ZT0350, CQC-8, or Cuda Dominator?

[Dks209]

Hi there, this is my first post here, glad to be here :thumbup: Now down to business. I know these knives are all quite different, but i'm looking mainly at knife overall quality paired with the price. So i have the opportunity to get a mint condition Camillus Cuda Dominator (blast from the past, I know) for $150, a new ZT0350 (blackwash) for $87.50, or a new Emerson CQC-8 SF (black handle, two tone stonewash blade) for $148.61.
I've looked at the blade materials and what not (i'm a bit partial to spring assisted knives, but have heard good things about the emersons ability to get the blade out quick), but want to throw it out there: Which should I go for? Or is the Cuda a good piece to get for the price to perhaps sell off sometime in the future and I should get the Cuda and one of the others? Let me know what you think please! And thanks for your opinions!

 

[EWolk]

Get the Emerson. The CQC-8 is one of my all time favorite knife designs, plainedge that is (no serrations). If you're looking for deployment speed, nothing is faster than an Emerson wave. Check out the nutnfancy CQC-8 video on YouTube. The 350 is nice but in my opinion the Emerson provides the owner with more enjoyment.

 

[jbv1030]

the zt for that price is good.
the opportunity to get the dominator is even better.
you can always snag an emerson at another time (great knife too)

my .2 cents

 

[Dks209]

jbv1030, what's your reasoning for the dominator? Oh and also, are the CQC-8's still chisel grind? Thanks for your responses guys, keep em coming!

 

[Charlie Mike]

Dominator for sure. If you don't like it, you could resell it for twice as much!

 

[Bugout Bill]

CUDA!!!

Get the long dead knife!!!

 

[EWolk]

jbv1030, what's your reasoning for the dominator? Oh and also, are the CQC-8's still chisel grind? Thanks for your responses guys, keep em coming!

I believe they started doing these with a V-grind now. Mines the chisel & it's awesome. Either way the CQC-8 is a winner!

 

[Dks209]

I'm getting a lot of dominator votes haha. I may just have to get it! Wow, so I had heard about the emerson wave feature, but hadn't seen it. I just went and watched a couple videos demonstrating how quickly the blade is deployed coming out of the pocket and I've gotta saw, my draw dropped a little, that's some pretty big points for the cqc-8, that's a pretty nifty trick

 

[Franciscomv]

As a rule of thumb, always go for the out of production pieces first. The 0350 will be around for a while, and so will the CQC 8, you can get them later on.

The Dominator is brilliant knife, and prices have gone up on NIB ones since Camillus went under. I've seen some for 400 dollars at auction sites. S30V, titanium, nice materials as well. Definitely a good deal.

Hell, if you don't like it you can sell it and probably finance boththe Emerson and the ZT.

 

[Dks209]

As a rule of thumb, always go for the out of production pieces first. The 0350 will be around for a while, and so will the CQC 8, you can get them later on.

The Dominator is brilliant knife, and prices have gone up on NIB ones since Camillus went under. I've seen some for 400 dollars at auction sites. S30V, titanium, nice materials as well. Definitely a good deal.

Hell, if you don't like it you can sell it and probably finance boththe Emerson and the ZT.

That's a really good point. Ok, I think i'll start with the Dominator and go from there. Thanks a lot for your replies! I'm pretty excited to be apart of the bladeforum community

 

[Knave]

A mint Dominator? Do you really have to ask?

 

[jmclfrsh]

My gut says go with the CQC8. Great knife, ZT350 is nice too but heavy, and don't know anything about the Cuda but if the design appeals to you, then go for it.

Which one do you like the looks of? Which one aesthetically appeals to you the most?

 

[o4tg]

I'll say jump on the 0350BW for that price. The Dominator never appealed to me and I've never felt Emersons to be competitive with other blades of the same cost in modern times.