Mr. Russell is a wealth of knowledge. I respect his devotion to the craft, and the purity and simplicity of the knives his makers still produce. Some people may fuss over the fact that those knives are made from simpler steels, but the fit and finish is some of the best you can get at the price, and there is a lot of heritage in the designs. I respect AG Russell. I'm proud to carry his knives
If you are ever in NW AR come and visit us. I'm out and about in the store fairly often. If you call ahead of your visit we can let you know if I'll be in that day.
Wealth of information there, thank you for sharing Mr. Russell. I've recently started collecting traditional German made knives and got my hands on a Bertram Hen & Rooster. The quality is unlike anything else I've seen out there today. I also own some pre-84 Bulldog Brand and Boker, which have that identical attention to detail. All are stamped made in Solingen. Were all these brands made under one company? Or were the craftsmen working all together? I know Puma is well known but the Hen & Rooster and Bulldog knives exceed Puma in my opinion.
They are all from the same city of Solingen. It was the knife and sword making center of Germany for centuries. Kind of Like Sheffield for English, Seki City for Japan, and Maniago is for Italy.
Nice. I've been wanting to take my sharpening to the next level and am getting into polishing my edges next. This was a useful quick breakdown. Thanks.
Hen & Rooster made some of, if not THE finest pocket knives, paralleled or surpassed only by the finest of a very few select handmade knife makers, until 1980 when I lost the company. I am not familiar enough with Great Eastern Cutlery to make comments on the quality of their knives.
I wish Mr.Russel would have been able to hang on to Hen&Rooster for much longer, he would have made sure the quality would not go down for a long time in this great historically important old German cutlery firm!! But the then exchange course of Mark's and Dollar went upside-down. Owners after Mr.Russel went all out for profit and no worry about quality...it is sad to see such great cutlery firms go out like that....tnx for clarification of H&R knives made right after Hugo Klaas....I didn't realize Böker Solingen made them in the late 80's til way late 90's, good to know!!❤
One of his favorite knives of all time, the K93 Featherlite. We have the knives, but we are currently out of the kydex neck sheaths. agrussell.com/knife/A-G-Russell-FeatherLite-One-Hand-Knife-8A--K93-CT8A
I don't think is the case--or still the case today--that "Kissing Crane failed and production moved to Spain". KC is made by Robert Klaas in Solingen and they just released a new Hen & Rooster (in Damascus steel) in May of 2017. Also, while some Hen & Roosters are made in Spain (some pen patterns, lockbacks, a step-bolstered congress, and fixed blades I've seen) there have at the same time been more Hen & Roosters made in Germany.
Kissing Crane, Robert Claas cutlery was riding along barely making ends meet by producing contract knives and mediocre KC products...out sourcing to Spain and Italy was the last straw I guess...and I think 2018+ they finally went under....and thanks to so called Knife entrepreneurs like Jim Frost, only interested in fast profit...this German brand now is made in China, so is most H&H now...thanks Jim!!😢
A shame but I have seen many minty old Hen & Roosters on eBay lately--just bought a congress with aqua corleon handles. The baby boomer collectors are cashing in (I believe) and there is opportunity to get "the real ones".
i love this stuff... i know i'm a knife collector/geek.. but this is the knowledge that gets lost to history books... i can't get enough of this... i own a modern H&R 302 from rosterei that i carry daily. i can't imagine such a small knife being having ANY better fit and finish than it is... to imagine the ORIGINAL H&Rs... god, it'd make me cry to own one of the legit original... like if i had one of Hoyt Bucks original File blades he made during the depression.... i dont give a FUCK if my Buck Pro s35vn, BOS heat treated 120 is technically a better knife... i'd actually cry if i held one of the blades that HOYT, the father, ground down by hand with old files.... like, for real tears...
He must not have kept the quality when he took over because they went out of business. This is a guy who charges 100s of dollars for Chinese made knives now. Boker is not better than kissing cranes and you left out Case and German eye brand
The quality of Russels’s Hen and Rooster knives was not the issue, they were excellent knives. The western world has changed so much, and among those changes are things that affect the pocketknife market. Most western men no longer carry a pocketknife. Younger men, in particular in more liberal and professional classes, were brought up to view a pocketknife not as a necessary every-day tool, but as a weapon. Consider our public schools that now expel or suspend a student found with a pocketknife, in some cases even for drawing a picture of a knife! Primarily it is tradesmen, rural people, or others viewed by the elites as “lower class” who still carry a pocketknife. Second, although carrying a pocketknife is much less prevalent, there has been a great growth in “knife collecting.” But this is not the same kind of collecting as in the past. Once someone who was a collector of any type of man-made object would seek out vintage examples, especially outstanding or premier products, of past craftsmen or artists. But the majority of modern knife collectors purchase new made products from mass manufacturers such as Case, or even have collections of Asian made knives bearing the brand names of past failed or bankrupted American, German, or English cutlers. The majority of these products look pretty but have nothing close to the quality found in those original products of Solingen, Sheffield, or Ellenville.
Mr. Russell is a wealth of knowledge. I respect his devotion to the craft, and the purity and simplicity of the knives his makers still produce. Some people may fuss over the fact that those knives are made from simpler steels, but the fit and finish is some of the best you can get at the price, and there is a lot of heritage in the designs. I respect AG Russell. I'm proud to carry his knives
I could listen to this legend talk about knives and so on forever.
your a legend and I wished I could shake your hand, I'd consider it one of the best minute of my life
If you are ever in NW AR come and visit us. I'm out and about in the store fairly often. If you call ahead of your visit we can let you know if I'll be in that day.
thank you. These history videos are fascinating.
Thank you everything you talk about on knives I find very interesting.
Thank you for the history lesson. ☺️
Wealth of information there, thank you for sharing Mr. Russell. I've recently started collecting traditional German made knives and got my hands on a Bertram Hen & Rooster. The quality is unlike anything else I've seen out there today. I also own some pre-84 Bulldog Brand and Boker, which have that identical attention to detail. All are stamped made in Solingen. Were all these brands made under one company? Or were the craftsmen working all together? I know Puma is well known but the Hen & Rooster and Bulldog knives exceed Puma in my opinion.
They are all from the same city of Solingen. It was the knife and sword making center of Germany for centuries. Kind of Like Sheffield for English, Seki City for Japan, and Maniago is for Italy.
Nice. I've been wanting to take my sharpening to the next level and am getting into polishing my edges next. This was a useful quick breakdown. Thanks.
Thank you, a great history!
Amazing story
Very informative. Thanks.
Your knowledge is unmatched. Thank you so much for sharing. What type of knife is around your neck?
That's the K93 featherlite one-hand knife. I will be posting a video about the knife and its history as soon as we get the latest shipment of it in.
Thank you, Mr. Russell. Question: How would you say that Great Eastern Cutlery products compare to those 1975 to 1980 Hen and Rooster offerings?
Hen & Rooster made some of, if not THE finest pocket knives, paralleled or surpassed only by the finest of a very few select handmade knife makers, until 1980 when I lost the company. I am not familiar enough with Great Eastern Cutlery to make comments on the quality of their knives.
Thank you for the reply, sir.
I wish Mr.Russel would have been able to hang on to Hen&Rooster for much longer, he would have made sure the quality would not go down for a long time in this great historically important old German cutlery firm!! But the then exchange course of Mark's and Dollar went upside-down. Owners after Mr.Russel went all out for profit and no worry about quality...it is sad to see such great cutlery firms go out like that....tnx for clarification of H&R knives made right after Hugo Klaas....I didn't realize Böker Solingen made them in the late 80's til way late 90's, good to know!!❤
What knife does he have around his neck?
One of his favorite knives of all time, the K93 Featherlite. We have the knives, but we are currently out of the kydex neck sheaths.
agrussell.com/knife/A-G-Russell-FeatherLite-One-Hand-Knife-8A--K93-CT8A
I don't think is the case--or still the case today--that "Kissing Crane failed and production moved to Spain". KC is made by Robert Klaas in Solingen and they just released a new Hen & Rooster (in Damascus steel) in May of 2017. Also, while some Hen & Roosters are made in Spain (some pen patterns, lockbacks, a step-bolstered congress, and fixed blades I've seen) there have at the same time been more Hen & Roosters made in Germany.
Kissing Crane, Robert Claas cutlery was riding along barely making ends meet by producing contract knives and mediocre KC products...out sourcing to Spain and Italy was the last straw I guess...and I think 2018+ they finally went under....and thanks to so called Knife entrepreneurs like Jim Frost, only interested in fast profit...this German brand now is made in China, so is most H&H now...thanks Jim!!😢
A shame but I have seen many minty old Hen & Roosters on eBay lately--just bought a congress with aqua corleon handles. The baby boomer collectors are cashing in (I believe) and there is opportunity to get "the real ones".
make a video on the history of your signature blade Sting.
You bet Gabe! Take a look at this video here:
ruclips.net/video/byA6L3Kdip0/видео.html
Thankyou sir
My old man just gave me a copy of the second from the right for my bday. Quality 🔪
I would like to sit down and have a conversation with him . I bet he's real interesting.
i love this stuff... i know i'm a knife collector/geek.. but this is the knowledge that gets lost to history books... i can't get enough of this... i own a modern H&R 302 from rosterei that i carry daily. i can't imagine such a small knife being having ANY better fit and finish than it is... to imagine the ORIGINAL H&Rs... god, it'd make me cry to own one of the legit original... like if i had one of Hoyt Bucks original File blades he made during the depression.... i dont give a FUCK if my Buck Pro s35vn, BOS heat treated 120 is technically a better knife... i'd actually cry if i held one of the blades that HOYT, the father, ground down by hand with old files.... like, for real tears...
So, the question is... Where does the quality standards stand right now? Is it low standard, medium standard or high standard brand?
"Their current quality is worth every penny that they charge for them... they are now 40, 50 dollar knives."
Sad that at the end he sold out and had all his designs made in China..... guess that's what had to do to stay in business
RIP A.G. Russell
A.G.Russell knives have really fallen off in quality.
He must not have kept the quality when he took over because they went out of business. This is a guy who charges 100s of dollars for Chinese made knives now. Boker is not better than kissing cranes and you left out Case and German eye brand
The quality of Russels’s Hen and Rooster knives was not the issue, they were excellent knives.
The western world has changed so much, and among those changes are things that affect the pocketknife market. Most western men no longer carry a pocketknife. Younger men, in particular in more liberal and professional classes, were brought up to view a pocketknife not as a necessary every-day tool, but as a weapon. Consider our public schools that now expel or suspend a student found with a pocketknife, in some cases even for drawing a picture of a knife! Primarily it is tradesmen, rural people, or others viewed by the elites as “lower class” who still carry a pocketknife. Second, although carrying a pocketknife is much less prevalent, there has been a great growth in “knife collecting.” But this is not the same kind of collecting as in the past. Once someone who was a collector of any type of man-made object would seek out vintage examples, especially outstanding or premier products, of past craftsmen or artists. But the majority of modern knife collectors purchase new made products from mass manufacturers such as Case, or even have collections of Asian made knives bearing the brand names of past failed or bankrupted American, German, or English cutlers. The majority of these products look pretty but have nothing close to the quality found in those original products of Solingen, Sheffield, or Ellenville.