2 Rough riders

[lacrosse11attack]

Alright so I'm only adding this because all I've seen is little tiny opinions on Rough Rider knives saying they're okay knives but they're no case or queen. obviously. but nobody really went any deeper than that. I bought the a white bone lockback and an orange whittler because worst case scenario I'm out $15. I was quite surprised with how sharp they came out of the box

Here's the two knives

By laxer11attack at 2010-09-10

Here's the Orange Whittler

By laxer11attack at 2010-09-10

Here's the Bone Lockback

By laxer11attack at 2010-09-10

And here's the Bone Lockback where it looks like its falling apart/fading

By laxer11attack at 2010-09-10

Heres where the Orange Whittler is fading

By laxer11attack at 2010-09-10


Pro's: Very affordable knives (i paid $15 for the two) that hold a decent edge
Great starter/beater knife. I have no problem with these knives and I actually gave the White Lockback to my younger brother for his first knife.

Con's I dont want to say "cheaply" made cause there are very well made but as everybody else has said, you can tell the difference between case/queen and rough riders. The bone attached firmly but when you hold it in your hands and feel the metal pieces that hold it in place. ideally this would be completely flush. My only other complaint is on the Lockback it looks like the bone is cracking but only in one spot. It feels smooth but it still worries me. On the orange whittler there is fading on both sides towards the top and bottom of the knife which I'm sure will only get worse.

In conclusion these really are great knives for the price you pay but if you want a classy, long lasting knife buy a case or a queen but If you need a knife for work that you don't wanna care much about or for whittling etc these are great knives. They both came pretty sharp, although i did sharpen them up a bit to make them both whittling knives

 

[dalee100]

Hi,

It's good to see someone write a review about RR's. I've noticed on some of the RR's I have that they often over buff the scales and remove the not very deep dye. So the the dye job can look faded. But sometimes I like the worn look that it can impart to a knife. Case makes you pay extra for the "pocket worn" look.

I haven't got one with a cracked scale yet. But I wonder how much more prone to cracking camel bone is over cow bone. I know the horn scales I have are very susceptible to warping. But I won't worry about it.

I do like the lockback of yours. I think I might try one of those too.

dalee

 

[lacrosse11attack]

Hi,

It's good to see someone write a review about RR's. I've noticed on some of the RR's I have that they often over buff the scales and remove the not very deep dye. So the the dye job can look faded. But sometimes I like the worn look that it can impart to a knife. Case makes you pay extra for the "pocket worn" look.

I haven't got one with a cracked scale yet. But I wonder how much more prone to cracking camel bone is over cow bone. I know the horn scales I have are very susceptible to warping. But I won't worry about it.

I do like the lockback of yours. I think I might try one of those too.

dalee

I don't really like the pocket worn look unless it's earned it if that makes sense
your really should try the lock back. its was like $5 and well worth it.

 

[matt]

buffing the handles to the point of removing color is nothing like case xx pocket worn knives.there are many places where pocket worn case knives can be had for the same price as standard models,if you look around.if you like roughriders I am glad,more case xx for me.

 

[Coldwood]

I bought a RR marlinspike knife with red jigged-bone scales...they looked a little too "pink" to me so I re-dyed them with brown leather shoe dye. Problem solved. I buy knives to use and I like to try different patterns, so RR's are fine with me.

I also have a whittler with jigged bone, one of my favorites for pocket carry.

 

[lacrosse11attack]

buffing the handles to the point of removing color is nothing like case xx pocket worn knives.there are many places where pocket worn case knives can be had for the same price as standard models,if you look around.if you like roughriders I am glad,more case xx for me.

noooo I'm only saying I want it to look roughed up if the knife has earned it

 

[5knives]

Virtually all bone scales tend to dry out and crack with time. Dry climate hastens it.

Haven't had it happen with my case knives or my Frost Family and 'Warrior' beaters since I started treating them with an overnight soaking in food grade mineral oil twice a year.

I live in a high desert climate, but in a river valley so occasional humidity in the 60's, usually lower.

No cracking or splitting since I started the mineral oil soaking.

Put the knife or knives in a zip lock bag, add the mineral oil and leave it overnight. Next night take 'em out and wipe off the excess oil.

Regards,
...

 

[DennisStrickland]

5knives thanks for the 1st aid idea for bone & horn.
dennis

 

[lacrosse11attack]

Virtually all bone scales tend to dry out and crack with time. Dry climate hastens it.

Haven't had it happen with my case knives or my Frost Family and 'Warrior' beaters since I started treating them with an overnight soaking in food grade mineral oil twice a year.

I live in a high desert climate, but in a river valley so occasional humidity in the 60's, usually lower.

No cracking or splitting since I started the mineral oil soaking.

Put the knife or knives in a zip lock bag, add the mineral oil and leave it overnight. Next night take 'em out and wipe off the excess oil.

Regards,
...

I'll have to try that.

 

[Will Power]

Not everybody agrees with mineral oil soaking. It can soften and alter bone&stag in many cases leading to an unapealing look. CASE Bonestag 6.5 seems particularly allergic to this treatment, from cream colour to greyish...

I do understand the dryness problem though as I live in Scandinavia.Humidity is often very low, cold outdoor climate and very hot indoor temps,this can play havoc with bone and to a lesser extent, stag,certain woods can be badly affected depending on their treatment at manufacture. A knife maker cautioned me against soaking with mineral oil and on experimenting, i believe him. a wipe down is ok but the oil can react with brass causing excess verdigris(green discharge if you like...) A better substance altogether is Lemon Oil for furniture which you can readily obtain in the US, I have to import mine.

 

[5knives]

Havent has any of the problems willgoy mentioned with bone, can't say about stag, but I will try the lemon oil as suggested.

Thanks for the warning and the tip.

I would suspect but do not know that most aging and cracking like wood, is more a result of repeated variation in humidity and perhaps temperature or a combination of both than anything else.

And of course any natural product like unstabilized wood, bone or stag is pretty much going to be a law unto itself it seems.

Regardless, thanks to willgoy for the new information. I'll pick up a couple of rough Riders and try out the lemon oil. Maybe I'll know in a year or two!

Regards,
...

 

[Will Power]

At your service:thumbup:

The Lemon oil (Old English) I got from the USA works a treat on bone handles, stag and very much so on the ebony knives I have. Just leave it on for half hour and polish off. Rough Rider has OK bone, the Gunstock Bone series which is a chestnut brown colour with checkering on it is particularly good. The other RR can lose colour when cleaning,though but then, I've had Queen Cutlery and CASE knives do that too. Just frequently using a knife with bone handles keeps it from shrinking.The oil, sweat,acids on your hands all help keep the knife tip-top, so rule No.1 use your knives

 

[yobbos1]

So far the bone on my RR's has held up nicely. Redbone Barlow and Checkered gunstock sowbelly Stockman. Caramel bone razor trapper is really nice! Have a brown bone pig sticker and both the knife and the bone are pretty lackluster.