Kershaw Emerson CQC-K Pocket Knives, Manual Opening Folding Knife with Wave Shaped Feature, Multiple Styles

I bought this knife, the older version with 8Cr13MoV steel, back in 2019. It's now 2025 and I've carried this thing nearly every day! It's been a low-maintenance pocket knife. I slightly adjusted the pivot screw once, and had to re-tighten the clip screws on one other occasion. Beyond that, just sharpening, and the occasional lube with basic mineral oil.After 5 years of carry the blade remains centered. The lockup is solid with zero play, and the liner lock lands well within its range of travel. The detent that holds the blade closed still functions flawlessly. Some of the screws are cosmetically worn down due to friction in the pocket -- a really cool look, in my opinion. The blade finish is like new except for one errant sharpening mark, and the laser etching is in fair condition. If I look very closely I can see some tiny spots of surface discoloration on the metal parts of the handle (note that it was exposed to sweat every day with no cleaning).In addition to the impressive technical performance, the knife has been a trustworthy companion. Initially I was worried about its highly-visible stance in the pocket and the aggressive looking Emerson logo. But it hasn't been a problem even in a non-permissive office environment. The weight will cause certain polyester or light wool dress pants to sag, but with the satin finish it looks fantastic in standard cotton slacks.A great knife and I would buy it again in a heartbeat if I lost it. I'm sure it's even better with the new D2 steel option.

WARNING! This blade comes with a seriously sharpened edge. Upon arrival I inspected the knife for it's quality given the south of $100 price. For its probable uses this knife gives you an affordable yet high quality components fitted into a smaller EDC everyday carry blade. The D2 steel is favorite of mine due to it's a overall Rockwell hardness rating and it's easier of putting a fine edge on it when needed after hard use. D2 is a perfect and affordable steel when a $400+ blade just isn't practical when children need to eat and buying this years schools supplies is right around the corner. G10 scale is also impressive since most knife makers at higher costs are also using it. Stainless liners and a solid lock up are also a plus. The Emerson Wave feature. Here's where it gets scary. First time out of my jeans pocket I cut two fingers and required bandages for bleeding control. Please, practice the opening carefully with what ever pants, slacks, jeans or hikers you plan on carrying this knife in. It's critical to learn this procedure properly without needing first aid essentials close nearby. My first attempt at deploying the blade was with jeans that a bit of elastine in them and pocket stretches when clipped into place. This caused me to struggle a bit since the knife clip is very tight against jeans pockets. Hence the two slices fingers. Aside from needing to practice the deployment of this blade carefully I'm certain you'll be impressed by this Kershaw addition to its manufacturing inventory. Stay safe!

This Kershaw 6034T Emerson Designed CQC-7K caught my eye when a saw the announcement from the shot show and a snatched one up as soon as it came out. At a sub $30 knife I admittedly wasn't expecting much; I was surprised. When I received in from Amazon, and opened it, I was pleasantly surprised by not only the weight but the fit and finish was also surprisingly good. It wasn't up to the fit and finish of their own USA made Zero Tolerance nor that of a good Spyderco but for a $30 knife, it was good. Top this off with the fact that it had an Emerson opener and you have a winner in my book.BLADEThe 3.25 inch blade on this knife is made of 8Cr14MoV steel. 8Cr14MoV is a common steel coming out of of China and in the same class more or less as AUS-8. It sharpens easily but edge retention is no where near that of VG-10, S30V, CPM-154, etc. While this one came with a Tanto blade which in theory is better for stabbing out of control car doors and angry car hoods, in my opinion, it's not as utilitarian as a regular clip point blade that comes with the Kershaw CQC-6K . The thumb disk and Emerson Wave for opening is familiar from Emerson's own knives and work just like they do. I've never been a fan of the disk for opening and think Spyderco's hole or thumb studs work better but the disk works none-the-less. The wave on this knife works great! It works so good in fact, I'd venture to say it works better and smoother than my real Emerson. Throw in a few Emerson graphics and the blade looks pretty good and functions pretty good as well. It did not however hold and edge as good as some of my other higher priced knives with better steel; but that was expected. Fortunately it sharpened very easy. The blade thickness of 0.11 inches made it sufficiently thick for most EDC tasks.LOCKThe lock on this knife is a Chris Reeve Style frame lock without the over travel disk. The frame by the way is made of 410 stainless steel. This alleviates the concern that some folks have had about Titanium frame locks locking against a stainless blade. The concern I've heard and read is eventual lock wear. I own several Titanium Frame locks and have never seen this issue so I don't know that I subscribe to it. Either way, the concern has caused many knife companies to place a stainless steel cover or shim over the lock face on many titanium framed knives. Since this knife frame is made of 410 stainless, there should be no concern with this issue. It locked up tight with no play in up and down and minimal play side to side. Again, pretty good for a $30 Chinese made knife.FIT AND FINISHFit and finish was pretty dang good for a knife of this price. This IS NOT your typical $10 Chinese made junk you find at your local convenience store. This is a real, usable knife with slight blade play but otherwise F&F was very good.ERGONOMICSAgain, possibly because this knife had to be signed off on by both Kershaw and Emerson, the ergo's on this knife were pretty dang good for a 7.75" (opened) knife. The rounded edges and soft jimping are a pleasure to hold and use. I'm impressed.EMERSON OPENERThe Emerson opener on this little knife was is in my opinion as good as or (dare I say) better in some respects than my actual Emerson. Combine that with the smoothness of opening and you can open this little knife reliably every time with a proper draw from the pocket.POCKET CLIPThe pocket clip is well done on this knife. It is long enough to allow for sufficient flex to make insertion into the pocket easy. Combine the clip with the smooth 410 stainless frame and you have an easy knife to draw from the pocket while staying in place when and where you want it to. The only ding is that it is only reversible not the four positions like some knives.SMOOTHNESS OF OPENINGFrom the pocket utilizing the Emerson Wave, this knife pops open like a champ and locks solidly into place. Opening with the thumb disk can be done easily but no were near as flickable as a Spyderco's spyderhole or even a thumb stud.USESThe uses of this knife are pretty much limitless. There are some tasks that a clip point such as the Kershaw 6034 Emerson Designed CQC-6K could accomplish better but this blade will accomplish most of your day to day chores. Unfortunately, the 8Cr14MoV blade steel limits its use as a survival or even a camp knife. It's somewhat soft for those tasks which require sharpening and sharpening in those scenarios isn't always an option. I think you'd want something that holds and edge a bit better.CONCLUSIONFor what this little knife is, I really liked it. Amazon has it at a very good price, it has decent steel, has an Emerson Opener, good frame lock, opens extremely smoothly, FAST from the pocket and the fit and finish is decent. The dings are the steel, slight blade play and made in China. If you can live with the small dings against it, I think it's a pretty good little knife. You won't find a better looking, faster opening or useful knife in the $30 price range. If this is your price range, get one!

I love this knife so much I’ve had 3 off them in the past 8 years. The first one was gifted to me but I lost it.. immediately had to buy another.. week later I found it and gave the new one to a buddy lol. Recently I lost it again and bought another replacement. Just to find the original again 🤣These knives are worth it. The original one from 8 years ago is still in great shape and opens/locks and closes as nicely as the new ones do!!

These knives with the wave feature are the quickest to open.they open faster than autos and gravity knives you just have to practice with them a little bit. Great knife!

Great knife for the sub $40 price.The knife looks and feels like a $150 knife.It is definitely a hard use, heavy duty tactical style knife.Wish it were USA made.Great job Kershaw and really love the special sticker it came with.🇺🇲🗡