In "handmades" I'll vote for the CQC-6. This was not the first "tactical folder" but it summed up the ugliness that would characterize the genre: senseless blade shape, no consideration to edge geometry (note chisel grind, and on the wrong side, too!), emphasis on absurd levels of strength over an cutting performance, rough no-effort finish (bead-blast or rough satin), tough-but-ugly modern materials, largely machined parts, and poor fit-and-finish. These comments do not apply to all CQC-6s - some are made in high finish with exotic materials (like putting a spoiler on a pickup truck, IMO) and I'll bet some lock up well and have a smooth action (though I have seen several and they did not). Neither do these comments apply to all tactical knives, as some are quite beautiful, well made, and have excellent blade geometry. But when I characterize the genre, these are the qualities I think of and shudder.
In production, I'll vote for the Benchmade 970 "CQC-7." This brought the chisel grind, the bead-blast finish, and the overall tactical badness to the general buying public. They sold faster than my local store could keep them in stock, despite more than a few intelligent folks sending them back when they saw the grind up close. They were also the low-point in Benchmade's quality control, with locks that frequently either failed to engage or had to be disengaged with pliers. This sometimes made it necessary to check whole batches by disassembly and sometimes light modification, with some past all help being sent straight back to the factory. That's what I think of when I think "factory tactical," though my AFCK and many Spydies probably fit the name as well, in a far less shameful fashion.
I suppose this is a rather immoderate post for me to make, especially as it includes direct criticism of another (much more experienced and successful) maker. But I do not feel I will hurt Mr. Emerson's handmade sales any, and I will note that Benchmade's QC has improved some from this dark period and that Emerson Knives' own CQC-7s are markedly better in fit-and-finish than their BM predecessors (though this does not help the basic design). I simply feel that the "tactical craze" has brought a lot of hype, nonsense, and misinformation into folding knives, as well as a general "lowering of the bar" for the work of custom makers, who now need do little more than slap some Micarta on a piece of steel and bead-blast it in order to demand twice the price of a factory piece (though it has raised the bar for production knives in the long run). I am fed up with this trend, and at its center I see one pug-ugly little knife with perhaps the worst blade geometry I might imagine.
I've been wanting to get that off my chest for a while... now I'd better sit back and get my butt flamed off
Oh, and for "first" I'll say the Al Mar folding SERE and Blackjack folding Mamba were way ahead of their time.
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-Drew Gleason
Little Bear Knives
In production, I'll vote for the Benchmade 970 "CQC-7." This brought the chisel grind, the bead-blast finish, and the overall tactical badness to the general buying public. They sold faster than my local store could keep them in stock, despite more than a few intelligent folks sending them back when they saw the grind up close. They were also the low-point in Benchmade's quality control, with locks that frequently either failed to engage or had to be disengaged with pliers. This sometimes made it necessary to check whole batches by disassembly and sometimes light modification, with some past all help being sent straight back to the factory. That's what I think of when I think "factory tactical," though my AFCK and many Spydies probably fit the name as well, in a far less shameful fashion.
I suppose this is a rather immoderate post for me to make, especially as it includes direct criticism of another (much more experienced and successful) maker. But I do not feel I will hurt Mr. Emerson's handmade sales any, and I will note that Benchmade's QC has improved some from this dark period and that Emerson Knives' own CQC-7s are markedly better in fit-and-finish than their BM predecessors (though this does not help the basic design). I simply feel that the "tactical craze" has brought a lot of hype, nonsense, and misinformation into folding knives, as well as a general "lowering of the bar" for the work of custom makers, who now need do little more than slap some Micarta on a piece of steel and bead-blast it in order to demand twice the price of a factory piece (though it has raised the bar for production knives in the long run). I am fed up with this trend, and at its center I see one pug-ugly little knife with perhaps the worst blade geometry I might imagine.
I've been wanting to get that off my chest for a while... now I'd better sit back and get my butt flamed off
Oh, and for "first" I'll say the Al Mar folding SERE and Blackjack folding Mamba were way ahead of their time.
------------------
-Drew Gleason
Little Bear Knives