A. G. Russell Gentleman's Pen Knife

Railsplitter

Railsplitter

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Oct 31, 2010
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I just saw these on AG's website and I like the looks of them. I'm not crazy about the offshore production and I wish there was a jigged bone option but aside from that, it looks like a good little knife at 3 inches closed. I know it would be well made being an A. G. Russell product.

I might have to get one for the watch pocket and see how I like it. I would probably go with the pearl but I'm wondering why those covers aren't pinned.

Anybody out there got one of these that could share some thoughts? All comments welcome whether you own one or not.

Thanks.

 
Pinning pearl is always a challenge. Easy to chip out out around the pin. That's the only reason I could think of for not doing it.

Those aren't bad looking knives.
 
Thanks, Glenn. I thought that might be the case. I have one pearl handled knife and it's pinned but it's a custom so that's understandable.
 
Looks quite useful for most daily tasks. And rounded ends mean very comfy carry. Although I think a straight edge blade would be more useful than two pen blades.
 
neal70 said:
I wonder if they are single or double springs/sprung.
Thanks, Neal
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I watched a short video on the knife and although the shot of the backspring was very brief, it looked like a single spring design. I'll have to take another look.
 
I'm not crazy about the blade selection or the size of the bolsters, but I dig the overall size!
 
Railsplitter..I live a few minutes from AGs shop. I can go get some detailed pics if you want. Beyond backspring pics, any others you would like?
 
Has anyone noticed the "pipe knife", of similar make? I've seen gun cleaning knives of similar construction to it as well. Makes me wish I still smoked my pipes, but with the little guy around...not so much.
Thanks, Neal
 
YellowSwiss said:
Railsplitter..I live a few minutes from AGs shop. I can go get some detailed pics if you want. Beyond backspring pics, any others you would like?
Click to expand...

Wow, that's a really nice offer! I wouldn't want to put you through the trouble but if you happen to be going anyway, maybe some pictures of how fat the stag is. I'm starting to lean towards the stag now but I don't want it if it's too fat and/or not symmetrical on each side. I guess that would depend on the individual knife though. Also would like to see what the white bone looks like in a "real" picture.

I would be happy with just about any pics but only if you're going there anyway. Thank you for the very kind offer.
 
neal70 said:
Has anyone noticed the "pipe knife", of similar make? I've seen gun cleaning knives of similar construction to it as well. Makes me wish I still smoked my pipes, but with the little guy around...not so much.
Thanks, Neal
Click to expand...

I did see that one, Neal. It was also in the video that I watched.
 
Of course I'd rather they be made in the US, but I'm a fan of the AG Russel knives. I rather like the steel and the F&F on the examples I've handled has been fantastic.

My favorite and the only one I currently own:

20170302_154103_zpsijehqb5l.jpg
 
Wurrwulf said:
I'm not crazy about the blade selection or the size of the bolsters, but I dig the overall size!
Click to expand...

Will Power said:
Bolsters are too large for such a small knife, this detracts in my view.
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I think for me it's the larger blade that mostly attracts me to the knife. Looks like a blade that I would find handy. The tiny pen blade on the other hand, would rarely be used. In fact, I would be happy if this were a single blade knife with only the larger blade which I'm sure is pretty small to begin with.

The bolsters remind me of the Case Eisenhower pattern. I've always admired that pattern but never carry mine because the handle is just too dainty. This one looks like there is considerably more handle to grab onto despite the fact that it's a little shorter than the Eisenhower.
 
T.L.E. Sharp said:
Of course I'd rather they be made in the US, but I'm a fan of the AG Russel knives. I rather like the steel and the F&F on the examples I've handled has been fantastic.
Click to expand...

I share you sentiments, Bryce. In the past I've owned AG's Curved Regular Jack and Sowbelly Trapper. They were both a bit too large for me but the F&F was exceptional on both examples.
 
I received my A.G. Russell Gentleman's Pen Knife today and I thought I would do a mini review for those who might be interested. I went back and forth deciding which covers to get but in the end I decided on the smooth white bone.

I apologize in advance for the poor photos.

Here it is next to my Old Timer 34OT for size reference. At 3" closed it's the size I was looking for although I would have gone up to 3 1/8" if necessary.





My experience with A.G. Russel knives made in China has been that the fit & finish is very good to excellent. The two that I've owned in the past were both very well finished in the backspring area. This one is satisfactory but not the tight tolerances of those other two.



Note in the photo above that this is a single spring knife. The backspring is rather wide which I like. I suppose that Mr. Russell used this design so that the blades wouldn't rub as seen in the photo below. They don't touch each other or the liners because the wide backspring leaves room for a catch bit at each end. The blades are also offset and not crinked. Pretty nice.



This knife incorporates the stop pins that A.G. Russell knives are notorious for. A feature that eliminates the possibility of the blade edges contacting the backspring. Again, pretty nice.



I chose this knife because I wanted an equal end pen knife with a blade that is a little different than those found on most pen knives. I didn't really know what kind of blade I wanted exactly but I knew I wanted something different than a long slender spear or clip blade. I didn't want a Wharncliffe blade either because I'm currently carrying a Case/Bose Norfolk with a Wharncliffe blade. The pen knife I was looking for would be a companion to the Norfolk and carried in my watch pocket. I stumbled upon this knife by searching A.G.'s website because I couldn't find anything anywhere else. It caught my attention right away because of the shape of the main blade.



I'm a just a little bit disappointed by the minor gaps in the backspring because I was expecting better based on my past experience. It won't keep me from carrying and enjoying the knife and overall I'm satisfied with my purchase. It's got some nice features and I feel lucky to have found what I was looking for. In the pocket it goes. Can't wait to see how I like it after a few weeks.

Did I mention that I just love that Main blade? :D

Thanks for reading.

 
Thanks for the review Rick. AG always does a nice job with his blades IMO.
 
Nice review, Rick. Thanks for posting it. I've been happy with the A.G. Russell knives I've purchased too.
 
Good looking knife, Rick, and a good, thorough review! :thumbup:

I was trying to figure out what about the main blade looked a bit odd to me, then I got to the part about the stop pins and I realized what it was. What I was noticing was that the edge of the blade is lower (if that's the right word) than the "kick" on the tang. I guess that would only be possible on a knife with a stop pin.

It's an interesting knife, for sure. Sorry to hear that it didn't quite live up to your expectations for F&F from AG Russell (my experience with AGR's Chinese-made traditional knives has been similar to yours, always surprisingly good F&F, especially for the price).

Thanks for the photos and review! :thumbup:
 
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