- A fish among fishes?
Ever heard about the brand "QSP"? Probably not and I hadn't either before it was introduced to me on Instagram. It is a rather new brand to the international scene. Solid knives it seems but the name made me think twice. According to their website it's the initials in their slogan "Quality, Service and Price" and thereby easy to remember they claim. It might be something of a cultural clash when it comes to naming. Not as strange as "Harnds" for instance but anyway. I'll admit it's not always easy coming up with new brand names and the name is quite pronouncable.
Is QSP perhaps another contender for the budget throne?
Big and pointy - rather "sharky" in appearance
Internet deliveries meets QSP. So-so in the kitchen, the Shark takes better care of the remains
A big handle that fills the hand and is good also for those with shovels for hands
The straight shape is interrupted by a couple of chamfered sections especially towards the bottom and of course a choil. The finger choil is in this case really good. Proper depth with a nice shape to it and the sides of the handle are contoured to match the choil.
Speaking of sides these are made of black G10. The knife can also be had in green if you so prefer. The texture of the G10 is medium to fine which gives adequate grip. The only objection I have is that if it feels good now this kind of texture tends to be rather slippery after some years of use.
A couple of details worth mentioning as a token of good build quality.
The base of the blade follows the handle contours and the jimpings are excellent
Simply put - there is a lot of knife to carry
A shiny clip and definitely to much visible knife for my taste
A very sturdy EDC-knife that don't mind being accompanied by something smaller
If you like the lines and larger EDC-blades - buy it! It's hard to find better quality for the prize
One can always think about how much cooperation different knife producers have among each other or the degree of influence at least. The reason for that is that this model isn't too far from a recent knife from Rike when it comes to overall lines. That without being a copy in any way. But both of them it turn resembles an old Jim Hammond design from CRKT named "Mirage" by the way. In the same way the blade on Real Steels newly released "Havran" is very similar to this knife and that includes the "parallelogramshaped" hole. It was released after this model and are quite a bit more expensive.
I can recommend this knife as solid hard worker that actually looks more than half decent even if it's no mannequin. Or almost recommend it as "hard use", the tip is a bit too fragile for really hard tasks. But you get a proper slicer and that for a cost that keeps you from feeling sick if you happen to cut into something hard or unsuitable. But if you want maximal performance out of the blade I have to recommend a slight re-profiling of the edge. The angle makes it durable but isn't optimal for being a slicing machine.
But QSP doesn't lie when they say that quality, service and price is their motto. So far I can agree with that. If the "P" also could stand for "personality" I would be even more happy.
QSP QS-103A "Shark"
But the name isn't a lie as far as I can tell. The brand can be seen as a representative of a new wave of Chinese knives that recently showed up here in the West that offers good quality and performance in relation to price level. I might add that they answered extremely fast on mail. It seems that they like a number of other OEM-manufacturer decided to go for it and use all the knowledge and production capacity they accumulated over time and start a brand of their own. The question that remains is how well they managed?
Is QSP perhaps another contender for the budget throne?
Twitter version: A shark among sharks, a fish in the shoal but it swims fast and rather well.
Blade
You expect certain traits from a shark such as a sharp and somewhat aggressive snout. That's the case here. When the knife is opened a rather big and very pointy droppoint is presented. It can even be argued that it is close to being a spearpoint. It measures 9 centimeters in length, is 3 centimeters tall and 3,5 millimeters thick. The looks is enhanced by a hearty swedge that runs almost the entire length of the back of the blade.
Big and pointy - rather "sharky" in appearance
The grind is flat and high. It covers almost two thirds of the height of the blade and the finish is a semi-polished satin. The logotype is pronounced but not too large so it is at least approved by me. On the opposite side you can find steel type marked with very small font. The material is 440C. No objections there since it's a budget knife we are talking about. Personally I prefer 440C over 8Cr13MoV even if Chinese 9Cr18MoV had worked equally well or why not 14C28N from Sandvik? But those three alternatives are more or less equivalent so it might be of less importance from a performance aspect. My experience of this particular 440C so far is that it's rather corrosion resistant but doesn't hold an edge that well. The knife requires a few strokes with the sharpening rod from time to time.
The thickness of the stock is there but isn't that notable since the blade is thinned out. The knife arrived rather sharp and shaved hair with slight pressure out of box.
The thickness of the stock is there but isn't that notable since the blade is thinned out. The knife arrived rather sharp and shaved hair with slight pressure out of box.
When you start using the knife it soon becomes quite noticeable that this is a "modern" knife. That unfortunately means that it shares characteristics with most other large folders of this type. It is too thick behind the edge! So despite being sharp and having an almost full flat grind it doesn't cut as well as it could have. In the kitchen the Shark didn't show its most sharp set of teeth I must say. Sure, it cut tomatoes and celery and other greens decently but not with flying colors. The sharp tip came handy when peeling onions though.
The knife is obviously not suited for this area of use so I gave up quite soon. But speaking of food the household had an abundance of sturdy cardboard boxes after a recent delivery from an Internet store. "Attack" I thought. Well, things went better! The rather broad blade gives good control and the flat grind don't mess with the material too much. But the rather steep edge angle calls for a certain amount of pressure when cutting. But it works better here than in the kitchen that's for sure.
The knife is obviously not suited for this area of use so I gave up quite soon. But speaking of food the household had an abundance of sturdy cardboard boxes after a recent delivery from an Internet store. "Attack" I thought. Well, things went better! The rather broad blade gives good control and the flat grind don't mess with the material too much. But the rather steep edge angle calls for a certain amount of pressure when cutting. But it works better here than in the kitchen that's for sure.
Internet deliveries meets QSP. So-so in the kitchen, the Shark takes better care of the remains
After that I handled some hard plastics, pieces of old carpet and other more macho materials. The tip withstood a number of harder penetrations into hard plastic and slight prying without damaging. The belly and the broad blade made it easy to control cuts in tougher substances. When doing penetrating cuts I appreciate the deep finger choil, the flipper which acts like a fingerguard, the jimpings and the sturdy lock. These features makes the knife feels safe for this kind of work.
Such a large knife with this geometry is perhaps more suited for wood was a thought that crossed my mind. I looked into the matter partly by camping life and partly by garden work of sorts. Unfortunately there is a fire ban at the moment after some month of very unusual drought in my neck of the woods. So no wood processing for fire but instead some whittling. Of course it handled fresh twigs rather well, most knives with half an edge does. But it can be said that hardwood isn't this knife's area of expertise. The edge angle isn't optimized for this which makes it hard to put some force behind cuts. It can be done but not with joy.
Such a large knife with this geometry is perhaps more suited for wood was a thought that crossed my mind. I looked into the matter partly by camping life and partly by garden work of sorts. Unfortunately there is a fire ban at the moment after some month of very unusual drought in my neck of the woods. So no wood processing for fire but instead some whittling. Of course it handled fresh twigs rather well, most knives with half an edge does. But it can be said that hardwood isn't this knife's area of expertise. The edge angle isn't optimized for this which makes it hard to put some force behind cuts. It can be done but not with joy.
After four heavy cardboard boxes, a couple of plastic containers and some wood sharpness started to give in
During this work the handle performed alright but didn't excel to my surprise. Despite being a real hand filler and rather wide it like many other knives, is a bit "squarish" over the neck - that is at the front of the handle. Exactly where the soft parts of your hand ends up if you really bare down on the knife.
That goes for hammer grip that is. If you instead shifts to a saber grip with the thumb on the spine of the blade the handle presents itself better. But all in all the Shark gets an over average score in the handle department. It was especially obvious when I used reverse grip for cutting some old carpet. The handle is a real handful and worked quite well even if it was a really challenging task for the poor edge.
That goes for hammer grip that is. If you instead shifts to a saber grip with the thumb on the spine of the blade the handle presents itself better. But all in all the Shark gets an over average score in the handle department. It was especially obvious when I used reverse grip for cutting some old carpet. The handle is a real handful and worked quite well even if it was a really challenging task for the poor edge.
It can also be said that the knife is somewhat handle-heavy. The point of balance is found far back in the finger choil rather than around the pivot area. This is often the case with budget folders with steel frames that is not drilled out.
Handle
The handle of the Shark is a kind of "stick". That is a straight and rather simplistic handle that in this case are distinguished by a couple of details. First of all it's rather thick. If that is considered bad or good depends. Of course it's dependent of hand size. Personally I have no problems but if you have smaller hands it can be problematic. The other aspect is whether the knife is being used or carried. To be honest most pocketknives spend the majority of their time in the pocket and not in hand. So how they carry are rather important.
This is a substantial knife with a length of over twelve centimeters folded. Add to that a quite tall handle, a weight of 160 grams and an overall thickness of about thirteen millimeters and you got yourself a pocket filler.
This is a substantial knife with a length of over twelve centimeters folded. Add to that a quite tall handle, a weight of 160 grams and an overall thickness of about thirteen millimeters and you got yourself a pocket filler.
A big handle that fills the hand and is good also for those with shovels for hands
If you are hard using a knife it's most often a good thing. Not as good in pocket but more on that topic later.
The straight shape is interrupted by a couple of chamfered sections especially towards the bottom and of course a choil. The finger choil is in this case really good. Proper depth with a nice shape to it and the sides of the handle are contoured to match the choil.
Speaking of sides these are made of black G10. The knife can also be had in green if you so prefer. The texture of the G10 is medium to fine which gives adequate grip. The only objection I have is that if it feels good now this kind of texture tends to be rather slippery after some years of use.
A couple of details worth mentioning as a token of good build quality.
The base of the blade follows the handle contours and the jimpings are excellent
The construction is rather straight forward. One piece of sturdy steel frame, unfortunately not drilled out in any way shape or form which severely harms the overall weight. Over that sides in G10 screwed in place with Torx T5. The knife have a closed back with a backspacer that also forms a lanyard hole. It looks a bit pointy but actually works rather good in hand without poking.
The pivot screw is "semi-decorated" but thankfully it can bu adjusted with an ordinary Torx driver. The same goes for the rest of the screws. The steel quality in them are alright but I think they could go for one size bigger. Small screw heads are easy to strip even with proper tools. And it also looks a bit underwhelming on such a large knife.
The pivot screw is "semi-decorated" but thankfully it can bu adjusted with an ordinary Torx driver. The same goes for the rest of the screws. The steel quality in them are alright but I think they could go for one size bigger. Small screw heads are easy to strip even with proper tools. And it also looks a bit underwhelming on such a large knife.
The general build quality is over all splendid especially considered the price class. There are no obvious misses, bad joints or forgotten sharp corners. The screws are recessed as they should and edges are rounded and chamfered. An example of good thinking is how the base of the blade follows the shape of the handle in closed position. It's both visually appealing and softer in pocket.
Opening and Lock
The Shark can be opened two ways. First and foremost the knife is a flipper which both the bearings and the tuning of the detent suggests. But the "parallelogram hole" isn't only for looks but can be used to open the knife. A detail that I personally really appreciates since I don't always feels like whipping out my blades with the accompanying loud noise. The alternative soft sweep with the thumb is therefore a good complement. I might add that this method works but isn't the best.The hole is partly covered and is rather small so the accessibility aren't that great.
The Shark is mainly a flipper knife but there is a hole in the blade for thumb opening
The function of the flipper is splendid and one contributing factor is how it is an integrated part of the curvature of the handle. It makes it easy to find even in the dark. The knife can be opened both by "push button" or "light switch" action. Both alternatives work equally well. For being such a substantial blade this knife has a really crisp action. But I wouldn't mind if the flipper itself were more textured. As is you can sometimes slip especially since it well rounded and chamfered.
Another detail that indicates that this company been around for a while is that the handle have what I refer to as a "landing strip". That is the inside of the top of the frame is softened in order not to chew up your finger as it lands after the opening motion. A detail that sometimes is overlooked.
Another detail that indicates that this company been around for a while is that the handle have what I refer to as a "landing strip". That is the inside of the top of the frame is softened in order not to chew up your finger as it lands after the opening motion. A detail that sometimes is overlooked.
A sturdy and well-made liner lock
The lock is a simple and functional one. A liner lock in steel. It does what it is supposed to without fuss. No play in any direction, no stick and it doesn't slide even under pressure. Well, I haven't done any "Cold Steel-testing" but you get what I mean. Negative forces on the blade don't result in the lock bar moving. Something that I think is even more important with larger knives since they invites to harder use. In order to provide for ease of access the right side of the G10-scale is recessed.
The lock can be released with the left hand too even if it's more fiddly. Lefties should be used by now I guess since this is the case more often than not.
All in all the Shark have a very secure and well functioning lock.
The lock can be released with the left hand too even if it's more fiddly. Lefties should be used by now I guess since this is the case more often than not.
All in all the Shark have a very secure and well functioning lock.
To Carry
Most knives have one or more weak spots and in pocket the "Shark" is on dry land. It isn't a complete joy to carry. You can feel the 160 g even if it isn't over the top regarding the rest of the measurements. The rather thick G10 and the more than three and half inch blade blade are part of the problem but foremost it's the massive steel frame that contributes to the overall weight. In this case the option could be to add a dollar or two on the price and let the CNC pass a couple of times more. There are other budget offerings that manage that so it is doable. That would also have a healthy effect on the weight distribution for a better balance.
Simply put - there is a lot of knife to carry
Then there are two areas that almost more that the absolute weight contributes to the knife feeling somewhat ungainly. In part it's the pure size of the handle with a width over half an inch and a length of 4,7 inches. And then it's how the clip is shaped. The thickness is a price to pay if you choose to make a knife that is a hand filler. It goes for other larger knives as well and classics as Buck 110 and EKA Swede 92 can serve as good examples. The difference however is that they don't have clips and comes with belt sheaths. The Shark really takes its place in the pocket! A sturdy frame and equally substantial sides takes its toll to put it simple.
A shiny clip and definitely to much visible knife for my taste
The clip works and works well when it comes to pure function. It has good spring to it and a well shaped lip makes the knife easy to pull and put away. At least that goes for thinner summer shorts which have been the dominate garment during the heat wave we had during the test period.
Another very positive property is the relative flat shape that stops the clip from digging in to your palm during use. It might sound obvious but it's not despite how long knife clips has been around by now. Many knives fail here but not this one.
One problem with this sort of simpler standardized clips is that they often shows to much knife for my liking. Since the knife rides higher the weight also become more prominent compared to if the center of mass sits lower in your pocket.
Considering how much knife you have in your pocket there is, however, no risk of losing it.
Another very positive property is the relative flat shape that stops the clip from digging in to your palm during use. It might sound obvious but it's not despite how long knife clips has been around by now. Many knives fail here but not this one.
One problem with this sort of simpler standardized clips is that they often shows to much knife for my liking. Since the knife rides higher the weight also become more prominent compared to if the center of mass sits lower in your pocket.
Considering how much knife you have in your pocket there is, however, no risk of losing it.
Conclusion
It is rather doubtful if I should have discovered this brand or at least not as soon if this knife hadn't been send to me. A fellow knife nut on Instagram had two versions of this model and thought I should became closer acquainted with QSP as a brand and gave it to me. I therefore would like to say THANKS to the person concerned.
My first impression of QS103A "Shark" was that it is quite a large knife. I had no preconceptions and was a bit surprised when seeing it in person. Sharks can be a bit overwhelming you know. I also felt that the handle was bigger, especially wider than most knives even the ones in similar size. The knife therefore felt ergonomic and good in hand but also a bit clumsy. Part of the explanation can be found in the fact that the balance isn't strictly neutral but shifted a little towards the handle. It also makes the weight more apparent. But I also noted that the handle felt comfortable in almost every grip.
My first impression of QS103A "Shark" was that it is quite a large knife. I had no preconceptions and was a bit surprised when seeing it in person. Sharks can be a bit overwhelming you know. I also felt that the handle was bigger, especially wider than most knives even the ones in similar size. The knife therefore felt ergonomic and good in hand but also a bit clumsy. Part of the explanation can be found in the fact that the balance isn't strictly neutral but shifted a little towards the handle. It also makes the weight more apparent. But I also noted that the handle felt comfortable in almost every grip.
A very sturdy EDC-knife that don't mind being accompanied by something smaller
Behind the brand QSP you find the company MingHui Industrial which like many other Chinese knife producers earlier concentrated only on OEM-manufacturing and/or focused on the home market. That experience can be seen here, there is nothing about the quality that suggests that this is a newcomer. Quite contrary this knife is full of small details that clearly states that they done this before. Good examples are: the even and consistent edge, rounded edges even on the inside of the frame, chamfered hole and flipper, excellent jimpings and a sturdy well made lock. The list goes on. The knife is simply put more well built than many others with a number of well thought of details.
But sometimes I also feel that the Shark lacks something to get the highest marks. This "something" is personality I guess. The knife is a little to anonymous and besides the pointy tip it's not much that stands out. Personality in knives or rather character is something that either derives from good designers, they can be in-house or external or is something that comes with time. Which way QSP chooses remains to be seen. With this particular model they are not there yet. But it is fore sure a nice first acquaintance.
But sometimes I also feel that the Shark lacks something to get the highest marks. This "something" is personality I guess. The knife is a little to anonymous and besides the pointy tip it's not much that stands out. Personality in knives or rather character is something that either derives from good designers, they can be in-house or external or is something that comes with time. Which way QSP chooses remains to be seen. With this particular model they are not there yet. But it is fore sure a nice first acquaintance.
If you like the lines and larger EDC-blades - buy it! It's hard to find better quality for the prize
One can always think about how much cooperation different knife producers have among each other or the degree of influence at least. The reason for that is that this model isn't too far from a recent knife from Rike when it comes to overall lines. That without being a copy in any way. But both of them it turn resembles an old Jim Hammond design from CRKT named "Mirage" by the way. In the same way the blade on Real Steels newly released "Havran" is very similar to this knife and that includes the "parallelogramshaped" hole. It was released after this model and are quite a bit more expensive.
I can recommend this knife as solid hard worker that actually looks more than half decent even if it's no mannequin. Or almost recommend it as "hard use", the tip is a bit too fragile for really hard tasks. But you get a proper slicer and that for a cost that keeps you from feeling sick if you happen to cut into something hard or unsuitable. But if you want maximal performance out of the blade I have to recommend a slight re-profiling of the edge. The angle makes it durable but isn't optimal for being a slicing machine.
But QSP doesn't lie when they say that quality, service and price is their motto. So far I can agree with that. If the "P" also could stand for "personality" I would be even more happy.
Specification:
Total Length: 214 mm
Folded Length: 121 mm
Weight: 161 g (on my scale)
Blade Length: 90 mm
Blade Thickness: 3,5 mm
Blade Steel: 440C
Handle: G10 on steel frame
Lock: Liner lock
Produced by: QSP, made in China.
/ J - diving with a shark
