A.G. Russell sowbelly clip point. Wow!!

L

Leadchop54

Joined
Oct 28, 2013
Messages
804
I was happy to see a package in the mailbox this afternoon!! What could it be???....a A.G. Russell clip point sowbelly! Let's start with the specs. Closed length is 4 1/4", blade length is 3 3/8" and it weighs in at 4.3oz. It's a hefty one!. The one I got has the brown rucarta scales. Same as micarta but the had to call it something different for copyright laws I guess! The blade is 8cr13mov and came razor sharp! The pull is a good 6 and the blade locks with a good snap! Or should I say more of a thud because of the blade size! Locks up good with no play whatsoever! It is a china produced knife but is designed by ag russell. If you were to pick this thing up off a table knowing nothing about it, you would swear its a mid to higher end custom. Then you would be amazed at the price!!Fit and finish is amazing. The spring is completely flush when opened and closed, no gaps whatsoever and the blade is dead center. The scales fit perfect to the bolsters and the pins are completely flush. I am beyond impressed! Like I said before, this is a big sucker! I'm gonna try it in the pocket for a few days and see what happens. For size comparison, the last two pics are with my buck 112.




 
Last edited:
Wow! That is a handsome dude. There is no question that A.G. gets the very best out of the Chinese factories. Really enjoy seeing your pics because the Russell website stock photos are terrible for gauging the size of his knives. I bought one of his leviathan sized Sunfish/ Toenails awhile back, only toenail you can open one handed but since I'm rarely called upon to cut two inch rope (like never) it doesn't get much pocket time.
It looks like A.G. feeds his knives on red meat and anabolic steroids. Good luck with yours.
-Greg
 
Those are really well made and finely finished knives. I sold my trapper version because I wanted a single blade, then never got around to replacing it...your pics may have changed that, such a comfy handle! I used to carry mine in a Buck 112 sheath. Mr. Russell packed a lot of blade into that knife :thumbup:
 
Great looking design AG Russell has made for him in China. I've never seen one in person; glad you can enjoy yours.
 
Yep - AG is the man, they are SUCH good value for the quality of the knife - its almost wrong.....



almost
 
I have no problems at all buying from AGR. I bought one of his knives, the wharncliffe curved jack, and I was so impressed I bought 3 more knives from him after that. ALL have been exemplary specimens of the craft.

This design has intrigued me. The sowbelly looks so sever that I am not sure it would make a comfortable work knife. All of my knives have to go to work, and if they have hot spots or are the slightest bit awkward (I do mean slightest) I don't buy them. If I have them and they turn out to be lousy for work, I get rid of them.

Would anyone care to comment on this sowbelly design as a work knife. The knife would be used to cut moldings, fiberglass strapping, open heavy cardboard boxes, cut plastic buckets, and all the other things that a construction work knife is called to do on occasion.

Any thoughts? Anyone using this design for work?

Rovert
 
It's a great no-nonsense working knife... and it's beautiful. A.G. Russell certainly knows how to pack a lot of blade in a compact format ! See the Sowbelly side by side with a Sr. Sodbuster : the Sowbelly is a good deal shorter when closed but its blade is almost the same length. Also some pictures to show how snug the Sowbelly sits in the hand (average hands, note. And sorry for the crappy pictures, it's actually difficult for me to snap a picture lefthanded). The handle gives great cutting power on that wide blade. It's an oriented handle : it's made for huge downward cutting power and is therefore less versatile for finer work where you'd like to hold the knife in various grips. The pull is definitely too soft for my taste (6 is generous in my idea) but I'm the kind of goof who dreams of a 10 pull...

123_2320_zps3407301b.jpg

123_2313_zps1806df5a.jpg

123_2314_zps934f9460.jpg

123_2315_zpsf60ff76a.jpg

123_2316_zps31247da7.jpg
 
Good post herrison! Yes, the pull is a tad soft on these...I believe that he employed a coil spring instead of the usual leaf spring in this design!

I just read the description and boy did I remember that part wrong...these knives were tested by mechanically opening and closing them over 300,000 times to test the backsprings!
 
Last edited:
I just received an A.G. Russell Sowbelly Wharncliffe and thought I'd add to the thread. It's pictured, for size comparison, with my GEC #55. 4.25" vs. 3.5".
It's a nice knife but I don't care for the lanyard they used. To me, it's doesn't live up to the quality of the knife.
As soon as I find a lanyard I like, it's getting trashed.
The pull is just right for me and can be pinched open. No half stop.
It weighs 4.3 ounces. The GEC weighs 1.9 ounces for comparison.
Looks like it'll be a keeper. :thumbup:

Sorry for the pic quality....I really gotta get a better camera. :rolleyes:


 
Leadchop54 said:
I was happy to see a package in the mailbox this afternoon!! What could it be???....a A.G. Russell clip point sowbelly! Let's start with the specs. Closed length is 4 1/4", blade length is 3 3/8" and it weighs in at 4.3oz. It's a hefty one!. The one I got has the brown rucarta scales. Same as micarta but the had to call it something different for copyright laws I guess! The blade is 8cr13mov and came razor sharp! The pull is a good 6 and the blade locks with a good snap! Or should I say more of a thud because of the blade size! Locks up good with no play whatsoever! It is a china produced knife but is designed by ag russell. If you were to pick this thing up off a table knowing nothing about it, you would swear its a mid to higher end custom. Then you would be amazed at the price!!Fit and finish is amazing. The spring is completely flush when opened and closed, no gaps whatsoever and the blade is dead center. The scales fit perfect to the bolsters and the pins are completely flush. I am beyond impressed! Like I said before, this is a big sucker! I'm gonna try it in the pocket for a few days and see what happens. For size comparison, the last two pics are with my buck 112.
Click to expand...

Very nice. I have a cocobolo gunstock on order now, which will be my first from them. If I like it as much as I think, this might be my next Russell.
 
SaintlyBrees said:
Very nice. I have a cocobolo gunstock on order now, which will be my first from them. If I like it as much as I think, this might be my next Russell.
Click to expand...
You will be impressed! Amazing knives for the price! Funny because I was thinking of ordering a gunstock!
 
That's a very nice knife, thanks for sharing. Fit and finish looks impeccable. I like the blade profile, and scales. Just an all around winner to my eye.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top