My curiosity of Rough Rider, needs to be resolved...

Seems like the most common comparison made is RR to Case. The nearest thing I have in size to the incoming 2" RR leg knife, is my Case tiny trapper. Of course the Case was more like 50 bucks, not 8 or so bucks. But, that will be the bar set for the RR. My tiny trapper is a nice little knife :-)
 
Fit and finish is better in some instances over case. Pull is a out a 6. I have a trapper and a peanut and the 440a is excellent. The trapper came perfect and the peanut that I have just needed its bevels and grinds worked a bit on the course stone. Both are now laser sharp. In my favorite carry order is the colt peanut by rr, a bulldog soddie in red 1 of 40 and the rr trapper which came flawless as well. The blades on the rr hold decent edges as well.
 
I've had pleasant experiences with Rough Rider, and feel they offer a good value. for the price, the fit and finish is pretty nice, and the steel isn't too shabby AFAIC. I have a friend in the neighboring county who's into repairing/modifying traditional folders, and swears they're pinned very good. I've asked him about Rough Rider several times, and he carries one, but he usually carries several knives to display his work. Their Barlow, especially this one of mine in particular, has impressed me a great deal. It's a 7 on both blades, and has o gaps to speak of. The Steel took a fine edge, and stood admirably to whittling softer wood like cedar. Like many mass produced items though there will always be naysayers, and unhappy people, or those who expect too much. I own Case, Buck, and GEC Slipjoints, and Rough Rider. The only other games in town in this price range are Opinels, and Svord Peasents, which are good too. There's no need to take sides, when you can purchase, and use them all eventually. I'm not a fan of brand loyalty, but do respect these inexpensive knives. BTW I received a broken Rough Rider, a long time ago, and took it apart the pins on the scales are functional and go through the brass and are flat on the other end, and are epoxied as well.
 
Rough Rider makes one of my favorite patterns, the pen whittler. I'm not aware of anyone else making that pattern right now. This knife has been put through its paces last week for sure. My friend and I were rescuing some cupboards from his sister's paint job- sanding and staining them to look nice. This knife was perfect for getting the paint out of the nooks and crannies. (pardon the bad cellphone photos)

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whetrock said:
I've had pleasant experiences with Rough Rider, and feel they offer a good value. for the price, the fit and finish is pretty nice, and the steel isn't too shabby AFAIC. I have a friend in the neighboring county who's into repairing/modifying traditional folders, and swears they're pinned very good. I've asked him about Rough Rider several times, and he carries one, but he usually carries several knives to display his work. Their Barlow, especially this one of mine in particular, has impressed me a great deal. It's a 7 on both blades, and has o gaps to speak of. The Steel took a fine edge, and stood admirably to whittling softer wood like cedar. Like many mass produced items though there will always be naysayers, and unhappy people, or those who expect too much. I own Case, Buck, and GEC Slipjoints, and Rough Rider. The only other games in town in this price range are Opinels, and Svord Peasents, which are good too. There's no need to take sides, when you can purchase, and use them all eventually. I'm not a fan of brand loyalty, but do respect these inexpensive knives. BTW I received a broken Rough Rider, a long time ago, and took it apart the pins on the scales are functional and go through the brass and are flat on the other end, and are epoxied as well.
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This is exactly like the one that I have. :) I do love this color of bone on this pattern.
 
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If you want to try an RR Jimmy why not go big? The Deerslayer is 5 and a half inches closed, beautiful sawcut bone, scalloped nickel bolsters and I can assure you the pins go all the way into the frame.
Zoom in on the edge bevel and see how a knife should be ground. It opens and closes with a loud and very satisfying thunk. Do I like RRs you bet I do! They aren't just good for the money.....they're good period.

My lousy coffee shop photo doesn't do them justice.
 
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When I was first learning about traditional patterns, I would pour through the SMKW catalog, looking at all the Rough Riders. I've found the quality to be hit and miss, though I think there's been real improvement in the last few years. I don't own a lot of them, but they are great for trying out a new pattern without spending a lot. I bought a few in white bone to try my hand at scrimshaw. I'd recommend them for anyone wanting to practice modifications like blade reshaping. Basically, they are fun toys!
 
LEOGREG said:
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If you want to try an RR Jimmy why not go big? The Deerslayer is 5 and a half inches closed, beautiful sawcut bone, scalloped nickel bolsters and I can assure you the pins go all the way into the frame.
Zoom in on the edge bevel and see how a knife should be ground. It opens and closes with a loud and very satisfying thunk. Do I like RRs you bet I do! They aren't just good for the money.....they're good period.

My lousy coffee shop photo doesn't do them justice.
Click to expand...

They sure look nice! :-)
 
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And Jimmy if elegance and refinement are to your taste, you might want to take a closer look at this Colt split spring whittler.
Nobody else is making this pattern.
 
I have to say I have been a big fan of RR for over 7 years. I have turned on a great number of folks to the joys of slip joint carry with a cheap, quality RR. Many now have Americam made slippies in their collections.
Here is a Case Medium Stockman and what RR calls their three blade Barlow that I did OUT of The BOX cutting competion with. The RR OUTCUT the Case by an unbelievable number. I used three different knives against three Case knives with very similar blades,in every case the RR outcut the out of the box Case knives. In most cases the patterns are very true to the oldies we all love. I think they're a great entry level knife and pretty enough to make folks look around for other makers and styles.

Best regards

Robin
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Here are three in the gunstock bone.
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That sawcut bone's texture and colour are really nice. Same for the gunstock bone... I positively hate the serrated nail nick but I see these knives get a lot of love for overall quality. Must find a Europe based retailer to lower costs if I have to send back.
 
I have had a few rough riders. I actually just got a small toothpick yesterday. They are good for trying a pattern, or if you start to feel ridiculous spending $100+ on a 3" knife with 440c. They do hold an edge extremely well for their price, and mine haven't had any opening/closing or tightness issues. However, they do often have noticeable imperfections. One Barlow was off center, one's spring was proud and had space between the scales, and this toothpick has a pronounced turn in the blade. None of these issues severely affect the use of the knife, so if they wouldn't bother you then rough rider will be great for you. I'm trying to decide currently if I want to get a case toothpick now.
 
I have several of them, including some that came in a bag of "seconds" for $4.00 each. Great little knives, IMO. Go ahead and get one or three, you won't be disappointed.
 
Several years ago, I was curious about RR knives. I initially bought a medium stockman in white/ivory bone, as that size stockman is one of my favorite patterns. I carried it for a while, and used it the same as I use my other knives. My opinion on the knife was it sharpened up well, held an edge respectably. The bone, as someone else mentioned, stained too easily, soaking up oil around the pins. I also found either the blade or the spring to have a poor heat treat on it, as the spring eventually went sub flush with the liners from ecessive wear. Not a bad knife overall, but not great.

I guess they are what they are, for the price.
 
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This RR canoe is my beater, it rides in my right front pocket along with my keys and those round shiny things I use to keep my pants from riding too high :-) As you can see after a year in such company the bone has picked up some color from the oil in my hands and God knows what else. I think it adds to its charm. Still rock solid and I think Pipeman's testing should have settled once and for all the "mystery Chinese steel" question. YMMV - Greg
 
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