- Joined
- Aug 26, 2005
- Messages
- 1,180
I’ve been searching for the perfect EDC knife ever since I decided it was time for me to downsize from my usual EDC rotation of the Benchmade Skirmish 630BK1 and Spyderco Manix C95 that I’ve used for several years. My first attempt was in form of the wonderful Spyderco Sage 2, what a great knife, the fit and finish of my Sage 2 is near perfection and it opens and closes as smooth as silk but it was just too much of a step down in size (for me) after being so use to the larger EDC’s. I saw pictures of the A.G. Russell Acies, a Titanium framelock with a blade of ZDP-189 and a Hinderer stabilizer; it looked like it could make a very nice every day carry so I figured I’d give it a try.
For me the Acies is the near perfect size for an EDC, it feels great in my somewhat larger hands and I attribute that to the length and slightly curved shape of the handle. The Acies ZDP-189 blade cuts like a scalpel and is probably the sharpest knife I’ve ever received right out of the box. Mr. Russell did a great job designing the shape of this blade and the amount of blade length and height you get given the size of the handle is near perfection. When first saw videos of the Acies online I wondered why there wasn’t another pillar along the back of the knife but now I believe that it would have prevented the Acies from having what I believe is near perfect blade to handle ratio.
I wasn’t so sure about the pocket clip at first but once I moved it for tip up carry (the setup I prefer) it worked great, the clip may even aid in the knife filling my hand a tad more and I’ve noticed that it allows my pinky a place to grip when opening the knife without applying any pressure on the lockbar. My Acies locks up beautifully with zero blade play; the lockbar was a tad sticky at first but a couple evenings of opening and closing the knife while watching a movie alleviated any stickiness. The Acies has the Hinderer stabilizer which should help to prevent the lockbar from being over flexed when disengaging the lock. I carry the Acies in my right front jeans pocket and with its size and shape I rarely notice that it’s there which is exactly what I was looking for in a knife of this size. The clip allows the entire knife to rest inside the pocket so I attached a small lanyard that I’d bought from the Busse website a year or two ago and the setup works perfect for me.
My son, who also has a fondness of well made knives (maybe it genetic <grin>) was over this past weekend and while handling the Acies he mentioned that he hadn’t heard much about this knife but said he really like it a lot and he planned on putting on his “to buy” list. He then said something that is probably true, he said IF the Acies had featured a blade that was twice as thick, just for the sake of looking beefier (a bit more tactical looking) even if it no longer cut as well, he said he’d bet that the knife would be a bigger hit even thought it probably would NOT function as well as does in its current form. He’s probably right, I know that love the look of some of the more tactical (whatever that actually means) looking knives that are available now and I do buy them and enjoy them (plan to buy more) but I’m so glad that I didn't overlook the Acies because it’s exactly what I was looking for in an EDC.
For me the Acies is the near perfect size for an EDC, it feels great in my somewhat larger hands and I attribute that to the length and slightly curved shape of the handle. The Acies ZDP-189 blade cuts like a scalpel and is probably the sharpest knife I’ve ever received right out of the box. Mr. Russell did a great job designing the shape of this blade and the amount of blade length and height you get given the size of the handle is near perfection. When first saw videos of the Acies online I wondered why there wasn’t another pillar along the back of the knife but now I believe that it would have prevented the Acies from having what I believe is near perfect blade to handle ratio.
I wasn’t so sure about the pocket clip at first but once I moved it for tip up carry (the setup I prefer) it worked great, the clip may even aid in the knife filling my hand a tad more and I’ve noticed that it allows my pinky a place to grip when opening the knife without applying any pressure on the lockbar. My Acies locks up beautifully with zero blade play; the lockbar was a tad sticky at first but a couple evenings of opening and closing the knife while watching a movie alleviated any stickiness. The Acies has the Hinderer stabilizer which should help to prevent the lockbar from being over flexed when disengaging the lock. I carry the Acies in my right front jeans pocket and with its size and shape I rarely notice that it’s there which is exactly what I was looking for in a knife of this size. The clip allows the entire knife to rest inside the pocket so I attached a small lanyard that I’d bought from the Busse website a year or two ago and the setup works perfect for me.
My son, who also has a fondness of well made knives (maybe it genetic <grin>) was over this past weekend and while handling the Acies he mentioned that he hadn’t heard much about this knife but said he really like it a lot and he planned on putting on his “to buy” list. He then said something that is probably true, he said IF the Acies had featured a blade that was twice as thick, just for the sake of looking beefier (a bit more tactical looking) even if it no longer cut as well, he said he’d bet that the knife would be a bigger hit even thought it probably would NOT function as well as does in its current form. He’s probably right, I know that love the look of some of the more tactical (whatever that actually means) looking knives that are available now and I do buy them and enjoy them (plan to buy more) but I’m so glad that I didn't overlook the Acies because it’s exactly what I was looking for in an EDC.
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