Kershaw Emerson CQC 8K Folding Knife 18

What an absolutely fantastic knife this is. It's so well built for the price. Lovely smooth action straight from the box, razor sharp too. I have used it every day since I've had it, used for prepping feather sticks, small game and trout. Ok it was designed for these types of tasks, but managed them brilliantly. Thankyou to HH for the great service as always.

Bought a couple of Kershaw's recently, the Injection also, largely to try specific designs at a lower price point before deciding whether to pull the trigger on the real deal. Firstly, this is a good blade. Came shaving sharp, excellent fit and finish. Ugly in pictures but, strangely, not unattractive in reality. Relatively thin blade stock but a doddle to sharpen and one Amazon reviewer had this going through 9 sheets of Kevlar! Wave works fantastically from any pocket and this design is a lefties dream. All left handers should own this knife as it is truly ambidextrous for deployment (not the liner lock) and the chisel grind is actually set up for lefties. Ergonomics are spot on in forward and reverse grips. I paid 36 quid for this and it's a bargain at that price. It certainly has many more similarities with the PM2 than it has differences and slices just as well if not better.

A***** service from HH as usual! The knife is a great addition to my collection. Now I have somewhere to hang my Schumukatelli! Thank you!

I ordered this knife as a replacement for the CQC3K as that knife was a little to small for my hands. I could not be happier with the CQC8K. It is a great knife with great ergonomics that really allow the knife to lock into your hand when using it. I'm not so keen on the wave feature but it is a clever design and does work very well. It took a little getting used to the thumb disc after being used to a thumb stud or a Spyderco thumb hole but once you get used to it it is very easy and quick to deploy. All in all this is as great knife for the price. A great addition to any collection. As always nothing but the best service from HH!

Firstly, lets set the context. The CQC 8K, like all the CQC knives is tactical through and through and the following analysis is done with that philosophy of use in mind. The good bits: The chisel ground blade is razor sharp. The wave feature works well in a variety of pocket types. The finish on the scales provides good traction. It's comfortable in both a forward and reverse grip. The clip has a great retention whilst keeping the knife accessible. The liner lock produces a perfect lock-up. Blade retention is excellent. The thumb disc is well placed and does it's job. The price point means you won't start crying if you lose it or have to abandon it. The fit a finish are excellent. The bad bits: It doesn't use a flow through design. So cleaning the sand out will be a little more difficult. The blade opening action is a little stiffer that you might like when using the thumb disc and no amount of adjustment or lubrication seem to help. I've collected and modified knives for years and never encountered this before. I suspect the washers used are a touch too thick, this makes for a great solid lock-up but is a little less than perfect for a tactical folding knife. The screws used to assemble the knife are of low quality and are done up tight using an adhesive to secure them. I managed to remove the first one but damaged the finish. The second screw stripped completely. I would advise against any attempt to removed them . Summary: The 3 bad points above are all fairly minor and are certainly not deal breakers at this price point. If your budget doesn't allow for a real Emerson and you are looking for a practical tactical this is for you. I've never encountered the perfect tactical knife but this is the closest so far. I'd give it 9.7/10. I've ordered a second one. Footnote: The finish used on the blade is fairly soft and fairly glossy. I managed to permanently mark mine cutting open some plastic packaging.

Knife looks the part, came a bit stiff but adjusted and it will wear in with use. Locking bar engages halfway and is a bit tight to close one handed. I know real Emerson's lock up about halfway, so maybe still needs broken in. First chisel grind I have had, works well. Wave feature really good once you adjust pocket clip. Feels good in hand, sabre grip, full fist and reverse, this for me is a major consideration in medium sized tactical folders. All in all, very pleased at price point, maybe get myself a proper Emerson when wallet allows if it fits my hand the way this knife does. Usual HH excellent service.

First impressions tacticool! Well built fit and finish excellent, solid lock up. Love the chisel grind on the blade, which is shaving sharp. The wave opening system works perfectly. all in all I am very pleased I bought this knife because short of winning the lottery I will never own an Emerson knife and this is definitely the next best thing!(plus its a gorgeous knife)H.H once again you excel with your service cheers guys!!!!

And has the feel of an Emerson during opening and closing but I'm not quite sure ... Don't get me wrong ! Have over twenty Kershaw knives and three Emersons and this knife appears to combine the price of a Kershaw and the rock solid feel of the Rock hard Emerson. I'm just not sure something that feels so expensive should be so cheap. Time for some serious testing and at this price I can do that.

Got mine yesterday, less than 24 hours from order, top job as always from HH. Excellent knife, as noted above, lockup a little tight, I'm sure it'll free up with a bit more use. I looked at the wave feature before and thought is was maybe just a bit of a gimmick, but now having tried it works surprisingly well. Until I get around to buying a real Emerson, this will more than do the job.