Is the Emerson MINICQC7 really worth the money ?

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Nick18

Joined
Dec 11, 2012
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I'll be honest, this is kind of my grail knife. I like the wave, I like the shape, I just like the feel of the knife, yet I don't have 150$ to put on a knife, heck Rought riders are expensive for me! I've been considering to put my benchmade mini grip and my spyderco delica on the exchange for a CQC7 mini. Is the knife worth it? Give me your opinion if you own it! Thanks in advance for your help.
 
Yes. I just got one last week and it came perfect, not to mention I only payed $130 for it. If you want, I can send you the link to where I got it.
 
I live up Canadian north, so its always a bit costier with shipping and Can-us $$ conversion but thanks for the answer!
 
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I bought one of these a couple months ago. It was my second Emerson.

To be honest, I wondered why I keep buying this brand.

It was a bit cheaper than some 3” folders. I paid $130 for mine. I mostly bought it because I wanted a chisel grind tanto in the folder mix.

The action is typically gritty. Even after the usual take-down and relube, the thing is still rough and slow to open manually. The wave feature works as advertised but I don’t like it all that well. The blade lock up isn’t very good unless the pivot is really tight. I could forgive all the other downsides on this knife if the action was fast and smooth. After 3 months, it still is simply slow and rough.

I have several other 3” folders that, although a bit more expensive, (some are not), are much nicer than the CQC7.

They are: Al Mar mini SERE, Bradley Alias 2, Spyderco Leafstorm, Benchmade Sequel, Kershaw Speedform 2. Every one of these have much better F/F, smoother actions and better lockup than the Emerson.

Both my Emersons were very crude. Striders may be somewhat crude, but they work well and are excellent knives. My Emersons have been very disappointing. They have a big fan base though, maybe you would love one.

My advice is to save your money, spend about $50 more and get something that you will really like. Otherwise, save some money and get a mini Griptilian. It’s a very good knife for the money.
 
What do you expect in a knife?
As long as you know what you are getting when you buy an Emerson, they can be outstanding knives.

CQC-7 is great if you need a stout, sharpened prybar to replace a can opener. Good at cutting and penetrating, but they are horrible slicers, you can ruin a perfectly good apple in a hurry with this thing.

I don't have a mini because I prefer a larger handle, but the standard 7 is one of my favorites.
 
I expect a knife I can hard use, but without being overbuilt like most ZT folders.
 
For the prices they go for now, no, I don't think Emerson knives are worth it.
 
Short answer. Not to me, I don't think any emerson is worth what they sell for.
I traded into a couple years ago, but didn't keep them very long.
 
I've tried just about every one, and each time I get one and sell it off I swear I won't get another.
Are they good knives, yes.
Are there better offerings for the same or less money HECK YES!

I'm not a big fan of the action on them and the fit/finish and feel. The fit/finish part has gotten better on them recently but that was always the most minor part of why they weren't for me.

All that said, I think you need to decide for yourself what works for you and your needs and likes.
 
They are priced too high for what you get in my humble opinion. They're nice good quality folders and would be world beaters if they were south priced south of $100.
 
Emersons have that X factor. You either see it or you don't. I like them, even admitting they are a bit dated and crude but they are typically good cutters with good ergo's.
 
I really like mine. I understand there are some inconsistency issues with Emerson, but that has not been my experience. No quality issues and built to last.
 
I have a kind of love/hate relationship with Emersons. I own two and love them both, but in order for them to work for me as EDC knives I had to regrind them. Handle ergonomics are spot on for my big hands, that's probably what I like the most about them.

Finish is certainly not Emerson's strong suit, I've got cheaper knives with better finish. But for some reason I still find them strangely appealing and will probably buy a third one.
 
I just picked up a new mini CQC7 for <$130.00, ( I wouldn't want to pay any more than this) it's my first Emerson so I am no expert, mine came without any issues and I feel that at this price, I'm satisfied with my purchase for what I got.
 
TriviaMonster said:
Emersons have that X factor. You either see it or you don't. I like them, even admitting they are a bit dated and crude but they are typically good cutters with good ergo's.
Click to expand...

Agreed, there is something about them. If I never heard of Emerson, and someone suggested a chisel ground tanto with a liner-lock, I would not be interested....but it works with these.
 
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