I have no idea if the Rough Rider idea has any validity however patterns do not have to be the same. Smokey, Schrade, Camillius, are all pretty close friends and business associates. It does not sound so far fetched to me Rumor has run to a foreign company buying machinery, Schrade could not compete with the imports. Again I have no idea but Schrades tool line was coming out of China at the end. You see they could still say the knives were made in the USA and that if it was a tool it could be labeled made in China, ( but isn't a knife a tool ????) also imperials often said China. By the way the parts for there multitool were all made in China however the tools were assembled in Ellenville. The classic one was the razor utility knife they were making at the end destined to be a classic marked Schrade on the belt clip, tang marked China. You see apparently the razor blade made it a tool but the handle was a knife???? ( Strangly I bought mine out of Smokey) So who was the Chinese company already dealing with Schrade apparently they made knives as well as tools who makes Rough Rider for smokey? It all seems like it might be quite logical.
Lets get real, if it smells like fried rice tastes like fired rice and looks like little brown maggots the chances are it could very well be chinese fried rice. Rough riders are a nice line of knives sold at a right price, pearl handles at prices so low we could never compete. Well maybe we could if we used prison labor (from political prisoners who are in jail because they protest a non democratic government)
and did not have laws protecting the workers from carcinagins from its production.
Get those knives quick because when american competition is gone the quality of these will drop the prices will rise and unlike being able to call Schrade for a replacment your answer will be SOO SOLLY.
Do I sound fed up. that is a shame, I said several years ago Schrade would go under without support from the people, oh yeah and some drastic changes in security and a few other areas. I do not blame the foreign companys, I do not even blame Schrade. I blame myself and a zillion others who let it happen.
Someone wrote that it would be great if the employees could buy the plant. I would say that right now the ( the ex employees ) first priority would be food for tonites dinner and some new school clothes for there kids. LT
A "good ol' boy" at a recent flea market told me that Schrade sent all of its Imperial line (tools, dies etc.) to China, and are now making the Rough Rider series. I think it's BS. Anyone know anything about it?
