As I read this thread, I removed a CQC-15 from my pocket and looked it over. I've been carrying Emerson knives for some time. I own a lot of them. None are custom models, though a few have re-ground blades. This particular CQC-15 does. I own a number of other knives, too; fixed blades and folders. I like Spydercos. I've had benchmade knives for some time. I'm a big fan of the Spyderco Military and Paramilitary, because they're very well designed and put together.
My favorite folder continues to be the Commander. I own much more nicely fit knives. My Chris Reeve Sebenza is a very nice knife, albeit much more expensive. While I like the Sebenza, I don't carry it much, and it's not because I don't like it. I absolutely love it, and it's an outstanding, high-quality pocket knife.
What I do carry routinely, and have carried them all over the world, is an Emerson.
As I look this one over, I see a poor fit between the scale and the liner in several places. I see grinder marks. I see various imperfections that I could dwell on. Some may find these objectionable, and perhaps as a result they won't buy the knife. I hadn't seen this particular knife first-hand until I ordered one. I didn't need to, because I already owned enough Emersons that I was very confident in what I'd receive, and I wasn't disappointed. I haven't been yet.
My guess is that Emerson sells enough knives he's not concerned about those who won't buy is products because of imperfect fit and finish. I'm not concerned about others who do or don't use his products, either. I'll certainly explain why I use them, but I couldn't care less if anyone else picks one up, carries one, or likes one. It doesn't influence my own experiences with the knives, or my trust in them.
I don't know if they're the number one hard use knives in the world, and I don't really care. When I reach for a pocket knife, it's an Emerson, and I've quite literally trusted my life to them in places where at times the Emerson was the only weapon I was able to carry due to law or circumstance. Recently I've been to Iraq, Afghanistan, Egypt, Bahrain, UAE, Pakistan, and a number of other locations. I can't carry a firearm in many locations I go, nor can I travel with one in a lot of places. I can travel with a pocket knife, however, and it's always an Emerson.
It's not a rifle. It's not a handgun. It's not a grenade launcher. It's a pocket knife. That's all. It's not even a fixed blade knife. If it's used defensively (or offensively), then it's a last-ditch effort because I might have no other choice, and I doubt very many would plan otherwise. Never the less, particularly in places where one's choices are a pocket knife or a pen or nothing, then it's the knife, and for that one ought to be grateful.
I don't know if they're the number one knife. I very much doubt I'll ever try them all and evaluate them hard enough to find out. Some of my knives have had hard lives and have proven themselves enough to me that they're good enough. Emerson knives have their lore and tales of navy seals and nasa astronauts, and strong adherents that include collectors and the "usual suspects." I don't care about any of that.
I do care about having a product I can trust, and thus far, my experiences with the bare-bones, stock Emerson knives have been just that. When I buy another knife (and I will), I do it based on my own recommendation; I buy it because I trusted the others.
Something has been said about the chisel grinds, and the variations thereof. I don't like them either. They work, however, and they work extremely well. To me, the Emerson isn't so much the knife I'm going to use to trim my toe nails (the Paramilitary works well for that), but it may be the knife that I'm going to use to open someone's abdominal cavity. It hasn't come up, I hope it doesn't. It's not a surgeons scalpel, and it's not a museum piece. It's not something I show my friends, and it's not something I use to carve chess pieces. It's a knife that's meant to slice quickly and to do it effectively. If that's the necessity (and it's always a real possibility in some of the places I go, or have been), I'm not concerned about niceties, nor about fit, nor about finish. I'm concerned about the knife being there, opening, staying open, and finishing the job as quickly as humanly possible in order to create an opening for me to go some place else. That's it.
This CQC-15 is ergonomically sound. It's had a reground blade because I like the regrind; it's beveled and reprofiled (Tom Krein), and I like the finished product. I also carry the knives stock because they work really, really well.
I do like to be able to do more with the knives than plan on a one-time use in a fight. Suppose the knife never gets used in a fight? That's always the plan. Never use it in a fight? Could it be of use for something else? It can, and very often is. I use my knife a lot. I've got some in the safe that have never been used. Perhaps they never will. I like the idea of having extras, of not having to wait for a replacement if one is lost. So far, only one has been lost, and it was very well worn, and disappeared in Mosul, in Iraq. It was a mini-commander, and I miss it.
Someone mentioned the thumb disc coming free. I haven't seen any of mine loosen or come free, nor have I seen the screws break. It was a concern when I first got an Emerson, but I've yet to see it become a problem. I was concerned about the thumb disc catching on something or impeding the knife's function. My concern was unfounded.
The wave feature is a very handy feature. It's a resting place for the thumb, a help in opening, and a potential catch for a hazard that might slide down the back of the blade.
Don't like the knives? Don't buy one or own one. That's simple enough. No skin off my nose, and I don't think Emerson will lose sleep over it either. Enough folks out there that understand the knives and appreciate them will be regular consumers for a long time to come. Emerson just opened a larger production facility to handle the increased demand. If you don't want one, you shouldn't get one. It's a safe bet to say, however, that more than enough consumers will be there to take up the slack.
