I got one early on in tan Micarta. I was blown away with the fit, finish and over-all value of this peice. It flies open in a satisfying manner on demand, and closes in similar fashion. Works well for a southpaw. Spyderco & Benchmade could take a note from this maker on fit, finish, centering and overall VALUE.
I was blown away by the value of this Knife, the fit and finish, and super sharp right out of the box. I currently own 4 of these, in different versions. Hands down, one of the best budget knives on the market for the price. The consistency on the blade centering was a big plus.
Had mine for a few months and it’s become one of my favorite budget knives. Action was almost drop shut out of the box. Can only imagine it’ll be better once I take it apart, clean and oil it!
I have one and, for the price, it is a total gem. Great scales and good quality D2 blade that is very slicy. MIne has good, not great action but I haven't taken it apart yet to dial that in. No free play and, not for nothing, but it looks great with blue jeans! If it got lost or grew legs I wouldn't cry and buy another. IMHO, a great EDC choice that just happens to not cost the earth.
I agree 100% Louis. I love the Penguins. Great little knife, and for me, the perfect EDC size. I might feel differently if I had a few of those higher end knives, for example the Olamic Busker, that I have had my eyes on...lol.
Got one on sale a few months back (I believe it was 35 including shipping) on a whim. Mostly I was curious about the denim micarta and had handle material on the brain as I am in the process of making a whole mess of custom scales for a friend. This knife has really surprised me and is punching way above its weight class. It's taken everything I've thrown at it with no issues and the micarta is developing some really beautiful shading. I was a bit worried about the ergos as I wear an XL glove but I have to say a 3 finger grip on this feel more secure and comfortable than my experiences with other larger handled knives. Haven't had to sharpen the blade yet as regular strop time appears to keep the edge plenty sharp. If you are sitting on the fence about buying one of these, go for it. This little penguin will definitely put a smile on your face.
After watching the review, I was kind of let down, but currently owning two in S35VN I can say I love this knife. The lanyard hole is meh and the clip keeps coming loose even after loctite, but I love the thing. Mine is the smoothest knife I have ever owned, even over some worth upwards of $600. To each their own thought and great review Nick!!! Thanks for doing what you do!
It was weird. Mine literally arrived in the post today and your vid pops up on my feed. Happy coincidence!!!!!! I'm loving the "Jean" Micarta and the deep carry. I brought this one as I love my cheaper QSP Parrot. Cheers
I have very large hands and have no problems handling this knife. I've loved mine since I bought it, really wanting to order the S35VN when/if it comes back in stock.
Love my Penguin 🐧 . Got it at Atlantic Knife for 29.99. Very useful blade shape and came smokin sharp. Handle is a bit cramped and you do have to clean it to get the smoothness but I think it’s worth it. Lastly, blade is a bit off center but can be overlooked at this price. I’m looking at the QSP Pelican.
On my list of top knives of 2020. Also on my list of knives that punch above their size or weight. CJRB Maileah, Spyderco Dragonfly 2 (especially in k390), and then the QSP Penguin. These are top of the tree atm. Honorable Mention to the Kershaw Launch 4.
Got the launch 4 for Christmas from my fiance I would suggest contacting KAI USA and getting the westin clip for it shorter and deep carry. I have the Maileah like it a lot threw a 2" snake knot lanyard on it added purchase made it more comfortable and fun to flip than it already was. And I just placed my order for the Jean micarta Penguin
Bought this knife a few weeks ago, solely out of curiosity, and I'm impressed. Having tried a number of under-$100 Chinese knives, and having sent most back, the Penguin stands out. No issue with ergonomics, size-L glove, and its action was great out of the box. I actually carry it. Not my favorite blade geometry, at all; it's hard to complain for the money. As Chinese budget knives go, I only suggest the Penguin and the CJRB Ria. Both are outstanding, IME.
Mine has been excellent from the beginning. I have large hands so have more of a 3 1/2 finger grip. Advantage is I don't feel far away from the blade. I got mine for 29 bucks and at the time denim micarta wasn't on any budget knives. So to me it was a gem. Would I like to see a 4 inch blade version in 14C28N absolutely. Till then I will enjoy mine for what it is.
Got mine yesterday! I am very happy with it so far. I personally think it needs a little tlc to get the action right, but other than that, it's pretty great for the money.
Thank you Nick, you made my son stop in his tracks with those dad jokes. He just looked at me and shook his head before walking away. I can't stop laughing.😂
I got one of these last week after watching this video. The action is a little sticky but I have not taken it apart yet, but other than that I really like it. Thanks Nick.
I'm not sure if it's the heat treat or the reprofiling I did on mine, but the edge on my Penquin seemed to hold up a bit better than some of my other D2 blades that have taken turns at work. Cardboard, plastic, nylon straps, paper, fibreglass reinforced tape... figured I'd be sharpening it a lot more frequently than I have been. Ergonomically, it works well enough in a sort of angled-forward three finger grip. One of the pocket clip screws was in there a bit crooked when I first got it, but didn't take too long to correct.
I bought one but ultimately preferred the old timer landshark which is a smaller sheepsfoot slipjoint that hides in pocket while my regular edc knife is clipped to the pocket. I like it for opening packages/boxes or slicing a piece of paper down to a post it size when I want to take a quick note.
I love wharncliffe style blades, and I really think the jean micarta is neat, might have to pick it up. But I hear they’re coming out with a brass version
Hi Nick: Please note that on a sheep foot blade the cutting edge and the spine are largely parallel, while on a Wharncliffe the spine continuesly slopes from tang to the point. Not a big thing, but still a thing.
I am a knife and gun nut, and I started off buying all the popular and expensive knives and wasn’t too impressed… but got this little cool edc and was hell of excited to buy it
Just received mine, very fast shipping.. very nice for the price, action worked great out of the box and quit sharp.. I did do a little stropping after I received it and now it’s to my razor sharpness as I like them.. I find this to be a good valve for the money.
I picked this one up a while back and it's just awesome! I would like to see one with an S35VN blade or higher quality steel, but for what it is it's pretty sweet. My action was amazing, but I may just take it apart really quick and give it a once over. I like how you can flick it lefty or use the thumb stud, but the right hand flick isn't really possible as the cutout isn't the same on both sides. Pretty decent little package I would say. I picked-up the QSP Parrot & Leopard as well and those are both just as good.
Have you seen the other versions? I'm so mad I missed the Knives Plus exclusive where it had S35VN for $60!!! They have Titanium and other Micarta ones in M390 and 154CM steel as well!
Love mine. Wasn't nice to open out of the box. Waited 4 or 5 days until I finally disassembled, cleaned, lubed and was 100% after that, not sure what was wrong.
@@IchNixHabenUsername Knivesplus. I remember seeing them available ago a while ago shortly after I got my denim one. For some reason didn't snag one, and haven't seen em in stock since :( so HOPEFULLY lol
Yup I snagged one with the s35vn and marbled carbon couple weeks ago, love it. Also just snagged an s35vn Pilar with carbon fiber scales im waiting on to show up
I just got one. I'm excited to use it. However I disagree with the ergonomics. My ring finger is a size 11. It wasn't bad for my giant sasquatch paws at all.
I bought another knife from a distributor and they sent me a qsp sticker with a scary wolf on it so I'm checking out their products does penguin doesn't seem like a bad knife for the money
I just bought one as a gift to someone else. The blade arrived horribly off center, almost scraping the liner. But after messing with the pivot it's like 90% perfect. Overall I think it's a fantastic knife for $30 or $40 :)
Where else can you get micarta and D2 for 30 bucks? Everything else comparable is 50 or more. Most of the knives you mentioned are cheap plastic scales at 30 range.
There's a brass version with the black blade I just bought. I can't carry D2 without it rusting, so I went with the coated blade. You could also just acid wash the normal satin blade, that'll help with rust.
Mine fits my hands great.... do I have smaller hands than Nick? Wow! Little sour note: It came with an extra set of screws on the side without the clip, looks better but tighten them and it crushed the scale a bit(oups). Other thing: there was a small burr on the detent hole, I filed it, and the detent is a bit softer, but still working. Still like it.
I don't know who needs to see this but they are back on Drop for $26 (+$10 for brass scales) for the next seven days with an estimated ship date of March 1 (lol)
The only real flaw I found with the penguin is for left handers like me. The space between the scales and the thumbstud is a lot smaller for left handed opening so it makes it more dificult to open in the left hand especially if you have monster hands like me.
@@speedwolf5212 still better then a lot of crappy us made knives. So whats your point? Where something is made has nothing to do with its production quality.
@@speedwolf5212 You're obviously biased and probably never owned D2, nothing wrong with that steel. A lot of Chinese companies make better knives than quite a few American ones.
l've had one Penquin fail with a broken lock bar. Took awhile but QSP did replace the knife, after l paid for shipping! The replacement knife worked great for a few weeks of hard use. Then the detent turned real soft and l could just flick it open. l've retired the knife.
Just recieved one today from bladehq! I love it. The action is smooth and snappy, the micarta is nice and soft and the blade is perfect for my everyday tasks! Bonus points for it looking less "threatening" than a lot of the other knives i have carried in the past lol
Regarding the way they mount their clip, I suspect it is likely so they can have an ambi clip without surface mounting the clip, and without having to notch the show side scale. I think it was a decorative decision, not a functional one.
The action on the example that was sent to you is nowhere near as good as the one I have. After several months of use (primarily processing cardboard), the blade has held up well and I've only needed to sharpen it once. Again, it's a shame that you didn't get one that is as smooth, but I guess that shows that there is some variation among this model.
It wouldn’t be my first EDC choice given some other higher quality knives I own, but man I love what they’ve pulled off at such a low price. Looks great and seems like really solid quality for a bargain. If I was on a tight budget this would be a no-brainer for me. I might grab one anyway just to have it in my collection :) Thanks for the review Nick!
I dig the 35 bucks. I like knives, and I could definitely afford to spend $400 or more on a knife, but I would never pay that for a knife. About $100 is the max for me no matter what my bank account looks like. I don't see the appeal in paying $400 for a tool that I'll likely beat the crap out of.
Of course there is no accounting for personal taste but objectively, it's knives like this that are increasingly closer in almost every respect to $350 knives than ever before. Competition improves the breed.
