A.G. Russell Knives

Your personal eating tool.

On a dealer's table at the 2006 Blade Show, we found and purchased an antique Hobo knife that was the most elegant I had ever seen. The mark was Ostdiek Co. Minneapolis, one I had never seen before. I have checked with many dealers and collectors in the pocketknife portion of this industry and have found no one who knows anything about that company. It is my belief that the knife was produced in the late 1800s or early 1900s. The profile was slim and the lines were extremely pleasing to behold. Early such knives were called slot knives. Because this was such a handy tool, during the Great Depression it was commonly carried by men who were constantly on the move looking for work. They were called Hobos. From that common use came the term Hobo Knife. A Hobo Knife consists of either a knife and fork that attach together, usually by slots and pins in the liners, but can easily be taken apart resulting in a separate knife and fork, or a knife, fork and spoon similarly constructed.

Making this beautiful little knife in modern materials - stainless blades, liners and springs and nickel silver bolsters - leads to more sanitary meal times. Handsome handle scales of cocobolo, antique green bone or oiled ram's horn with our unique "dog bone" inlay creates a knife that will make you the envy of all your friends wherever you use it.

The steel for both the knife blade and the fork was developed for the North Sea commercial fishing fleet for high corrosion resistance. The designation is DIN 1.4112. It is a mid-level 440 with added vanadium and copious amounts of molybdenum and 16-18% chromium, which creates excellent edge holding as well a corrosion resistance that is as near a real stainless blade as a decent edge holding blade can be. Heat-treated to 57-59 Rc.

We have tweaked the blade to handle relationship a little, making the blade a full 3-1/4" while reducing the handle length to just 3-3/4". This means a compact but very useful knife. Slim and unobtrusive, it makes a perfect personal travel tool. The two halves can be separated without opening either blade. Simply push the mark, or obverse, side of the knife toward the pivot to slide the two halves apart. Weighs approximately 3.6 oz. Suggested retail is $135.00 and $145.00.

A. G. Russell™ American Hobo oiled ram's horn

A. G. Russell™ American Hobo antique green bone

A. G. Russell™ American Hobo cocobolo