Small High Quality Trad: A.G. Russell?

Locutus D'Borg

Locutus D'Borg

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I'm a relative newbie to traditionals, owning only 3 Lockbacks (2 Schatt and Morgan Fire Wire and 1 Boker "Fellow" with damascus blade). But they are all fairly heavy and large for EDC. Quality is fine, though.

So I've been looking for smaller traditionals that I can carry in my Levi's watch pocket. I like the Peanut, but GEC doesn't make them and quality of Case is not (according to forum posts) the highest. I'm moving towards fewer knives with higher quality (fit and finish).

I've been looking at, or more truthfully, salivating over, the knives on A.G. Russell's site (an authorized forum dealer) and stumbled upon their version of the Pinched Peanut in various scales, but the one I prefer is the Wooly Mammoth. Blade is VG-10, a steel I have on a William Henry and like, and the quality looks to be excellent. And closed size is like 2 3/4", perfect for my needs. It is expensive, $225.

Question: should I keep looking, or am I safe in buying this beauty given my preferences? Thanks in advance for any input.

PS: It is made in Japan and assembled in the US, which I'm fine with as I lived many years in Japan.
 
I have one in mammoth and it's perfect. Centered blades, no wobble and great f&f. I've bought others for friends. I think you'll like it.

Chris-
 
I have two case peanuts in cv steel and love them. One has a tiny gap on one of the bolsters but my chestnut bone is perfect.
You could have a look at the GEC pemberton which is a similar size as the peanut but in a coke bottle pattern. Also if you look at the knivesshipfree.com site (BF dealer member Okbohn) Derrick has a whole bunch of Northwoods peanuts in stag with D2 blades.

Good hunting
Paul
 
If you want a nice Case, go to the store and look them over yourself, make a check list of the things to look for so you don't miss any, a jewlers loupe if you really want to look in depth, and, most importantly, only enough money for the knife so you don't buy any others.

Connor
 
Any knife from AG Russell is a generally a great knife as to fit and finish. Even the china made designs of his are top notch in fit and finish. I have bought several and have been extremely pleased. He is great to deal with. A small model apart from the peanut to checkout would be his curved regular jack.
 
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I have no experience with the new AG Russell traditional pocketknives, but word on the forum is they are very good.

Take a look at the Great Eastern White Owl too. Slender, traditional senator pattern, and a variety of handle choices. Should be under $100 if budget is a concern.
 
ConBon said:
If you want a nice Case, go to the store and look them over yourself, make a check list of the things to look for so you don't miss any, a jewlers loupe if you really want to look in depth, and, most importantly, only enough money for the knife so you don't buy any others.

Connor
Click to expand...

the problem with that is, at least for me, is that there's are hardly any knife stores or stores that sell case knives near me.
 
While GEC does not make a Peanut per se, they do offer the Pemberton.

I have a Case Peanut with CV steel and yellow delrin scales that has excellent fit & finish. But I did get to handle it before I traded for it.

And all that said, the AG Russell Peanuts are very nice. My favorite is the one with Quince wood scales.
 
I've owned 3 Case Peanuts, 2 in CV and one in Stainless, no complaints here. As mentioned, the GEC Pemberton is about Peanut sized, though a bit stouter. I don't have any personal experience with AG's knives but the reputation is high. He frequents the forums and you could chat with him about it if you want.
 
Thanks for all the responses. There are no stores near me that sell Case, so I rely on the internet and word of mouth in buying knives. I plan on getting the A.G. Russell. I may buy a Case baby Toothpick while I'm at it, since I really like that pattern. Best regards.
 
I think you should get a Spire while you're at it. It's not as small as a peanut, but it is by no means large. IIRC the blade is 2 3/8".

- Christian
 
The AG pinched peanut is quite beautiful.

If you are looking for quality I would look at the case select peanuts. I just got one off the popular auction site for $55 shipped. Very nicely finished compared to the regular case lineup.

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I hates Rattin Frattin double posts.

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you might as well try a yellow delrin case peanut together with the AGR, as they are relatively cheap and well made.
another option would be to keep an eye out for a 1970's or earlier case, as they are built to a very high standard.
I would love one of the AGR peanuts, a little out of my price range though. Great that they have a wharncliffe secondary.
 
I never handled one, so take my word for what it is...but if I was after a Peanut, and I had enough money to spend, I would certainly go for the AG Russell model, and I'm sure I wouldn't regret it.

Fausto
:cool:
 
The AG Russell Pinched Peanut is a really nice peanut!! I love mine. They'll take care of you too if there are any issues. In the GEC space, you can look at the #06 Pemberton as mentioned but there's also the #25 at 3" closed. A favorite of mine is GEC's little big knife, the #33 Conductor. It's bigger than the others at 3 3/8" closed but its slim and still sports a 2 1/2" main blade.
 
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