Customer Testimonials
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
A.G. Russell One-Hand Knife It's Not Ivory (K87C-17NI) - This knife is a marvel of design simplicity that is beautifully made. It only has two moving parts, the blade and the handle with its integral lock mechanism. The only way to make this knife stronger and with fewer parts would be to make it a fixed blade knife. I will spend many hours enjoying the artistry of this knife, its design and its workmanship. It is absolutely elegant with the pure white It’s Not Ivory handle scales.
Robert D. Milford, CT
Changes: The handle scales are flat. I would prefer them to be oval in cross section.
Rating: 10/10
I returned a knife and your return service was excellent - no problems - cc was credited immediately - just wanted to say thank you - keep it up it's nice to do business with a co. like Russell's - Denny
Denny K. Topeka, KS
The Buck Nighthawk Hunter is rare and a great find, Thanks. The EK Presentation knife is beautiful a great addition to my collection. Thanks Again. Rating: 10/10
John F. DEL RIO, TX
A.G. Russell Professional Hunter Satin Finish - This is an extremely well-designed knife! Perfect size and shape for field dressing game. The D2 steel is excellent, also. It takes and holds a very nice edge. The execution of this great design, though, isn't quite perfect. The video states that the blade is nearly flat, but slightly hollow ground. One side of the blade on my knife does appear flat, with perhaps a very slight concave shape. The other side of the blade, though, is convex, not even close to being flat or concave. But with the great steel and edge, the knife still performs pretty well. Changes: Make both sides of the blade the same. I would make it in the USA, not China. I was disappointed when I saw "Made in China"! Rating: 8/10
Joe D. Lewiston, ID
The A.G. Russell K93
Mickey B. Shreveport, LA
Pros: thin, strong, good-looking, good steel, good materials, great design. It's lasted 20+ years of semi-hard use.
Cons: I never had a problem closing my K93 but some of my dumb friends could never close it after borrowing it. I finally fixed that by not loaning it out. really, what do you expect from someone that doesn't have their own knife anyway.
Changes:
Even though mine has lasted forever, I never really liked the look of the tiny phillips screw that attaches the unlock button. Maybe a rivet or torx screw would look better. Of course a rivet would be horrible to service.
Rating: 10/10
The A.G. Russell F.I.S.T. is a great knife. It opens very easily, seems to hold an edge well, and even has a deep-carry clip. The clip has one problem, though. The securing screws have rounded heads which eat up half the space meant for the pocket lip, and make it slightly difficult to withdraw from the pocket. Changes: Make the pocket clip slightly larger. Rating: 8/10
James N. Alamogordo, NM
I received the Arkansas veterans knife when I joined the American Legion in Holiday Island. Love the knife and ordered 3 more for family members. God bless..... Changes: Rating: 10/10
RICHARD S. BERRYVILLE, AR
I love everything about this knife [A.G. Russell Acies]. The walk and talk is outstanding. I can't put this knife down. Thanks for making such a quality piece of cutlery. Rating: 10/10
Sylvester M. Longview, TX
Boker Plus Stag Hunter - I loved this knife the minute I held it. It's such a beautifully made and solid thing. I bought it because it is the spitting image of an older Hen & Rooster fixed blade hunter I've had that looks and feels great—but I never felt the H&R steel held its edge very well. But this Boker is 440C, which is a fine steel. A big upgrade.
Michael R. Tucson, AZ
Changes: The sheath is well-crafted heavy duty leather. The knife slips into it and feels fairly secure. That being said, I prefer sheaths with some kind of positive locking feature such as a snap. It is a quality sheath though, so don't worry about it. Talk Boker into making more like this! Rating: 10/10
War Eagle Blade Model 42 - The knife is perfect size for my EDC needs. The G10 handle is very nice to look at. However, one of the securing pins on the handle is not flush with the handle and is actually marred creating a small semi sharp obstruction. I tried to tighten the pin into the handle but it would not move. I tried to buff the sharp edge with sand paper and was marginally successful. However the defect is still there, visible and rough to the touch. I notice another pin, nicely counter sunk into the handle, but that pin also appears slightly marred. I find the spine of the blade to be very pronounced. The knife doesn't appear to be that sharp coming out of the box and the tip appears unevenly ground so that will take some re-profiling. Overall I like the knife, it is perfect size for my needs but does have quality control issues as noted.
Michael M. Bellingham, WA
Changes: I would make the clip reversible for point up carry. I would smooth the spine of the knife, maybe make the thumb stud just a little larger. Rating: 6/10
I'm a long-time AGR & Russell's for Men Customer. I ordered a AG Russell "Personal Hunter" to be a gift, but when it got here & I saw how nice it was, I ordered another for myself. This is a well-made very practical all-around sheath knife and an excellent value. I usually keep a few knives around to use as gifts; the Russell Catalog knives are very great values. I also like the small Boker "Genteman's Pocket Knives, have in several handle scale types and use some of them for gifts, too. Changes: Nothing at all. Perhaps a leather sheath option would be nice. I'd like to add that, in this day of "cheap imports", that EVERY knife I've purchased from AG Russell over the years has been well made and carefully inspected, no matter where in the World it was manufactured. Rating: 9/10.
RICHARD F. Saint Martinville, LA
A.G. Russell Woods Walker knife - I have had your woods walker knife for a few months now, while it is not great at any one thing, it is really good and many things. I used it during Missouri deer season, and cleaned and skinned a doe, just to see if it would. It did....would another knife have done better or easier...yes. But it did the job, I now carry it along with a sod buster folding knife every day. Short of a heard of zombies, I feel they will handle any chore I need a knife to do. Thank you for a great product. By the way, you ladies in customer service are outstanding. Rating: 10/10
David V. Callao, MO
Hatchet with built in guard. I use it to split wood down for my tent stove. Tapping down with hammer. I like the size and the good flare on the head. But you should stop coating it with lacquer. As it gets worn off it looks lousy. I spent an hour sanding it off. I then rubbed it with oil. You ought to know this is all that needs to be done to prevent any rust. So, why do you do it? Simply inform people to oil it! Rating: 9/10
Jerry J. Fairfax, VA
Roper Laredo Carbon Steel Trapper ROP-02SGLS - While I like the idea of an old fashion carbon steel knife (which is why I ordered it), and while on first look this knife looks just like an old-timer, the execution of the handle scales is rather poor. The transition from wood to the brass spacer to stag is rather rough. The brass spacer sticks out and it does not feel good in the hand at all. I almost feel like I need to rework this. Of course, I could hope that it will smooth over in my pocket over time, but I don't think I have the 200 years required for that to happen. I get that this is made in China, but if Roper puts its name behind it, then they also need to execute some sort of quality control. Otherwise, it turns into Chinese crap. This is what this in fact is at this point, far as the handle scales are concerned. Changes: If the manufacturer is incapable of doing intricate work, don't do intricate work. Just leave the spacers and the stag piece out and provide it with wooden scales only. Alternatively, get it made somewhere where they know what they're doing. Like the Mazarin Arno that I ordered, which is absolutely superb. Rating: 3/10. Click here for customer image.
Hartmut U. Brandon, MS
I currently have the S-F FO-FX593 in satin and admire it. The hilt looked a bit dry so I grabbed some walnut oil. That not only sealed it, but made it pop. I hope to shortly get the S-F FO-FX592 and hopefully get the S-F FO-592W to complete the set. Over the years I obtained the Fox Madras and the Italian special forces blade w/display case. Each Fox Knife I've found to be of the highest quality, i commend you for carrying them, thank you
Patrick R. Kansas City, MO
Patrick R.
A.G. Russell Wharncliffe Swayback Jack Desert Ironwood - The quality and workmanship of this knife are excellent. The blade is extremely sharp, and fit and finish are also excellent. The use of Bohler 390 steel adds to the quality of this knife. I think the size of the knife is just about perfect. I certainly wouldn't want a shorter knife. Changes: I probably would like a different option than a bullet shield, but it's a minor complain. Rating: 10/10
Mike E. Ewing, NJ
I purchased this knife several months ago and to unlock it to close the blade, I still need a tool like a key to do so. It is still so stiff that it is too difficult to open just with my thumb. Is there something I can do to give this piece of the knife more flexibility? I like the knife otherwise. Rating: 1/10
RICHARD B. Wichita Falls, TX
Note - some of the K87's are stiff, if you find yours is too stiff, mail it in to us and we will adjust it.
AG Russell V-Sharpening System - Sadly, the quality of this sharpening system is terrible. I have similar sharpening tools from other manufacturers, and the tolerance on the rod holes is tight, so that the rods and angle do not move. On the AG Russell tool, there is tremendous slop in the rod holes (holes were drilled too big), so that the rods can vary by over an inch at their tips.
Jim M. Long Beach, CA
Changes:
Better manufacturing, tighter tolerances and/or if my particular item is an anomaly, then better quality control.
Rating: 1/10
I just received the A.G. Russell 4" Sunfish Lockback with the black G10 that I purchased. It is a beautifully crafted knife and I am so pleased with it that I am going to order another, with stag. My question is this; for the $120. - $135. for the knife, why is the steel of such quality that would be a good buy at half the price? For the money, couldn't you have given us something better? (And maybe weight reducing titanium as bolsters and liners? A good liner lock would be great, too) I'd happily pay $$50. - $60. more! Just such boring steel on such a beautiful knife. Anyway, I just thought I'd share my 2 cents. Peace, Brad.
Brad P. None Provided