I usually agree with you on lanyard holes, but I actually like it on the Penguin. Not that I actually use a lanyard ever, but I think that weird little oval creates some visual interest. I don't know, I dig it.
I absolutely love my D2 penguin. I picked it up because I thought the denim micarta was a bit different & aesthetically pleasing and it's difficult to argue with the price point. I generally dislike framelocks, but the overall design of the penguin is so compelling I would be willing to overlook the lock. On a related note - it brings me a lot of joy that wharncliffe/sheepsfoot blades have increased in popularity the last few years. I'd like to think that the original penguin turned a lot of people on to the utility and beauty of the blade shape.
I personally didn't much care for the look of the denim micarta so I instead chose the blue plain micarta. Really love the knife. Found myself fidgeting with it while watching this review. haha
I love the denim micarta. Liked the denim D2 version so much I ordered the M390 Penguin in denim too. Kinda wish I had gotten the titanium version, but an extra $50 made me hesitate.
I almost own every penguin and i can tell you after you own the titanium version u dont carry the micarta versions as often. The titanium is just far beyond of their price point i paid 3 times as much for other knives that dont feel that great .. this week the s35vn version of kaviso should arrive so that knife with a steel that actually is high quality will be great nothing against d2 or 154cm
Already loved my micarta D2 version, but I was able to get the black titanium version for €64,50 (only €24,50 more than the micarta D2). Absolute no-brainer and for me the budget knife of the year at that price. For those living in Europe, ‘Knives and Tools’ still offers the black titanium version at €64,50. The other titanium colours cost nearly twice that.
After your tepid review of the original, I bought the D2 Penquin and blue jean micarta and found it to be stellar. Great blade shape and handle comfort. This looks even better!
154CM is a budget steel? Man, I'm gettin' old! I remember this stuff being the 'super steel' to have. Well, until ATS34 came along and then. . . . . .well, you get the idea. Nice design though.
154cm is a "newer" take on an even older stainless steel. 440c was invented in 1935. 154cm was a 1959 update to 440c which had 10 times as much moly and a decrease in Cr. ATS34 is chemically an improved 440c just like 154cm. S35VN came out in 2009 and is the great grandchild of 154cm. It is tougher, harder and more stainless than 154cm. CPM154, on the other hand, is supposed to be tougher than S35VN.
Right?! What a time to be alive when 154CM on a $100 knife is under 'bad'. It's my favorite steel. It's stainless, doesn't chip, sharpens very easily and holds edge for relatively long too.
154cm is just an American made version of Japanese ATS34. Metallurgy for the two is identical. ATS34 was a popular steel in 90s so it predates the nougties use of 154cm by some margin.
I think QSP stands for Quality Service & Price if I'm not mistaken). I really wished they made the thumb studs a bit flatter and maybe slightly wider, with a inset screw for ease of disassembly and possibility for aftermarket studs. As the "nubs" on the studs can be a bit sharp and like to dig pits into ones thumbs. They done so good with the rest of the Penguin so it's slightly disappointing that they didn't put more effort into the only opening method on the knife.
i have the black titanium version and is my favorite knife in my collection... super smooth and easy to deploy.. super fidgety knife.. the quality is very nice for its price.. thats why nice cant stop talking about this knife..
I own close to 60 knives. Love my D2 Penguin. It was the first Wharncliffe knife i bought about 18 months ago. Boxes, cutting wall insulation, other basic tasks it's a real winner.
I took some sandpaper to the thumb studs on my QSP micarta Parrot. It was my first thumb stud knife and I found that after a day or so of playing with it the edges of the studs actually cut my thumb tip. Other than that, it's a fine knife even more so when you consider the $25 price I paid.
I really prefer the Parrot design to the Penguin. I like the blade a bit more, the ergos work better for my larger hands and I also prefer the non-deep carry clip. Wish it got as much attention. Glad they released it in Micarta though; their Micarta is some great stuff. I don't however think that the Penguin needs as many variants as they have (33 currently!)
My jean micarta still doing me proud two years later. Love the little guy. Quality cheap beater knife. Sharpen once a fortnight, does my warehouse job perfect, opening pallets of plastic straps, tough plastic wrapping, and cardboard.
I completely agree about the thumb studs. The lanyard hole doesn’t really matter to me because they didn’t sacrifice the position of the pocket clip. Overall when looking at the Elementum or a Kubey KU321, I feel like this is a solid premium take on a all purpose use EDC. Nice review, very fair. 👍🏼
I have a micarta/D2 version of the Penguin that I bought from a "Drop" ship company, that now specializes in mechanical keyboards, a couple of years ago for $20. The action was incredible and its been a solid performer that gets relegated to cardboard/upholstery/mulch bag duty. I'm not sure if it would have had as much use if it were, lets say, $50. It's not my favorite knife, but well worth what I paid for it. I think the titanium version would be more compelling with a S35VN blade for the price. I actually like the thumbstuds better on the Penguin than the stud on the Sebenza, which is way too small IMO.
Assuming the thumb studs are the same as the ones on the original Penguin, I found the ones on mine pretty uncomfortable too. I was able to more or less fix it though just by taking a file to the sides of the studs and rounding off those edges a bit. They still stick out a bit, but are much more comfortable to use.
The M390 Penguin with micarta is another great deal. It's $70 at Knives Plus, which is more than twice the cost of the D2, but it's crazy cheap for M390. Worth the upgrade here in Louisiana, where rust can be an issue. That said, my D2 Penguin is still rust free after a year and a half. I'm careful with it though.
Hey there since the penguin was sent to you by the manufacturer do you maybe know what type of titanium they have used to make the handle? (Looking for a nice ti folder to anodize)
I bought the copper one and this Ti one, same knife but both very different. The knife is just pleasing to use! Randomly I prefer liner locks over frame lock, kinda wish they had one in Ti. - that or a cover on the lock slide for fingers to rest. Just my own gripe 😝
I have a great appreciation for your channel. I struggle to understand your constant reference to law enforcement measuring the pocket knives of private citizens. There is nothing wrong with encouraging people to obey the law. However I challenge ANY subscriber to post a story of an LEO measuring any pocket knife anywhere ever. The suspension of reality that would lead to this happening is approaching fiction. Love the Batman tie in references in the review by the way.
Where I live, we can have knives up to 4 inches, though I prefer to keep mine around the 3 inch mark. I have a qsp penguin with denim micarta and its a really good knife.
If you’re ok with backlocks, the Titanium Byrd models (also reviewed by Nick) can still be found for less. They’re liner-free, super lightweight and super thin. With the handle being so thin and smooth, they’re great for edc (your hand can easily slip past the clipped knife to access the pocket). I put the hawkbill blade on mine, although that brings the price close to the QSP. I am considering the brass liner-lock penguin, which looks nice for the price.
You actually mentioned a couple of my pet peeves that I don’t hear mentioned from others. Like I bought the Spyderco 100 pacer and on the specks it said that it was just under 4” making it legal where I live. It came in and it was just over 4”. I love the knife but I find that I don’t carry it often because I don’t want to be viewed as a bad guy from the local police department during something as mundane and as a traffic stop. Keep it just under 3” or 4”. Also in combination with the other point you made about the blades edge beige too far away from the index finger. You loose a little of the blade on the area with the most control and sometimes that extra unsharpened portion can be what pushes the blade length over the legal limit. Or it’s just a bad handle design leaving the handle too far from the blade and shortening the usable grip area.
the fact that nick has small hands with short thumbs is what makes the handle not optimal for him, i have medium to large sized hands and for me the ergos are on point. not saying a choil wouldn't be cool but in this case (and with smaller knives in general) i rather have a bit more usable edge than overly much controll over almost nothing that cuts. the civivi odium / ferrum forge mini archbishop is a good example of how a choil on a small knife can be counterproductive.
I bought the Ti Penguin to anodize the scales. The price point was the best I could find for a decent Ti scale knife. Sanded the scales with gradually finer paper until it was a mirror finish at 8000 grit. A blow torch and ferric acid made a dull Ti finish into a conversation piece.
It bothers me that the Demko AD 20.5 has AUS10 and you considered it a gem, bit you harp more on this because it's 154CM. I dunno.. I would take this over the Demko. 🤷♂️
Review the Citizen pro master tough (latest model) I think you'll like it, titanium built, sapphire crystal, solar powered quartz and a small build! I'd also love to see you review some Hamiltons or even some Tissots in 2022
I have the original D2 denim micarta Penguin. It's a great knife and there's nothing wrong with the thumb studs. The action is excellent. The part I'm not wild about is the blade shape, though mine came very sharp.
QSP also has the Parrot now in micarta and D2 steel. It has a pretty standard drop point blade and in a lot of ways seems to be their answer for people who didn't care for the sheepsfoot blade of the Penguin.
Thanks for another great review Nick! I've got one myself and agree about the uncomfortable thumb studs. Mine also has quite a strong detent, so using the studs gets quite painful. I really love the rest of the knife though. Any thoughts on decreasing the detent strength or exchanging the thumb studs? Regards, Ward
Decreasing the lock bar tension may help ya out. Just do it very minimally a little goes a long way. And check for blade play each time you do it. If you have any you can always bend it back
My drop+qsp kaviso outdoors mokuti scales with S35VN blade is being delivered tomorrow! I cannot wait to get my first mokuti for the insanely cheap price tag I paid!
I got one not long after these dropped. Great all around edc knife for 100 bucks. The sheep’s foot blade is extremely utilitarian and works great for cutting packing paper off the roll in the shipping department where I work. Only complaint is if I fidget with it long enough those thumb studs combined with a hefty detent absolutely tear up your fingers. Forget reverse flicking it unless you’re a masochistic psychopath. Otherwise a great knife for basic day to day needs.
I love lanyards but I strongly prefer they be attached to a standoff between the scales, or a hole in the backspacer. I'm not totally in love with holes through the scales for the purpose.
I personally think the $50 Brass/Copper versions are the point of diminishing returns for this model, but the Ti version is pretty solid. A great option if you want something that feels premium but also want to stay under $100. That might be a different story in the $125-150 range, but >$100 this is hard to beat.
imagine this knife having a butterfly logo on the blade, the price would easily hike to $200+. when i keep that in mind and the absence of bm's qc issues (my 2 ti-penguins were literally perfect ootb), it appears to be a damn fine deal :-) nothing against the regular & copper/brass penguins though; i have them too and they are great, my only gripe with them is that i don't like d2.
@@RU-vid-Censorship-Police I agree with you... I have 2 titanium models.... Amazing knives with amazing action....but its the Ti models that do it for me.
Really liked this knife and carried it for a few weeks. But those thumbstuds stick out so much that they catch quite often when taking the knife out of my pocket. Resulting in a half open knife and a few times it would ( because it starts to unfold on the way out of the pocket ) jump out of my hand and onto the floor. Never had a knife do that before.
Not sure why you need to choke up that far onto the blade. I had a native 5 and I never liked being so close to the blade. And the thumbstuds is a bit ugly, have to agree. Considering buying third party ones and replacing them.
G'day Nick, I reckon what I'd call a sheep's foot, is best suited as a rope/cordage cutter, (either perfectly straight or with a little curvitude), but fair enough, a sharp blade can always do a range of tasks. I'm always surprised @ a fraction over 3 in....... @ 75 mm, two birds, one stone, problem solved, lol. Cheers Duke.
I recently bought the D2/Brass version of this knife and took off the thumb studs ASAP... I'm working on drilling out a spydie hole because the studs were way too long and aggressive. Aside from the studs, I really enjoy the knife.
I have two micarta penguins and I love them. I’ve had the Ti version for a few months…and I’ll be moving it on. I have large hands with slim fingers and there simply isn’t a comfortable way to hold the knife when deploying the blade that doesn’t put pressure on the lock bar. I’ve persevered…but nah. The liner lock penguin is a better design.
I have one of the blue micarta/damascus exclusives, I think from knifejoy. Very nice action, good general office carry or similar. I tend to only buy fullsized Ti framelocks. The action is better and it seems like the extra space helps ergos get better worked out.
Considering you can get the denim micarta/D2 version for $30, this one being $100 doesn't seem like that good of a deal. Sure, compared to other Ti handled knives it is...But still. Also, the Parrot exists if you'd prefer a drop point...And it's also in the $30 range.
@@donttrip4228 That's cool. I just don't think over 3 times the price is worth it. 154CM isn't 3x better than D2, and a Ti framelock is definitely not 3x better than a micarta/steel liner lock, IMO. I actually prefer washers over bearings for a user, too.
@@matthuck378 this isn’t about your preference, though. This is about if price is justified for bearings, titanium, frame lock, and a better steel, and everyone knows those 4 factors justify a higher price point. I’m simply stating that your “parrot in $30 range existing” and your “considering a denim Micarta D2 linerlock is $30” statement is irrelevant.
@@matthuck378 you’re not seeing that there’s $40+ increases easily for titanium as opposed to micarta, for the exact same knife, so you think that a framelock , bearings, titanium, and a better steel should only be a $30 or so difference? We’re all entitled to opinions here but that’s a little bizarre
Is there really a state in the US where it’s a felony to carry a knife over 3 inches? In Massachusetts we have a few cities where there are 2.5 inch restrictions. But they’re the legal equivalent of a parking ticket (municipalities can’t make criminal law). In my city the bylaw indicates that you can be “punished” by “$100 fine and arrest” (yes, it really says that) but I have yet to see anyone arrested on this who wasn’t also committing an actual crime (usually drugs). The first time they arrest someone for the knife ordinance will be the last time, and they know it.
For $10 you can order a set of Bugout titanium thumbstuds from eBay and replace those gawd awful Farrah Fawcett nipple length thumb studs...they fit perfectly and are just the right length and size.
@@baileymoto Yes, they are just screwed together. I used pliers with shop towels to protect them but I did end up scuffing them a little. Don't care because the "Bugout" studs fit perfectly and are a huge improvement for only about $10.
@@baileymoto Blades usually are counter sunk for a single sides thumb stud, this blade is not so you would always have a little sticking out. You'd have to find a screw with a flat or at least low button head to screw into the female half of the thumbstuds.
FYI - QSP = "Quality, Service, Price". I have to admit, I've got nothing against Chinese knife companies, but something about that acronym feels so... "baitey" and "cringey" towards the American market. Regardless, they make great stuff for the price. So, at the very least, quality and price are guaranteed, I suppose. Hah. That chamfer on the lockbar is absolutely amazing. Off the top of my head, the only other knife I own that has that is my Sebenza.
The QSP Penquin has never really appealed to me. It's blocky, doesn't look like it would comfortable in hand and honestly, I feel like it looks a little boring. Yet, I keep hearing praise on RU-vid and social media. People rave about it constantly, so I have to wonder am I'm missing something? Is this one I need to experience in-person? I don't know. Despite all the praise, I'm still not sold on it, but I am curious why people like it so much. I'll remain open-minded, and maybe even pick one up at some point.
WG MNIE TO BARDZO FAJNE KOSIDŁO, ZGRABNE, ŁADNE, NIEDUŻE - PASUJE DO KIESZE NI- PEWNIE TEŻ W MIARĘ LEKKIE , NO I PRZYPUSZCZAM, ŻE JEST NIEDROGI. S U P E R, CHCĘ TAKI POSIADAĆ, TYLKO NIE WIEM GDZIE GO MOŻNA NABYĆ?
Seeing that blade up against the ruler truly just proves how arbitrary most knife laws are, particularly blade length limits. Does it really go from “tool” to “weapon” because of an additional 1/32” of steel at the tip of the blade? ACAB…
Pass on anything made by QSP. Two dud Penguin’s so far and l am not dealing with their Customer Service again. A Penguin rusting away in my garage some where but l have no urge to go look for it!
The thumb studs on this guy are atrocious. The worst ones I’ve ever encountered. Action could be smoother too. The titanium framelock and scales are actually quite nice.
