I'm highly impressed with the F&F of my latest A&R Zlatoust fixed blade knives 👍

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

I just received them today.
I was all smiles after I unboxed them



I was pleasantly surprised when I realized that the knife in the bottom picture has a sharpened top swedge. The main cutting edge is sharper, but the top swedge is definitely sharpened as well

Btw, the walnut handles seem high gloss in the pictures above, but it's because I had just wiped the knives down with a lightly oiled clean cloth

 

[shane45-1911]

Nice looking blades. I am equally impressed by the apparent sheath quality, as well.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Thank you! Yes, the entire package is very well done

 

[Shrub]

Admittedly, I'm not really familiar with that maker, but at a glance, they sure do look nice. The zipper bags and leather sheaths were all included right? If that assumption is true then they sure made a nice presentation & first impression.
I'd be smiling too.
I hope you enjoy your new tools O.P.

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

Admittedly, I'm not really familiar with that maker, but at a glance, they sure do look nice. The zipper bags and leather sheaths were all included right? If that assumption is true then they sure made a nice presentation & first impression.
I'd be smiling too.
I hope you enjoy your new tools O.P.

Thank you!
And, yes, they both came with the carry pouch and leather sheaths.
They were both made by the A&R Zlatoust company in Russia.
My usual vendor for Russian knives in the USA has been out of stock of these for quite some time, so I placed my order for them from a knife vendor in Finland

 

[Hashishiin]

Nice!! I wish more companies made the sharpened swedge! I am thoroughly confused when a man who owns a steel like Maxamet says that a dagger isn't a useful design (I know your knife isn't a dagger). I could say Maxamet is useless because it is brittle, but that isn't true, it is just purpose made, for cutting, not torquing. To me, a knife that is sharpened on both sides just means more cutting area for me! It's the same utility as a slipjoint with two clip blades.

My Ontario SP-1 was supposed to have a sharpened swedge, not sure why my knife didn't have that. Maybe because in so many places, the law prevents the carrying of dual-edged knives? Either way, these are some beautiful pieces, thanks for showing off these funky Russian knives!

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

I was back to perusing more of A&R Zlatoust knives, wondering if there was anything else I wanted to purchase from their current line up.

Well, this model called out to me for whatever reason(s), so I went ahead and ordered one with a walnut handle.

Hoping to get it as fast as my last two that came from Europe to my place in the USA



My currently owned four A&R Zlatoust knives have all been of great F&F, so I feel good about their consistency.
The company began operations in 1999, so it's a fairly newer brand. I feel they are a sleeper on the market. Their prices are really very reasonable for what one gets, but if more folks start discovering them, I could see their prices going up considerably.

This incoming A&R Zlatoust knife will be my 5th one from this company. I also have 20 bladed products made by the Kizlyar of Dagestan company.
That's a total of 25, so I think I can now feel I have a good representation of "Russian made" in my collection.

Btw... It seems like the knife used in the movie, 'The Hunted', had similar blade grinds. I wonder if the Russian knife makers were inspired by it? Hmmm?

 

[PocketKnifeJimmy]

I received my order today for the Zlatoust model Oprichnik knife.
She's a beaut!
I have now placed any further orders of Russian made knives on hold. Maybe that will change in the future. But for now, the Russian knives I currently have in my collection, (a total of 25 fixed blade knives), will have to suffice.

 

[shane45-1911]

Btw... It seems like the knife used in the movie, 'The Hunted', had similar blade grinds. I wonder if the Russian knife makers were inspired by it? Hmmm?

View attachment 1753940

The knife in the movie The Hunted is a Tom Brown Tracker. Lots of companies have offered their own version of it. While I see a VERY small resemblance to your knife, I don't think that your knife was meant to copy it, or even have a lot of similarities apart from the compound grind.