Information on Rigid USA Knives

The knife from ebay is a Rigid Wilderness Series R1 Sidewinder fixed blade - 9" overall length and 4 1/4 blade. I have 3 Sidewinders - it's a great knife. This series consisted of three 9" knives and 5 10"+ knives. The 9" are the R1, R4 Ripper - 9" O.L. and 4 1/8" chamfered skinning blade for small game, and an R7 Skinner -9" O.L. and 4 1/8" unusual blade. One of the 10" R series Rigids was the R10 Rebel - 10" O.L. and a 5 1/4" blade with a bone handle (a knife that I am interested in purchasing). Rigids from that period were hand made so there were sight variances in the blade length which I feel make them unique. These knives were made to be used. Depending upon which one you have and a collector's needs, the 9" R series Rigids have value to some of us. Hope this helps. Regards, Jofes
 
Back in the 70's Rigid was started by some guys that broke off from Buck and they made some heavy duty knives using 440c for the blades and thick brass and hard woods for the handels. They only lasted a few years don't know about the brand afer that.
 
According to what research I did... Bill Duff and his partner were foremen at Buck in 1969 and wanted to have some of their designs made. Buck refused, I believe the story was that they were selling their Rigid knives through mail order out of their garage while they were still working at Buck, until Buck found out about it. Strictly taboo as it was considered a conflict of interest. I don't think they used the same steel Buck Knives were using at the time. So they went out on their own from their garage shops and made their Custom Order Rigid USA Knives in 1970,71, 72 and then Incorporated in 1973 - 1980. Bill Duff, Don Collum & Dean Parks of Rigid USA Knives, in Santee CA were in direct competition with Buck at the time they were in operation. So it comes as no big surprise that there would be a lot of negative comments about Rigid USA from Buck. Buck Knives may have even had a hand in running interference with their sales and marketing. Rigid Knives USA Santee Ca. made some very well made custom knives based on their designs that are highly collectable now. The Name was bought by R. G. Russell I believe and then Smokey Mountain Knife Works and made in Lake Hamilton Arkansas. No one has achieved the fine workmanship that was done by the original RIGID USA Knives... In My Humble Opinion

I’m sorry if any of this info was wrong. Most of it was by word of mouth from people I knew in El Cajon.
 
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I have no idea how my name is thought to be connected with Rigid, or why anyone would think that they were handmade (custom), neither has any basis in fact.

Two Buck workers somehow got the money to start a company mass producing a new knife line and the investment made it almost impossible to be a success. I was never involved.

Steve07 said:
According to what research I did... Bill Duff and his partner were foremen at Buck in 1969 and wanted to have some of their designs made. Buck refused, I believe the story was that they were selling their Rigid knives through mail order out of their garage while they were still working at Buck, until Buck found out about it. Strictly taboo as it was considered a conflict of interest. I don't think they used the same steel Buck Knives were using at the time. So they went out on their own from their garage shops and made their Custom Order Rigid USA Knives in 1970,71, 72 and then Incorporated in 1973 - 1980. Bill Duff, Don Collum & Dean Parks of Rigid USA Knives, in Santee CA were in direct competition with Buck at the time they were in operation. So it comes as no big surprise that there would be a lot of negative comments about Rigid USA from Buck. Buck Knives may have even had a hand in running interference with their sales and marketing. Rigid Knives USA Santee Ca. made some very well made custom knives based on their designs that are highly collectable now. The Name was bought by R. G. Russell I believe and then Smokey Mountain Knife Works and made in Lake Hamilton Arkansas. No one has achieved the fine workmanship that was done by the original RIGID USA Knives... In My Humble Opinion
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A. G. Russell said:
I have no idea how my name is thought to be connected with Rigid, or why anyone would think that they were handmade (custom), neither has any basis in fact.

Two Buck workers somehow got the money to start a company mass producing a new knife line and the investment made it almost impossible to be a success. I was never involved.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clarifying, AG. Nothing worse then unfounded rumors and bad information.
 
IMG_2958.jpg


Image is one of the original saleman kits my Dad used in the early 70's to promote the Rigid brand.


He recently gave me one set and my older brother the first set of prototype knives.
 
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