Rough Rider junk

That’s disappointing, I have been considering one for myself. I realize they are a lower cost knife, but it should have at least had halfway decent f&f. I have never owned a Rough Rider, but I have read a lot of good things about them. If your dad really liked the knife, it probably would be worth giving them ONE more shot.
 
I have about five slipjoints from R.R. One has a bit of blade rub, the others are very good. I wouldn't hesitate to buy more slipjoints. No experience with their lock knives.
 
He just wanted to check it out against his Case knives, because he kept reading where RR, had comparable F&F. After seeing this one he has zero desire to buy another. The knife is not only put together with a lock that will never fuction as a lock, it's also very rough overall.
 
Understandable Jill.
Yeah, my dad, who is 82 now with many issues (won't go there), wants a simple to open knife. He loves the Kershaw I gave him but his main "edc" is a Gerber lock back, which he loves!
Easy for him to remember open/close.
 
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TAH said:
A timely thread! I was just admiring this RR knife and thought, "I'm too much of a stuck up knife snob to buy a $9.00 Chinese made knife." :D

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I like it though. :thumbsup:
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I just placed an order for one of these after seeing this. A couple weeks back I bought a Haller Messer (about $23 shipped from Deutschland) that's very similar - both looking like a budget Moki Blakinstons Fish Owl. The Haller is crap. The wood is nice enough, but the F&F is abysmal. The blade is badly ground, very asymmetrical. The pull is choppy and gritty. The pins are proud and the lanyard tube is loose. We'll see if the $10 Rough Rider is better.
 
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jill jackson said:
He just wanted to check it out against his Case knives, because he kept reading where RR, had comparable F&F. After seeing this one he has zero desire to buy another. The knife is not only put together with a lock that will never fuction as a lock, it's also very rough overall.
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I've picked up a few RRs over the last few years, and while I think they're worth the money, that is all they are worth. If you have a darker dyed bone, you can expect the dye to bleed and rub off. I had a Dr.'s knife in MoP, and it was dull and lusterless (not surprising - again, the cost). The nickel silver they use is also of a much lower quality - I have Cases that are decades old and have a silver shine to the bolsters like they're brand new, whereas the RRs turn sickly yellow in short time. I've got a mini barlow with smooth white bone was rather decent. Was. There's no blade play, but the bolsters wobble with the blade instead.

Rough Riders (and similar brands) have their place, but if you want a working knife that can do its job for years and age with grace and character, then it's not a place for Rough Riders.
 
jill jackson said:
He just wanted to check it out against his Case knives, because he kept reading where RR, had comparable F&F. After seeing this one he has zero desire to buy another. The knife is not only put together with a lock that will never fuction as a lock, it's also very rough overall.
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Hi jill, like your dad I've read some good things about RR and been tempted to try one as well but after seeing that non functional liner lock forget it. Makes you wonder if they even have a QC inspection before shipping them out, that's really bad.:eek:
 
Not only does the liner lock not fit, the entire knife is just poorly put together. Gaps between the metal and bone handle, blade not sharp and the point is dull. Just overall a piece of crap. It came from eBay from a big company so it will just cost what it takes to mail it back. But, you'd think they'd at least checked to see if the damned thing locked before sending it out, as you'd also think they'd reject it themselves and ship it right back before trying to sell it to a customer.
 
I've never bought a RR locking knife but I've been happy with the F&F on their slip joints. Thing is, I don't like their steel so much so I keep coming back because of the F&F and ending up disappointed. I have not purchased one in some time so they could be slipping on F&F as well.

Some of my favorite knives are older, used, slip joints which are beat up but have carbon steel. Seems I will hoard and not use my "estate knives" which are in great shape and use the snot out of the beat ones.

Anyway, those USA Bucks he has owned have better steel.
 
SoCalEDC said:
Understandable Jill.
Yeah, my dad, who is 82 now with many issues (won't go there), wants a simple to open knife. He loves the Kershaw I gave him but his main "edc" is a Gerber lock back, which he loves!
Easy for him to remember open/close.
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You may want to check out the new Kershaw Fraxion for your dad. Single blade, ball bearing flipper that opens like an assisted opener, 2.75 inch blade, linerlock. Very light, good mild use EDC.
 
Rich S said:
You may want to check out the new Kershaw Fraxion for your dad. Single blade, ball bearing flipper that opens like an assisted opener, 2.75 inch blade, linerlock. Very light, good mild use EDC.
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Dad has hundreds of knives. He is why I got involved in knives and firearms. I didn't intend to convey the impression he was a novice in the hobby. He just likes check out a wide variety of things he's interested in. He's actually in good shape for using knives.
 
Has your dad ventured in to GEC territory? I'm sure he'd be happy with those. Of course, it's like offering him black tar heroin, except this addiction, while it drains the bank account, doesn't leave him withered and dead.
 
He has some and some of just about every traditional out there, as well as a few modern pieces, although he definitely is a Case collector.
 
Planterz said:
...while I think they're worth the money, that is all they are worth. If you have a darker dyed bone, you can expect the dye to bleed and rub off. I had a Dr.'s knife in MoP, and it was dull and lusterless (not surprising - again, the cost). The nickel silver they use is also of a much lower quality - I have Cases that are decades old and have a silver shine to the bolsters like they're brand new, whereas the RRs turn sickly yellow in short time. I've got a mini barlow with smooth white bone was rather decent. Was. There's no blade play, but the bolsters wobble with the blade instead.
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I think they are priced below their market value, but Rough Rider slippies aren't up to the standards we often hold GEC, Queen, or even Case too (and the reason is price). With the dye bleeding and "turning sickly yellow", sounds like Frost knives and not Rough Rider slippies. Maybe I just haven't owned mine long enough to see these things. I have no desire to own bunches of Rough Rider knives, but I do lean that way with GEC made slippies within reason in terms of numbers. So, I guess I'll always only have a limited view of the the Rough Rider slippies. Don't have much interest in other RR-made locking types.
 
22-rimfire said:
I think they are priced below their market value, but Rough Rider slippies aren't up to the standards we often hold GEC, Queen, or even Case too (and the reason is price). With the dye bleeding and "turning sickly yellow", sounds like Frost knives and not Rough Rider slippies. Maybe I just haven't owned mine long enough to see these things. I have no desire to own bunches of Rough Rider knives, but I do lean that way with GEC made slippies within reason in terms of numbers. So, I guess I'll always only have a limited view of the the Rough Rider slippies. Don't have much interest in other RR-made locking types.
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Now that you mention it, the dye problem I had was indeed with a Steel Warrior (Frost), not a RR. The red dye wore off and left scales that were a pale magenta. I have one RR with kinda a caramel or butterscotch dyed bone and haven't had dye issues. Both SW and RR that I've owned had/have bolsters that yellowed quickly though.
 
Going to dig out the RR's that I have owned a couple years and check for the bolster yellowing. That was another reason why I have zero interest in Frost made knives. They look good... but the scales often loosen up, blades get side to side wobble, and the tarnishing. A couple of years ago I bought a few Frosts to really look at them closely. They are readily available in many places in my area. If you like a good slippie, Frost stuff is mostly garbage. People claim that the Steel Warrior line is their premium line, but I see little difference.

Added: Looked at a couple RR's I own and one has a slight yellowish tint to the bolsters (a canoe type pattern) and the other looks like it just came from the store. Both have not been significantly carried. Have a few more that are in "deeper" storage and requires more effort to dig out.
 
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jill jackson said:
Dad has hundreds of knives. He is why I got involved in knives and firearms. I didn't intend to convey the impression he was a novice in the hobby. He just likes check out a wide variety of things he's interested in. He's actually in good shape for using knives.
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I’ve got a lot of nice RR knives, slip joints as well at lockbacks. If you message me your fathers address as well his preferences for pattern and size, I will send him a good one.
 
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