I've had 2 of these and 1 of them has good action. The other almost falls shut just under the blade's weight. It's better than most CJRB actions I've had and they run on bearings. Deployment is also great. I would also say that disengagement is among the best in the budget world too. Easy lockbar access, the liner curves out just at the top which makes it feel natural, the jimping works but isn't sharp, and then the blade tang has that little nub added in that allows it to fall on your finger while disengaging. That's a really, really considerate detail that a lot of great knives miss. And again, on mine it's good that nub is there or it would just drop straight on my finger.

I am awaiting delivery of my QSP Penguin tomorrow. It has the blue denim micarta scales. Great review!

My grandfathers hand forged knives used to have a similar polish to the penguin. How he did the finish was a light pakerisation then polish the steel up to a satin finish it left a degree of etching and a better rust resistance on high carbon steels than standard.

I bought this knife on a spur of the moment type thing and I love it. Its perfect for me as an EDC blade. Its not ridiculously expensive so I’m not afraid to actually use it at work and to beat it up a little bit. Great knife in my opinion.

Thanks for a comprehensive review. I just bought one of these. It’s in my mailbox when I get home from work. Was seeing a lot good things said about it and decided to give it a try. I have a couple Civivi’s, a couple WE Knives, a couple Benchmades, but liked these scales and the sheep’s foot blade. Hope mine is as good as yours is.

It's a steal for that price. Good review ,thanks for sharing 👍👊

I just got this knife today after watching a bunch of reviews on it. I adore it. Mine's action is buttery smooth after some lubrication!

Have really liked all I've heard about the penguin. It's been on the wish list for a while now. Great review 👍

As a traditional slip joint fan, I love the sheepsfoot blade. I ordered one last night.

I don’t know if it’s just mine but it’s really easy to close the knife. The liner lock doesn’t need much force at all and I love that.

Good vid. I have one of these knives and it's a steal for the price. I love the blue jean style denim micarta. It's something I'd love to see on the newer Buck knives that have micarta. It looks to me that the steel for the QSP Penguin was cut at a transverse angle to the rolling direction of the steel. Maybe someone with a some more knowledge of metallurgy than me could confirm this. If they cut it blade out "against the grain" it would make the tip a lot more prone to breaking, which is less of an issue for a Wharncliffe, but much more of a problem with a drop point or even more with a clip point blade design. Most knives are cut out of the steel parallel to the rolling direction.

I love this so much. I tons of knives that are much more expensive and I love keeping this one as my EDC.

Just got my Penguin a few days ago. I love the denim micarta and the blade. Mine has a serious lock stick issue, and the thumb studs have torn a big pit in my thumb. Hopefully I can get the lock stick issue solved by disassembling it. And I have to file down that thumbstud. Hopefully I didn't get a total lemon.

My Böker Plus Joule has D2 blade, and when watched closely under magnified glass I can see the steel pattern as u mention.

Have the blue jean micarta too, i agree with almost everything you said. Lock up is solid, scales are amazing, action is amazing on mine though and I don’t have the puddling on the blade finish. Blade comes razor sharp out of the box and being D2 i rarely need to sharpen it. I can’t recommend it enough honestly and being a sheepsfoot blade it comes across as less threatening i think to most. You get a lot of bang for your buck here and i love it, best budget knife going right now imo. Fit and finish is amazing, better than my Civivi elementum and i think i like it more than my Civivi Elementum and it’s a better budget knife overall I think.

Very good call for 2021. Now, in 2023, QSP now has the mini and the Plus . Amazing knives.

Mine is super shutty, it was out the box and now even more, great video well executed 👍

I have the brown Micarta version and that’s only because the denim was out of stock. I will be purchasing the denim as well. I 100% love this knife for the price and even if it was a little more I’d still be all in

i love them i have 5 including the new brass version

I recently got my first QSP knife, the Pemguin of course, the action on mIne is better than average and ideal for an EDC, The blade not only slices extremely well but is easy to maintain, I cut up a Dozen large Triple bonded corrugated boxes with no effort (I tried a couple of other knives but they jammed easily making it a chore) afterwards a few strokes on a strop and the blade was razor sharp again, also it was very comfortable to use, Yeah it is a cheap knife but it can hold its own against some far more expensive knives

I have two and love them but not until I filed the overly pointy thumbstuds to be more soft and staightened the clip so the kick up at the end doesn't scratch up on stuff. My detent is wildly good, dropping silkily shut. Love the thickness and high grind of the blade. For a relatively small knife, it feels 'beefy'.

Got one of these recently and have been checking reviews because one of the scales on mine is really polished instead of the normal micarta feel on the opposite scale and I was curious if anyone else had encountered this. Hard to complain on a $29 knife though.

I realy like the denim micarta scales on this one.

Just ordered the Knife Center exclusive Penguin in S35VN and black/orange G-10 scales. Lots of value for $64.95. Also have the Pelican in S35VN and black linen micarta, with titanium pocket clip. Excellent knife. If the Penguin is the same quality, I will be very happy.

Recently got the carbon fiber version (a little classier looking), and it’s very nice so far.

The more I see the Penguin the more I like it. ~ I'm thinking red scales and satin finish. 😎👍

I just got the copper handled. All and all nice knife for 50 bucks . I love the heft of the copper. Really nice action opening and closing. I think its one of the best budget priced knives. With that being said, do I feel the need to purchase another in different handle materials? Nah! I'm good with this one.

I'm blown away by my example of this Penguin... Action can be adjusted to make it drop shutty... Because of it, I got 2 of them in Jeans and Brown Micarta...

I have the QSP Penguin with Brass scales the cost with postage came to 48 pounds odd but the action is a dream.

A knife..... all soft.....in denim.....with puddles....and you are recommending it...😎🙀 Entertaining informative review!

i have seen that weird satin finish on some expensive vg-10 moki spydercos too, i have a j.d. smith with the exact same kind of pattern

Ya know, I have a Bestech Swordfish with the blade puddling. I’m almost positive that it’s from the blade being stored in a bag while it’s oily. But that’s just my guess. But I got the swordfish and it almost immediately made sense to me that might have been the issue. Mine kinda looks cool on the swordfish so I don’t mind it lol.

That is a knife I am going to have to get. Like you said those scales. I want to have that blue jean micarta in hand. Plus I would get a knife also.

I got the blue jeans Micarta and really enjoy it, I also purchased the brass one. I own some other QSP knives and I am addicted to the hawk knives. I want to get one of the S35v versions of the penguin 's in carbon fiber. Thanks for the great reviews, I just subscribed.

I wish they would make this exact knife just bigger love my penguin

Starting to get into this whole knives thing and this will probably be my first blade after some cheap nonsense I EDC'd back in the day. I'm a fan of the "thick razor blade" style sheepsfoot thing and was thinking about the Gerber Quadrant, but this knife offers way more bang for my buck and isn't as "toyish" as the Quadrant.

I paid $25 for mine in D2 and green micarta. Best thumbstud action of any knife I have.

I think those puddles that you're talking about is the stresses in the ingot as I've done an acid etch on a Civivi Incite and it brought out those a bit and it makes it look really cool but it doesn't affect the blade to my knowledge although I'm sure it will somebody will chime in

Great little knife, the only complaint besides the blade finish is the thumb stud is a little sharp and will make your thumb raw if u are planning to fidget with this little guy.

Have the Brown Micarta Scales. Drop shut. And easy to Thump and Spidey flip. Great Fidget Factor.

I wish the blade had just a touch of belly on it but those blue jean micarta scales say love to me.

Hi JT. I have the Penguin with green micarta scales and do not have any of the “puddles” in the D2 finishing your knife is displaying. That is very odd.

We need a knife channel to do an update for the QSP Penguin and how it is way later. I got my QSP Penguin in blue jean Micarta yesterday

Mine has the same lines in the finish. I am considering getting a few of these to give as Christmas gifts. Did yours have teflon washers too. Mine has 2 bronze washers and 2 paper thin teflon washers.

If you polish those washers, the blade will drop freely (at least it has in all examples I've handled)

Did you mention that blade shape is very useful for EDC. Gotta have it.

My qsp penguin is really drop shutty and the action on mine is excellent and watched other videos of there's knifes having good action too maybe you got a bad one

I got one of these Penguins from Atlantic knives...my first one had lock rock, sent it back and got an exchange without lock rock...mine has way better action than yours, about 200 open and closing broke it in nicely...my lock rock on the first knife wasnt noticeable unless you gripped with a normal grip on the handle and moving the blade with the other hand..I think the grip pressure on the handle/lock bar did something to make the blade rock...not really what I want in a knife...but the replacement is perfect

“Puddles” in finish are impurities in the steel.

My qsp neckmuk has the same line in the blade steel

I own a jean micarta Penguin and I have to say that it seems you got a semi-lemon at least in two areas. Mine has no "puddles" or any flaws or discoloration in the blade steel, at least not that I can see. As for the action, if I didn't know the Penguin was on PB (copper?) washers, I'd swear it was on bearings. I mean mine has a wonderfully smooth action that is VERY fidget friendly and requires only a SLIGHT shake to close the blade. Judging from my experience with mine, I'd highly recommend the jean micarta Penguin.

Nice video!

I like the micarta.

Just stop'n by to say hi.

Thank you for sharing JT!! I don't like d2 steel. I get a gift from a really good Human being, , the Harnds Vanguard, and I used it the first day at work and it has rust on it just from sweat! Just a couple hours. My 14c28n steel has no rust on it after 2 years. Anyway greetings my Friend

That weird finish on the blade is exactly how the BD1 on my Spyderco Polestar looks. It has those squiggles all over it. Other people report the same thing. It's not a problem, though. I don't think anyone has given an explanation for it.

Does yours have detent rock when closed? On mine it isn't noticeable when quickly opening with studs, but if you grab near the end of the blade and slowly pull, you can feel some wiggle up and down before it hits and breaks detent ball resistance. I'm not sure if it is big quality issue and problems in the future, but definitely annoying.

My denim micarta came really faded and almost TOO worn...might try a little oil.

Put a little bit of oil on the micarta and you can make your owe design....

I have the light green Micarta overall I like the knife I have been using it as my dc for a couple weeks my biggest wish would be a flipper tab I prefer those over thumb studs.

I’m not sure over ever seen a thicker more well done liner on any 3” knife under $100.. you kept saying that. What is your edc?? A tank? They are surprisingly thick scales especially for knives in this bracket.

It is illegal in the UK as you can open it with one hand, locking knives are also banned. Love the knife though and would love to own one.

Just picked up one of these. Watched videos of disassembly. Looks like it should have 2 bronze washers and 2 Teflon washers. Mine has the 2 Teflon and 4 bronze. Has the denim micarta. Not a fan. It absorbs everything and looks horrible.

The "puddles" is grain segregation. I've never seen it in high alloy stainless or near stainless, but have seen it in 52100 and 5160, but only after an acid etch. It is most likely chromium that did dot dissolve completely during heat treat, meaning it probably needed a longer soak at high temp. With high chrome carbon steels like 52100 I've gotten better performance when the "damask" showed up than when it didn't, not sure how it'd work with a near stainless like D2. Got the QSP EDC ordered and will see how it performs. One thing I like about their design is it looks like something a custom maker would build, not an injection moulded plastic handle, just clean and simple design.

The knife is great for the price. No moaning points at all.

The liner lock looks like 30%.

The Sitivien ST-106 is one of the best budget knives I've owned. Ganzo are great too, but the ST has linen micarta scales that take a nice color and feel excellent for a 26 dollar knife. Its actually pretty heavy duty as well. The big Chinese budget brands have their work cut out for them (npi)

😮Stretch marks😲 Might look good in tight jeans, but once they come off😖 Srsly though, even if I don't care much for the bladeshape, it does look like a good one. I do hope they'll be using that denim micarta on some other models!

The S35vn penguin is amazing

Hello Mr.

You knife if sound similar to Metal Complex

While a ton of people love this one I’m not one of them. Now if they offered it with a different blade shape.... I owned the Parrot and for the price I thought it was a great knife.

Can you fight with it?

Possible that other knives could also be overpriced?

"Action Ok-ish"? Really? Either you received a bad one or I received an exception. The action on my Penguin is second only to my Skaha II. I actually thought mine had bearings until I watched "Stassa23's" review. Just the slightest movement of my wrist causes the blade on my Penguin to drop shut. Absolutely the best $25 I ever spent on a knife!

Its d2 that's why

I received one yesterday and grinding is awful, it looks like been done by someone drunk to death and blind too. So QC doesn't look to be high standard. disappointing thou

That knife looks like a box cutter and a straight razor got together and had a baby

Paid 50 for mine in brass

Its good design but quality is lacking.

#11. Don't buy a Penguin. My lock bar snapped after 8hrs of use. Getting warranty service from David was excruciating at times. They made me pay for shipping before they would send me a replacement. It shipped today, so we will shall see. l hate buying knives or guns online. Rather pick and choose what l want in person.

Think about your nitpicks ......your issues with the knife are those for a much higher end knife ....this thing is 30$ lmfao

Its chinese saturn d2 they cut corners thats why the puddle effect, mine doesnt have it, but i bought this knife and im satisfied with it, i got the red, grey and black carbon fibre scales. Love those denim scales though too