- QSP Penguin Plus · Sheepsfoot3.375″ blade · 0.142″ spine · 3.67 oz · ~1.18″ tall
QSP Penguin Plus
The Penguin moved up two tiers. CPM-20CV instead of D2, titanium and carbon fibre instead of linen micarta, a frame lock and a flipper instead of a liner lock and a nail nick. It is also half an ounce short of a pound heavier than the original at 4.59 oz, which is the trade: the same silhouette in materials that cost four times as much.
- Blade
- 3.375″
- Weight
- 3.67 oz
- Steel
- CPM-20CV
- Price band
- Premium
Someone who liked the Penguin's shape and wants it in premium steel
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Specifications
Manufacturer-published figures, cross-checked against knivesandtools.com.
- Blade length
- 3.375″
- Spine thickness
- 0.142″
- Blade shape
- Sheepsfoot
- Grind
- Flat
- Steel
- CPM-20CV
- Overall length
- 7.875″
- Closed length
- 4.5″
- Weight
- 3.67 oz
- Lock
- Frame Lock
- Deployment
- Flipper
- Handle material
- Carbon Fiber + Titanium
- Country of origin
- China
Why a sheepsfoot
A straight edge with the spine curving down to meet it, ending in effectively no point. It cannot stab, which is the point: it is the shape for cutting toward yourself, cutting on a surface, or cutting a seatbelt off someone without stabbing them.
Every sheepsfoot here →About CPM-20CV
Crucible's answer to M390 and chemically near-identical to it. Superb edge retention and corrosion resistance, slow to sharpen.
1-5 is a relative ranking drawn from published composition and hardness, not a lab measurement. Higher is better on every axis, and no steel is a 5 across the board — edge retention and toughness pull against each other. All CPM-20CV knives
What owners say
Drawn from 31 owner discussions of the QSP Penguin Plus since 2024. The opinions are theirs. The specifications above come from the maker.
What owners like
- The extra size is the point. One owner says the Plus feels like a more appropriate size than the regular Penguin, another who already had a Penguin preferred the Plus the moment it was in hand, and a third with large hands calls the size perfect.
- Sale pricing makes it a bargain: owners report paying $110 out the door on Black Friday sales, seeing it as low as $95, and picking one up like new on the secondhand market for $100.
- It keeps its place in rotation. One owner with about 400 knives says it is one of roughly 30 that keep coming back into their carry, and another still counts it among their favorites in the $150 to $200 range years after buying it.
- Arrives sharp and feels solid: a 20CV owner found it sharp as hell out of the box, and a purple titanium owner calls it a great work knife with a slick action.
- The Kaviso version on ceramic bearings has an opening action and sound that its owner calls fantastic, at the $158 it sold for.
- Jigged titanium scales win people over. One person who handled a friend's jigged Plus fell for the scalloped texture enough to go hunting for other knives that use it.
What owners flag
- Closing one-handed takes care: one owner found the blade travels a long arc before it reaches the detent ball, so their thumb on the flipper tab often stops it short.
- One owner needs blue threadlocker on their pivot.
- Full retail is high next to sale prices. An owner who calls it a great knife says they would not pay the full $180, and two other owners paid $110 in Black Friday sales.
- Left-side carry may not suit it: one left-handed person who loved a friend's jigged Plus ruled it out because they carry on the left side.
One owner bought it as a more premium big brother to the Penguin they liked, and two owners of the roughly $33 Penguin asked whether the step up was worth it: the same sheepsfoot in a bigger titanium frame lock with a better steel. Owners who also have the Penguin mention the size first: one preferred the Plus immediately, and another says it feels like a more appropriate size. It runs a 3.375 inch 20CV blade on a flipper at 4.59 oz, with a Kaviso exclusive in S35VN, a jigged titanium version in M390, and anodized hardware.
Around $100 to $110 is what owners report paying, on Black Friday sales or like new secondhand, and at that price a collector with about 400 knives calls it one of the best value premium knives available. One owner points to the titanium frame lock Penguins in the original size, which go on sale for $60 to $80, and the Kizer October as another titanium sheepsfoot. The gripes are small and from single owners: a long arc to the detent when closing it by the flipper, a pivot that needed threadlocker, and one left-handed person who ruled it out for left-side carry.
How is the Penguin Plus different from the regular Penguin?
It is larger, roughly a 3.38 inch blade against 3.12, and moves from D2 to 20CV, from a liner lock to a titanium frame lock, from thumb studs to a flipper tab, and from washers to bearings. One knife user ranks size as the biggest difference, and two owners who also have the regular Penguin mention the size first, one preferring the Plus as soon as they held it.
What should I expect to pay for a Penguin Plus?
List is around $180, but owners report paying $110 out the door during Black Friday sales, seeing it at $95, and buying one like new secondhand for $100. One owner who calls it a great knife says they would not pay full price.
Which steels does the Penguin Plus come in?
The standard model uses 20CV. Owners also carry a Kaviso exclusive in S35VN on ceramic bearings and a jigged titanium version in M390, and another knife user notes TPK has exclusive Penguins in S90V and M390 at a similar price, without saying whether they are the Plus.
Is the Penguin Plus left-hand friendly?
Not for left-side pocket carry. One left-handed person who loved the texture of a friend's jigged Plus ruled it out because it does not suit carrying on the left side.
Features
- Frame Lock
- Flat grind
- Flipper
- Made in China
- Stainless blade
