Kershaw - Emerson CQC-4KXL - poor mans gentleman jim

J

JeremiahWeaver09

Joined
Nov 13, 2009
Messages
1,632
i just got one of the new kershaw emerson cqc-4kxl knives. the look is very similar to the emerson gentleman jim, but with a framelock instead of a liner lock. so far i like the knife a lot. in fact, i like it much more than my ZT emerson. for under $40 shipped, this is a great knife. its a large knife.

i dont have pics, but there are already some videos on youtube

[video=youtube;O6LJuCafY6c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6LJuCafY6c[/video]
 
I have the CQC-6K and its pretty nice for $30. Actually very nice for $30. After sharpening with the Sharpmaker (medium and fine stones only) it ended up being one of the sharpest knives I have. Steel obviously isnt super high end but its not crap either. I think its 8cr13mov. The only negative with the knife for some people is probably the weight, the thing is damn heavy for its size. Feels heavier then my ZT 0562cf. I really dont mind the weight all that much though. Anyways, for $30..... its a great buy!

atutud.jpg
 
Just got mine yesterday to, this is one big solid well made folder for $40.00!





With my CQC-6K


With a ZT0561
 
Very nice, good overview video. I have had my eye on these ever since they were announced, I think I'll wait another month or so for the first production run to all sell out and then order one. I'm really glad they came out with a budget model that is more in keeping with the size of most Emersons.
 
I picked one up. Design plus fit and finish is excellent. For someone who wants a large knife, it would make a great EDC. That pointy blade shape us not the most versatile, but it will work for tactical box cutting around the house.
 
JeremiahWeaver09 said:
i just got one of the new kershaw emerson cqc-4kxl knives. the look is very similar to the emerson gentleman jim, but with a framelock instead of a liner lock. so far i like the knife a lot. in fact, i like it much more than my ZT emerson. for under $40 shipped, this is a great knife. its a large knife.

i dont have pics, but there are already some videos on youtube

[video=youtube;O6LJuCafY6c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6LJuCafY6c[/video]
Click to expand...

I just picked one up. I see why you put on the bigger clip.
 
I like knives around 4 inches. Easier to slice an apple with, and a better handle for my large-ish hands. But....there aren't many inexpensive but good quality ones out there. Plenty of Budk/gas station specials with huge blades, but larger folders of decent quality? There is the Resilience, the closeout Talwars, the Endura, and there are a few knives out there around 3.5'', but when I want a large folder that opens with one hand and has a pocket clip, I struggle to find one for under $50, or even more. I picked my cqc-4xl up for around $35, which is tough to beat. It doesn't hurt that the knife feels really good in my hand, and is a great slicer for how thick the blade is. It's hollow grind makes this thing more than just a tactical wedge. And the best thing about the Emerson wave isn't so much that it can open the knife quickly, but it is a really nice place to rest your thumb or finger. For me, this thing is really, really comfortable.

The only downside on mine is that it was SUPER stiff when I got it. I has worn in nicely though, and as long as it settles in and doesn't fall to pieces, I think this might be one of my favorite cheaper EDC knives. It's also made me think about a real Emerson. That cqc-13.......
 
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JeremiahWeaver09 said:
i just got one of the new kershaw emerson cqc-4kxl knives. the look is very similar to the emerson gentleman jim, but with a framelock instead of a liner lock. so far i like the knife a lot. in fact, i like it much more than my ZT emerson. for under $40 shipped, this is a great knife. its a large knife.

i dont have pics, but there are already some videos on youtube

[video=youtube;O6LJuCafY6c]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6LJuCafY6c[/video]
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input and the vid. I was thinking about purchasing one of these, but I think the blade steel and the 6oz weight are big hits. This would definitely make a great starter blade though.
 
Now if they'd just make a roadhouse model...!

Nah, I'll probably pick one of these up anyway. It's just ridiculous enough.
 
I noticed mine seemed to get little rust spots on the blade. I've noticed this before in some of the low end Kershaws with that steel. Nothing that couldn't be fixed though -- great knife, great colab, fun for the budget-minded who want to play with Emerson's wave.
 
Grind it away?? I find it useful, fun too. Its a cheap enough investment to get one of these Kershaw/Emersons and try it out for yourself. Yes it could easily be ground off, but it would likely be ugly and you're ruining what in my mind is a main feature of the knife.
 
Angus, I am also in the Wet, Green PNW. You must be on the Peninsula?

At any rate, I had an Emerson CQC7 that came with the wave feature. I had to try it after all of the "usual suspects" ranting and raving about it. I even read one guy's post where he insisted that if one were to buy a knife for self defense, it had BETTER HAVE A WAVE.

I found it to be more of a gimmick than anything useful. I don't wear jeans very often, and I will not conform to one method of deployment just to accommodate a wave on my knife. Sometimes it's in a jacket pocket, sometimes it gets picked up off the workbench or pulled out of the truck jockey box.... wave is then useless. Wouldn't even open a bottle of microbrew. Instead of just grinding it off, I got rid of the knife. I hated it that much.

You'll find countless others who will shout down my blasphemous disdain of this bottle-opener-gone-awry, and given time, you could become one of those Wavy Gravy Faithful. Because this knife here offers you a very economical opportunity to give it a go. Knifedude802 is right, it's cheap enough just to get one and start waving it open.

And if you can't open your bottle of Rogue Dead Guy Ale with your wave, swing by the house and I'll pop it open for you.
 
Velitrius said:
Angus, I am also in the Wet, Green PNW. You must be on the Peninsula?

At any rate, I had an Emerson CQC7 that came with the wave feature. I had to try it after all of the "usual suspects" ranting and raving about it. I even read one guy's post where he insisted that if one were to buy a knife for self defense, it had BETTER HAVE A WAVE.

I found it to be more of a gimmick than anything useful. I don't wear jeans very often, and I will not conform to one method of deployment just to accommodate a wave on my knife. Sometimes it's in a jacket pocket, sometimes it gets picked up off the workbench or pulled out of the truck jockey box.... wave is then useless. Wouldn't even open a bottle of microbrew. Instead of just grinding it off, I got rid of the knife. I hated it that much.

You'll find countless others who will shout down my blasphemous disdain of this bottle-opener-gone-awry, and given time, you could become one of those Wavy Gravy Faithful. Because this knife here offers you a very economical opportunity to give it a go. Knifedude802 is right, it's cheap enough just to get one and start waving it open.

And if you can't open your bottle of Rogue Dead Guy Ale with your wave, swing by the house and I'll pop it open for you.
Click to expand...

I don't hate it, but I don't find it to be the amazing thing it is sometimes claimed to be. If it were really that good, you'd see a ton of knives have it when the patent expires. But they won't. I mean, some will, and every company might have a tactical model or two with a wave, but it ain't THAT revolutionary. Fortunately, if I don't want it to engage, it is easy for me to pull it out of my pocket without it catching. Even when I try to use it, if fails maybe %10 of the time, so I wouldn't count on it for self defense either. It makes a nice thumb ramp, but beyond that I could take it or leave it.
 
The CQC4 KXL is simply a great a deal. I know it is heavy and 8CR can rust, but hose are really minor issues when one considers that major improvements would make the 5-8x more expensive than it is. Sometimes a cheaper knife is just what you need when you are doing things that might damage a knife, and I know from experience that a cheap knife is great to have when there is a possibility of losing a knife.
 
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