A while back I noticed that A.G. Russell was putting out a new model slipjoint. This time one sized a little smaller than their Sowbelly Trapper but still with wonderfull materials and offcourse the build quality, fit and Finish that we’re so used to by A.G. Russell. It was after an old Pattern called a Regular Curved Jack with all of the A.G. Russell standard upgrades.

Two blade configurations were made and two types of handle materials introduced. And after my experience with the Sowbelly trapper’s massived wharncliffe blade I was curious about how I’d like a smaller wharncliffe knife. So I got my brother to bring me one back from the states.

My findings with it (after about half a year of regular carry) are outlined in this review.

Materials

• Blade Steel: 12C27 57-58Hrc
• Liners: Stainless
• Bolsters: Stainless
• Backspring: Stainless
• Shield: Stainless
• Pins: Brass
• Scales: Amber Jigged Bone

As far as slipjoints go this knife is premium materials all around. The blade steel could have been upgraded if possible but other than that there really is nothing that could be done better. Slipjoints with stainless hardware are pretty much only seen in the realm of Custom Knives. And the blade steel, slipjoint lovers in general are known for often preferring ease of sharpening over edge retention. 12C27 is also extremely stain resistant and a steel used very often in French knives because this makes them good to use in combination with foodstuff.  (Something I can attest to as it shows no sign of corrosion even after a lot of use.)

Sizes

• Blade length: 3” (around 7,5cm)
• Closed length: 3 5/8”  (8,4cm)
• Opened length: 6 3/8” (16cm)
• Closed width: 1 1/8” (2,5cm)
• Handle thickness:  5/8” (0,8cm)
• Blade thickness:  1/8” (0,3cm)

The knife is very pocketable. At the same time it’s still enough of a knife to get a lot done.  It’s big enough that you can get a solid fullhanded grip on it yet not so big that it actually feels large. I like this size in a knife.

Build Quality

From the comments I’ve read Mr. Russell prides himself on a couple of things in his business, one is customer service.

The other is the fit and finish of his knives. And this knife is no exception to that rule. Everything is solid, tight and built to close tolerances. The grinds are clean, there are no gaps anywhere. The bolsters go over into the scales very smoothly. The backspring is nice and flush in both open and closed position (no halfstop on this knife) and even the inside of the liners and backspring are somewhat polished. (This is a rarity in slipjoints from what I’ve been told) Once again this knife shows levels of fit and finish that are usually only found in custom knifes. (in general) I’ve so far held knives from Queen, Rough Rider and GEC (slipjoints that is). And although they all shine at various points of fit and finish, none of them score high on all points like the A.G. Russell knives do.

It also has excellent walk (the feeling of opening and closing the knife), very smooth indeed, and talk (the sound of it snapping shut). The somewhat thick blade (for a slipjoint) combined with Mr Russell’s very own stop pin design (which makes it impossible for the blade to hit the backspring even if you push down on it) make it sound like something very solid slamming shut , like a tiny vault. It’s also a bit stiff in opening but not enough that it can’t be opened in a pinch grip. In fact the pinch grip works so well that I don’t think I’ve ever opened it using the nail nick.

Sharpness

There are three aspects that you can look at when talking about sharpness that comes with a knife. 1) Initial sharpness (or out of the box sharpness) , 2) sharpenability (is that a word?) and 3) edge retention.

Lets have a look at them one by one:

1)      Initial sharpness

The factory grind on this knife was decently sharp. It was a little rough (it usually is coming from the factory on any knife) but sharp enough that it could shave arm hair without much of a problem. The edge had enough of a bite to it that it could slice paper fairly well. For my personal taste though the angle was a little obtuse and I figured I could do a lot better.

2)      Sharpenability (or, how easy is it to sharpen it up)

The Sandvik 12C27 is an easy steel to get sharp, at least at this hardness. Without much trouble at all I could reset the edge on this knife using only my yellow Belgian Coticule wetstone. I did this freehand and could get a thinner edge no problem within I think 15 minutes of working it.

3)      Edge retention

The Edge retention of 12C27 isn’t bad. The steel has been run at a decent hardness and will do fine through tasks involving foodstuffs, softer materials and even wood. Cardboard and more abrasive materials (like foam plastic that I use for my knife presentation boxes) dull the edge fairly quickly and make it use it’s initial bite. This doesn’t mean that it won’t cut after that, just that it won’t slice ad beautifully as it did at first. Luckily the ease of sharpening somewhat makes up for this and a couple of passes on a Spyderco Sharpmaker stone or handy whetstone will touch it up very quickly so that you’re able to get back to working with it.

Comfort

This knife being a single blade is always more comfortable than a mutliblade slipjoint. Simply because when you’re using one blade, there are no other blades digging into your fingers in a solid grip.

The curve of the handle is well complimented in the pocket and only broken up by the beginning of the blade (near the spring) that sticks out a little. A sunk joint would have fixed this but I doubt if that would’ve been possible with this design.  The edges are well rounded everywhere else and makes that it’s hardly noticeable when pocketed.

In the hand it feels nicely solid. And the curve makes it comfortable to hold. The size as mentioned before is good for some work and yet small enough to be non intimidating to “non knife people”.

Design

The design is after an old pattern according to mr. Russell. Well, I hope he brings back many such patterns in the future. The styling is very unique and seems to be a blend of both traditional and modern. The materials used as well as the finish on the stainless parts give it a modern appearance, while the shape and jigged bone give it an old timey look.

Price

The Curved Regular Jack is priced at $59,95 excluding shipping.  In price ranges it’s just a little under what most high quality slipjoints go for and somewhat over what most china made slipjoints go for.

I didn’t mention this before but yes, this knife is made in china. Do not mistake it for it’s cheaper countrymen though. (Like Rough Rider, current Marbles productions and the like) because it’s NOTHING like it.

When looking at this knife simply as a knife and disregarding it’s country of origin the knife is very well priced. Close to cheap even. And if you time it well enough sometimes seconds are on sale (knives with a flaw….but to be honest, I have a “second” version of one of A.G. Russell’s other knives and am not sure where the flaw is) which will save you a couple of dollars.

Overall

An excellent knife made for a very reasonable price. The materials are top notch (yes, even the 12C27 steel which is even better than Case’s Tru-Sharp), the fit and finish are impeccable, the design is very nice and I believe nowhere else to be found. For someone who likes traditional slipjoints and has no quarrel with something being made in China these knives are a must. Even if you don’t like Chinamade knives, if you hold one, you’ll have to admit that it’s top quality.