I recently got in on a one day flash sale at Botach Tactical where they were offering five different Kershaw-Emerson model folding knives at prices as low as $35.00.
Basically these are Discontinued Kershaw Manufactured knives based on Emerson designs.
This model, the CQC-11K D2 is based on the Emerson Rendezvous and is a Frame Lock Folder with a 3.5″ D2 Stonewashed Drop-Point Blade with G10 Scales on the Front and 410 Stainless on the Back. It has a disc thumb stud opener along with the Emerson WAVE Shaped feature which allows you to open the knife as it is pulled from the pocket.
Full disclosure: The Blade is Chinese D2 Steel which is the reason for the cheaper price. Surprisingly it came out of the box reasonably sharp and only required a little work to get it up to snuff. Also, the action was a bit gritty out of the box and needed a touch of oil to smooth it out.
Overall the fit and finish of the knife is good for the price ($35 Shipped to my door.) It has the Emerson name on the blade and the Emerson skull logo on the pocket clip. The Brown color is a tad lighter than Flat Dark Earth, but I like it. The G10 Scales have a good grip texture to them and it has a machined lanyard hole as well. The Wave feature is pretty slick and once you get the hang of it you can open it in a flash.
I still prefer my Benchmade Presidio Automatic for my EDC, but this knife will definitely find a home somewhere in the Hermit Arsenal! After all, a man can never have enough guns, knives, ammunition or books!
