A.G. Russell pinched peanut, or not?

Ryan Sumner

Ryan Sumner

Joined
Mar 17, 2013
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377
I've been carrying my rough rider peanut again recently, and I am thinking of an upgrade! (the peanut has been looking better and better, the more I use it:D ) I found that as much as I like the swayback jacks handle, I do prefer the grip of the peanut, which is comfortable in both normal grips, and pull cuts. Also, I like the slight bit of belly the peanut offers. I was also thinking of delving into some 'higher end' steels if I can. Something a bit higher that case's Truesharp.


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I have looked around and what really caught my eye were the A.G. Russell options, but I cannot decide what I like more, the mammoth Ivory or the Chinese quince wood (or even the stag, I haven't seen much of it). I imagine that whatever it is, it should also double as a bit of a worry stone, as I am planning to keep the peanut as a constant, and if I feel like rotating knives I can choose something else to carry in conjunction.



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Does anybody here have any experience with these? What is the VG-10 steel like? I would imagine quite good, but have little to no experience in steels past 1095 and basic stainless steels.
I also read these have a cam tang, but I don't know what the pull is like, I prefer heavier but if the blade has good "stay and play" then I'll be happy.
If this already wasn't a hard enough decision, I came across the Queen curly zebra Peanut in D2, which looks great, but doesn't get me like the A.G. Russell. (again, I haven't seen many people carry this one, so I could be swayed)


Sorry if I've been long winded, but I really don't think I could make a decision without all of your guidance, and it is good to get a second opinion with things like this.

Thanks.
 
Though to small for me

Those blade grinds are very well done. VG10 is awesome, a stainless that is easy to sharpen to a keen edge and holds it well.

A cam tang :

From Knifehead Kerry Hampton

Here's one of many threads on the topic http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=677497

I think half stops or cam ends are just something you learn to deal with if you like slip joints. The way they are made is traditional based on the pattern and that's just the way it is. In the thread I linked above, I posted this simple rule of thumb about how to determine the kind of tang a knife will have:

For those wondering which knives traditionally have half stops and which knives have cam ends, here is a simple(and GENERAL) rule of thumb: Round-ended knives have cam ends ie., Whittlers, stockmen, toothpicks, toenails, knives with sunk joints, etc. Square ended knives (some of which may have a radiused end but are NOT CONSIDERED ROUND ENDS) have half stops, ie Trappers, jacks, hunters, etc.

Keep in mind, with slip joints, there are exceptions that defy generalizations BUT this generalization works most of the time. You can find knives that have both half stop and cam end blades in them. I like those because they have something for everyone.

your mileage may vary/void where prohibited by law/do not remove this label under penalty of death/no smoking/brush your teeth after every meal/may cause temporary blindness/for an erection lasting more than 4 hours call a physician/It was Bush's fault/etc.

__________________


I'd say scoop it up!
 
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I've been wondering about this one too. I'm interested in something in that size class, but having trouble narrowing down what I'm after. The AGR is on my radar, so I'm subscribed to this one. Looking forward to hearing what the Collective says.

Michael
 
I'm officially a cult of the peanut member and I would BUY THEM ALL! (If I could afford it :)) but from what I have heard AG Russell is a good brand and VG10 is an excellent steel, think 1095 but stainless. Past that it's really down to what tickles your fancy, if it doesn't work out, BUY ANOTHER! :) (my apologies for the all caps, it's past my bedtime)

Edit: of it doesn't fit well you can send it to me, I'll give it a good home ;)
 
I had been Jonesing for one of the AG Russell pinched peanuts for a long time. However, after I saw the photos posted HERE, I decided it looked too thick for such a small knife. I imagine the stag would be even thicker than the two shown in the link. YMMV, and it does give you some more pics to drool over.:cool:
 
I don't know about the pinched peanut, but AG Russell has a two-blade trapper that looks to be made by the same folks. That knife has a glued in shield. :barf:

IMO a knife a that price point should have pinned shields. Might want to call AG and find out.

- Christian
 
I can't speak for either RR or AGR but I have two case cv peanuts and a queen in curly zebra which I love.

I'll post pics for you when I get home from work.
 
ISKski said:
For those wondering which knives traditionally have half stops and which knives have cam ends, here is a simple(and GENERAL) rule of thumb: Round-ended knives have cam ends ie., Whittlers, stockmen, toothpicks, toenails, knives with sunk joints, etc. Square ended knives (some of which may have a radiused end but are NOT CONSIDERED ROUND ENDS) have half stops, ie Trappers, jacks, hunters, etc.
Click to expand...

I just had a quick look, and am surprised at how accurate this it! like you said, not all of them follow it, but it is very close.

Berkley said:
I had been Jonesing for one of the AG Russell pinched peanuts for a long time. However, after I saw the photos posted HERE, I decided it looked too thick for such a small knife. I imagine the stag would be even thicker than the two shown in the link. YMMV, and it does give you some more pics to drool over.:cool:
Click to expand...

Funny, that was actually one of the things that drew me to it!


kamagong said:
I don't know about the pinched peanut, but AG Russell has a two-blade trapper that looks to be made by the same folks. That knife has a glued in shield. :barf:

IMO a knife a that price point should have pinned shields. Might want to call AG and find out.

- Christian
Click to expand...

I just sent an email, hopefully I'll get a response to this question.


pmew said:
I can't speak for either RR or AGR but I have two case cv peanuts and a queen in curly zebra which I love.

I'll post pics for you when I get home from work.
Click to expand...


That would be great! It's always good to see them side by side, and can help you to choose which knife to buy (or sometimes it just makes you buy both! :D )
 
Ryan,
I've got an AGR Peanut in European Stag and I love it. F&F is pretty great, close to a custom in my opinion, I'm not a connoisseur of blade steels or their performance, other than liking the patina and easier sharpening (to me) of a carbon blade, but I do like the satin finish on my AGR. I'm with you on the "worry stone" aspect, especially on these little knives, which is why I chose the stag. Some quirks about these in general though that you should be aware of, is that they are fairly soft sprung, my AGR Peanut is around a 3-4 on both blades (are you reading this Carl? :) ) which at first I didn't care for, but in the end I actually do appreciate. I wouldn't look at this a flaw in craftsmanship, but rather a design choice. If you look at how far the swedge goes toward the joint, you'll see that if the knife was more tightly sprung, it would be a real nail breaker, just a law of physics or something. An issue particular to the European stag (mine anyway) is that the scales are really fat! Again, you may or may not like that, but I actually sanded mine at the transition from bark to bone near the bolsters to give it a little more graceful curve. You'll also notice that the bone under the bark (on a new one) is really snowy white, which I thought was a little too contrasty, and which I solved by a quick dunk in a strong coffee/espresso mix the final results you'll see in the pics. I still do really love this knife, but if I had to choose again, I'd get a Chinese Quince wood one :) If you've got a little mad money, I don't think you could go wrong with these, but if cost is part of the equation, take a look at a Queen or Schatt/Morgan in D2, or a GEC Pemby or Magnum in carbon :thumbup:
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How could I forget the most important reason I got the AGR Peanut?! Those sexy blade shapes! And wharny secondary!!!:D
Good luck!

~Jim
 
I have one in the Chinese Quince wood and I like it a lot. The wood is flush with the bolsters, something I usually like and why I avoid a lot of stag usually. The Case peanut has fat stag for its size. The blade grinds are awesome and its easy to get a razor's edge on the VG-10. I'd say the pull on mine are about a 3-4 but both blades have good snap opening and closing. I'm happy with mine and still kick myself for not picking one up in MOP when they were available.
 
Certainly looks like it Christian. Pin hole in the liners match perfectly to the center of the shield.
 
That's good to know. Someone posted a review of another AGR knife a while back, and it came in two pieces -- the knife itself with the shield in the box.

- Christian
 
A.G.Russell has a 100% satisfaction guarantee on purchases, so you can't really go wrong, can you? If you don't like it, return it. Hard to beat,eh?
 
Ryan Sumner said:
Does anybody here have any experience with these? What is the VG-10 steel like? I would imagine quite good, but have little to no experience in steels past 1095 and basic stainless steels.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

I have no personal experience with the pinched peanut, but
1) AG Russell takes pride in producing an exquisite knife. I would expect superlative fit and finish.
2) AG Russell takes equal pride in having satisfied customers. If you did have an issue with the knife they would take care of you.
3) AG Russell has been an icon of the knife industry for decades. It is an honor to have him as a BF dealer member.

VG10 is a very fine grained Japanese stainless alloy. It has edge retention superior to that of 440C and equal to that of 154CM / ATS-34. Spyderco uses it a lot. So do many Japanese custom makers. Top notch stuff.
 
Right, queen in D2 with curly zebra wood.





And here it is next to a couple of case peanuts.





I would recommend it as an option comparable in price to the case. The AGR looks great in quince I must say.

Paul
 
Beautiful AGR Quince Peanut. I've actually looked at those several times in the catalog. Sad to hear the pull is lighter than the Case Peanut though.
 
Never had an AGR knife or a peanut but I've had many modern knives in VG10. The steel is easy to sharpen, takes a good edge and holds it long enough for all the cutting tasks I need a blade for. If the AGR has great grinds and a decent factory edge, that knife would be worth considering.
 
I just got a reply from the A.G. Russell contact email, and apparently the shield is glued in! Very surprising.
 
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