please convince me on the cqc-15

J

jwblack911

Joined
Dec 15, 2011
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710
i love the looks of this emerson, i also have never owned one.

i feel its time to add one to my collection. I'm looking for the cqc-15 plain blade stone washed. the 3.9 inch not the mini.


154cm, ti liner lock, g10, nice blade size and great blade shape, WAVE feature. all seems like a win to me.
but my concerns come in in the liner lock part. i am very critical of my lock types because who wants to have a lock fail and be down a digit?

but i am concerned about the g10. i prefer smoother handled knives, can anyone tell me if different scales are offered for these as i can't find any around besides that ti and CF cqc 15 that sold for 1700$ lol.

lastly i would like to not sand down the g10 or fil with spray paint i think both methods look 1/2 assed. but what if i sanded them down and died them? would the die penetrate the black?


-thanks
Zach



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The CQC15 is nice knife to own. Forget it if you have trouble sharpening recurves though. The low production Ti/CF CQC are nicer but you gotta shelve out the money for Mr Emerson's work. I havent had liner lock failures on all 3 of my liner lock folders, Emerson Commander included.
 
The lock shouldn't fail. Neat design, but I've held off on getting one because it's wayyyy overpriced. F&F are below average for a nice knife, steel is middling, and materials aren't that special. They make good knives, but you could get a better made titanium framelock for that price.
 
I love my commander... One if my favorite EDCs! The liner has never failed and it feels great it the hand ... I love the handle in design. The wave is pretty neat too and works everytime. The recurve takes some getting used to (just this is my first recurve ) but the steel isn't too hard to sharpen.
 
The lock won't fail you. Good knife, but crappy working ergonomics for me. I also dislike everything about the blade shape.

But if the design floats your boat, it's as good an Emerson to try as any.
 
Unless its a rare special run, you can have any color as long as its black :)
The good news that there are various community "pimpers" who will make custom fitted scales in any color of G10 you want. (Flat, textured, your choice)
For example, I'm currently getting an an Emerson Horseman converted to Desert Tan G10... cost is $40-$50 and will take 1-2 months so you have to be patient.
 
The CQC-15 is a fine knife with perfect blade grinds. The scales on the earlier models are not 'pocket eaters', however the G-10 texturing is a bit more aggressive on the later models, which still feel fine to me. As for ergonomics, rarely can anyone hold a candle to Emerson. The '15' just molds itself into your hand. All in all, I believe that I got good value on all of my EKI knives.
 
thanks for the kind words. as for the price it can be had on other web sites for around 150-160 so I'm not too worried about the price
 
I've handled the mini and I gotta say the 15 is one hell of a good design. The tanto is good for piercing and scraping, the recurve is a rope eater, and the belly is handy for cutting on a board.

I'll add in that none of my Emerson's locks have failed, including my a100 thats got a bunch of miles on her now.

Pic from the EKI & beer thread on another forum:

a100 and monks sour by esrvdb88, on Flickr
 
i own a zt 0300, and have a 561 on pre order. just figured with all this emerson talk i needed to add one to the collection
 
Just wait a month and get the ZT 0560 or 561 instead much better steel, has a frame lock, 3D machined handles, bronze bearings for extremley smooth opening and closeing, its a Rick Hinderer design and has a flipper.

If I was you I would skip the Emerson and just get a Zero Tolerance. :thumbup:


DSC01000.jpg
 
i already pre orderd a 0561 and can't wait for it. i feel like there will be no competition for the 0560 series in 2012. it just needs to ship soooon
 
I can't speak for the current run since I got my 15 around when they first came out so it's a few years old but it is an awesome edc knife. Ergos of the handle are perfect and the knife dissappears in you pocket since it is very thin. The g10 is grippy on my version but not a pocket eater since the emerson clips, IMHO, are some of the best in the business. The blade shape combo of recurve and tanto gives you a very good defensive knife with great slicing ability. As far as value that's in the eye of the beholder but the fact that you don't see alot of them for resale shows you that those that own them don't part with them easily. Good luck with your decision.
 
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