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January 2009

Dear Customer and Friend:

By the time you read this, Christmas 2008 will be a week or so in the past. We now face a new year with a new, young, super-liberal President and an economy in less than great shape. Our company experienced a 33% postage increase in mid-2007 on everything we mail and we face a proliferation of internet dealers trying to see just how thin they can slice margins. All of this makes it more and more difficult to use our catalog to sell knives that are available to every guy (or gal) who decides to set up an internet operation in his extra room or garage. Goldie and I feel that this calls for a new business plan.

I have designed, with Goldie's approval, several new series of our own knives and will launch them as early in the new year as we can. The most important of these is our Shopmade series. Four new knives will be available in the first quarter of 2009, typically to members of the Knife Collector's Club&trade first. If you are not already a member, you might consider joining. At $10 per year, it is a bargain. In the A. G. Russell Shopmade® line, in the first quarter, we will repeat in 154CM the very successful Caper which we made a few years ago in Stellite. In addition, we are producing two neat little push daggers and a California Bowie.

We are also working on a series of Shopmade® hunting knives and a couple of Bowie/Camp knives. A new series we are marking "W. Scagel Design" is based on actual Scagel blades and handles with blades of a high-carbon, non-stainless knife steel we have designated DM-1. From this same blade steel, we will be introducing a NEW A. G. Russell&trade "Tactical/Outdoor" line beginning with an 8" blade and CNC machined handle I have named the "Baghdad Bowie", a yet unnamed 7" Combat or Camp knife and an un-named 5" Hunter.

In the area of folders, we have in production a new Texas Ranger® folder that will be ready very soon, made to my design by the same people who did such a wonderful job on the Eagle's Beak. There will be more folders as fast as we can get them into production, both in this country and overseas.

On another subject, I would like to direct you to a thread on Blade Forums that was started by a non-customer who wonders how we stay in business when some of our prices are higher than other internet dealers. There have been over 260 posts, most of them by customers who tell the original poster and two or three other non-customers, just why they are loyal A. G. Russell customers.

This is a wonderful outpouring of support which we much appreciate. Blade Forums Thread

All the best,

A.G. Russell