterrence factor, but it's nice to know that if push came to shove it could be used effectively. I'd just hate to see what I'd look like after the encounter :) .
 
I actually zero in on and use smaller blades between 3" and 2.25" most of the time anyway, but most of them are such small scale that its very hard to find a 'serious' blade in that length. Taken in this light the blade on the CQC14 is no bigger cutting wise as far as the edge is concerned than a common Buck Squire but compare that to the comfort of really making hard cuts requiring some muscle and real leaning into it to force it down and through like you need to with hemp rope, or thicker rubber tubing and its hard to believe the blades are in the same category legally speaking.

There are of course other issues to consider about owning a shorter blade. Typically speaking any weight put on the tip of a longer blade longer handle translates into more pressure at the pivot than a smaller blade smaller handle knife. In other words 100 pounds of weight on the lanyard end of a Spyderco Military is a lot more at the pivot and lock contact than 100 pounds of weight on this 14 would be so in that regard the 14 in all liklihood even with the longer handle and it may actually have a higher strength and hold more weight on the tail which could also translate into higher reliability which in a liner lock is important. I don't think this shorter blade longer handle concept is going away folks. More and more we'll be seeing this I think, and especially in major urban areas.

One thing I have learned with Emerson knives in particular though is that they don't usually come new in the box very refined or broken in at all. For me when they have this has been rare. Most are somewhat gritty as all four of my own 14s have been that required some serious use and breaking in to get right, and also my biggest concern is that the locks don't engage fully on most new EKI knives. My EKI folders are no exception. My oldest 14 is from right after they came out bought the day after actually, and its just now starting to see the lock move in far enough to actually make me start to feel like it can be trusted. Well, as much trust as I will ever put in a liner lock I mean. It will never be in the same league as my frame and axis locks but hey, they can and do work if you know what to look for. You just can't be asleep at the wheel too much with a liner locking folder so generally I'm very careful with them, especially in certain cutting and high tip stress uses.

STR
 
It's nice to know that what I find to be the CQC 14's weakest link.......the liner lock, will break in eventually. Obviously, you're something of a "Snubby" expert with four of them ;) . I know you mentioned your attachment to this particular knife in the past. Now I know why. I own many truly great knives, but nothing quite like this one.
 
I got a Commander wave as part of a package deal and was very very surprised at how
well made and very well designed it is. It is perfect for draw cuts in a sabre grip which are the best choice for any knife under 6 inches. A WW2 commando with a LOT of knife kills under his belt said you go in and "cut" with your knife. The razor edge and recurve blade on the Commander is perfect for this and I would bet that the snubbie is designed to get the best performance with this type of attack out of such a small blade.

Another thing I noticed about the Emerson is it gives up comfort for a really good grip. The jimping on several different places really digs into your hand and is not pleasant for hard work but is exactly what you want when losing your grip is life or death. There is even jimping so when you pull it from your pocket it is in a secure grip. It works well even with gloves.

Devastating draw cuts in a sbre grip is what these knives are for.

You can see the similarities with my favourite fixed fighter the Scrapyard Hookguard.
Apparently the wave was originally a blade catch like on the Hooker. There was a really good Emerson article on the wikipedia front page the other day.

Sorry about the pic.
 
I'm actually attatched to it for other reasons also. The "Harry" mentioned in the write up on the Emerson web site regarding the CQC14 is my best friend. The idea came from him and he talked Ernie into making this knife. He actually had me making one for him before that based on the same concept that I have done several of on my forum with the full size handle and a smaller 50 state legal carry blade length inside it.

Many folks don't realize that you can't always trust just looking up the states laws for legal blade length in the USA. For example, if you were traveling through Illinois. Lets say you looked it up and found that legal blade length there is 3". Now what happens if you happen to stop in down town Chicago for some sight seeing or to eat? Now you are illegally carrying because in Chicago they have their own separate law for blade length superceding the state law. Chicago its 2.5" max and anything more will get you arrested. Thats just one example of many with an expected many more to join the trend with population increases in major cities across the country as well as many smaller cities in their efforts to 'stop crime'. So for this reason we'll see this concept more and more from other companies and makers as time goes on I think.

STR
 
Glad you like the 14, PSB. I expect it will serve you very well.

And, I think STR is correct...smaller blades are likely part of the future. While I regret that law-abiding citizen are being restricited more and more daily, I personally perfer blades 3 inches or smaller for my EDC. That said, I do wish CRK made a medium Sebenza....something with around 3.125 - 3.25" blade.

Enjoy your new 14.
:)
 
Thanks Plowboy. By the way......, STR, very impressive. The one thing I found most interesting about the CQC 14 is that it actually looks and feels like a big knife. You'd swear you were holding a 3.5 inch blade until you lay it into the palm of your hand. The stout handle definitely adds to the effect. As bizarre as it may sound, If someone pulled a CQC 14 on me I wouldn't stick around to find out whether its length is legal or not :D . It actually is an intimidating knife, and I own some very intimidating knives.
 
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