Rough Rider & Related Slipjoints

[thawk]

Javelin - Sorry to hear you lost your damascas lockback. I've carried the smaller one several times a week for about a year now. It is a perfect size for me, and I really like the drop point blade. It was a $20.00 knife, high end for a Rough Rider.

[dalee100]

Hi,

Yeah, I'm sorry to hear you lost your San Mai lockback too Javelin. That's why I bought a second one! I'm disappointed that they haven't added another pattern or two in San Mai. I think a Barlow or Stockman would be awesome. Heck, it doesn't even seem that they are going to restock the RR1020 and RR1021.

Dale

[supratentorial]

Here are a few scans of most of my RR knives. One of my favorites, a tobacco bone large congress, is missing.




This one is one of my favorites of the bunch. It's an unusual three spring stockman pattern with a locking main blade. The jigged bone looks much nicer in person. I also have one with yeller handles.


This knife really impressed me. It's a split backspring whittler and the tension on the main blade is the same as the secondary blades. It's my only production whittler that doesn't have weaker pull on the secondary blades.



Here are my only yeller handled sowbellies. The lockback is pretty neat. Aside from customs, I haven't previously seen a lockback sowbelly.

[willgoy]

Got that Old Yellow Whittler myself(even taken in a spare it's that good) an excellent all round knife and I like the small Clip as an alternative blade to the usual Cope. Split back construction too. Another very good Old Yellow pattern is an unusual Stockman RR890, very low riding joints and Sheepfoot in a frame that looks like a Norfolk

[supratentorial]

Thank you, willgoy. I had forgotten about the RR890 and a couple others. These are the rest of them aside from the missing congress.

[aplehr1]

Hi,

Yeah, I'm sorry to hear you lost your San Mai lockback too Javelin. That's why I bought a second one! I'm disappointed that they haven't added another pattern or two in San Mai. I think a Barlow or Stockman would be awesome. Heck, it doesn't even seem that they are going to restock the RR1020 and RR1021.

Dale

AG Russell is selling very similar looking knives with the "Roper Raider" brand name. By "similar looking", I am referring to the damascus type/pattern used in the blades and bolsters. There is always a lot of speculation in the knife industry as to who is making what for whom, but I would be very surprised if these "Ropers" and the RR models didn't come out of the same factory. AG is selling a stockman and other patterns.

Adam

[willgoy]

Thank you, willgoy. I had forgotten about the RR890 and a couple others. These are the rest of them aside from the missing congress.

Yes that's the one Jake. I've also got a Redbone version(nice darkish colour too), good pattern.
Some nice Stag on that other Stockman up there on view.

Regards, Will

[Robert.B]

I ordered a tuxedo whittler in redbone, the split spring thing sold me! I had got my wife a orange bone whittler and just noticed the spring configuration and was definitely impressed.

Rough rider seem to keep getting better and better.

[midnight flyer]

OK.

This thread is over three years old now. Plenty of time for long term evaluation by folks that were bold enough to post they liked Rough Rider knives before it was acceptable. There are some folks on this thread that are known to be fair minded, so I am interested (as I am sure are many!) on how the RR offerings are faring after some time has passed.

So how are the knives after a year or two of use? In actual use, how would you compare the steel to other stainless offerings by more well known traditional makers? Is the fit and finish holding up on these knives?

Inquiring minds...

Robert

[supratentorial]

Robert (midnight flyer), I'm relatively new to RR. I thought they were junk and wouldn't buy them but his thread piqued my curiosity and I ordered a few... and a few more. I haven't had any of mine for as long as three years but I'll share my experience with the knives over the last year. My oldest is a yeller lockback stockman. It has developed a pin crack in the yeller handle on one side but I haven't had other problems with the construction. The blade has some pretty big nicks in it. I think that the steel is 440A but I'm not sure. I suppose a comparison of 440A to 440C or 420HC would give you an idea of the difference between the steels used by RR and other brands. I've only had one stinker from RR. It was a dogleg whittler. The sheepfoot blade had a large crack in it. Also the bone on one side had a gap in it and it eventually became loose and fell off. That was one of the older RR knives and I've also noticed (like Robert.B) that they keep getting better and better. The handle materials and finish are generally not as nice as expensive knives. And I think small gaps, uneven springs and uneven grinds are relatively common. But knives don't need to be pretty to function. The blade mechanics have been really good for the most part. The medium stockmans and large congress knives have especially good blade mechanics and the blades the don't rub. They also did a nice job getting the spring tension right on the whittler. They also cut. Even with the factory edge. I'll let more experienced people talk about 440A and edge retention. I will say that I do not get the same enjoyment from the knives as I do from knives made by manufactures such as Case, Canal Street Cutlery, GEC, Queen, Victorinox or Opinel. But RR does have some interesting patterns that aren't available from other manufacturers and the guys at SMKW are obviously having some fun.

[willgoy]

I've found them surprisingly good. In terms of defects-gaps,blade play,bluntness from new I regard them as better than many more expensive and illustrious manufacturers. The material for scales, some of the shields and in hand finish can be weaker though but they are markedly improving. My experience of the steel is reasonable, it's good for a pocket-knife but nothing outstanding(un surprisingly)can't say I've noticed it to be inferior to CASE Trusharp and that's more than adequate for most needs.

[rprocter]

I too would compare the RR steel as performing similar to Case's stainless. Back in 2007 i posted in this forum that the RR knives were not 'junk' and that they were working well for me. I was in my first year as a BF member and the responses were all that i didn't know what i was talking about. RR has improved it's knives on a steady basis since then.
I believe however that it is important who you buy them from. I have bought 3 from a certain seller and none of these 3 had good fit and finish. Most of the rest (about 200) came from one seller and the others from 2 more sellers. Everyone of these has very good (some even outstanding) fit and finish. So there may be some out there that are unmarked seconds.
As long as you don't buy from the very few sellers who have what i think are seconds and stick with the more recent production knives (higher RR number), you are very close to 100% assured of receiving a very good knife, quite comparable to Case's regular production knives.
roland

[supratentorial]

My first RR (when it was new)

[Robert.B]

Ok got my tuxedo whittler (RR409)...it is a REAL nice example, no gaps, blades all line up as they should, equal spring tension for all 3 blades (I'd give pull strength of around 5/10 which is less than I like usually but for a 3" folder its perfect).













I couldnt find anyone initially who had one of this model, then got lucky and found one.

[Nixelplix]

Nice! It has a different shield than mine of the same model. I like yours better!

[Robert.B]

Nice! It has a different shield than mine of the same model. I like yours better!

Thanks, I did notice that when I opened it...I was expecting the round button that RR normally use on the redbone models.

[mckgreg]

My experience with Rough Rider knives and their equal hasn't been good. The scales are simulated plastic and the overall feel of the knives is like "pressed into shape beer cans". What is usually considered as "Pulls" are a meager attempt to re-create a functional notch to open the poorly designed, disfigured blade by slamming a slightly harder tool into sub standard steel. The blades remind me of pewter. The producers have been able to manufacture them with less slop so that the working parts of the knife have the ability to appear tight when new but rub themselve raw if you should actually use one for a while, The scales, the simulated plastic, bone, whatever, will curl and come apart when exposed to the real world. You know, horrible things like sunlight, sweat and work. I am sure they do well in the confines of a nice little bed of cotton in someones drawer that would do well for your neighbors cat or antique photos of Aunt Mable. I recommend buying these knives for gifts that you send to people you really don't want to hear from again or are amused by cheap shiny objects that blend with your collection of ceramic chipmunks. I have a bucket load of Pakistani knives from the '80's that have held up better than the current crop of imports and do a good job of cutting bermuda grass and red dirt. I find no reason to oooh and aaah about sub-standard knives no matter how cheaply they were had but, do what you will. Personally, I have no tolerance for cheap , substandard re-creations. My 2 bucks worth.
Greg

[Robert.B]

Are we talking about the same knives here?...as for the steel, I agree with whats been said about it not being much different to Case knives stainless. I for one have been using one of mine for well over 2 years and its very tight with good walk and talk (better walk and talk than my queen folder). I have had some duds, but I've also had duds from the big US makers like Queen, there are sellers obviously passing on 2nd's but I've learnt to avoid these people.

[FLymon]

My experience with Rough Rider knives and their equal hasn't been good. The scales are simulated plastic and the overall feel of the knives is like "pressed into shape beer cans". What is usually considered as "Pulls" are a meager attempt to re-create a functional notch to open the poorly designed, disfigured blade by slamming a slightly harder tool into sub standard steel. The blades remind me of pewter. The producers have been able to manufacture them with less slop so that the working parts of the knife have the ability to appear tight when new but rub themselve raw if you should actually use one for a while, The scales, the simulated plastic, bone, whatever, will curl and come apart when exposed to the real world. You know, horrible things like sunlight, sweat and work. I am sure they do well in the confines of a nice little bed of cotton in someones drawer that would do well for your neighbors cat or antique photos of Aunt Mable. I recommend buying these knives for gifts that you send to people you really don't want to hear from again or are amused by cheap shiny objects that blend with your collection of ceramic chipmunks. I have a bucket load of Pakistani knives from the '80's that have held up better than the current crop of imports and do a good job of cutting bermuda grass and red dirt. I find no reason to oooh and aaah about sub-standard knives no matter how cheaply they were had but, do what you will. Personally, I have no tolerance for cheap , substandard re-creations. My 2 bucks worth.
Greg

Now tell us what you really think

[rprocter]

mckgreg, i respect your knife knowledge based on the many posts of yours that i have read. I also respect my own knife knowledge based on the thousands of knives i own ranging from inexpensive imports to very expensive customs.
What you describe above does not apply to even 1 of my app. 200 RR knives.
Why do i have so many RR's ? Simply because everyone i have bought is so good and the price so low that when i see another RR pattern i like, i buy it. I would have stopped long ago had i ever received a knife like you describe.
I wonder if the knives you refer to are very early examples when there might have been a different manufacturer ?
I cannot think of any other possible explanation.
As i'ved stated before, some sellers seem to be selling unmarked seconds and these are inferior in fit and finish, but still they are much better than what you describe.
roland