Emerson/Kershaw

[steveno]

has anybody seen and looked at the Emerson knife designs made by Kershaw? your impressions?

I have a couple of Kershaw knives and they are well made.

I had an Emerson CQC-7 made by Benchmade and it was very well made. you had to look real close to see the difference between it and my "real" Emerson CQC-7. I used to keep the Benchmade in the console of my car but it all of a sudden ain't there anymore and I have no idea where it is at.

the only thing I didn't like about the Benchmade was the clip was for tip down carry. the Emerson could be carried either way. I just don't need the expense of another Emerson or Benchmade just to keep in the console.

[Absalom]

I looked at these when they came out, just out of curiosity because I was a great fan of the CQC-7 back when Benchmade came out with a reasonably affordable (compared to custom-made Emerson) version in the 1990s. I still have that one in use, although it’s getting a bit long in the tooth.

Later, when Emerson started mass-producing these under his own label, I bought one of those and wasn’t overly impressed with either workmanship or smoothness of function compared to the Benchmade.

The Kershaw version appears well-made for the money; while Kershaw has had designs I didn’t like, I have not encountered a “bad” knife from them yet. Of course the proof of a knife is in the use. But with this version of the CQC-7 selling for something like 20% of what you’ll pay for the Emerson version, it seems worth giving this a shot. I just don’t need another one

[ContinentalOp]

Kershaw has a pretty solid reputation for making quality knives that are reasonably priced.

I had a Kershaw Leek once. The quality was good, but I decided I didn't want an assisted-opening knife and sold it.

I've had a few Emerson knives, ended up selling them. Partly because I switched to Spyderco Delicas which fit my needs better (slimmer, lighter, allowed for easy left-hand carry, got a bit wary of liner locks), but mostly because I needed the money more than I needed the knives. Otherwise I'd still have them, or at least one of them (I really liked my Mini-Commander).

I've thought about getting a Kershaw/Emerson. I still might, but my Delicas meet my needs/wants for a pocket knife so it's not exactly a high priority. But I'd have no problem getting one if I were interested.

[Marshwheeling]

When I first saw an article about the Kershaw/Emerson knives, I thought they were pretty cool. When I told my son about it, he thought they were so cool he ordered one for me and one for himself. If I remember right, the model is CQC-6, but I could not say for sure. Kershaw model no. 6034.

The cool feature is the Emerson Wave, a hook on the spine of the blade that catches on the edge of your pocket and opens the knife as you withdraw it. If you are thinking about self-defense, it is faster than an automatic, when it works, which is most of the time. If you fumble the opening, you can fall back on the thunb disc to open the knife.

The novelty lasted a couple of weeks, enough time to practice the move so it is almost 100%. “Almost” looms large, however, in a self-defense scenario. Since a knife is not really useful for self-defense in any event, I rarely carry it.

Quality is typically Kershaw, pretty decent. There is a barely perceptible blade wobble which can be adjusted out with the pivot screw, but only at the cost of slowing the action.

[steveno]

I was looking through my knives that are suitable for the console. I came up with three which are a Kershaw 1560 , a Columbia River small Crawford/Kasper and a Buck 112. the winner for console duty is the small Kasper and the Buck 112.

on a side note I ordered a custom Buck 112 with nickel silver , rivets and ebony with my initials engraved. due in 4 to 6 weeks

[CB3]

Originally Posted by Marshwheeling

Since a knife is not really useful for self-defense in any event, I rarely carry it.

This is an interesting assertion. Maybe another thread could explore it?

[Marshwheeling]

Originally Posted by CB3

This is an interesting assertion. Maybe another thread could explore it?

We have been over it before.