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

SaintlyBrees said:
This was a very interesting thread to me. I now have 5 RRs in my possession:

  1. Turquoise Peanut (fake turquoise)
  2. Utility or camp knife
  3. Moonshiner Canoe
  4. Whittler
  5. Dog Bone Jack

Over the next few days, I'll take some pictures and start a new thread where I compare 4 of these with a comparable Case and/or other maker. The DBJ, I'll simply review as I own nothing comparable.

Thanks, Jimmy for the thread. You raised my curiosity as well. :)
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Awesome... I'll be looking forward to seeing and reading your reviews :)
 
Looking forward to your opinion on the Dog Bone Jack too, I have it on my 'roundtuit' list of knives to get. I was very happy with my RR camp knife, I should pick up another one of those again in amber bone this time since I have a Case in red bone now :D

Just noticed the "mini" Scout too, definitely picking one of those up for fun.
 
This is my first time using reply. Hmmm. Hope I'm doing this correctly.

Anyway, yes, I have poor impulse control. I just ordered five of the RR pink, peanut, peace knives. They just seem really cool. One for me and one for my brother and three available for gifts. What a great saying.

Regards,

George
 
As promised here is the promised write up. Forgive the poor photography. I bumble at it. Lol! But I think my opinion and observations come through.

Thanks again, Jimmy, for stirring my curiosity. I might well have never looked at another RR had it not been for this thread and doing the comparison was fun. :)
 
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So... I get in my new Rough Rider canoe today... open it up, and inspect it. Perfect?... no... but nothing truly is, and nothing on this knife is awful. As a matter of fact, if I did not know the maker or where the maker has these knives made, and then you told me it was made in America... and asked me what it should sell for, I'd say to give it a solid $50 price tag (I paid about $9 for it). So, nothing really aweful wrong with it, and much is very well done on it, so in my collection it goes, and it fits well amongst the others. Overall, I find it to be a decently made knife, and very attractive to boot :)

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"Up until RR came into the game and placed match strikes on so many of their knives, the match strike seemed limited in use by most traditional knife makers. Now, with sooo many RR knives having the match strike incorporated in their design, it seems to have taken the uniqueness out of what the match strike had become."

But what about those match strike pulls? Just messing with ya.

Tom
 
Double Ott said:
"Up until RR came into the game and placed match strikes on so many of their knives, the match strike seemed limited in use by most traditional knife makers. Now, with sooo many RR knives having the match strike incorporated in their design, it seems to have taken the uniqueness out of what the match strike had become."

But what about those match strike pulls? Just messing with ya.

Tom
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Match strike long pulls and nail nicks?... They are well done on this Rough Rider... But, just as I said before, them now being so common again on RR knives... they surely ain't anything unique anymore. I mean, they were halfway common on old school knives... then kind'a waned off. In modern times, it looks like some of the US makers would add it on some specimens, but more as a unique thing.... Now, nah... see them on a ton of RR knives ;)

Btw... the sharpening is well done... Maybe the Rough Rider folks can show some of the old dogs in the pack how to achieve a consistant sharpening. It is one of the many things they got right on this knife :)
 
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You know what I wonder about these RR knives... How much of them is done old school way? I mean, unlike GEC, or Queen, where many of their consumers are keeping their eyes on them to see that they are keeping old school in their methods of manufacturing, no such thing can be done with a plant making the RR. So, I wonder how much is done old school... and how much is done on more modern machinery. Obviously, labor, which is so costly in the states, is not too big a deal in china.... so making them old school may not be a bad thing over there... maybe even being the preference, if it ultimately costs less than investing in more modern machinery. I don't know either way, of course... just me wondering, that's all :)
 
Ain't that knife awesome for $10! They tend to do all of the regular patterns pretty correctly. I had read that their trapperlock is a fail and dangerous. But that's not one of their regular patterns!
 
cchu518 said:
Ain't that knife awesome for $10! They tend to do all of the regular patterns pretty correctly. I had read that their trapperlock is a fail and dangerous. But that's not one of their regular patterns!
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Yeah, it really is a steal at their prices! The bone pattern is awesome on this knife... and truth is, I don't remember ever seing anything exactly like it, American, Chinese, or other. So, it seems to offer alot in it's own right :) Still hard to believe the price when one considers how much more similar U.S. knives go for... Jaw dropping difference in price, but quality is amazingly very comparable... just crazy!
 
cchu518 said:
Ain't that knife awesome for $10! They tend to do all of the regular patterns pretty correctly. I had read that their trapperlock is a fail and dangerous. But that's not one of their regular patterns!
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Wait wait wait..... Where did you hear this about the trapper lock? I was about to buy one.
 
Ok, nobody should take offense, Im just going to present an alternate reality.

1. Sharpness. If you look at RR blade edges under a magnifying glass, or even just in plain light, you will see a very toothy edge. Of course it cuts, its like a saw. The same can be said for serrated Cutco knives.

2. Cost. Of course RR are inexpensive, they use inexpensive materials, inexpensive labor, and inexpensive manufacturing methods including stamped blades and power tools. Nothing old school about any of that.

3. Stainless. Old school is not stainless.

Rough Riders are cheap stainless bladed knives with very coarsely sharpened edges. Yes they make some nice handles, and yes they make inexpensive ways to test a pattern. IF they come out with a Carbon Steel, I might buy another one.

fwiw, I currently own a RR Big Barlow and a RR Toothpic, and Ive given away some of the Big Barlows, and the small ones, as well as some of the RR peanuts. They make great gifts for people that never sharpen their knives, and who would be put off if the blade was to tarnish. They also make a great balm for our desire to accumulate stuff, without breaking the bank.

RR is also a great way to test a pattern, until you buy the same pattern in Carbon Steel, then you can give away the RR. And fwiw, the RR peanut has no half stop, and the blade opens way flatter in line with the back spring, compared to a Genuine Case Peanut. To me, there really is no comparison, the RR peanut is a joke once you put it next to a Case in CV.

btw, none of these comments are about where the knives are made, its mostly about the steel. Cheap stainless is just that.
 
Sometimes you just don't wanna worry about rust man. It doesn't make you lesser of a knife enthusiast, just means you don't want to worry about rust. I think it's relatively common for 440c to be considered traditional, or am I wrong? (I know rr's are 440a)
 
Actually, after Case, Queen Cutlery is one of, if not the next oldest American traditional knife producer left in the USA. And, they have been dabbling with stainless steel blades since the first half of the twentieth century. That stainless they used back in the day would likely compare poorly to either Case 420hc or Rough Rider's 440a of today. Also, all the current traditional pocket knife makers in the USA, use stamped out blades, none using the older machine forged blades. And, I have found some of my case having similar, if not more coarse blade edges. Steel being 440a... not much different than many currently made fixed bladed knives made in America, and from most reviews, very comparable to today's Case 420hc in overall performance. Modern machinery?... maybe Queen and Gec have kept pretty old school, but again, Case (a big dog in the US traditional making field) is using quite a bit of modern machinery (and charging much higher dollars for their products). I have known that the Chinese made goods have improved overall... But with this better quality, somehow they still are way lower in price than most, if not all competition, in the world. Politics aside, I am impressed with the Rough Rider... more than I ever believed I'd be. My friend knowing I was going to order a few more to see if this quality is for real, ordered a couple for me and gave them to me today. And yes... I still am very impressed! :) Ymmv :)

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LEOGREG said:
:thumbup: Jimmy!
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You did tell me so, LEOGREG!... My opinion now is... dollar for dollar, not only does Rough Rider blow the competition away on bang for buck... But they can and do offer a product that compares very well with much higher priced knives made in countries where production costs are much higher. Again, politics aside, these are very decent knives, and this coming from me... a pretty hard to please customer (yes, I can be very picky) :)
 
Glad you like the knives Jimmy. If you're not too averse to flash, you might want to take a look at the Colt licensed products with even better fit and polish. Warning; wear some dark glasses when you open the box! I took this "glamour shot" at my local coffee shop at night. It looks huge but, is actually a very pocketable 3& 1/2 inches closed.
Happy holidays,
Greg

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