My first Emerson, a CQC-10

[gooeytek]

When I met Jeremy Horton at the NYCKS last month, we got to talking about the knives and knifemakers present. We talked about some of the big names, and it kind of surprised me when he said that he was looking to get an Emerson, specifically a CQC-7. He also said that Ernie was a great guy to talk to. Coming from a custom knifemaker with a pretty solid following here, this piqued my curiosity with regards to his affinity for these particular production knives, so I decided to look more into Emersons and went over to their table and talked to the guys there, and got to handle everything they had on display.


There are a couple of pretty extensive threads about Emersons that have in them some pretty polarizing opinions about the knives. Some absolutely hate them and detest their fit and finish which Mr Emerson has widely made known his opinion on, and there are some who have had no issues with the knives at all. Most do contend however, that secondary market prices are more in line with what they are monetarily worth. Then, there are guys like me who haven't owned any. Thinking back to the NYCKS, I didn't see any of the negative issues that a lot of people seemed to be having. Then again, if you were going to display knives at a knife show, you had better show your best examples.


Having said all that, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a NIB CQC-10 from a fellow member, and I got it today.


I took some pics as I took it out of the box:

Fit and finish seems to be pretty good, there were no sharp edges or ill-fitting pieces that I could see.

There looks to be some machining marks on the edges of the liners, but they don't feel sharp or rough. I don't think they have to be polished or anything, but it could maybe benefit from some fine sandpaper to smooth out and polish it a bit, but no big deal.

Blade is nice and centered.

Lockup is good, no blade play at all.

Grinds are nice and crisp, and even on both sides.

Ergos are pretty good for my meaty paws, and the grip fills my hand nicely. There's no drama when opening or closing the knife, it is smooth and works as any quality knife should.
Now maybe it's just the CQC-10, since I really haven't seen or heard of any fit/finish issues with this particular model, but for my first Emerson experience, it's winning.

 

[Mistwalker]

Thanks for the review. I haven't tried any of the newer stuff yet...probably should, but back in the late 90s I had a Benchmade CQC7 and loved the knife. I carried it for about five years and then lost my love for tanto blades and gave it to a friend. The CQC10 looks a lot better to me at this point in my life. I need to look into one of these.

 

[Buffalohump]

I recently picked up a CQC-10 from the exchange here. I've wanted to try one for some time. I'm really glad I did. Its the exact same configuration as yours and I think its just about perfect for an every day knife. Some of the Emerson range can be pretty big, but this one is just right. As to fit and finish, the only thing I could find is that the scales are a tiny bit bigger than the liners. Not a major issue for me.

The one thing I can do without though is the Wave. It creates more problems than it solves IMO. You have to be careful when extracting it from the pocket or it can open by itself, and these knives come sharp out the box! I have nicked myself on more than one occasion as a result. I would really dig it if Emerson offered his knives with and without the Wave but its unlikely to happen.

 

[mercurial]

Congratulations on your first Emerson! The CQC-10 is my favorite Emerson, great ergos, easy to open hole, even easier Wave, what's not to like. Hmm, where is my picture of my EDC CQC-10?

Ah, here is my grail Emerson, when it was new, back five years! The blade isn't even close to centered, but it is a tank and feels and works great.



Use it in good health!
mercurial

 

[CARRERA50]

IMO, the thing to watch as you use the knife is how quickly the blade moves to the right against the liner. This has been an issue with my CQC7B and Raven, both returned to
the factory and repaired to satisfaction. Some other posters have mentioned the Benchmade versions of the CQC7B; I have several and I feel they are superior in terms of
function but not in ergos.

 

[gooeytek]

Well, I've been carrying and using it for the past few days this week and so far it's rock solid. I'm really liking it a lot and might have some scales made for it. There are some knives I own that I feel are special and deserve some embellishing or some type of special treatment. My M4/Ti Military, Lahar, ZT0200, and now this CQC-10.