Astounded and Amazed of South West London (Rough Rider surprise)

Chui

Chui

Gold Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2012
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3,066
Just received these in the post...

Some here may know me for enjoying custom folders and fixed, and for personal reasons I would not usually find myself buying a product from this country that make Rough Riders.

However, first and foremost, I love knives.........and, as we all know, very much of what we all buy and own hails from these parts. Further, there are now very many high-end folders made there, particularly of the tactical sort and fully endorsed/utilised by well known designers and marques from the 'States.

Putting all that aside.........these folders are outstanding, think the average cost was £23 Sterling each. Gob-smacking vfm.

Sure, they do not all have dead-centred blades, but they are more than good enough, and half are very well centred.

Blade pull is an average of 5/10, and some have crisp walk n talk.

If, one day, I need to sell all my collection to pay for knee and hip ops, at least I can keep these :D

Have to dash to a meeting, but a few quick snaps for now.

RR-01 by Paul Chui, on Flickr

RR-03 by Paul Chui, on Flickr

RR-02 by Paul Chui, on Flickr

RR-04 by Paul Chui, on Flickr

RR-05 by Paul Chui, on Flickr

RR-06 by Paul Chui, on Flickr
 
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I have several Rough Ryders and SMKW Marbles. Decent, functional knives for the price.
Rich
 
Those look like some mighty fine knives, Paul. I particularly like that Sowbelly Trapper.

Please forgive me for not understanding but what does South West London have to do with these knives?
 
Railsplitter said:
Those look like some mighty fine knives, Paul. I particularly like that Sowbelly Trapper.

Please forgive me for not understanding but what does South West London have to do with these knives?
Click to expand...

Thank you. You're spot-on there..........the Sowbelly imho is the best of the bunch - centred blades and great walk n talk - it handles and feels like a custom, seriously.

SW London is where I now live.

joeradza said:
Except for a very few that I've managed to keep Paul, I've gotten to that point. I certainly miss some that I needed to sell. However, I can say that these Rough Ryders are a pleasure to own.
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It crosses my mind more these days as to whether I really need all my customs..!

Yes, I am very surprised by the pleasure these RR imbue :thumbsup:
 
Nice collection. :)
Rough Rider, and SMKW Marbles, are affordable functional knives, having quality above their pay grade, in my humble (probably somewhat biased) opinion. :)
Honestly, I'm glad they are available. I cannot afford anything "better" (note quotes).
 
afishhunter afishhunter
I started with Rough Riders before I started paying more and more money on GEC's and customs. I have come full circle and now carry a RR fulltime. There are obvious differences among the three types but the law of diminishing returns should be taken into account if you're looking to get the most bang for your buck.
 
I still cannot spend my money on off-shore, flashy substandard knives!!
Knowing how the dollars are used in detrimental ways for American industry, and Life in general, I simply cannot abide these reproductions of North American ingenuity!!:mad:
Go out and buy the real thing!!:eek: Be a patriot when and where we need it!!
 
I've got a few myself. I like em.

cMuXJbM.jpg
 
waynorth said:
I still cannot spend my money on off-shore, flashy substandard knives!!
Knowing how the dollars are used in detrimental ways for American industry, and Life in general, I simply cannot abide these reproductions of North American ingenuity!!:mad:
Go out and buy the real thing!!:eek: Be a patriot when and where we need it!!
Click to expand...

- sincere apologies if you have found this not to your taste.

Am not for one moment advocating that folk buy these instead of USA made, or whatever, knives they may normally buy.

These knives cost very little and were bought out of interest and in addition to what I collect. For their pricepoint, their fit n finish is astounding.

Only just found, a few moments ago, that there's a Rough Rider thread running to 250 pages, and can only guess that some folk here possibly don't have the means to afford others perhaps, and therefore join in with the rest of us to share their love for the sharp n shiny.....whether a Bose or a Rough Rider, we all possess this common desire and interest.

I have a fair collection of custom folders, both USA made and other parts of the world - still hanker after many a USA slippie, but can't always get my hands on them..!

Wishing you a great weekend, sir :thumbsup: :)
 
My heart tells me not to buy traditional-style knives from China. But I'll be honest ...... my head tells me I'd be sorely tempted to buy one if RRs didn't have so many aesthetic bells and whistles. I just don't dig match-strike pulls, file-worked springs, etc. I like my ladies with less makeup, if that makes sense. ;) At any rate, glad you're enjoying them, Chui.

-- Mark
 
I most certainly understand some peoples' ethical qualms in this matter, respect that and their voicing of it, I have my own reservations too. If or when a product is good then it deserves to be considered on its merits, it is true that many products coming from that place are lacking durability or merit- which generates yet more waste something the world cannot afford.

However, RR knives are not in this category nor do I view them as knock offs or imitations, just alternatives. This Mini Cotton Sampler is as far as I know not made by anybody else nor has it been. The usual Cotton Sampler is a rare and rather large knife over 4" making it a specialist niche type. The RR version is 3.25" and very handy as a small knife- a type I'm generally fond of. Finish is very high, extremely sharp out of the box and I've been pleased with it and the Smooth Bone version.

RR also make a Eureka Stockman, a pattern I don't think has been made by US makers for a long time? Not known to me anyway so it does not tread on anybody's toes-as it were. Not a fan of too much bling on some of their models- Mark just posted that he preferred women with less make-up as an analogy....can't agree there ;):D But the match strike pulls are a little questionable...

GzIbXat.jpg


VyIbAy4.jpg
 
Sometimes we have to make choices in life...
You can buy seven Rough Ryder knives, or two Case knives, or one GEC knife, all for roughly the same price.
If you've bought 7+ RR knives and are saying you can't afford anything else, you've only just chosen quantity over quality.
I'd rather people say they prefer to spend their limited finances to purchase multiple knives. Nothing wrong with that... own it. :D
 
I look at those RR knives as knock offs. Although I respect others’ rights to appreciate and enjoy them, I can’t see them in any other light.

We all know traditional knives are bested in most areas by modern blades. So why do we buy them? We buy them because they are authentic and a piece of history.

RR doesn’t even enter into the equation for me.
 
If RR are knock offs so is every other single product without an original patent. I have owned knives from $10 on up to some of the most coveted GEC's and customs. Everyone has their own well deserved reasons for buying their knives, but dollar value and usefulness is one of RR's strengths.
 
Camillus said:
I look at those RR knives as knock offs. Although I respect others’ rights to appreciate and enjoy them, I can’t see them in any other light.

We all know traditional knives are bested in most areas by modern blades. So why do we buy them? We buy them because they are authentic and a piece of history.

RR doesn’t even enter into the equation for me.
Click to expand...
What makes RR knives more of a knock off, less authentic, or less historical than other current brands?
 
If you read my post carefully, I didn’t compare RR to other brands A akaMatt . I just said I look at them as a knock off.

knock-off definition: 1. a cheap copy of a popular product: 2. a cheap copy of a popular product:
 
Knock-off for me at least, is pretending to be a marque you are not and concealing country of origin to deliberately deceive. RR does neither of these things.

I try to look at it as the knife not so much the background: is it a pattern I cannot get elsewhere? Is it a good interpretation ? Is it well made? Can I afford it? As for the background, I'm uncertain but I believe RR is an American owned company even if it manufacturers elsewhere? I think my Apple product MacBook is the same....

In the end, people are not gong to agree about this if they have entrenched opinions and I don't see that as bad either, a Forum is for discussing & disagreeing after all. Others do get new ideas or impressions from this. But is it the knife that you dislike or its origins which is the real test of objectivity?
 
Sorry, but I don’t really have strong enough views to be bothered enough to enter a debate on RR knives. My post was meant to indicate I didn’t care much for them, and I really don’t.
 
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