- Joined
- Oct 3, 1998
- Messages
- 4,842
http://www.agrussell.com/agrussell/rus-mo1.html
(yes yes, that's right, I still haven't upgraded my membership)
The AG Russell Strikeforce is a knife that defies easy categorization. On the one hand, the blade is pure tactical, with a leading-edge steel. On the other hand, the handle is reminiscent of the Buck 110. Every time you look at something, you become less sure about the exact niche you should put this knife in -- but maybe that's good.
The price is $100, but from AG that really means $100. Since other production knives that sell for $100 are often $130 or so retail, it should be compared against those types of knives.
Except where noted, it was the plain-edge drop point that I did everything with.
---------
The Blade
---------
There are 4 blade styles, all pure tactical in looks: swedged hollow-ground drop point in plain and partially-serrated, and modified American tanto in plain and partially-serrated. The blade is VG-10, and .10" thick. I notice a small trend towards thinner tactical-style blades, seeming to keep the visual appeal, but trade off some lateral strength for extra cutting performance (I think the SERE 2000 makes this same trade-off, can anyone confirm?).
AG sent me 4 knives (let me keep the test knife), one of each type. As far as the sharpening job, the "worst" of the lot, the plain-edge drop-point, was easily the match of a good sample from Cold Steel or Spyderco. The best of the lot, the plain-edge tanto, was bar none the sharpest out-of-box production knife I have ever come across. It was within 20% of my hand-tuned, lightly-used-since-last-sharpening Axis. My Axis usually outcuts out-of-box knives by hundreds of percents!
-------
Opening
-------
There's an oval hold in the blade for thumb-opening. I started getting used to it after a while; the technique for opening is very different than with a Spyderco. However, in the end I put a one-armed bandit (removeable thumbstud) on the knife, and am happiest with that solution.
--------------------
The pivot and action
--------------------
Wiggling and torquing the knife hard, there was no play. Good tolerances, a solid lock, and a very firm handle frame are to thank for that. When I say no play, I mean none -- it feels little different from torquing a similar-sized fixed blade.
Out of the box, I'd describe the action as "I'm not happy with it, but it's okay I guess" gritty. After warming up the pivot then applying Militec-1, I'd describe the action as "adequate". The other 3 knives AG sent me all had better actions, the best of which I'd consider "good" -- but not on par with, say, a BM 710.
-------------------
The handle and lock
-------------------
Buck-110ish in shape with some improvements in the curves (in my hands, at least), thick integral-bolstered aluminum with g-10 inserts. This is a hand-filling, stiff frame, at 4 7/8" long and around 17/32" (just over 1/2") thick across the inserts. I tend towards much lighter knives for carry, but the confidence-filling strength of this handle made the Strike Force the one I always reached for at home. Of course, at 4.2 oz., it's not really that heavy; I'm just used to the endura by comparison.
The backlock is firm without being too stiff, and nothing I could as far as hand position could get the lock to release accidently. Spine whack, torquing, and white knuckle tests no problem.
-------------------------
The StrikeForce in Action
-------------------------
For slicing, the thin, well-sharpened blade will outslices all other knives I have of similar size, and actually comes pretty close to a recurved blade. I tested it a while ago, so I'll apologize about not remembering the quantitative data, but qualitatively, it performed slicing, whittling, zipper-cutting, etc., all better than similar-sized plain edges. Of course, to some extent this is a sharpening game -- if I re-sharpened my endura to have as thin an edge, I'd get similar performance.
I didn't torture-test the edge, but I did whack it hard for a few minutes on a hard log, with no chips.
The handle is comfy for extended use, but the sharp inner corners of the frame begin to wear on the pinky after a while.
----
Clip
----
Butt-mounted clip is mounted high but not super high -- there's over .5" knife that sticks out.. It's very stiff, and rubs hard on the roughened g-10 insert below. I took it off, fearing for the life of my jeans!
----------
In Summary
----------
Very well-done, leading-edge stainless tactical style blade, but thin for performance (though not as strong). Stiff aluminum frame and lock for robustness. Ergonomics are very good, action ranges from acceptable to good.
Overall, I like this knife a lot. I reach for it often, which for me is the ultimate test of how much I really like it. If you want a very thick blade, or a very lightweight one, this isn't it. If you're looking for a well-done sport-utility folder that'll perform on the leading edge, you should give this knife a look.
Joe
(yes yes, that's right, I still haven't upgraded my membership)
The AG Russell Strikeforce is a knife that defies easy categorization. On the one hand, the blade is pure tactical, with a leading-edge steel. On the other hand, the handle is reminiscent of the Buck 110. Every time you look at something, you become less sure about the exact niche you should put this knife in -- but maybe that's good.
The price is $100, but from AG that really means $100. Since other production knives that sell for $100 are often $130 or so retail, it should be compared against those types of knives.
Except where noted, it was the plain-edge drop point that I did everything with.
---------
The Blade
---------
There are 4 blade styles, all pure tactical in looks: swedged hollow-ground drop point in plain and partially-serrated, and modified American tanto in plain and partially-serrated. The blade is VG-10, and .10" thick. I notice a small trend towards thinner tactical-style blades, seeming to keep the visual appeal, but trade off some lateral strength for extra cutting performance (I think the SERE 2000 makes this same trade-off, can anyone confirm?).
AG sent me 4 knives (let me keep the test knife), one of each type. As far as the sharpening job, the "worst" of the lot, the plain-edge drop-point, was easily the match of a good sample from Cold Steel or Spyderco. The best of the lot, the plain-edge tanto, was bar none the sharpest out-of-box production knife I have ever come across. It was within 20% of my hand-tuned, lightly-used-since-last-sharpening Axis. My Axis usually outcuts out-of-box knives by hundreds of percents!
-------
Opening
-------
There's an oval hold in the blade for thumb-opening. I started getting used to it after a while; the technique for opening is very different than with a Spyderco. However, in the end I put a one-armed bandit (removeable thumbstud) on the knife, and am happiest with that solution.
--------------------
The pivot and action
--------------------
Wiggling and torquing the knife hard, there was no play. Good tolerances, a solid lock, and a very firm handle frame are to thank for that. When I say no play, I mean none -- it feels little different from torquing a similar-sized fixed blade.
Out of the box, I'd describe the action as "I'm not happy with it, but it's okay I guess" gritty. After warming up the pivot then applying Militec-1, I'd describe the action as "adequate". The other 3 knives AG sent me all had better actions, the best of which I'd consider "good" -- but not on par with, say, a BM 710.
-------------------
The handle and lock
-------------------
Buck-110ish in shape with some improvements in the curves (in my hands, at least), thick integral-bolstered aluminum with g-10 inserts. This is a hand-filling, stiff frame, at 4 7/8" long and around 17/32" (just over 1/2") thick across the inserts. I tend towards much lighter knives for carry, but the confidence-filling strength of this handle made the Strike Force the one I always reached for at home. Of course, at 4.2 oz., it's not really that heavy; I'm just used to the endura by comparison.
The backlock is firm without being too stiff, and nothing I could as far as hand position could get the lock to release accidently. Spine whack, torquing, and white knuckle tests no problem.
-------------------------
The StrikeForce in Action
-------------------------
For slicing, the thin, well-sharpened blade will outslices all other knives I have of similar size, and actually comes pretty close to a recurved blade. I tested it a while ago, so I'll apologize about not remembering the quantitative data, but qualitatively, it performed slicing, whittling, zipper-cutting, etc., all better than similar-sized plain edges. Of course, to some extent this is a sharpening game -- if I re-sharpened my endura to have as thin an edge, I'd get similar performance.
I didn't torture-test the edge, but I did whack it hard for a few minutes on a hard log, with no chips.
The handle is comfy for extended use, but the sharp inner corners of the frame begin to wear on the pinky after a while.
----
Clip
----
Butt-mounted clip is mounted high but not super high -- there's over .5" knife that sticks out.. It's very stiff, and rubs hard on the roughened g-10 insert below. I took it off, fearing for the life of my jeans!
----------
In Summary
----------
Very well-done, leading-edge stainless tactical style blade, but thin for performance (though not as strong). Stiff aluminum frame and lock for robustness. Ergonomics are very good, action ranges from acceptable to good.
Overall, I like this knife a lot. I reach for it often, which for me is the ultimate test of how much I really like it. If you want a very thick blade, or a very lightweight one, this isn't it. If you're looking for a well-done sport-utility folder that'll perform on the leading edge, you should give this knife a look.
Joe
