A.G. Russell's 2014 Texas Ranger - King of the Woods

Citizen

Citizen

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Apr 17, 2019
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Hey folks,
Thinking of buying the


A.G. Russell's 2014 Texas Ranger - King of the Woods

It’s a large blade at 4 3/4 inches long. I like the Coffin shape handle. And of course the nickel silver Texas Ranger Badge inlay is nice. Think it runs around $94. Anyone else have an opinion? This would be my second AG Russell knife..the first being a Sunfish with White Bone handle. It was a Second, but is almost perfect.

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Cheers,

Citizen aka Lunger
 
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Hey DMG, The steel is 8Cr13MoV at 57-59 Rc. And yes it would be a user. Made in China, but as long as the quality is there..I won’t hold that against it.
Cheers,
Citizen aka Lunger
 
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as a user it's probably fine - but 8cr13 from china I would expect a bit lower in price... when you get to the $100 mark you are usually in the range of better steels

heck, you could get a buck 110 with s35vn steel for $100 - so, it would be my choice for a traditional over this agrussell
 
I own a number of the AG Russel knives including that Sunfish in stabilized oak. They are very well made and the lock back models are very solid. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the steel performance. They get very sharp and hold the edge pretty well. If you don’t mind a large folder in pocket you won’t be disappointed. Can’t comment on the 2014 Texas Ranger specifically but I’ve been very impressed with the large AGR folders in my collection.

Pic of the AGR Large Folding Hunter. It’s massive.


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Those big AG Russell knives are very nicely put together. They are a bit more expensive because of the extra work that went into the finishing. I have more than one of the Texas Ranger knives myself and the quality is top notch. The huge TR sunfish knife is fitted together well enough that the seam between the blade and spring is nearly invisible when the knife is open. It opens with authority and locks up solid. The blade is thick but geometry is such that it will slice very well. Its not made from the latest greatest supersteel flavor of the month but who cares? It holds an edge well enough for most everyday tasks. If you like it, go for it. Don't let others talk you out out of getting something they don't like.....

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The king of the woods is an enormous knife that I bought because I wanted a gunstock without the recurve. The thing is huge and I carry it all the time, I recommend that if you do get it to also get the morocco style leather pouch sold by ag russel. they keep it from moving around too much in your pocket.
 
If you really love the knife, go for it.

I admit that a "Texas Ranger knife" and "made in China" kinda made me do a double take but let's face it, AGR did it to keep the price down.
 
The marketing guys really went all in on the name and the bling. And that's mostly what you're buying.
 
As I understand it, A.G. Russell employees examine every individual knife shipped to them from their Chinese partner, and every one of those not up to A.G.'s standards are sent back. From my purchases from A.G. Russell I have no reason to disbelieve that.
 
AG usually has a good fit and finish on their Chinese knives. And it should have good f&f for a Chinese knife that costs $94.

But really what you're getting is a not-so-cheap folding knife with budget Chinese steel at about 58 Rc. Easy to sharpen. The blade is 3/16th inches thick, so that's a big chunk of steel for a folder. Not likely to be much of a slicer, especially when the blade is not that wide.

AG says one of the main features is a striker plate so that the edge isn't damaged when you close it. When the ad guys are touting a feature like that, you have to wonder.

It's a big knife with no pocket clip, so you need a sheath. For me, if I need to carry a knife in a sheath, it will be a fixed blade.

But this knife is seriously into marketing. It's got the Texas Rangers. It has banners with 191 years of service. It has a nickel/silver medallion. It's King of the Woods. It's got a blade that looks like a billboard. Not my thing. But good f&f.
 
Twindog said:
AG usually has a good fit and finish on their Chinese knives. And it should have good f&f for a Chinese knife that costs $94.
But really what you're getting is a not-so-cheap folding knife with budget Chinese steel at about 58 Rc.
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If this knife was made by a company such as GEC and had the same level of F&F, it would cost far more, closer to $200. So, its not really a "not so cheap Chinese knife", you are getting a really good quality knife at a decent price.
Twindog said:
The blade is 3/16th inches thick, so that's a big chunk of steel for a folder. Not likely to be much of a slicer, especially when the blade is not that wide.

AG says one of the main features is a striker plate so that the edge isn't damaged when you close it. When the ad guys are touting a feature like that, you have to wonder.
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Not likely to be much of a slicer? You need to wonder about what? I take it you have not ever handled one? Maybe you should try one out, you might even like it.....
The large sunfish model has a blade thats .233" thick at the spine. Yet, it cuts quite well.
Twindog said:
But this knife is seriously into marketing. It's got the Texas Rangers. It has banners with 191 years of service. It has a nickel/silver medallion. It's King of the Woods. It's got a blade that looks like a billboard. Not my thing. But good f&f.
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AG has produced the Texas Ranger knife series for 20 years or so now. Not just marketing, not at all. He created these as sort of a commemorative for his great uncle who was a Texas Ranger. If you don't like the etching most were available as regular production knives with various handle materials and no blade etch.

unwisefool said:
I would love a large folding hunter if it was in a better steel.
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Nothing wrong with the steel. 8Cr13MoV is not unlike AUS-8. It takes a good edge and is easy to sharpen. So its not the latest super steel, so what? The steel AG uses in his knives works just fine.
 
AGRussel’s marketing sometimes can be believed, but there’s some real BS in it. AGR has to hand select knives out of China because there are so many with flaws and AGR has a no questions asked return policy.
 
Let’s cut through all the BS. The only thing holding most back from these knives is where they’re made, and maybe the blade steel.

If this thing had a 1095 blade and was made in the USA, you guys would be scooping them up by the truckload at triple the price. Probably even with hit or miss fit and finish.

A.G. Russell was a good man who did a lot of good for our hobby. He didn’t put his name on junk. A nice knife is a nice knife, and these are nice knives.
 
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THIS!

I agree with AntDog.

At the time I really wanted to buy several of the Texas Ranger knives.
I don't care about the Texas Ranger Part, nor the China or the steel part.
I did not buy them because I did not have the funds.
The A.G. Russell knives had/have a consistently better quality than Case or even some of the Queen knives at the time.
 
Arathol said:
Nothing wrong with the steel. 8Cr13MoV is not unlike AUS-8. It takes a good edge and is easy to sharpen. So its not the latest super steel, so what? The steel AG uses in his knives works just fine.
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Except I don't like AUS-8 or 8crxxxxx. Hence me saying I wish it was in a better steel. Maybe works just fine for you, not for me.
 
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