Russian Prison knife

[gravknife]

Thought id post this for anyone looking in to buying one of the Russian prison switches.
Ive been watching Michaelz thread a while now amd after missing a couple I took the plunge.
Knife took 10 days to get here and was nicely wrapped,it was trackable
aswell ,a must for me here in the land that banned anything slightly scary.
The knife is 24 cm long with the blade over 4" ,and a good weight ,nice feel in hand.
On opening the knife it has a nice heft to it,but not too heavy it sits perfectly in hand and was probably made to the owners tastes and hand specs.
The scales that are shinier,and hide the button assembly are beautifully dog toothed incised with foliate swirl engraving all well executed .
I love the button on this knife,a I thought it was a push button but it actuallty slides back to open the knife,a fact I discovered after an hour trying to open it by pushing down and WD ing the knife and shouting at myself. You slide the button back again to close the knife.
The button is lke a flying saucer and is robust as hell,its darkened with age and sets off nice against a polished background.
The blade id have liked a tad thicker but its sturdy ,and a beautiful shape reminiscent of catalina knives,and razor sharp.The point is deadly and the blade is bellied nice,you can see its been handworked and it suits the handle shape.
The best thing about the Russian is the fire power.I swear the blade feels like it wants to leave the knife and fly,and a mechanical clunk ive never heard on my others.It locks up tighter than a nuns chastity belt with no bladeplay whatsoever.
I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I love the stainless look of the knife and contrast between polished and grey,and the button tip polished but grey beneath looks great.
Im really pleased with the knife and want another in time,they all must be unique and I like to know more about them and their construction.
For anyone unsure on these im only a newbie but I doubt you will be disapointed and you will own a handmade unique knife.
Thanks Michaelz for posting these interesting knives.Im looking at all different countries knives and im made up to have this in my collection.

Gravknife

[gravknife]

Couple more shots

[Fishtail Picklock]

I like that! The clip point blade has utilitarian appeal, and the scrolled engraving is aesthetically pleasing. What an elegant knife!

Very nice!

[DonC]

Ian:
Nice looking piece and different enough to stand out from the crowd a bit. Nice score and thanks for the photos and write-up.
Can't discern what it uses to automate the blade. Is it a leaf spring kicker or a coil spring?
DonC

[ILikeStilettos]

That's super and now I want one! Michaelz, if you are reading, shoot me an email about what is available. I will PayPal immediately once we figure out what I am buying and what it costs.

[gravknife]

Thanks for the comments
I believe it fair to give all concerned a heads up on these knives.
I'm not experienced enough to give a thorough review like many faces here,but I personally love this knife.It's built like a tank,and kicks like a mule.It would be a deadly but workable edc,yet look at home in a movie.
DonC ,I am unsure on the workings of this knife and what spring system is used.The button opens and closes the knife by pulling backwards to fire and close it,and it really fires strong .Im still inept at the technical side of switchblades but i will have to remedy this in time..Id love to see the workings under the button panel and let you know,but I've seen others on the web with this button style exactly ,it probably varies from region to region,in style and design like the lions head one on Michaelz post.
It's an interesting subject,love to have more info on it,and I'm looking..
Fishtail picklock,
this is a great blade shape for many styles of cutting,but the point is needle like for stabbing,definitely a lover of knives came up with a shape he'd seen many times before,and then put it into practise on the knife.
Dave ,
I'm glad you like it,you wouldn't be disappointed in these at the price,I mean its handmade ,hand engraved and unique ,what would you pay for that nowadays.
I will buy another and I'm partial to the cat's head design .Type in "Russian Prison switchblades "and take a look at some of the blades and handle styles available,some of the work is staggering,something that could only be made with time on your hands, which prisoners have oodles of,and something to defend yourself with quickly,and you have these knives.
I like them a lot.


Gravknife

[Michaelz]

Ian,

Thank You for so professional review.

Meanwhile all knives is sold I would recomend to discover a topic on YouTube. This phrases will help:

- нож выкидной (switchblade knife)
- нож зоновский (prison knife)
- нож автоматический (knife automatic)

In most of the videos you don't need to know Russian language.
This would be very interesting to everyone.

[sammy the blade]

I like it! Nice addition to any collection but that's all I need, another knife!

[gravknife]

Sammy
I know exactly what you mean,and my wife states this often.
I suffer from a type of habit regarding these knives more so than any blade type ive collected before.
It may be the fact im not supposed to have them the bidding ,the waiting for a parcel,praying that customs dont see it and joy or disappointment when opening or getting a knife you never thought youd own.These are all strong addictive parts of this hobby,add the beauty and wow factor of these knives and it becomes really hard to stop.
About a month ago I swore to calm down and take control of the situation.
I want to write a journal on these knives in future as a reference book for myself and calm me down on spending. I tend to learn better when writing down and drawing things.
Everytime I win an auction or lose it more items are shown similar,and 9 times out of ten one catches my eye,or one thats just" too cheap to leave at that price" appears.
I have a couple more to come yet and thats me done.Im letting them overtake my life at present and want to learn the fixing side of the hobby.
The fact is we will all be back posting new knives and get new urges to continue buying switches. Knives have always called me back from the many !hings ive collected over the years,if I lived in the US id be collecting guns aswell so I dont know how you lot do it.
I may just have newbies excitement at all the interesting and vintage knives that pop up here,search for one and its a dangerous attack on the wallet..
Im really enjoying it on talkblade itself though ,people have been as sound as a pound here with me and I dont see many people at home. I have little time for myself and this place in itself is an addiction as I dont know many knife nuts and even less switchblade collectors that live near me.
Hope your well mate and thanks for the comment.
PS
Bought any knives lately?:-)

Gravknife
.

[gravknife]

Don C
On closer inspection of the knife,this is a coil spring kicker.
That's what the resounding different click is as I've never owned one.
This is what will be under the engraved inspection panel.is this how they usually work with a sliding button on examples you have?
Forgive my lack of knowledge but I've only collected 6 months and had so many different styles to learn I've been overlooking the most important part of the knives,the mechanism.
My idea was to get a couple and learn ,but i keep seeing nice knives.,you know this yourself my freind.

Take care mate
Gravknife

Gravknife

[whitehorn]

Prison knife?! They make those in Russian prisons?!

[Michaelz]

Prison knife?! They make those in Russian prisons?!

Yes. Mostly those knives are from USSR times. Made in 80's or earlier.

[whitehorn]

I see. I can't imagine letting prisoners make knives though.

[jadguitar]

Very nice!

[Viking45]

Good job mate,that is one nasty looking auto. Your photos are excellent and I can see the position of the firing button is raised indicating it is a "slide" button as opposed to a "press" button.
Cheers,you have an awesome,one of a kind piece to add to your collection.