A.G. Russell Leather Pouch for the Sowbelly Trapper

A.G. Russell Knives

From the age of nine I made homemade knives until I was about twenty-four when I began to make handmade knives, crude but no longer made at home. A few years later, I had met and learned from makers like R.W. Loveless and R. L. Dozier. I made knives until the mid 1970s. I don’t make handmade knives anymore, as my hands aren’t what they used to be. However, I do have very talented makers in the United States and Japan who make knives that I am proud to put my name on. I design pocketknives, one hand knives, lockbacks, and fixed blade knives and have them made to our standards. ~A.G. Russell III

A.G. Russell has been in the knives and whetstones business for over 50 years. A.G. Russell knives are well known for their quality. A.G. Russell knives tend to be more traditional in style and look, with modern advances in material and design to create excellent knives.

A.G. Russell Sowbelly Trapper/A.G. Russell Leather Pouch for Sowbelly Trapper - This is a big and beautiful fistful of a knife. This is my latest acquisition in furtherance of my study of A.G. Russell knife designs and, like all of his knives that I have pondered, the design changes he made to a classic knife design give delight. The things I love about this knife: 1). The serpentine spine appeals to both my eye and my hand. After pondering why I so loved Russell’s Serpentine Stockman (see my separate review of that knife), I started looking at other manufacturers’ Serpentine knives. I would describe them as “mildly serpentine,” while Russell’s are “wildly serpentine.” 2) The Sowbelly/Serpentine handle permits a very robust and deep clip point blade with enough belly for skinning that a separate Spey blade is unnecessary. Instead, Russell installed a Whopper of a Wharncliffe that is a delight to use. 3) The elongated nail nick with the burr at the top edge lets me open the blades using the pad of my thumb for the clip point and my forefinger for the Wharncliffe, so no broken fingernails. 4). The fit and finish on this knife are amazingly good. The Rucarta handle scales, the bolsters and the lamination of the spine of the knife all flow seamlessly together, and the pins in the handle are absolutely flush with the scales. 5). While I generally I prefer natural handle materials, the brown Rucarta handle scales have a nice feel to them, and they do have something of a “grain” resembling wood. And, Rucarta is a workhorse material entirely suitable for this workhorse knife. 6). The included pigtail is a nice touch, as it is necessary to help pull the knife out of the Dozier-designed leather pouch available separately. 7). I love the Pouch for this knife. It consists of three separate pieces of leather very securely sewn together. The outer piece has a brass stud to lock down the strap that retains the knife. The strap is the middle piece, and the inner piece has two belt slots cut in it that securely keeps the Pouch in place on your belt so that it doesn’t move out of position. I find it much easier to slide the strap over the stud to secure the knife than I do to line up a snap on a Pouch, and the Pouch really hugs your hip without protruding. This is a really excellent design and I would expect nothing less from Bob Dozier. There's a reason I own four of his fixed blade knives. Given that this knife weighs 5.7 ounces, which I find inconvenient for pocket carry, I strongly recommend getting this Pouch with the knife. They are both excellent designs beautifully executed and they belong together. Changes: Perhaps a little more radius on the edges of the bolsters and handle scale. They are a bit "crisp" for my taste. Rating: 10/10 Robert D. Milford, CT