A.G.Russell traditional folders - how are they?

matus

matus

Joined
Apr 24, 2009
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The title says it all. I have browsed the knives that A.G.Russell makes and found a few very interesting ones - in particular the Pinched Peanut looks like a lovely little knife for EDC with exactly the blades I would like to have. Steel is VG-10 which with proper HT is a very good steel. Since the price is somewhat more than a comparably sized GEC (or similar would cost) - I would like to ask - how is the quality of these knives?

thank you
 
I have and have had several AG Russell knives and they have all been of good quality. If you by from AG Russell the warranty is second to none but be aware that the warranty is to the original owner only (I believe). I do not believe that AG Russell actually makes any knives but instead has them made to his specifications. In the past Camilus made most of their US made knives with others made to their specs in Japan and now China. They do however control the quality and you won't be getting a cheaply made or inferior knife from them. I have found that the fit and finish on their folders I have owned are not generally perfect. They are great users but if you want perfection or close to it stay with GEC, Canal street etc.
 
I am a big AGR fan. A.G. is a legend in our world, and going back many years his knives have consistently been of high quality and often quite innovative.

I'm especially fond of the ones he has had commissioned in Japan, many from the 1990s or thereabouts.

Andrew
 
AGR pinched peanuts are excellent. Don't have halfstops, but very smooth operating. Can get other steel sharper, but VG10 holds an edge well and doesn't rust easily.

agrussellpeanut1.jpg
 
Another excellent choice from AG's selection of traditional pocketknives is the Curved Regular Jack.

AGR%20curve%20jack%201_zpsnwdcn5vz.jpg
 
I have the same pattern in the Mammoth. I would reiterate what chief said. It is a sweet little knife.
Chief said:
AGR pinched peanuts are excellent. Don't have halfstops, but very smooth operating. Can get other steel sharper, but VG10 holds an edge well and doesn't rust easily.

agrussellpeanut1.jpg
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Can't go wrong with AGR. I have a number of his knives, including a mammoth pinched peanut that is every bit as well done as a custom.

Chris-
 
We stopped in his shop a few years ago around Christmas with our two boys and each got their own of his Cowboy sodbuster type knife, one black and the other yellow Delrin. He was in and took time to say hello and show them some of the knives from the case. Nice first pocket knives for them and at a price that was where you don't feel the pain to bad when they are not easy to find in their room. If they want fancier or higher grades of steel later then at least they started out knowing a decent knife.
 
Bob W said:
Another excellent choice from AG's selection of traditional pocketknives is the Curved Regular Jack.

AGR%20curve%20jack%201_zpsnwdcn5vz.jpg
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That's a great looking knife, but I'm really confused by the double pull (long pull and nail nick). It just confuses me. Other than that, though, beautiful knife.
 
I've only had one of their made in China large sodbusters.

EXCELLENT fit and finish. Especially considering the price.


But more importantly, AG Russell is a benefit to our hobby, and a darned nice guy, from everything I have seen and experienced.

 
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A G Russell has been an icon of the knife industry for decades, way before the internet. His warranty is second to none.
 
I happen to live within a couple miles of his shop and have been a fairly constant customer since 1997 when I moved to Arkansas. I have many of his knives and have yet to have a bad one. I have one of his War Eagle Brand small canoes in my pocket as I type this.
 
Wow, thanks. That is some overwhelmingly positive feedback. AGR knives just moved quite a bit up on my list.
 
matus said:
Wow, thanks. That is some overwhelmingly positive feedback. AGR knives just moved quite a bit up on my list.
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As AGR should! I bought a really unusual wharncliff pattern with white bone handles about 4 years ago or so. When it got here, it had a couple of issues with wobble. They had a replacement knife in my hands in about a week, along with a return envelope with prepaid postage. The second knife was as good as it gets for fit/finish and overall workmanship.

Liked it enough I bought the same knife shown above, and it feels almost custom. I realize that this is the luck of the draw, but nonetheless it fit so well you could barely tell the difference between the stainless liners and the backspring. Lockup, perfect.

Later, I bought his single blade barlow and it came with he same high quality fit/finish. It has deep hollow grinds that make it a mean slicer and easy to sharpen.

Based on my personal experience, I will not only be buying from him again, but already have my eye on another one of his offerings.

Robert
 
Not to hijack this thread but has anyone tried one of the Russell lockback barlow folders?

They look interesting and have a unique blade shape. The price is also not bad although I don't know if I could get behind a lockback barlow.
 
jsg71 said:
I happen to live within a couple miles of his shop and have been a fairly constant customer since 1997 when I moved to Arkansas. I have many of his knives and have yet to have a bad one. I have one of his War Eagle Brand small canoes in my pocket as I type this.
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I born in Little Rock but grew up in in Northwest Arkansas, lived in Rogers from elementary school through high school, then went to college in Fayetteville and lived there for 7 or 8 years before moving out to Arizona for work. I spent a lot of time at A.G.'s store (both the old one in Springdale and the new one in Rogers) and bought a lot of knives from them over the years. Never met the man myself (or if I did, I didn't realize it), but it's a great company, incredible customer service. Couldn't recommend them more.

Mort Canard said:
Not to hijack this thread but has anyone tried one of the Russell lockback barlow folders?

They look interesting and have a unique blade shape. The price is also not bad although I don't know if I could get behind a lockback barlow.
Click to expand...

As many knives as I've bought from A.G. Russell, this is the only A.G. Russell branded knife that I own. For the price, I'm super impressed by the quality. F&F is great, really sharp right out of the box, and a great looking knife. I like the zulu spear blade a lot. The only complaint I have about mine is that the lanyard tube is a little narrow (you're not going to get paracord through there, for example; I gutted some paracord and still had difficulty getting it through), and as I was trying to get the gutted paracord in there, the tube itself moved a little bit. Not really a big issue for me, though. It stays in place just fine when you're not trying to jam some paracord through it. :)

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bff4mw.jpg
 
I too have one of the lockback barlows which was one of the knives that got me out of tactical knives and back to traditionals. I still like it even though I don't carry it often anymore.

If you ever get to have a conversation with Mr. Russell it is well worth the time. I have learned a ton from him in the few conversations we have had and he always listens which is what has always struck me. He also took the time to introduce me to Bob Dozier once who is also very nice and took the time to have a conversation. Just great people whether you are into knives or not.
 
btb01 said:
As many knives as I've bought from A.G. Russell, this is the only A.G. Russell branded knife that I own. For the price, I'm super impressed by the quality. F&F is great, really sharp right out of the box, and a great looking knife. I like the zulu spear blade a lot. The only complaint I have about mine is that the lanyard tube is a little narrow (you're not going to get paracord through there, for example; I gutted some paracord and still had difficulty getting it through), and as I was trying to get the gutted paracord in there, the tube itself moved a little bit. Not really a big issue for me, though. It stays in place just fine when you're not trying to jam some paracord through it. :)
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Thanks for the pics and the feedback! There is something about the shape of that blade that speaks to me.
 
Mort Canard said:
Not to hijack this thread but has anyone tried one of the Russell lockback barlow folders?

They look interesting and have a unique blade shape. The price is also not bad although I don't know if I could get behind a lockback barlow.
Click to expand...

I have one and like it fairly well, but I don't consider it a traditional knife except in appearance. AG Russell sometimes does a modern take on a traditional knife, as with this Barlow. For me, the thing that makes it not traditional is the hidden coil spring it uses instead of a regular backspacing. I bought it early on because the TC Barlow made me a fan of it but was not obtainable.

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