Can anyone match Rough Ryder "bang for the buck"

I’ve always been a fan of Victorinox and Buck when it comes to value for the money, although they both have gone up quite a bit in price in recent years. Even though both are budget brands I also have some pride in ownership with Victorinox and Buck, that I just wouldn’t with RR. No offense to the RR fans.

I have about a dozen or so Case knives around here and although I like them, they have been the most disappointing in quality fit and finish of the three….Vic, Buck, Case. My Bucks have been mostly good, and I’ve never been disappointed with Victorinox (and I’ve bought a bunch for myself and as gifts through the years). Victorinox is uniformly good, without variation and I never have to wonder about the knife I’ll get when ordering online. My wife has been carrying a Swisschamp in her purse for the past 18 years. It gets used and abused a lot. To her, it’s just a tool and she use it for just about anything (even a hammer). It’s held up perfectly and is good today as the day I bought it.
 
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As a long time knife lover, who’s had a few knives north of $500.00 over the years, I can tell you that sometimes it’s not always about which one is better. Many here on the porch may have limited budgets to spend on items like knives. A few years ago our lives were turned upside down by the cost of care for my wife who developed two different types of cancer. We lost almost everything we had trying to stay above water, and we’re still fighting. This has steered me towards mostly very inexpensive knives. I can agree that some of the designs are a bit unusual, and quality may not be on par with GEC, and others, but it still allows some of us to enjoy the hobby. If RR, Marbles, or the like are not right for you I understand. However, I don’t feel that the porch is the right platform to call what other might enjoy “junk”. To the original poster, if you enjoy RR, then by all means, do just that. You know what they say about opinions…………… Lance
 
The Fort said:
As a long time knife lover, who’s had a few knives north of $500.00 over the years, I can tell you that sometimes it’s not always about which one is better. Many here on the porch may have limited budgets to spend on items like knives. A few years ago our lives were turned upside down by the cost of care for my wife who developed two different types of cancer. We lost almost everything we had trying to stay above water, and we’re still fighting. This has steered me towards mostly very inexpensive knives. I can agree that some of the designs are a bit unusual, and quality may not be on par with GEC, and others, but it still allows some of us to enjoy the hobby. If RR, Marbles, or the like are not right for you I understand. However, I don’t feel that the porch is the right platform to call what other might enjoy “junk”. To the original poster, if you enjoy RR, then by all means, do just that. You know what they say about opinions…………… Lance
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Very well put :thumbsup:

Common decency and integrity beats received ignorance&arrogance any day . I've enjoyed some RR knives, other cheaper brands too and customs and very much sought after items. Enjoyment & aesthetics come from many different levels, the amount of money spent is often a weak connexion.

I'd recommend looking at Rosecraft knives too as they are very well finished and offer D2 steel. Not all the designs are to my taste , but then that's the same for all other manufacturers/artisans :)

Thanks, Will
 
The Fort said:
As a long time knife lover, who’s had a few knives north of $500.00 over the years, I can tell you that sometimes it’s not always about which one is better. Many here on the porch may have limited budgets to spend on items like knives. A few years ago our lives were turned upside down by the cost of care for my wife who developed two different types of cancer. We lost almost everything we had trying to stay above water, and we’re still fighting. This has steered me towards mostly very inexpensive knives. I can agree that some of the designs are a bit unusual, and quality may not be on par with GEC, and others, but it still allows some of us to enjoy the hobby. If RR, Marbles, or the like are not right for you I understand. However, I don’t feel that the porch is the right platform to call what other might enjoy “junk”. To the original poster, if you enjoy RR, then by all means, do just that. You know what they say about opinions…………… Lance
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Do as you please. And count on me to do the same. And I don't remember anyone called anything "junk" in this thread.
 
Easy, guys - it’s just a hobby. Knives are just like the rest of the material junk we accumulate in this life, and ain’t none of it going to follow us into the next. No use getting too worked up about it.

The only way any of it will benefit us in the end is if we used it for good. The only way I can think of using knives for good would be to use them as a means to build relationships, which then would give you the chance to show kindness, compassion, sympathy, and encouragement as the need arises.

Sorry for that. We now return to our regularly scheduled programming…
 
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I love Rough Ryder Knives. I have a few. I've only had one with a problem and its ok. I'm not picky. It cuts and does its job. I also own Case and other knives. When I read the comments about the people not wanting China Knives I laugh. Look around. Its sad but its all around us. We carry China phones, watch China Tv's and drive cars with China parts. If its not made in China its somewhere else. I'm all for made in America stuff. If we truly bought all made in America it would be hard.
 
afishhunter said:
Strange. I've never had one loosen up over the years I've carried and used them.

Have you contacted SMKW about your defective knives?
They do stand behind their lifetime warranty.
(I had a couple of their Marble's brand replaced at no charge to me for broken main springs.)
One, a MR409 pruning knife, was so old/early it did not have the "MR" number. My proof of purchase was long, and the Amazon order number (closed account) was not available.
The MR409 is a $6.⁹⁹ plus tax and shipping knife, by the way. So is the MR278 "Demo" knife, that they replaced due to a broken mainspring.
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Yeah I have had to use the warranty a few times now. lol they have been good about it, they sent me new knives each time. Then those new knives had the exact same issues so I just gave up on them. I had a fishing knife (Texas toothpick with a fish scaler) that I sent back after a few uses because it was starting to come apart. The new one that they sent did the same thing to me. And I don’t abuse my knives, just regular use. My cases, bucks, Swiss Army knives are just fine.
I’ve also had other issues with them like cosmetic stuff. Sounds like you have had some trouble with their springs. I think they just use poor quality materials generally. The metals seem to be thin and weak, with soft edges. The bone dyes have been iffy, often bleeding out after I clean them, the nickel silver is very brassy (tarnishes easily and is very yellow), they are always shipped to me with dirt all over them (not just an issue for Rough Rider to be fair), and they loosen up and have soft inconsistent springs in my experience. Plus they are often UGLY, strange looking traditional knives.
And to top it all off, they are made in china. Except the fixed blades which are made with love in Pakistan. Lol

I would rather save for a week and buy a victorinox or Case. RR aren’t always junk, and when they’re good they’re great, but it is a gamble. The really good ones I’ve given to family, especially the Marbles which seem to be better on the whole.
 
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Will Power said:
Very well put :thumbsup:

Common decency and integrity beats received ignorance&arrogance any day . I've enjoyed some RR knives, other cheaper brands too and customs and very much sought after items. Enjoyment & aesthetics come from many different levels, the amount of money spent is often a weak connexion.

I'd recommend looking at Rosecraft knives too as they are very well finished and offer D2 steel. Not all the designs are to my taste , but then that's the same for all other manufacturers/artisans :)

Thanks, Will
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Thank you for your kind response, Will, and for interpreting my post in the spirit it was intended. Lance
 
Boattale said:
Do as you please. And count on me to do the same. And I don't remember anyone called anything "junk" in this thread.
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That’s my whole point, to each his own. I wasn’t quoting anyone specifically in this thread, just referring to the term I’ve heard used to describe them before. I didn’t mean to imply that anyone was right or wrong, in their decisions. I just thought that we should all respect each other’s choices.
 
My experience with knife brands is that RR fit/finish/sharpness are comparable to any of the other brands i have. Their prices are, AFAIK, untouchable for the quality. The main issue for me is the fact that they are made by a bunch of godless heathens. That being said, i do no consider myself an expert. I saw an Opinel in a local outdoor supply store and was not impressed by it's looks. But, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I do plan however to get one. Might grow on me. Of course, you k ow what they say about the French...."The French copy no one, and no one copies the French.". Will try RoseCraft also!
RF
 
I think I like RRs. I did a quick count (probably off by less than 5 knives) this afternoon and came up with 103 RRs I currently own, and 10 others I bought but subsequently traded or gave away. That's FAR more knives than I have from any other maker.

The only "problems" I've ever had with RRs is uneven dye on smooth bone handles of a few knives, and, as someone pointed out above, RR's nickel silver bolsters turn yellowish quite quickly, but they'll polish back to silver quite easily. That nickel silver tarnish is not a problem I worry about, nor do I worry about gaps between springs and liners, or uncentered blades that don't hit liners or other blades. But I hate blade rub and blade play and can't remember finding either in any of my RRs.

If you're someone that enjoys buying and selling knives and maybe making a little profit on each transaction, RRs are probably not for you. I don't think they have much resale value.

But back when I started acquiring knives as a hobby, I decided my budget for the hobby should be a dollar a day. I can get quite a few nice RRs in the course of a year for $335 (got to set aside $30 for BF membership ;)).

- GT
 
Rover-Friskey said:
I saw an Opinel in a local outdoor supply store and was not impressed by it's looks. But, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I do plan however to get one. Might grow on me.
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I bought an Opinel No. 8 and didn’t love it.
Some years went by and I purchased a No. 6, and now I’m a huge fan. Some sizes of Opinel just hit different. I highly recommend them.

The unique shape has a lot of history. They were penny knives; meant to be cheap and reliable. They weigh next to nothing. Stainless or carbon, you can’t go wrong. I own many nice GECs and Case knives, but a humble Opinel probably gets more carry time than all of them.
 
RR tend to stand out for the low cost and decent quality, in the traditional segment.

Rosecraft appear to also be good, but, they seem to be closer in price to the RR reserve line and thus may be compared with them, rather than the standard RR.

I have not bought any RR for a few years, but I remember them being around 20 USD, about half of what the Rosecraft and RR reserve lines start at.

They are both owned by US companies, and I assume most profits go to the US.

For similarly priced knives you could also try Old Bear, ICEL mikov and others in addition to what was mentioned above. Also some older, used, knives, if you can find them cheaply.
 
I picked this one up (and a few others) while on vacation in Tennessee last summer. A very patient wife set me loose inside Smoky Mountain Knife Works for a few hours.
SMKW owns the RR brand, and they have a good-sized section dedicated to RR.

They're not for everyone but hard argue that they're not a good value.
This one was at the higher end of the RR line before the Reserve line, $39 .
And they had Opinels too, my wife bought one:).

rr12.jpg
 
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