Opinions on Russelll Damascus

Mellow Chaos

Mellow Chaos

Joined
Feb 2, 2002
Messages
2,286
I've been carefully eyeing the AG Russell 340 Damascus Folder and was wondering if anyone had experience with this knife. Looks like it's forged in Seki, Japan the same place the SOG Trident blade is made. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
 
I just got one a few weeks ago! I like it very very much. I was a bit surprised in that the damascus is a sort of "layered" damascus. I know my description is not very technical, but the damascus portion seems to be layered over a core steel. There are a couple of different versions of this knife. The one I bought was style A340-DA. The overall quality is superb, for the money (only $99.00!). You will like it.
 
Jay, where did you pick it up for $99? The AG Russell site has it for $139 and it doesn't look like the Knifecenter carries the Russells. Thanks!
 
Mellow Chaos: The style you are refering to is #A340-DA2. The one I purchased is #A340-DA. Mine does not have a damascus bolster. Personally, I liked it better with the nickel silver bolster. They are both shown on the AG Russell web site. The one I purchased is not shown in their newest catalog.

Web site: http://agrussell.com/production.html
 
I bought the same version of the A340 as jayharley from AG a couple of years ago. While it is a nice gentlemans folder for the price, I was a bit disapointed with it at first.

The blade is not solid damascus like the 512 layer damascus of the model AGD-113 fixed blade, but instead has a solid steel core. Also there is quite some bladeplay on my specimen and the lock does not appear to be very trustworthy. It takes a decent edge but does not hold it to well.

That being said, I sometimes use it for dress carry and lighter chores and it certainly has the advantage of being very elegant and sheeple-friendly.


Jan
 
Jan P: I agree with your assessment. Mine did not show any weakness in the lock or blade play, however. It is definitely not a hard use knife.

I have a habit of carrying a more hard use fixed blade or sheathed large folder (like a TOPS Magnum) and then carry a smaller folder in my pocket. Sometimes you simply cannot pull out a Magnum, for a simple chore, since everyone will run for cover! That is when I use a small folder. The #A340-DA is for these light chores. Plus it is really great looking.
 
I picked one up for my boss when he retired. I thought it was nicely finished and very purty but there was a bit of blade play and I wasn't crazy about the lock. I was planning on getting him a small WH, but he's a lefty.
 
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