Emerson's CQC8 and the ZT 200- any experiences?

T

Trout Tamer

Joined
Jan 20, 2004
Messages
1,526
This thread is more about the CQC 8 than the ZT; I searched both and found more on the forums about the ZT than the Emerson. Of course, insight on either is most welcome and appreciated.

I've never owned an Emerson knife, although the 1 that I handled, a smallish tanto (cqc 7?) was pretty durn nice. I did a forum search but didn't find much on the 8, specifically. Who out in Bladeforumdom owns one? How's the handle for the ever-subjective comfort? How about its edge holding abilities and usefulness of the blade grind and shape? What about the handle length while in-pocket? Lock strength? In short, tell me all about your CQC 8 :)

I'm debating between it and the ZT200... both are about the same size, with the same blade steel, handle material, and locking mechanism. They're even about the same price!

Thanks for any replies in advance,
Trout
 
I'd be interested in hearing about this, too. I've been thinking about picking up a CQC-8. I've never owned one, but I've handled/ ogled many of them over the years and they've all been very nice. I'm not a big fan of liner-locks but I understand that Emerson's one of the best at pulling it off in a production folder. They also do a good job with the texture on their G10- not too slippery, not too abrasive- just right.

I was watching Futureweapons and Mr. Gravitas (the ex- Seal guy- I can't remember his name) was using a CQC-8. Supposedly that model is a favorite with operators and seeing the knife used so prominently by a former Seal lends some credence to that. Does anyone here have a CQC-8? If this were in the Emerson forum we might have better luck, though.

I wonder why people don't talk about Emersons here that much. It's all Spyderco and Benchmade- and Benchmade isn't even part of Blade Forums. Emerson is.
As for Kershaw, I'm not a big fan. I have a few and I'm underwhelmed. I think their higher-end models and the Zero Tolerance models are supposed to be decent, though. And supposedly they're getting better. I'm kinda interested in the 301, but I hate the stupid "tiger-stripes".
 
I own a Commander which has a similar handle shape to the CQC-8(feels like it was made for my hand).

I say get the Emerson if you want it. When I received my Commander in a trade the lock went all the way to the right side of the tang. I called Emerson and they had it back to me in less than 10 days! No questions asked. The locking liner on my Commander is perfect now. Another thing that
puts the Emerson above the rest is the "Wave" feature which works flawlessly
in all my pockets.
I like the ZT knives from what I've seen. I'm also a big fan of Kershaw, but
I have to say that Emersons have something about them that I just like, not to mention excellent customer service. My next Emerson will be a CQC-15 or
a CQC-10. :D
 
The CQC-8 is a great folder. The long, straight blade edge makes it fantastic for draw cuts and you really don't realize just how much blade is there until you've actually handled it. I've carried a Commander & a CQC 8 now, and favor the CQC 8 with Wave. I just wish it had a thicker handle, a la the 98 style Commander I had.
 
moonwilson said:
I'd be interested in hearing about this, too. I've been thinking about picking up a CQC-8. I've never owned one, but I've handled/ ogled many of them over the years and they've all been very nice. I'm not a big fan of liner-locks but I understand that Emerson's one of the best at pulling it off in a production folder. They also do a good job with the texture on their G10- not too slippery, not too abrasive- just right.

I was watching Futureweapons and Mr. Gravitas (the ex- Seal guy- I can't remember his name) was using a CQC-8. Supposedly that model is a favorite with operators and seeing the knife used so prominently by a former Seal lends some credence to that. Does anyone here have a CQC-8? If this were in the Emerson forum we might have better luck, though.

I wonder why people don't talk about Emersons here that much. It's all Spyderco and Benchmade- and Benchmade isn't even part of Blade Forums. Emerson is.
As for Kershaw, I'm not a big fan. I have a few and I'm underwhelmed. I think their higher-end models and the Zero Tolerance models are supposed to be decent, though. And supposedly they're getting better. I'm kinda interested in the 301, but I hate the stupid "tiger-stripes".
Click to expand...

you should check out tad gear, they have there version of zt301 with a satin blade. I just picked one up and its great.Im not a fan of tiger stripes either..
 
I had a CQC8 and the only thing I didn't like about it was that the handle was a little bit long for the length of blade so I had the handle shortened so that it looked like this
 

Attachments

  • weapons134.jpg
    weapons134.jpg
    75.6 KB · Views: 103
That's a good point, Kamkazmoto. I've also thought about the handle/blade length ratio. I wonder if it'd be feasible for me to re-size the handle myself... (I'm a budding knife maker and have made 5 or so fixed blade knives; working with G-10 and steel liners would be a fairly basic procedure...)

I agree, Moonwilson - Emerson knives aren't spoken of very frequently. Fittingly, every month or two I'll see a thread titled "Why doesn't anyone talk about Emerson knives more??" :D However, Emerson's knife designs are fairly uniform in construction and utilitarian in purpose, so they're going to appeal to a somewhat smaller segment of the cutlery market. Since they don't deviate much from the black G-10/liner lock/utility blade design, they're not going to attract attention from those seeking gent's folder, a different lock style, or high-ground, thin blades. That's my thinking on why Emersons don't get more press.

Thanks for the comments guys and keep 'em rollin' in :thumbup:
 
You can resize the handle yourself but it would involve drilling and taping a new hole at the end of the handle. That's why I had Larry Davidson do it for me. His email is dsontx at yahoo.com and he is very, very good.
 
I have both. The CQC-8 I have is one of the older ones without the wave feature. The CQC-8 is slimmer and easier to take out of my pocket. The 200 is a beast. The grip on the 200 is much more aggressive as well. Another thing about the 200 when compared to the CQC-8 is that the 200 weighs a bit more. You can't fit much more in your pocket when a 200 is in there.

I find myself carrying the CQC-8 in civvies and bring the 200 out when I'm wearing BDU's or 5-11's

The liner on the 200 seems to be double that of the CQC-8 although I have never had any problems with the CQC-8 liner.

I carry them both. I like both of them. The only thing I would say is that in the end the CQC-8 is a little more pocket friendly(casual clothing) over the ZT-0200
 
Thanks, blaster4, that's exactly the sort of info I was wondering about, especially that concerning the liner thickness. I don't think that the thickness of the Emerson would be a problem, but I do prefer a thicker liner, all the same. The third knife I'm considering is the TOPS CQT Thunder Hawke. I've read some good things about TOPS' folders, but I've never seen or handled one...

Thanks again for the info :thumbup:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top