So is the Emerson CQC-7 All Hype?

T

TAllen013

Joined
Feb 26, 2009
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I've read that this is a highly functional and very well built knife. It seemed like the CQC was one the the most well respected folding knives there is. I was just about to pull the trigger and pick one up and then I happened to come across this forum.

It seems like a lot (or at least some) people on here think that the chisel ground tanto blade is relatively useless.

I'd like to hear your opinions of the CQC-7 from a functional standpoint (useability, durability, etc.). Preferably from people who have used it on a daily basis for general utility purposes.

Thanks.
 
i carried one for a long time. i never had issues with the chisel grind, but it depends on what type of cutting you intend to do.

i used mine mainly for opening mail/packages and routine tasks.

it should also be noted that ernie designed the 7 for sd purposes, and he felt the chisel grind and tanto provided a stronger blade profile.
 
Tanto shape isn't so great for practical everyday use. Try to get the CQC7A which is a spear point
 
I have one without the wave. About the only thing I can't do with it is slice potatoes and, it tends to twist when cutting pepperoni. All good reasons to own kitchen knives. It does a nice job cutting through meat though: I guess that was the original intent.

Mr. Wilson
 
mongomondo said:
Tanto shape isn't so great for practical everyday use. Try to get the CQC7A which is a spear point
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I've read this in a couple of other places also, but honestly I don't understand why this is the case. I'm not saying that you're wrong. I'm a complete newb when it comes to this stuff, I just don't understand why this is the prevailing opinion.

It seems like the tanto would be great for a utility knife. The tanto point very closely resembles that of your basic utility knife but only in a much stronger package. I would think that the tanto blade would be great for utility applications (particularly more heavy duty utility applications). (One thing I do pretty often is cut carpet, and it seems like the tanto style would be perfect for something like this.)

Again I'm not saying that you're wrong, I just don't understand why the tanto blade is generally regarding as not very functional.

(Regardless, thanks for recommending the CQC7A I will definitely check it out.)
 
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Mr. Emersons CQC-7 Made, Designed for 1 thing. Fighting. Self Defense. That what it was Made for and that alone. If you need to Cut a Rope or open Mail it will do that for you. But It would Be annoying to try to skin a deer with it.

If you want a Folder made to Fight with. That is The 1 and Only reason that CQC-7 Was designed for.

The Chisel Grind allows for a Thinner sharper edge to Cut Meat with, with out comprimising the thickness of the entire knife.

a Japanese $500 Hand made Sushi Knife will Be Chisel ground.
 
And On American Tanto design, Everyone on here seem to say it's No Good?

I Love The american Tanto. I can cut the same thing any other knife will cut, But I can also use Tanto front edge as a Chisel or scraper that Not a Regular Knife can do. Plust it has superior tip strength.

Only thing Not Good For is Maybe Skinning animal, But can still be Done.

Once animal On Plate, Or On Street, CQC-7 Will Cut deep and easy.
 
TAllen013 said:
I've read this in a couple of other places also, but honestly I don't understand why this is the case. I'm not saying that you're wrong. I'm a complete newb when it comes to this stuff, I just don't understand why this is the prevailing opinion.
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It depends on what utility uses it will be put to, as well as what the angle on the tanto tip is.
I've found that the secondary tip works great for precise cutting, and the flat area near the tip scrapes stuff like nobody's business. Of course, if the tanto tip is too wide, it doesn't open envelopes so well.
I think some people also don't like sharpening tantos, and you WILL have to sharpen your knives if you use them for utility work much at all.
I use a flat surface and various grits of sandpaper to sharpen the tanto tip area, and a stone or rods for the rest. Keeps it all razor sharp, with no rounding of the secondary or primary tip.:thumbup:
 
Hook Knife or Karambit Cut carpet easy. So Does tanto. As Long as sharp. Any Knife cut anything. Tanto Just has thicker tip so Don't Break tip off $200 knife when drop it. HAHA. Like My Benchmade 710 D2. Just accidently dropped it and 1/4 broke off!!! Lucky for me Benchmade replace blade. I ask For Not D2 But they said D2 Ok, Bad heat treat on My Broken knife. I say,Yeah Right. What If Life or death and My Tip break???? Guess get rock and make new point myself if have enough time. haha
 
I have both the cqc-7 and the super seven i love them both, but my heart lies with the emerson combat karambit. theres alot of emerson hating on this forum. go to www.usualsuspect.net and see what people over there think about emersons :D

seriously go on down to the USN and look around. emersons are excellent knives and no matter what knife your talking about there is gonna be some people who hate it. trust me the 7 is amazing. ge tthe whole picture before you count it out.
 
TAllen013 said:
I've read that this is a highly functional and very well built knife. It seemed like the CQC was one the the most well respected folding knives there is. I was just about to pull the trigger and pick one up and then I happened to come across this forum.

It seems like a lot (or at least some) people on here think that the chisel ground tanto blade is relatively useless.

I'd like to hear your opinions of the CQC-7 from a functional standpoint (useability, durability, etc.). Preferably from people who have used it on a daily basis for general utility purposes.

Thanks.
Click to expand...



Not at all. In fact the 7 is a legend in it's own time. It is a folder design that by many definitions was the biggest influence in folding tactical knives for many makers and manufacturers. While its merits early in the creation of the folder are remarkable, the HD7 is the natural progression in advances in design. The upgrade to the HD7 made improvements in reliability, function, lock wear, toughness, and price but it is unfortunately discontinued but it and the Comrade frame lock were in my opinion some of the finest tactical folders made by man and certainly the best that Emerson Knives offered to the public.

The 7 started first at BenchMade when Ernie worked there, and later in Ernie's own company it evolved when he formed that in or around 1997/98. It is a folder model that I feel everyone should have if for no other reason than just to support the man that changed the face of tactical folder knives forever.

The new non Waved limited edition run of the 7A model still floating around out there at certain dealers is a very well made folder. Of course I have already started on converting mine to a frame lock side of .145" thickness titanium but I've seen nothing at all wrong with it as it came from the factory. The size is perfect for a liner lock everyday carry, the weight is nil, the blade steel gives very little trouble to anyone using it and overall its still one of the best liner locks you can find. My new one that I bought after turning a customers into a frame lock (in my blog link) has a rather noticed thicker lock and liner to the naked eye than my older example of the same model. I must say I like that a lot personally. :thumbup:

Lastly, all the Emersons are surrounded somewhat by the hype because of the reputation of the man behind the company. Its not something wholly undeserved but some of the larger thinner lined folders do scare me in how much they flex and twist under load in the hand during use. The smaller models with more rigid less easily leveraged frames like the 7 models I own are among my favorite models offered by EKC In.

STR
 
I had a Tanto 7.. for a while..
It cut like a chisel... Not a great EDC for me..
HYPE!

Good info Steve.. I always wondered how the Ernie and benchmade thing happened..
 
I find that the most frequently used portion of the blade is the belly right where a tanto has none, so I think the spear point is a better choice if you want it to serve for utility. I tend to carry other blades now as EDC (usually an SnG or small Sebenza), but I still grab my CQC7a when SD possibilities might be higher, than in my everyday routine.
 
I like to have an uninterrupted cutting surface with a nice belly for EDC. I can't see how tanto would ever be useful unless you need to stab through car hood or something. Though Mr Emerson probably knows what he's doing so I'm sure he likes that shape for a good reason.
 
The Benchmade 975 was actually the first high end folder I purchased back in 97 or 98. I carried it on and off through my military service. It wasn't a bad knife...the lock up remained solid until I sold in in 06..to my knowledge it's probably still going strong.

The chisel grind tanto set up wasn't ideal for utility...on long cuts through media such as paper or cardboard the cut tends to "pull" inward. Considering that breaking down boxes and other run of the mill tasks is about 99% of what soldiers, cops and everybody else does w/ a folder...that can be a pain in the ass.

My major complaint though lies in the difficulty of getting a truly razor sharp edge on a chisel grind. After many hours of experimention I found a good formula for sharping the CQC-7 w/ a sharpmaker. After a couple heavy jobs that completely dulled out the edge It was a real PITA to restore the edge.

IMO a satin or stonewashed plain edge w/ a conventional V or hollow grind is the way to go in folders. I've been carrying a BM 550 HG for a couple years now and it's screaming sharp and easily maintained (not to mention the AXIS lock is light years ahead of CQC-7's liner lock).
 
I own a bunch of the 7's from EKI and BM. Drop point, tanto, pse and pe. They are good folders and should serve you in any endeavor that a folder would be considered for. They are not pry bars, they are not the best s.d. tools and the chisel grind is a bitch to sharpen without the proper tools. keepem sharp
 
Hammerhead7050 said:
The Chisel Grind allows for a Thinner sharper edge to Cut Meat with, with out comprimising the thickness of the entire knife.
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I seem to see this in my Beretta Avenger (Warren Thomas design) and it has a pretty thin edge.

However wouldn't it be possible to maintain the same blade edge profile but shift the edge to be more centroid? Then you'll have a flat grind (ground on both sides) knife.

Basically you could achieve the thinner sharper edge even with a non-chisel grind (example Tom Krein regrind). I always though the benifit to manufacturers is that you could 'achieve' a thinner sharper edge with less grind work. The underlined is what I feel is crucial difference and is my opinion. :p


Hammerhead7050 said:
a Japanese $500 Hand made Sushi Knife will Be Chisel ground.
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Chisel ground cause when you're cutting something like fish a double ground on both sides blade will compress/squish/damage/disturb the portion of the fish that was not cut away. Chisel pushes away the being cut 'away' part (sushi/sashimi) but does not affect much the 'cut from' part (the fish lump of meat). An improvement to this which is being adopted by chefs are special scalloped portions on the blade which is alleged to further improve this. Imagine flat side on 'being cut' portion and the ground side on 'cut away' portion.

Also chisel is easier to sharpen by chefs.

PS: Chisel for wood use is also same function as for fish. Push away shavings and maintain the carving's condition.
 
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I agree with most of the fellas here. Great knives for sure. Own few CQC-7 myself, spearpoint (A) and tanto (B) style blades. I prefer the spear point, it can be used for any and all tasks. I don't like the tanto for precsion type cutting, like straight lines without a guide of some sort. But then again that's not what it was design for. Two thumbs up for me on Emerson's, a quality knife with great customer service that can't be beat (if you'll ever need it!)
 
I love my tantos... my blade is always a backup to my pistol so make mine a tanto but fwiw i have plenty of spearpoints, bowies, clip points, you name it and they are all beautiful in their own way. My tantos handle every daily urban mundane task I throw em, but then again, i dont skin deer on my job...
 
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