Opinions on Rough Rider's Barlow knives.

I have a few RR Barlows and several other RR knives. Like others have said I think they are absolutely great knives for the price point. A Barlow for around $12 with good F&F decent blade steel and handle materials, brass liners with silver nickel bolsters and razor sharp out of the box.. What's not to like. They hold an edge fairly well and are very easy to sharpen. And let's face facts one can be had for basically what equates to pocket change in 2016 so for me there's nothing to think about just buy one and if you don't like it you are really not out anything. Others mentioned the shield looking out of place on the Barlows and I agree but will also say I think all of RR shields look cheap and take a little away from the overall appearance. Just for perspective here is a couple of pictures the first is what $85 worth of RR knives looks like the second what $85 worth of GEC looks like.

4wxxwoZ.jpg

ra3BDnb.jpg
 
My first, and so far my only Barlow is an RR in black bark bone. I will echo the previous poster and say this finish is uninspiring. No, actually ugly describes it better.

It works just fine as an edc knife, however, but I have not carried it much.
 
r redden said:
Others mentioned the shield looking out of place on the Barlows and I agree but will also say I think all of RR shields look cheap and take a little away from the overall appearance.
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Eh, I kinda like those cartoony little RR acorn shields. :o :cool:

 
That smooth tobacco bone looks good with any shield, much better than it shows in the online catalogs.
 
r redden said:
I have a few RR Barlows and several other RR knives. Like others have said I think they are absolutely great knives for the price point. A Barlow for around $12 with good F&F decent blade steel and handle materials, brass liners with silver nickel bolsters and razor sharp out of the box.. What's not to like. They hold an edge fairly well and are very easy to sharpen. And let's face facts one can be had for basically what equates to pocket change in 2016 so for me there's nothing to think about just buy one and if you don't like it you are really not out anything. Others mentioned the shield looking out of place on the Barlows and I agree but will also say I think all of RR shields look cheap and take a little away from the overall appearance. Just for perspective here is a couple of pictures the first is what $85 worth of RR knives looks like the second what $85 worth of GEC looks like.

4wxxwoZ.jpg

ra3BDnb.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice collection of RR there. :) How do you like that RR camp/scout knife? They've been in my sights for a while now, just having a hard tyme pulling the trigger ... "buck fever"?
 
Sayoc01 said:
I'd rather save & buy a GEC!
Jim
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Perhaps, but you'll have to save a lot and wait even longer.....:eek:

The White Bone ones are particularly good in my experience. The other RR Barlows are well finished and use a stainless that arrives very sharp and will stay that way, a rather important quality. Here the single blade Mini Barlow (beats a Peanut any day:D ) and the standard two blade with added Scrim. No Spear versions as far as I know, which is a pity.

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I'm keen on the Mini versions, I tend to agree with those who assert that a Barlow with a shield looks a bit odd, mostly yes but it does depend. These Minis with long shields look quite OK with them. The heavy stamped bolster is a proper touch unlike those Canal St Barlows which had some cheap looking engraving (you'll havve to save up for those too:rolleyes:) On these, the smooth chocolate bone is slipjoint and the Armour Hide Bone, an interesting lockback variant.

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VDknives said:
How is that fat one called ? I never had one of these but that looks cool
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afishhunter said:
Double Take Canoe?
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Yes sir, IMO the nicest-looking and most useful of the 3 I saw (trapper, muskrat -- if 2 Turkish clips seems redundant to you, 4 will leave you scratching your head in existential crisis). It is one heavy hunk of steel and bone, though.

Henry Beige said:
That smooth tobacco bone looks good with any shield, much better than it shows in the online catalogs.
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It sure does. I have yet to find smooth tobacco RRs that didn't have an acorn shield (unless it had no shield at all), so I've been hunting down knives with reasonable success as "smooth tobacco" and selecting the ones with acorns. :cool:

Will Power said:
No Spear versions as far as I know, which is a pity.
I'm keen on the Mini versions, I tend to agree with those who assert that a Barlow with a shield looks a bit odd, mostly yes but it does depend. These Minis with long shields look quite OK with them. The heavy stamped bolster is a proper touch unlike those Canal St Barlows which had some cheap looking engraving (you'll havve to save up for those too:rolleyes:) On these, the smooth chocolate bone is slipjoint and the Armour Hide Bone, an interesting lockback variant.
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If RR had spear Barlows I'd probably have 3-4x more (RR knives, not RR Barlows :D) than I do right now. Spear Barlows are kind of my joint. :o I do like the RR mini-Barlow slippy and have no good excuse at all as to why I don't have one yet.

C'mon, RR. Follow up the Dogbone Jack with a smooth tobacco bone, acorn-shielded (or not? :D :D :D) standard Barlow (with a spear master...)!
 
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