Knife review QSP Erised

- what do we have here?

Something rare showed up a while ago, a fixed blade among all folding knives. I'm hardly a beginner when it comes to fixed blades but very rarely this kind of knives comes from China so this is a first for me. The truth be told I use fixed blades way more than folders. That is if you take into consideration actual cutting time since that includes kitchen knives which are used daily around here.

Today's knife is anything but a kitchen knife but more of hunting- or an all-purpose outdoors type of knife. It's time to introduce QSP Erised! 

QSP QS114 "Erised I"

I watched a couple of early "reviews" of this particular model on Youtube where the persons involved weren't exactly amazed. The knife was circulating in a "pass-around group" and the negatives were mainly focused on bad quality because of a nick in the handle and the fact that they thought it looked too "ornament" to be used "for real". I personally don't quite understand their comments since they actually never tested the knife in an outdoors situation. They looked at it (perhaps used it on cardboard) and then more or less pulled it to pieces. That's the reason for my quotation marks around the words review and for real. Just doing a tabletop review of a knife that is not an art knife in fancy materials but an everyday use object is a very strange approach in my eyes.

By the way, several of my kitchen knives also have decorative pins without doing any worse as cutting tools so that argument isn't really valid. At least not in my eyes.

A forest is a better place than a desk to test these kinds of  knives

To say that Erised is more of an ornament than a knife just because QSP chose to do a pattern on the sheath, use mosaic pins and a mirror polished blade is simply put not correct! The choices made are probably more a result of cultural preferences or personal taste than anything else I suspect. The people who tested it was north Americans and some person compared it to knives from TOPS. That is matt black and "tactical" and in comparison, this knife, of course, more resembles a peacock than a crow with its shiny appearance. But put against say a "Horsehead" knife from Kauhava in Finland, for instance, this knife doesn't stand out that much. It is a matter of perspective.

In the decorated but heavy leather sheath, you find a sturdy full tang knife with a total length of around 8,6 inches. The stock thickness is 11/64 inch (4,5mm) and the handle made out of rosewood. The knife alone weighs in at 6,3 ounces. Thus it's not much of jewelry but a quite sturdy tool.   

Blade

A simple drop point is never wrong and here it is accompanied by a full flat grind. What distinguishes both the blade and the knife as a whole is, of course, the mirror polish. I must admit It's not my favorite finish but it is a matter of taste. For my liking, it shows scratches, dirt, and fingerprints too easily. But the polish does fulfill a function since it helps preventing corrosion even if the steel is stainless. The length of the blade is a tad bit over 4 inches, 4 and 11/64 to be more exact.

4 inches of mirror polished drop point, at your service

The steel is the Chinese 9Cr14MoV with a specified Rockwell hardness of 57-59. The knife was rather easy to sharpen so I suspect that you find this blade in the lower to mid end of that range. The difference between medium 57 and high 59 is usually felt when sharpening or reprofiling.

This steel is towards the higher end of Chinese products as far as I know. It is not to be confused with simpler versions of the "alphabet"-steels like 8Cr13- or 8Cr14MoV or even lower grades. But compared with 9Cr18MoV more often seen in folding knives there is less chrome in the mix according to the producer**. I suspect that is to get tougher steel that can take more abuse. But I might get that wrong so somebody with deeper knowledge in metallurgy can correct me.

As said before Erised is full flat ground, that is the blade is thinned out all the way from the back down to the edge. The blade also has a distinct secondary edge. Already on the first trip to the forest, I noticed that the factory edge wasn't something I was crazy about. It didn't bite the way I wanted in foremost wood and that made the knife feel heavy to work with and somewhat clumsy. The edge wanted to glide on top of dry wood instead of biting into it and it felt like you have to put a lot of force behind cuts in other materials like rope, cloth, and cardboard as well. 

The edge was certainly strong, that is rather steep and with much steel behind it. But in addition, it wasn't that sharp either. That's why I widened the secondary bevel a bit to get a bit more aggressive profile and sharpened the knife. Since this knife is no hatchet or not even a large camp knife I don't think it's necessary with such strength.

A rather robust factory edge

Erised was my partner during some of this year's earliest camping and that brought tasks like outdoor cooking, fire preparation, and other camp chores. It also included cutting branches, whittling and lighter batoning.

You can use fire steels with this blade even if it's not the best

With a new edge, the knives bite even in Swedish spruce

Besides that Erised have aided me in the kitchen in cutting bread, vegetables, and of course meat. As usual, I have imitated lighter hunting chores by cutting and deboning chickens and different kind of meat.  

Of course, there have also been more home-oriented tasks as well during the test period and that includes cutting cardboard, plastic, fabrics, and rope of different kinds. Mostly to get to spend even more time with the knife and testing it in different materials as well.  

Cardboard duty for Erised. Some of the boxes from the back yard had some dirt in them that really tested the edge

After resharpening the blade this knife performs much better but to be honest, I want it to be even thinner so I'm planning on hitting it with a sharpening stone again. But already in the current state, the edge bites in wood and the full flat ground makes disposal of boxes and the like a breeze.

All in all, I must say I'm pleased with how this knife performs. It gives an honest impression, it feels in hand the way it looks so to speak. Without being an expert I think it would do fine also as a hunting knife even if I personally would have opted for a smaller finger guard for a pure skinner. But you can sneak up with a finger on the blade to protect the tip from penetrating intestines. Also, pinch grips work decently. Another welcome property is that this steel is very stainless. Something I tested by leaving the knife outside in the yard for a couple of nights.

The knife is also very sturdy so there is no risk for the knife to self destruct any time soon. I have even done some of the "forbidden" tasks for smaller knives like batoning. Given the blade length, it wasn't any larger pieces of wood but gnarly ones instead. Erised rose to the occasion and managed just fine.   

Handle

The within quotation mark flashy handle is made with sides of rosewood that is pinned to a full tang with two mosaic pins. The handle also comes with a lanyard hole. Both the lanyard tube and the finger guard is made out of polished brass. With time and even more use, the material will darken and get a patina.

A rather nice and sturdy handle with sides of rosewood fixed with mosaic pins

The length of the handle is a bit shy of 4,5 inches. It should be enough for most hands, including gloved ones even if I personally always remove hand protection when cutting. I might add that I don't live close to the arctic circle and it's therefore rarely that cold when I use my knives. On the other hand, a few degrees above freezing combined with wind and rain is rather cold for the hands as well.

Strangely enough, the handle feels a tad bit too short despite the measurement tells me it should be sufficient.

The handle shape is clean and simple with a groove for the fingers behind the guard and a palm swell towards the end to fill the hand better. For me, this shape almost works well. I would like to see a more acute angle of the groove near the guard. I want it to be more rounded and less prolonged so the hand comes closer to the guard and thus the blade. As is my hand feels pushed backward when using the knife in a hammer grip. I also believe that is the reason why the handle feels short. 

Despite the measurements, the handle feels a tad short in hand

It feels obvious that the handle is made for a saber grip with the thumb on top. In that position, the fingers naturally fall into place and the rounded back of the handle rests in the palm in a sympathetic manner. The knife is really comfortable to hold this way and you can work for quite a while without the handle creating any hotspots. 

Sheath

With it's ornamented surface the sheath is rather striking. It reminds me of a snake- or maybe alligator skin. What you think of that is, of course, a matter of taste but it sure complements the look of the rest of the knife. The logotype is almost hidden in the debossed leather. The material is sturdy leather that is both stitched and riveted. A simple but well-made sheath.

In order to keep the knife in place a leather strap over the handle is used. It functions well and also makes the knife easy to draw with one hand. Something that might come handy if you are holding something like a rope with your other hand. But the strap doesn't hold the knife firm enough to prevent some slight rattling. A detail that could be improved.

The embossed and colored sheath rides pretty high on the belt

The sheath comes with a loop that can handle belts up to 2 inches wide. The sheath rides rather high as can be seen on the photo above and that is something that I don't always like. For sure the knife is secure but can be in the way both when moving but above all, you can't combine this knife with a larger backpack. Then you have to remove the knife and put in a pocket or outside the backpack instead. But that goes for Mora knives as well and that's why my trusty Mora Companion often travels that way.  

Conclusion

What's the verdict for "Erised 1"? Well, the impressions are predominantly positive, but there is clearly improvement potential. A good attempt from QSP that does not hit the mark entirely is my opinion. In a way, this kind of knives can be as difficult to design as an on paper more complicated folding knives. When making folders you not only have overall lines to consider but also precision and technique in order to get everything right. On a fixed blade those areas aren't as important. A blade connected to a handle, how hard can it be?

But that is a fraudulent simplicity and there within lies the difficulties. On a fundamental level, it is all about creating a blade for a certain purpose and a handle that is ergonomic and user-friendly in relation to whatever area of use intended. But there are many ways of approach that goal and a number of ways to solve the problems that arise along the way.

Besides proper function, you also need looks that speak to the audience, correct pricing, and successful marketing. All the usual stuff.  

Erised in its right habitat

How well does QSP succeed with Erised in these areas? In appearance, the knife is consistent and not amiss. An embossed sheath is the first that meets the eye and it's matched by a knife that is shiny with brass details and a highly polished blade. 

This knife gets a pass from me regarding looks, personally, I prefer a little more restraint when it comes to outdoor knives. I don't mind kitchen knives being a little showy but out in the forest knives can be more subtle and discreet to fit my taste. I would prefer a nice satin as blade finish.

The blade shape is well chosen. Nothing extraordinary except for the finish. What could be better is the factory edge. It wasn't sharp enough but most of all not effective. All knives that are used must be resharpened sooner or later but at that point, the first impression is already imprinted. With a new edge, Erised is a whole new chapter or rather a new knife. The edge needs to be thinned out. This knife is certainly no chopper so the edge doesn't need to be so sturdy. 

The handle is well made with sweeping lines and an ample sterncastle. But details in the curvature could be improved. As it is now the handle feels a bit like it's made for a person with very fat fingers but slim hands. A feeling that is shared with my better half who despite having much smaller hands than me thought the handle was too short. 

Erised is definitely not a "Peacock" but a rather robust outdoor knife

On today's market, however, the actual qualities are not always enough, whether they are excellent or less good. A name is important and what QSP is trying to do is get into on a market that is very competitive especially in this day and age.

Knives in this class are plenty and the problem QSP is facing is that they are less known, especially for this type of knife. Yet, I might add. In this context, the diffuse concept of "affordability" is therefore important. Simply put - the perceived value for your investment money will determine whether to buy this knife or not.

In this case, you get a well-built knife with decent materials although I believe it will take a long time for Chinese steels to get rid of the "low-budget" label they are associated with here in the West despite actual quality and properties. However, the finish on this knife could have been slightly better. My copy didn't suffer from the flaws described on YouTube but areas like the fit between the wood and the tang could be smoother and the plunge-line is interfering with the sharpening notch. But overall the knife is solid construction and also the sheath is very well executed. 

Pricing will, therefore, be decisive. At the time of writing, I can't exactly tell you how much it will be because it is a relatively new knife on the market and it is not widely available yet. But I found it on a European site that sells it for 76 € which is around the same amount in dollars.

In any case, there is no doubt that QSP with this model and some other fixed blade knives together with a number of new folding knives broadened their catalog considerably both in numbers and styles. It is an exciting development that I like to follow.

This is a knife for those who want a good, versatile cutting tool that aims for general outdoor life and perhaps some hunting and fishing. As a bonus, you get a knife that not everybody else has.

Specification:

Length Overall: 218 mm
Blade Length: 106 mm
Stock Thickness: 4,5 mm
Blade Steel: 9Cr14MoV, RC 57-59
Handle: Rosewood over full tang
Weight: 180g, knife alone, 240 g including sheath (weight by me, claimed 248 g)


/ J - on the hunt (for more knives)

* According to my experience so far they don't make knives but the picture perfect "sharpened pry bar". 
** According to the manufacturer Changjiang Steel Co Ltd, https://www.globalsources.com/si/AS/Ahonest-Changjiang/6008848044114/pdtl/High-carbon-chrome-martensitic-stainless-steel-9Cr14MoV/1066850256.htm