A.G. Russell Sunfish

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Thought I would start a new thread for this A.G. Russell sunfish. I just got this one in yesterday. I missed out a couple of years ago when they first came out with this in stabilized oak. They got an unexpected shipment of 240 more last week and I jumped on it this time.
Here is what the catalog says about the A.G. Russell sunfish pattern: “With Interrupted Lockbar Pivot System (ILPS™)
A.G. was fond of large folding Rope knives and was especially proud of the Sunfish Pattern he designed for the 2010 A.G. Russell™ Texas Ranger Knife. When A.G. mentioned to Goldie that he would like to do another Sunfish pattern pocketknife, sometimes referred to as an Elephant’s Toenail pocketknife, she requested a smaller one with a 4" handle. A.G. said, "Fine, but it has to have the same size blade as the original". With the help of Phil Gibbs, and over a month of work, they accomplished just what A.G. wanted, a Sunfish with a 4" handle and a 3-1⁄8" blade. This was accomplished with the development of the new A.G. Russell ™ ILPS™. (Interrupted Lockbar Pivot System.) ILPS™ allows the blade, when closed, to occupy space normally used by the lockbar pivot pin. ILPS™ uses two separated pins, one on each side of the lockbar; consequently the blade can be significantly wider than would otherwise be possible in the same width handle. The steel in the wide drop point blade is 8Cr13MoV at 57-59 Rc. The bolsters, liners and shield are stainless steel. Measures 4" closed. Weighs about 6.3 oz. depending on the handle material. Made in China.”

Too bad it was made in China, but I can look past this for this beauty. What a nice knife this is and the pull isn’t a thumbnail breaker as are all the sunfish knives that A.G. Russell made.

[Dan In MI]

I can see why you jumped on it, Mark! What are those covers made of?

[Sharpnshinyknives]

I can see why you jumped on it, Mark! What are those covers made of?

It’s stabilized oak Dan, they used an interesting choice for the dye and it took the dye unevenly given the various hardness of the wood, it’s a great marble look.

[Madmarco]

Great topic for a new thread, Mark!
Your new "fish" is a real looker, thanks for your detailed explanation.

[flynbulldog]

I saw this a few days ago and looked hard at it. There were a couple of things that kept me from pulling the trigger, the first was the finish - I'm not really fond of the flat finishes that are popular right now. The second was the fact that their knives are made in China. I bought a couple of china knives from SMKW and was disappointed. The materials used were first rate (at least on paper) but the finishes were poor and the knives arrived dirty and unfinished. I sent a few of them back - I should have sent all of them back.

It's a knife style I like but a bit too modern for my taste and the build looks so much like the rough rider reserve kayak with green stabilized oak. A purchase I regretted.

[ebrandwein]

Apologies for reviving an old thread but I just saw this one. This is a very tough knife. Unlike a lot of my "collectible" knives, when I have a rough job involving a lot of slicing, the AG Russell gets tapped. This thing has a very thick blade that can really withstand punishment. Absolutely a solid working knife.

[QGofLake]

ebrandwein - that sure is a nice looking duty knife!

Sharpnshinyknives - no doubt your AG Rusell is also quite cool!

I've really come to enjoy the sunfish/elephant toe pattern.

[peanut740]

I have a couple of the large versions. A Texas Ranger and one Scott King got made for IKCC.They are Chinese, but you will not find a better made knife.It locks up perfectly with a loud "click",fit and finish is excellent and it comes dangerously sharp out of the box.

[Sharpnshinyknives]

Apologies for reviving an old thread but I just saw this one. This is a very tough knife. Unlike a lot of my "collectible" knives, when I have a rough job involving a lot of slicing, the AG Russell gets tapped. This thing has a very thick blade that can really withstand punishment. Absolutely a solid working knife.

Thanks for bringing this back to life. There isn’t an A.G. Russell Sunfish that is a dog. All are exceptionally well made as Roger said. Thanks for sharing that beauty.