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(Guys I am sorry but this one found a new home before I posted it. Enjoy JBravo's incredible SEAL 8 history!)

 

"Jon, we know they exist but how in the world do you keep finding these special pieces???

 

The CQC8 is unusual among all Emerson custom folders because Ernie made several variations of it when he first started building them.  All of the very first 8s (made in 1994) had black titanium nitrate coatings - it's a smokey black color that has a matte finish - and thick black micarta handles that have very pronounced finger grips carved into them. The coating caused him to laser engrave the logo on the blades. 

By the time he'd made the 10th one of these knives, he had already begun using much less deeply cut handles and switched to a Black T coating which has a slightly shiny finish.  

But it is those first 10, with the chisel ground blades, signature large integral finger guard, and mostly split pivot hardware that are the rarest, most highly sought after and identified with SEAL team ownership.  

But even among the first 10, they were not all alike!  Ernie made at least two with a parachute cord-cutting notch (erroneously referred to as "Guthook 8s"); he made at least one with a screwdriver tip (recently discovered) that at least one had a hybrid handle butt profile that combines elements of the two predecessor knives in the CQC series - the CQC6 and CQC7... 

The 8 is almost always seen with a boattail butt, like the 6's, except that it is turned down more as if giving a nod to the turn-down handles in the Viper 5.  But the  - for lack of a better name - Hammer 8 has a flattened version of that butt, along with the boattail, that is reminiscent of the CQC7's flat hammer grip style butt. 

This variation is not a glaring change and is not obvious at first glance.  However, when looked at next to a picture of another early 8, it can be detected.  It retains the offensive capability of the boattail but adds a bit of flexibility in overall usefulness. 

There is very strong evidence to support the belief that this was the seventh knife Ernie made of the CQC8, btw. Most importantly, though, is the way in which it reveals the design process its creator used in coming up with the finalized and standardized model.  It's as rare as it gets!  

(I am often surprised by how little owners sometimes know about their knives, especially one like this that appears to have sat in a drawer somewhere for 27 years - made in '94) " 

JBravo on the USN (Emerson Knives Historian and Leading Authority) 
 

  • Specs: 3 7/8" Blade; 8 7/8" OAL; 5.07 Ounces

  • Condition: Mint except for the aesthetic distress ("chipped paint") on the (back-side) Split Pivot nut.

Price: $8,000
On sale for: $7,000
Cash Price: $6,000 (net via Bitcoin, Venmo or Zelle) ... Inquire

Click on the images below to zoom.

Ernest Emerson Custom SEAL Team Hammer-8
Ernest Emerson Custom SEAL Team Hammer-8
Ernest Emerson Custom SEAL Team Hammer-8
Ernest Emerson Custom SEAL Team Hammer-8
Ernest Emerson Custom SEAL Team Hammer-8
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