First post - too junky to buy?

An important thing to remember is that not all carbon fibre is created equal. I've done some carbon fibre projects myself including stuff using CF and Kevlar hybrid cloth and I can tell you that there is a TON of crap CF on the market. There was actually a national CF shortage a short time ago from government contracts and private aircraft manufacturing requiring large amounts of CF. In response, the market was flooded with a cheaper 'charred cloth' stuff which is utter crap. They get away with calling it carbon fibre because technically, it is. (You can call burnt wood 'carbon fibre' because it's mostly carbon and fibrous.) I found out the hard way that just because it looks like good CF doesn't mean it's worth it's weight in dog poop. I seriously doubt that at $20 a pop, Rough Rider is turning out quality folders with real Carbon Filament CF. Then again, I don't work for Rough Rider, so I don't know. It's just been my personal experience that cheap CF is generally worthless.
 
Blais said:
An important thing to remember is that not all carbon fibre is created equal. I've done some carbon fibre projects myself including stuff using CF and Kevlar hybrid cloth and I can tell you that there is a TON of crap CF on the market. There was actually a national CF shortage a short time ago from government contracts and private aircraft manufacturing requiring large amounts of CF. In response, the market was flooded with a cheaper 'charred cloth' stuff which is utter crap. They get away with calling it carbon fibre because technically, it is. (You can call burnt wood 'carbon fibre' because it's mostly carbon and fibrous.) I found out the hard way that just because it looks like good CF doesn't mean it's worth it's weight in dog poop. I seriously doubt that at $20 a pop, Rough Rider is turning out quality folders with real Carbon Filament CF. Then again, I don't work for Rough Rider, so I don't know. It's just been my personal experience that cheap CF is generally worthless.
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It looks and 'feels' like the same sort of carbon fiber that is used for expensive Japanese aftermarket auto parts, but like you say, looks can be deceiving! Those parts might very well be made in China too!
 
True, looks can be decieving. I've seen some pretty impressive looking garbage made from epoxy and various burnt fabrics. You can actually find imitation kevlar and CF hybrid cloth if you look hard enough. It looks great but isn't worth a damn. I really hope Rough Rider is using some good stuff in the handles and if they are, then they may have a market. However, on the flipside, if the extra effort and money goes into the handles how much is left for the rest of the knife before it hits shelves?
Sorry, not trying to cut down your new knife. It is a pretty cool looking folder. It's just that I'm a huge CF fan (just traded my CF 941) and I'm sceptical of cheap stuff. I'm very curious to find out how this folder works for you. If you're happy with it down the road, be sure to let me know and I'll be sure to add a couple to my collection. Maybe give it a workout for us?
 
Bob W said:
I know you really want a carbon fiber handle, but there are so many nice good-quality knives that I'd rather have for $20...
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I have to agree. If you're used to Spyderco & Benchmade, you will probably be disappointed.
 
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