I own and have owned several great knives over the past several years. From Bucks, Spiderco and Kershaw to Benchmade, Striders, Hinderers, etc., but never an Emerson. I recently dug out a couple of my old Kershaw Henderson CQC collabs to sharpen and oil them and thought to myself “Why have I never purchased an Emerson?” Recognizing that I had no real good answer to this question, I decided to jump on the site and start browsing. I had read over the years and heard from friends that Emerson makes a fantastic hard use knife so I felt like I already had some knowledge on how they perform and what to expect. Generally, I don’t opts for tanto blades, but in this application it just seemed like the right choice. I selected the CQC 7 with the wave and the Thunderstorm finish, entered my payment and shipping information and waited with excitement. The knife was shipped very quickly and I received not only a confirmation but also a follow up email shortly after thanking me for my purchase and ensuring that I had a good experience. Additionally, I was emailed instructions regarding care and maintenance. This was a nice small touch versus just getting a confirmation and tracking number and waiting for it to arrive at my doorstep. The knife arrived very well packaged and right on time after spending only two days in the courier’s possession. First thing I noticed is that the black blade that is seen in older pictures looked different, almost like a DLC or nitride finish. While I appreciate honest wear on my tools and gear, I was stoked to see that it looks to be more than just a “spray and bake” finish like I had half expected and after a week of some use it has shown no signs of wear. Time will be the true test of this finish. The knife is well constructed and had a beautiful edge on it. The chisel grind will take some getting used to as I’ve never owned one before and I did make a slight adjustment on the pivot
**** to get it to my liking, but I am quite content with my purchase. I have been carrying this knife every day since I purchased it and have no plans of rotating it out any time soon. Although it’s different than anything else in my collection, I am glad with my decision to purchase it and will likely keep an eye out for other models to expand on my collection and knife options for regular use in the future. Thank you to the Emerson family for the great knife and fantastic buying experience.