Emerson CQC-7 V. Cold Steel Recon 1 Tanto

Its funny how different people's experiences are. I've never seen a cold steel folder with fit and finish as good as my emerson.

Usually the finish is in the cold steel court, with emersons occasionally showing grind lines on the liners as well as have rough machine markson the jimping sometimes, where as the CS knives usually have the details right, but are not fit well together, with small gaps around screws or between mating surfaces, liners not matched up with back spacers very well, just general mediocre fit. And to me I care more about fit then finish, as I find it more functionally important, and a knife isn't mine until its scuffed up anyway. :D

That on top of CS designs having little things about them that bother the hell out of me, ie; the gap between the tang of the blade and the first full finger relief of the handle on the American lawman which I understand is difficult to design away, The exposed "liner?" at the end of the AK folder just stylistically has zero appeal to me. Just wish they made something more streamlined other than the voyagers, which are not bad except for I don't remember if the current rendition has steel liners or not, the small pivot pin and I HATE the grip molding on the handles.

Which goes back to my previous comments of the triad is a great lock design right up there with the compression lock:thumbup:, but CS knives just do not do it for me enough to buy them for myself, though I do mention them to others who ask for recommendations.

Oops may have veered off topic on that one, didn't mean to rant:o
 
I had super cqc7 its not any better then CS recon , only cost almost 3 times more. plus recon has better lock .
CS Recon gets my vote.
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Aku said:
If you dont like our designs thats your opinion, but dont claim that we do not design anything. I am part of CS research and development team and we eat breath and sleep knives so much that i am on lunch break right now and im reading blade forums, beacuse thats how much we love knives.
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if so its a recent event, at one time ya not only didnt design ya didnt make them either.

congratulations may be in order.
 
Ankerson said:
I know what you mean, there are a lot of knife designs that I don't like either. ;)

I do agree that CS needs to get away from the more tactical designs, black blades etc and start making more with Satin or Bead Blast finishes.

I would like to see more Drop Points in their line up.
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I took a CS Mini Lawman and grooved the scales, removed the clip and the black teflon on the blade, and hit it with ScotchBrite. Looks a bit less tactical and the lack of the black blade, for me in this case, looks fine...

MiniLawman.jpg


If they would come out with a series of folders that look less tactical, as you suggest, and go after a niche market with elegant folders, as some of the CRKT knives, like the Ripple, that might attract me to more of their knives (I have two, the Mini Lawman and the Recon 1 clipped point, partially serrated blade.)

Ripple.jpg


Folderguy
 
I would go with the CS for sure. Much less expensive but at least you won't have to deal with the QC issues of the Emerson. My son has one that has so many problems with the lock and blade alignment that he simply does not trust the Emerson any longer.
 
I got both sitting in front of me....tri-ad Recon 1 clip point, and CQC-7A
Better steel on the Emerson, tougher thicker blade on the Emerson, the super thin edge hollow grind on the Recon 1 and fragile looking tip doesn't lend itself to hard core use but makes it a better slicer, but the thumbstud screams cheap-ass and is just a set screw. Love CS version of G10, I don't know if there is a proper term for it, but it's the best gripping G10 I have come across. Generally I find CS products to be overpriced for what you get (lower quality steel then competitors put out, but they want the same price or waayyyy more in some cases) but these are not too bad if you are looking for a large folder.
The tri-ad is nice, I don't know if it's any stronger then a liner lock, axis lock, frame lock, arc lock, etc. Liner locks use a top pin the same as the tri-ad that transfers force to the frame, so do just about every other lock type other then the standard back lock the tri-ad is based on.
Size of the Recon 1 is too big for me for comfortable carry, I'd rather take a fixed blade if I need something that large. I'm kind of dissapointed with the last few Emersons I bought, this CQC-7A and an A100. Both blades were ground completly off center, titanium liners are different thickness on both, one G10 scale on the CQC is larger then the liner and overhangs, the back G10 spacer on the A100 is poorly fit and the scales overhang it. Doesn't take anything away from the ruggedness of the knife, but it pisses me off when I spend money on a supposed "premium" USA knife company product, and the fit/finish is below current chinese standards.
For a big folder in AUS8, I prefer my Ka-bar Mule...and I think it is just as tough a knife (or tougher) then the Recon 1....cheaper too :)
 
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for a number of reasons, i have never been a fan of cold steel. all the cold steel knives i had handled had about average fit/finish, and i otherwise found them unimpressive and some downright silly.

ive been an emerson buyer for a long time. ive owned and own many models. i love them, the ergos, sizes, ease of maintenance, and the man and company.


however, i must say i really like the triad lock. i picked up a lawman, and it is put together very well, came very sharp, and feels great in the hand. the texturing was too agressive, and when i was able to stuff it in my pocket, the clip was so tight i practically had my belt around my neck pulling it out.

i sanded the scales and slightly dremeled under the clip. now it slides in and out of my pocket nicely and still has good retention.

will it ever replace my emerson's? doubtful, but it is a fine design and has much better f/f than i expected. i will always prefer a liner or framelock to a back or midlock. but i am also seriously considering picking up a recon to toss in my trunk. for $60 how can i go wrong?


the downside to the cold steel, imo, are the coating and lack of steel choice. the coating is basically black paint and comes off pretty easily. i would also be willing to pay for a steel "upgrade", ats34 or d2. but as far as i can tell cold steel offers very few choices of metal.
 
I would take the Emerson without even thinking about it. The CS would have an overall stronger lock, but that is one of the last things I think about when considering a folding knife. If you really need a lock, you should be using a fixed blade.
 
tomsch said:
I would go with the CS for sure. Much less expensive but at least you won't have to deal with the QC issues of the Emerson. My son has one that has so many problems with the lock and blade alignment that he simply does not trust the Emerson any longer.
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I own 3 emerson folders. 2 of them have liners that move back and forth when light pressure is applied to the spine. One of them was like this out of the box and the other developed after about 6 months of carry. This experience has turned me off to linerlocking knives completely, even though I am sure some companies do a better job on their liner locks.

The triad lock seems to be the real deal. Recently purchased an american lawman and mini ak. Have not put them to use yet, but I have a ton more confidence in them. Watching Andrew Demko's youtube video of him beating the absolute crap out of the lawman was impressive. I dont know of any other lock that can take the abuse he put that knife through, without even the slightest blade play. I never plan on doing that to my knife, but it is definitely nice to know it will take it. Especially when you consider the price of the knife.
 
I was going to stay out of this conversation because I had neither knife, but today I just received a Recon 1 Clip point and I must say..

WOW

it is a serious knife, easily comparable to blue class benchmades and some of the higher end spydercos

i am no cold steel fan, but i must give credit where credit is due, and the ergos and lockup is top notch.... in fact the knife actually probably has the best feeling grip of any knife i have held other than the manix-2

only downside is it does not have full steel liners, but the thick g10 slabs are very very comforting, no bending at all

again I dont have any emerson, so I won't vote either way. I have heard plenty about emersons, and I am sure they are as good or probably better executed than the recon 1, but if you do go with the recon 1, have no doubts that you will have a solid bombproof knife
 
i thought of something else for you folks living in nyc.

i am unable to wrist flick the lawman, the bias toward closed is very strong, yet not so strong that opening is uncomfortable.
 
trix2004 said:
I had super cqc7 its not any better then CS recon , only cost almost 3 times more. plus recon has better lock .
CS Recon gets my vote.
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I vote for the Recon 1. I never cared for the aesthetics of the Emersons, let alone the liner lock.
 
Folderguy said:
I took a CS Mini Lawman and grooved the scales, removed the clip and the black teflon on the blade, and hit it with ScotchBrite. Looks a bit less tactical and the lack of the black blade, for me in this case, looks fine...

MiniLawman.jpg


If they would come out with a series of folders that look less tactical, as you suggest, and go after a niche market with elegant folders, as some of the CRKT knives, like the Ripple, that might attract me to more of their knives (I have two, the Mini Lawman and the Recon 1 clipped point, partially serrated blade.)

Ripple.jpg


Folderguy
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hey man, that lawman looks awesome. i also have a mini lawman and a mini ak-47 with the black coatings removed, and i have sanded down the handles on both. they are awesome edcs.

can we get some more pics of that lawman ?

i just received the new recon 1, and i think i will remove the coating on that one as well.
 
dinozzo said:
The cqc-7 is alot tougher than people give it credit for...

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:eek: Look at how it cut through that mighty..... aluminum can?


Ankerson said:
I know what you mean, there are a lot of knife designs that I don't like either. ;)

I do agree that CS needs to get away from the more tactical designs, black blades etc and start making more with Satin or Bead Blast finishes.

I would like to see more Drop Points in their line up.
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I like lockbacks. I like the Tri-Ad design. I happen to have an utter dis-like of all Cold Steel's designs.

Come out with something a little less blacked out and more focus on the actual design then making it look like every bad guys best friend and I'd buy a couple.
 
Josh K said:
I like lockbacks. I like the Tri-Ad design. I happen to have an utter dis-like of all Cold Steel's designs.

Come out with something a little less blacked out and more focus on the actual design then making it look like every bad guys best friend and I'd buy a couple.
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They are working on that Josh, wait until the 2011 lineup comes out. :thumbup:
 
Josh K said:
:eek: Look at how it cut through that mighty..... aluminum can?
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Well i think cutting through a bunch(10 or so) of crushed cans(see pic) is a good way to test how durable the edge is(seeing if it would chipout or deform)...but if you have something else you would like to see the 7 cut through, that you think would be a better test, im open to suggestions...ill even post pics;)

 
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