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Masters of Defense came around in the late 90’s and produced some deadly designs, all of which were collaborations with well-known knife makers or martial artists and self-defense instructors. After they were sold to Blackhawk!, these were made with cheaper materials such as 440C steel instead of 154CM steel, and the Duane Dieter name was removed from the brand.

I’m not sure exactly when the transition occured, but this model is pre-blackhawk, and is incredibly well made. It harkens back to the days of the old Microtechs, and certainly brings back great memories of the all the top-quality US-made knives of yore. Its no secret that Blackhawk! is not liked by many in the online knife-world, but I really can’t comment on their quality since I never owned nor have I handled their products.

The Dieter CQD has fantastic ergonomics, and is designed to work well in a gloved hand, since many military users often wear gloves when operating their knives. The grip-tape is fantastic for retention and there are two ridges on the front of the handle that prevent your hand from slipping onto the blade. The blade is a modified spear point design by Vaughn Neeley, founder of Timberline Knives.

There is a discreet saftety on the thumb ramp of the handle, which works well. The carbide glass-breaker is also at the front of the handle, making it impossible to use unless the blade is closed. This is probably a good idea. The back end of the handle has a line/seat belt cutter, which is well concealed so that you can’t accidently cut yourself with it. The reversible pocket clip is only for tip down carry, which is also probably a good idea since otherwise you might accidently catch the line cutter on your pocket and cut that up.

Blade is black, and razor sharp. This Masters of Defense version was available in Bead Blast as well as Damascus and PVD coated blades. The current Blackhawk version appears to only be available in black.

The CQD is probably my favourite automatic knife in my collection at the moment, with a quality unmatched by any automatic in this price range. While I can only speak for the MOD version, this is still relevant to collectors purchasing on the secondary market. The Blackhawk version, while designed in a similar style, may not have the same level of quality in the finish.

Blade Length: 3.75”
Overall Length: 9.5″
Blade Material: 154CM Stainless Steel
Blade Finish: Black PVD coating
Handle Material: CNC Machined 6061-T6 Aluminum

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