Rough Rider good place to start?

G

grailhunter78

Joined
Nov 9, 2013
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So I dont have a ton of knives but the ones I do have are all modern folders and fixed blades. The reason I am posting is I have really been checking out some traditional patterns and been thinking about getting into a few different paterns. I have really been liking the Drs knife pattern. My question is this. Is rough rider a good way to get a feeling for the patterns without spending alot of money or are they just going to disapoint me.
 
Rough Riders are great knives. Besides being a good way to try out patterns, you'll probably find that they are good knives to carry and use. I have two of them and have no complaints.
 


I just got my first RR to check them out. Very impressed with all aspects of what I got. It is a great Knife and I have since ordered 2 more. This is a really inexpensive way with a very well made product to find out what patterns you might like. I wished I had started there.
 
jc57 said:
Rough Riders are great knives. Besides being a good way to try out patterns, you'll probably find that they are good knives to carry and use. I have two of them and have no complaints.
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Thanks. For some reason I have really been pulled towards more traditonal knives lately. The barlow and Dr knife have really got me curious.
 
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I think you will be pleased with the RR knives. And the Dr. Pattern is pretty cool too. This is a Case xx baby Doc. I have carried the past couple days.
And a RR I picked up awhile back.

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Oh yea, there is a RR forum here with ALOT of info and pics. Probably behoove you to chk. It out.
 
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GasMan1 said:
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I think you will be pleased with the RR knives. And the Dr. Pattern is pretty cool too. This is a Case xx baby Doc. I have carried the past couple days.
And a RR I picked up awhile back.

image.jpg1_zpsgiqx3tro.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

Oh yea, there is a RR forum here with ALOT of info and pics. Probably behoove you to chk. It out.
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Thank you. That case knife is beautiful. I will definitely check out the r.r. forum.
 
You really can't go wrong with RR. Good way to check a pattern to see if you like it and not be out much money if you don't. I'm always impressed with them.
 
A post has been moved offline for it's political statements and link to a non BF dealer.
 
After the rough rider thread, I bought a gunstock congress. Beautiful knife. But the quality is lacking. The scales (while amazing in appearance) were not properly fitted to the handle. It is not pinned down all the way and you can feel a gap between the liners and the bone. The grinds are wavy on all 4 blades. And to top it all off, this knife has the worst blade rub I've ever experienced. There are marks on all 4 blades.

I probably would have thrown it away if it weren't for how cool it looks. I also bought a buck 371 stockman that is also Chinese for $3 more. Vastly superior in almost all aspects. The grinds aren't amazing, but are far better than the RR. I would recommend finding a store that will let you handle different models in person instead of possibly being let down. Plus, there are some knives I hated online and loved in person. I used to hate yellow delrin from what I'd seen online, but it's beautiful in person.
 
Yes! Rough Riders are great knives. I own several and they all get pocket time. I have not had any issues with quality and they come very sharp! You will find they have a great selection of different styles to try out and see what strikes your fancy.
 
They are a good start. Affordable and very sharp.

I have one I really like (lockback canoe), the second one I ordered (barlow) I found quite tight to open though.
 
Rough Riders are consistantly shaving sharp out of the box (exception: the dime sized micro knives that are unsharpened) have consistantly good fit and finish, usually on a par with Case or Buck.
They are a great way to try out different patterns for not a lot of dollars.
I have one of their 2 blade Barlows. Great knife. No gaps on mine, no blade wobble. Get a couple with different handle materials, you will not be dissapointed.
 
I have 4 RR as of today, all sodbusters, one large with liner lock, I must admit they are very good and sharp. Excellent value for money!
 
My sons each have a couple. They're a very good value. Definitely worth a shot.
 
They are great users with very decent heat treat for an every day carry knife. Really easy to sharpen and holds an ok edge. I find them dignified keepers and users and would grab for them in my drawer as quickly as I would any other knife. I've used their fixed blades for kitchen floor work as well and it performed great no rolling or chipping of the edge while digging up old linoleum, scoring etc....
 
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I purchased my first rough rider this week, an improved muskrat, and am very unimpressed with it. The fit and finish is very bad. I may eventually take some photos but i'm pretty un-motivated to do so. I have been lurking the RR threads since I joined the forum and I am pretty confident the one I got is not typical of the brand.

Here are some things I don't like about this one:
The tobacco bone coloration is mundane and bland.
Large gaps in the springs and liners.
very weak pull in the clip blade (maybe a 2, it has zero 'talk')
the corners of the bolsters do not marry up well to the bone covers.
And the biggest shocker was that the blades came dull (something rarely seen with new RR's).

Honestly the only thing that really impressed me was the matchstick nail nicks, which IMHO don't look good in photos, but look great in hand, and I really like the improved muskrat pattern.

Will I buy another Rough Rider? Probably - but likely only with a prime tag. I am assuming I got a lemon so I'm going to return this one and try a different pattern with jigged or synthetic covers.

Would I suggest a RR for your first traditional? No. i'd suggest getting a Case in Stainless Steel first if you want to stay with a smaller price tag. If this was my first traditional, I likely would have been turned off from exploring more completely.
 
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I like you op made the jump to traditional about a month ago and I had a decent collection of modern folders. That being said I now only own 2 modern folders lol a mini grip and a zt I love the both and will be hard to drop. My first purchased traditional was a RR in their take on a sod buster and for the money it's a heck of a knife. Razor sharp out of the box and the fit and finish are decent. Like others said for the money you can try different styles of knives and as a bonus you get a knife that you can use and will perform for you as well as the higher end makers. But beware it leads to buying higher end makers remember I just got into these a month ago I own 14 nice knives and a few were older ones bought at a flea market or antiques store. So in my opinion buy one you won't be disappointed. Oh and welcome to the porch lots of knowledge here pick the brains of all these great people. Oh yeah I forgot I'm also waiting on one today a dogleg jack I got for 7.99 can't shake a stick at that pun intended hahaha.

 
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