most any EKI is better than any CRKT imho. the CQC7 is a great knife and is almost a must have for an EKI afficianado (though i dont have one now, i do have an I&I tanto though which is kinda similar.....) the price is OK not great, is it waved? really CQC7's with out the wave are not in as much demand as the waved mods and therefore can be had cheaper, i have seen std '7s quite often LNIB for $90 or so. if ya cant get a deal on it i would prefer several other models like the SOCFK which is waved w/a '7 blade and a specwar handle, great knife too. or the super '7, or the HD7, or the I&I tanto. but they are mostly in the $125 and up range.