Opinions: Cqc-7 or BM 940? which to buy

J

Jevanmanny

Joined
Aug 3, 2012
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(My first post) Hi there. I've recently came across some nice cash and want to spend it on a new knife. I just got my para2 and adore it, but it makes me want more. I've been looking at a lot of reviews and I cant make my final decision. Should I get an Emerson CQC-7 ( satin tanto straight edge) or should I get a Benchmade 940. I truly adore both knives and think they are probably the most beautiful production blades. I am familiar with all of their features. My concerns for the Emerson is not quality control, I've seen others and i think it will do me fine( ill just make it my user anyway), but its the lock. I hear that the liner locks are Emersons are very iffy, especially when piercing or thrusting. I want to see what the chisel grind is like and I think it is such an appealing factor that bring me to it so much. And my concerns for the 940 is also the lock. I have never handled any axis lock knife. I hear such great things on it but to me it just doesn't look that strong especially with the 940 since it is so slim. How have your 940s held up and is there any concerns of blade play with the 940s? So basically I want to hear your opinions on which I should get and why. Thanks very much guys.

edit: Another thing I have to keep in mind is sharpening. I only have the sharpmaker with the original stones. I know I can sharpen s30v but i fear the blade angel on the Bm is to great. I don't want to have to buy more stones or spend forever shaving away metal with these medium stones.
 
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Welcome to the forums! Get the Benchmade 940! Nice size blade in a compact package. One of my favorite production folders ever! Enjoy the forums! Kevin :D:D:D
 
My vote is for the Emerson. My 7BW is one of the most solid knives I've ever held. The handle ergos are like nothing else out there, and the blade is wicked, but easy to maintain. Also, you can't bat Emerson as far as service and warranty go. EKI is a joy to deal with if (heaven forbid) anything should ever go wrong with your knife.
 
They are COMPLETELY different knives. Honestly, they are about as different as you can get. If you want a big, beefy, tactical knife with super grippy handles and the wave opener, get the Emerson. If you want a slim, classy edc knife that feels more refined, go with the Benchmade.

Also, don't worry one bit about the axis lock. It is one of, if not the strongest folding knife locks in existence. In order for the axis lock to fail you would need to shear a solid steel lock bar through the steel liners and aluminum handle scales. That is not to say it cannot be disengaged accidentally or by abuse,but in normal use, the axis lock is one of the best locking mechanisms available.
 
Yeah I hear what you are saying on how they are different and I totally agree. Thats why I'im having a big issue. I'm not sure where i want to go with knife size. and i know the axis lock wont fail. But I'm uneasy on them developing blade play or weakening over time
 
I'd get the 7. From my experience Emerson cq is not as bad as people make them out to be. Its made to be used.

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I say the Cqc-7sw, I have one on my pocket right now and love the knife. Its a no frills knife made to work. The plain looking G-10 on the emerson scales are actually supper grippy. Call me odd but I love the chisel grind that emerson puts out. I can get them scary sharp and the steel emerson uses might not be the newest top of the line supper steel but it holds a good edge and takes one well too. "Famous in The Worlds worst Places"
 
I don't own a 940, but I've had a few chances to play with one and loved it. The axis lock is my favorite locking mechanism, no need to worry about it (I have a 710 and mini-grip)
 
Not that I have gone looking for every complaint but I think that Emerson's locks not being solid is the one complaint that I have never heard.
 
Jevanmanny said:
Yeah I hear what you are saying on how they are different and I totally agree. Thats why I'im having a big issue. I'm not sure where i want to go with knife size. and i know the axis lock wont fail. But I'm uneasy on them developing blade play or weakening over time
Click to expand...

By nature the axis lock is self adjusting and should almost never (never say never) develop vertical play. Horizontal play can be adjusted out by tightening the pivot screw. It should be absolutely rock solid for the life of the knife. If there is one knock on the axis lock it is the omega springs, which can break,but there are 2 of them, so the lock shouldn't fail even if a spring fails and benchmade will gladly replace the omega spring.
 
I vote for the 943. It has a sharper point than the 940. The axis lock allows you to flip the knife open and closed. It is totally ambidextrous. It is available in 3 handle materials: Ti, Al, and C/F. The heaviest models weigh 92 gm., and the lightest ones weigh 72gm.
 
Since you already own a great cutter in the Para, go for the Emerson CQC7, as long you're not expecting Spyderco / Benchmade fit and finish.
It's a classic in tactical knives, and it's a tanto (which can be a positive or negative, but variety is the spice of life!)

If you end up not liking the CQC7, its very easy to sell / trade off.
 
Benchmade 940 is an amazing knife. I carried a 940 everyday for 10 years, never had the lock fail, never had an omega spring break, no blade play once so every. Solid as the day I bought it. You get a lot of cutting edge for the size and weight of this knife. You won't even know it's in your pocket.
 
They are two completely different knives as others have pointed out. If it were my fingers holding the knife, and someone made me spine whack the knife 1000 times as hard as I could, I would be holding the 940. I only say this because your worried about the lock. I would be much more worried about any frame or liner locking knife than the axis.
 
Both are great knives,
but I think you'll feel better about your purchase if you go with the 940 before the Emerson.

IMO the 940 is one of the best mid level production knives available.

The axis lock is one of the strongest locks around. I personally would trust it more then a liner lock.
If I was asked which one wears better and which one I would trust more with a full thrust stab, I would say the axis lock. YMMV.

The weak link to the axis lock are the omega springs.
I own a 940 that I carried for over two years that just broke a spring.
The knife, even tho it has one broken spring still locks up solid. So it's nice to know it still won't fail on you.

Also if you don't want to send the knife into benchmade for them to fix it, you can make your own spring out of guitar string.

I'd say it's fairly rare that you'll run into a broken spring. I've owned probably 15-20 940's/941's and have only ran into one that broke a spring. However it does happen.
 
Well, from what I've read here I think I should get the 940. I really appreciate all the help guys. Maybe I'll buy myself an Emerson for Christmas.
 
Have both. Actually multiples of the 94x's. I prefer the Benchmade. I have used/abused one of my 94x's. Hurricane cleanup, cutting anything/everything, blah blah blah. It is a thinner, classy appearing knife that will take a beating. I own dozens and dozens of BM axis locks and EDC a good nearly dozen of them. The axis lock omega springs can break. I have had exactly one break in my experience. It was on my beater 940 and with only one spring operational the lockup was still very robust. I continued using it until I had a chance to send it in for a new spring. I also paid to have the combo edge changed out to a plain edge not that that is relevant to this discussion but now I believe it is technically a 943, whatever. Anyway, when the one spring broke I intentionally kept using it instead of switching out because I wanted to know how it would perform. Realistically it seemed to have no loss in strength during actual use. Under a scientific test I am sure the loss of one spring did make it weaker but under real use I couldn't tell the difference once the axis lock was engaged.

My vote goes to the Benchmade.
 
I'd go with the Emerson. Is the CQC-7 solid?...It's like a miniature tank in your pocket....Heck yes it's solid. I've owned several liner locks from different makers. The emerson liner lock is superb.
 
I'd go for the 940. The lock is stronger (not that it will matter) and the steel is more expensive (although may not be better, depending on what you want). BM quality is also better than Emerson's, and the 940 is really a great knife for what it's intended for. To me, the 940 is just a lot more knife for the money; Emerson capitalizes a lot on their military affiliations and "tactical" image. Both companies have good customer service if you have a problem, though.
 
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