Emerson CQC7

W

walgue

Joined
Oct 13, 2017
Messages
3
What's the idea behind the - for a tactical knife - short blade (3.3") of the standard Emerson CQC7?
 
I found the blade length and grind to work well for the intended purpose...a folding knife. A longer blade is un-neccesary, and the chisel grind worked well cutting everything from line (rope), packaging, MRE's...etc. Is it perfect, no, but it works.
 
If you actually carry and use one for a while, you may find it works much better than it looks like it would. I prefer a zero grind chisel on the 7 as well (like the full custom Emersons, as opposed to the productions with a secondary edge bevel).
 
IIRC, Emerson once said something to the effect that one is more likely to carry a knife the size of the basic CQC7 than a really big knife, and the point of a knife is to have it with you when you need it.

I own a couple 7Bs and a few 7As. Turns out they're NOT among my favorite user knives, but the size is just fine.

Jim
 
Back when I was in the Army ('93-'99) it served me well. Of course the version I carried was the Benchmade version as Emerson didn't offer production versions till '99. Outside of customs, there wasn't a lot of choices for a stout folder. It served me well and I still have it - along with a production Emerson CQC-7B I got in '99.
 
Personally I love the CQC 7 precisely because it is smaller than most other Emersons. Emersons are usually quite thick and heavy so the regular sizednones like the cqc8 are huge. Not that huge knives aren't cool but the cqc7 is a better size for urban self defense carry. It is perfect for me in that it is an appropriate size to edc while still having self defense capability. I love the chisel grind even thou

Most knife "fights" do not involve sniping at each other from range with larger knives, particularly with large folders. Rather the victim often does not they are in a knife fight until they see the blood or notice that they are being k
Astabbed and not punched. Look at defensive knives like the Spyderco Pikal or even smaller a Perrin La Griffe! In self defense even a small knife can be very deadly, especially with the correct training. With that said I think the biggest reason is as JamesY stated, "it is a size you are more likely to carry"
 
Another factor to consider is not just the blade length itself but in relation to the handle. Some–especially knife-reviewers– have the idea that there is an inviolable ratio between the two and the CQC7 is counter to this by having a noticeably longer handle than blade. The knife is designed for Close Quarter Combat so the blade does not have to be so long as to be cumbersome but the handle being longer allows a firm grip.
 
I can attest to what Lapedog said. A shift manager at my local walmart was attacked a few years back when following a shoplifter. The shoplifter then turned towards the manager and attacked him. The manager said the thought the guy was just punching him and then the guy ran off. But then the manager looked down and noticed he was bleeding and realized he had been stabbed several times. The manager was not severely hurt. He hurried to the fire station across the street and went to the hospital and was alright and back to work within a a couple weeks.
 
^That sucks, but it illustrates the point well.

If you need a bigger one they have the Super CQC7. I find the regular 7 is perfect and it's my daily user, and unlike 'James Y' they are my favourite user knife and I very rarely carry anything else even though I do have 'nicer' knives from other mfg's.
 
walgue said:
What's the idea behind the - for a tactical knife - short blade (3.3") of the standard Emerson CQC7?
Click to expand...
Any reason why the CQC7 can't have the same blade length and handle length as the CQC15 (which I carried for a long time - larger size was no problem at all)?
 
walgue said:
Any reason why the CQC7 can't have the same blade length and handle length as the CQC15 (which I carried for a long time - larger size was no problem at all)?
Click to expand...

The Cqc15 is sort of a cross breed of the cqc7 and the commander, EKI's two most iconic models. The reason the 15 is the way it is is because it is essentially a commander with a tanto tip.

The 7 is the way it is because it was designed after a custom Emerson the cqc6. The cqc6 was designed before Emerson standardized on what they consider their mini, full sized and super folders. Therefor it is considered a full size folder despite being smaller than most other EKI knives.

To be honest i love my cqc7s because they are more comfortable to carry than say a cqc8 (horseman rules) but still offers enough defensive ability to hopefully get me out of a scrape if I had to.
 
  • Like
Reactions: CPP
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top