I am looking at picking up a CQC-7  for my EDC.  I am torn between the CQC-7BW and the CQC-7V.  I know that the big difference between the two are the chisel grind vs the v grind.  I was curios if anyone has and the ability to use both and know how the blades hold their edges and hold up to regular use?  Thank you everyone for your input.

Emerson heat treats their steel a little on the soft side to make sharpening easier and increase toughness, but this comes at the expense of edge retention. If edge retention is more important to you check out the ZT/Emerson collaboration designs: https://zt.kaiusaltd.com/knives/knife/zt0620
All the features of an Emerson but with an ELMAX blade.

Also in S35VN. https://zt.kaiusaltd.com/knives/knife/zt0630

 

i have a couple of cqc7s with a chisel grind and i love it . easiest knife to sharpen by far , couple of swipes on a stone and its razor sharp again . i actually use the  spyderco sharp maker stones and free hand them . i have 1 that is 1/2 serrated and 1 plain edge and i like the plain edge much better .

Hmm, well that gives me more decisions when I thought that I had picked out my new EDC knife.  I'm liking the ZT knives 0350 SWCF especially if the blade will hold its edge better and is a good deal cheaper then the Emerson.

You can't go wrong with any ZT, terrific quality all around. I'm a huge Emerson fan but there's really no arguing that ZT builds a superior knife at the same price point.

elmax is awesome steel and will stay sharp for a lot longer than 154 but id a pain in the ass to sharpen compared to 154 .

I have a Benchmade CQC7 and found the chisel blade takes a different grip to control it. For those used to a V grind it tends to skew the cut to one side. Changing your rotation with other knives will make it obvious. It's no big deal cleaning fingernails or opening boxes, but it does come into play if making a precise cut. You need to stick with the one blade for a few months so that it becomes intuitive.

As a carry blade the older ones weren't done with a melt job and had sharp corners on them. I understand that was addressed years ago. Plenty of other EDCs have that as a problem, too. Aggressive grooves across the handle and edges that aren't eased for carry cause it.

They are great blades for collecting but I find the higher end steels ability to resist sharpening a major drag. They might not ever get dull, but they sure don't get sharp any easier. Of course, the last good blade I had was sharp and why it took 5 stitches to close it up. I bought a pair of EMT shears after that for opening clamshells, etc.

Hard not to like the CQC7 as it was a major game changer in knife design when it came out.

Same here, love my Emersons, but you get more for your money with ZT.

To the original question, I had a standard 7 and a 7V.  As an Emerson fan, the 7 is supposed to be a chisel ground blade, so the 7V never did anything for me and I sold it.  I still have a few standard 7s.