- it was bound to happen
It is a good looking little bugger was my first thought when I saw this knife in pictures. It had that sleek look that I fall for lately. It was enhanced by the long elegant line that extends all the way from the tip to the end of the handle. An arch that gives a certain harmony to the whole creation. All crowned with handle sides of micarta and good steel. Not much to complain about in other words. The knife I'm talking about is called Leopard and comes from QSP.
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| QSP 135-C Leopard |
Leopard is a relatively new knife from QSP. An abbreviation that stands for "Quality Service Price". The name sounds much better if you go for the shortening instead of reading it out loud. However, I can testify that they stand for the message itself.
As is often the case with QSP, this knife is available in a couple of different designs. A model has carbon fiber sides or rather that laminate that consists of G10 with a thin sheet of carbon fiber on top. The micarta, on the other hand, is a sympathetic linen micarta in either green or gray, depending on how you prefer your cat.
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| A Leopard wearing green micarta fur |
Twitter version: QSP Leopard, the 2/3 knife that gives you two-thirds brilliance and one-third confusion
Blade
Leopard boasts a sleek and stylish drop point blade. The length of the blade is eight centimeters, of which 77 mm is a sharp edge. Fairly efficient use of blade length in other words. The height is 22 mm and the blade stock is three millimeters thick.
The finish is satin and the blade is crowned by a slightly rounded back. There you also find some grooves for better grip. The marking is extremely discreet with QSP's logo in a mini format on the ricasso on the presentation side and blade steel on the other. Very nicely done!
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| Leopard offers a nice looking and also very good knife blade |
Initially, I said that the steel was good. In this case, it means that it is 14C28N from Sandvik that is the starting point. By "good" I mean that it is competent budget steel. It does not rust easily, takes a good edge, and keeps it reasonably well. But above all, it is easy to grind. A property that is sometimes forgotten in the era of "super steels".
In this case, QSP has managed the properties well and they have crowned it all with a decent factory edge. It is smooth and centered and reasonably sharp. Not the best I came across from QSP though. There is a small miss, the blade has a tendency to show a "smile" as it is sometimes called. The reason is that the edge doesn't clear the plunge line.
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| The steel is 14C28N from Sandvik |
This is a knife blade that cuts really well in stuff. Properties such as thin blade stock, pointy tip, and a full flat grind combined with good steel provide a solid foundation. In materials such as cardboard of different thicknesses and paper, this blade is even excellent. The same goes for plastic and the like at, for example when open packaging. The penetration ability is excellent. The needle-sharp tip penetrates most things with ease.
The blade is even decent for carving
In fact, the blade gets approved in most areas no matter what you cut. The problem is that it does not make much sense to focus on this area because the limitations of the knife are found elsewhere. To test the knife "harder", as in cutting for longer periods of time and doing some proper carving, is in principle impossible or at least not at all convenient. The reason for this can be found below.
Handle
As mentioned, this cat is available in a couple of different variants. You can choose a carbon fiber / G10 laminate in the handle sides or as here linen micarta. It is in turn available in two different colors, gray or green. The Micarta is of good quality and is both chamfered and ground. It gives a very comfortable surface and it does well both in pictures and in reality.
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| The linen micarta that adorns the handle is well-made and of good quality |
The way the knife is built is not much to talk about as it is both relatively simple and well-executed. Leopard has an internal steel frame that is provided with holes to reduce weight. The construction is then partially open in the back with a small backspacer in black G10. It has got a slight gear pattern. A distinctive detail is that the frame rises slightly above the handle sides. Something that can sometimes be sympathetic as it can help round off the handle. In this case, it's not so good.
The knife is held together with two small screws in size T6 in addition to the adjustable pivot screw. On the presentation side of it, you can see QSP's decorative and now typical screw head, but on the back/lock side, you find a regular T8-head. Since QSP's pivot screws are D-shaped, there is no problem with either loosening or adjusting them.
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| The back is mostly open |
The shape of the handle itself is slim with a slightly curved back. It extends from a rudimentary finger guard which is reinforced by the small flipper tab at the front, via a sweeping line to a small platform at the rear. The handle ends with a tip. A lanyard hole has also been incorporated there.
Then here is the giant Achilles heel of this knife. The comfort is lousy already when the knife is held and the ergonomics even worse. Unfortunately, there is no nicer way to put it. No matter how I do it, there is no way to grasp this handle that feels good. It may be that my hands are unique, but considering all the previous positive experiences from QSP Knives, I do not think that is where the problem lies.
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| The length itself is not a problem, but if the index finger is placed behind the finger guard/flipper tab not much space remains and what is narrows at the back. This makes the knife want to slide out of the hand if the handle is held tight |
A normal hammer grip does not work at all. If the hand is placed where it is intended, with the index finger behind the finger guard, only room for three fingers remains. The little finger ends up on the angled rear end of the handle. Which is perhaps the point, what do I know? But in that grip, the hand ends up both far behind the edge and the pivot point of the knife and besides, the clip cuts really create a hot spot when you take a firmer grip on the knife. The result is a blade that is difficult to control and uncomfortable. Not good at all!
To create more space, the hammer grip can be moved slightly forward so that the index finger instead of behind ends up over the flathead flipper tab. The grooves there seem to have a purpose. But then an empty space arises under the fingers because the handle is not high enough to fill the hand. Also, the contact with the clip in this position is even more uncomfortable as both the "loop" where the clip bends and the tip digs into the hand.
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| Nothing gets better in saber grip because space is still just as cramped. Since the photo is taken holding the knife in the left hand one problem is avoided |
And in a saber grip, it does not get much better. If the knife is intuitively gripped, the thumb ends up on top of the pivot screw because the finger guard pushes the hand backward. That grip is really tiresome because the handle tapers backward whilst being curved. It makes it feel like the knife wants to escape out of your hand like a slippery soap. That feeling is reinforced the harder you hold, paradoxically. A feeling I suspect is even worse on the more slippery carbon fiber version. This grip is only usable to poke with and again only three fingers fit and the clip is uncomfortable. If the grip is instead adjusted so that the thumb rests on the intended grooves, the control over the blade will be good, but the impact of the clip will be even worse.
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| These are the only reasonably functioning ways to hold this knife. But in the first with the index finger over the flipper tab, the clip feels even more. The last picture illustrates the only way for me to hold the Leopard |
The one grip that actually works fine is when the index finger is placed on the back of the blade, but it is not a particularly versatile grip so it does not save the handle.
Opening and Lock
Leopard opens with a flipper that tricks you. It looks like any flipper tab even though it is lower and more discreet than average. What is deceiving is that it can not be used at all by pushing down, despite the elongated surface being provided with attractive grooves that just look like they want to be pushed.
In fact, this is basically a front flipper. It is made to be pulled back and nothing else.
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| A discreet and very effective flipper tab once you have learned how to use it |
Once you have figured that out, this knife is exceptionally fast. The geometry with a flipper tab placed in front of the pivot point in combination with ceramic ball bearings gives the desired result. It is also fairly intuitive to find the tab. Just follow the front of the handle and pull your finger back and the grooves make for a safe ride. It's hard to miss an opening with this knife. Overall, this is one of the cat's main strengths.
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| A liner lock in steel |
Leopard has a liner lock in steel. Thus, no lock bar reinforcements or overtravel stops are needed. The lock is relatively easy to access and disengage. The lock bar is not overly strong and the rounded polished surface has been given a little pattern to give a better grip. The micarta slab on the opposite side has also been recessed to facilitate access to the lock.
The lock works flawlessly. A detail that QSP has made themselves known for. This lock is very stable and not least secure. It never happens that the knife fails to lock and it does not slip even with a lighter "spine whack", ie it can handle loads even from the wrong direction on the blade. Something good for making the knife safer if you poke or drill with it, for example.
To Carry
Weight and outer dimensions are very pocket-friendly, I must say. A length of just over ten centimeters is certainly a fairly common measure, and not excessive. Then the knife is fairly slim with 2,7 centimeters in height and a width of 1,3 centimeters. The weight ends up at a low 82 grams.
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| A clip that includes a couple of misses. It digs into the hand when the knife is used and the screws protrude and steal space. The worst thing, however, is that the tip points outwards! |
The clip is a fold-over steel clip that allows the knife to sit fairly deep in the pocket without being a real "deep-carry" clip. The tension is good and keeps the knife in place. The size of the ramp is also decent. The clip is fairly easy to get over the edge, even on jeans or work pants. So far so good, but now one of the disadvantages of the clip is discovered. It is held in place with a couple of tandem-mounted T6-screws. The placement or rather sort of screws are not very well thought through, however. The problem with them is that they are neither recessed nor flat. This means that they steal space where the fabric should be.
Another and worse sin has been committed to that the tip of the clip points outwards. It is a big shortcoming in my opinion and something I never appreciate on any knife. It is completely unnecessary and gives a clip that is directly uncomfortable to hold. Especially when the handle is shaped the way it is. The small size of the tip saves the situation a little. But it's still not good.
To Conclude
Leopard was not quite what I was hoping for compared to what I saw online. Pictures can always be deceiving, which was proven in this case. I really liked the slim look with its harmonious lines. This especially applies to what the line from the back of the blade and all the way to the end of the handle looks like. Micarta is also a material that gives a little luxury and flair to most things so it looked really nice on paper.
The materials in general are also more than decent for the price class. QSP does not usually skimp on them and they didn't this time either. Handle in linen micarta as mentioned, blade in Swedish Sandvik steel, and ceramic ball bearings. Not bad, especially considering the really good build quality. The Q in QSP cannot be commented on.
Both appearance and material choice thus speak in Leopard's favor.
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| I thought the Leopard was a given as it resembled two other knives I have in my collection both in shape and size, Viper Key and Steel Will Sedge |
So does the blade. Not only is it neat and proportionate with the rest of the knife with a sweeping plunge line that enhances the overall looks of the knife. It also cuts damn well! Relatively thin stock paired with a full flat grind gives excellent results. This is especially true of the needle-sharp tip. Overall, this is a very good knife blade, not least for EDC use.
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| The blade is really good for EDC use, too bad it is not matched with an equally good handle |
But it is the handle that really messes it up. I do not know what went wrong at the design stage but it did not turn out well. Obviously, people with different sizes of hands have not been allowed to try the handle before it went into production. But I have asked my girlfriend to test the handle as a representative of someone with smaller paws than me and she did not like it either. Maybe it works for really small Asian hands, that's more than I can tell. In any case, it doesn't fit my hands at all.
The handle is too small even though it measures over ten centimeters in length, which is usually enough for most folding knives. QSP also has several other models with roughly the same dimensions but significantly more space for the hand so it is not that they can not do better. Knives like Parrot, Hawk, and Penguin are proof of that.
The feeling of insufficient size is aggravated by the shape as the handle tapers backward, which makes it feel like the whole knife is striving forward and wants to jump out of the hand if you grip it harder. All aggravated by a clip that really gnaws into the soft parts. And that even before you start using the knife. It is uncomfortable to both hold and use.
As it is now, I can hardly use the knife. Only for very light tasks such as opening a package or cutting a string. In that role, however, it is very sympathetic as the flipper opening is lightning fast and the knife is also easy to close. So there is nothing wrong with the action.
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| QSP Leopard, a nice and well-built knife in good materials but for hands other than mine |
It was bound to happen I wrote as a subheading. This is the first time I did not like a knife from QSP. Overall, it is otherwise one of my favorite brands actually. They have repeatedly proven that what the abbreviation stands for is true.
But all in all, I can not recommend Leopard, at least not to a person with larger hands. But the knife still looks very good and is well built with fine materials. So if you have small hands and only demands very light duties from your everyday companion, it's not a bad knife.
Specification:
Length Overall: 185 mm
Length Folded: 105 mm
Weight: 82 g
Blade Length: 80 mm
Blade Thickness: mm
Blade Steel: Sandvik 14C28N
Handle: Micarta
Lock: Liner lock
Produced by: QSP, made in China
/ J - not convinced
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