Russian Production Knives

[ILikeStilettos]

Two of my friends have radically different opinions on these knives. First, my friend John sells them to me, and he must think they are pretty good because he has a stellar rating on the auction. He goes over his sale items with a microscope and notices issues that I can barely find. My other friend, Ethan, went out of his way to tell me what absolute crap they are. Sorry to disagree, buddy, but I think they're great. The black one is my EDC and the green one is my backup. These are about 9-1/4" long with 4-1/4" blades and weigh about 4.2 oz.

As of last November it became legal to carry a switchblade in Oklahoma and I began to carry mine in place of all my other pocket knives. I touch up the edge every month or so and it does everything from opening packages to cutting meat when the restaurant only provides dull implements. I wear biballs most of the time, because they are so comfortable and this one sits point down and vertically over my heart. I can easily draw and open it one handed by pressing down on the thumb side scale, though it takes both hands to close it. People are fascinated by it, and most can't get it open even after I show them how. Invariably it takes them a couple of tries, but once they get it, they're hooked.

Slob that I am, I'm always losing combs, styli, and pocket knives. The black one disappeared for 10 days or so, and missing it, I ordered the green one. The day before it arrived I found the first one. Ain't that always the way?



These are not prison knives, and therefore not unique, nor hand crafted ... maybe that's what bugs Ethan. Also, he's a cheapskate. Love you, man, but it's true. The Romanoff double headed eagle and St. George and the dragon are stereotype Russian graphics. The bolsters appear to be cast aluminum, as they are light and non-magnetic.



These are well made and the thin blade takes a very sharp edge.



These are not my first scale release knives and generally they're kind of junky and gimmicky. However these Rooskies seem intended for use and make a really sleek package. They're comfortable to carry and secure in usage, and there are no corners to snag on your clothes. That makes them just about perfect in my book.

[Vagabund]

These are very good knives. I like russian made knives. They make a lot of junk automatic knives, but also well made ones. They have very interesting ideas to make simple but working locking or opening mechanism too. They put for instance two coil springs inside of the front and backside bolsters. They don't use the typical standard coil spring which breaks after a while. They make their own coil spring from spring steel tape.

[ILikeStilettos]

These are very good knives. I like russian made knives. They make a lot of junk automatic knives, but also well made ones. They have very interesting ideas to make simple but working locking or opening mechanism too. They put for instance two coil springs inside of the front and backside bolsters. They don't use the typical standard coil spring which breaks after a while. They make their own coil spring from spring steel tape.

Judging from the kick, these may have two springs. Thanks for commenting and letting me know.

[Michaelz]

I don't think this is a "mass production" and you can buy this in store. Just a sample that someone like to produce over and over. An addition to that they put some "Russian" symbols to make sure people know where it come from. But it doesn't make it bad in any sense.

[ILikeStilettos]

I don't think this is a "mass production" and you can buy this in store. Just a sample that someone like to produce over and over. An addition to that they put some "Russian" symbols to make sure people know where it come from. But it doesn't make it bad in any sense.

I wasn't implying that it was bad. It just when I see five or six examples of an identical knife, or ones with different colored scales, I know somebody is producing them in volume beyond one at a time. Also, the cast designs in the bolster and pommel require a certain amount of setup, which nobody would do for a single knife. The prison knives are a bit crude in places, but often have very innovative engineering and execution, which leads me to think that the builder had lots and lots of time in planning and building - like in a prison, one at a time.