Rough Rider & Related Slipjoints

sunnyd said:
I got exactly what I paid for. Like my old Grandpa used to say regarding quality workmanship, or the lack thereof: Cheap work isn't good.. And Good work isn't cheap.

For my hard earned money, I will stick to purchasing cutlery that has been tried and tested true, time and time again!. Money well spent for a knife I'll get a lifetime of faithful service out of and one I'll be proud to pass on to my kinfolk, and to be remember by.


Anthony
Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it better myself. Sometimes, that extra level of quality warrants the extra few dollars. However, one must make the distinction between cheap and inexpensive. There are plenty of inexpensive knives out there that can take quite a beating and keep on fighting.
 
YayILikePie said:
Couldn't have said it better myself. Sometimes, that extra level of quality warrants the extra few dollars. However, one must make the distinction between cheap and inexpensive. There are plenty of inexpensive knives out there that can take quite a beating and keep on fighting.
Click to expand...

I agree completely. There is without a doubt a place for these knives to be sure..

For instance, over the past 2008 Christmas holidays I was mentoring some middle school age kids, that were friends of my children, in outdoors basic survival skills. Naturally, I got them involved with the very basics which entailed properly carrying and utilizing ones pocket knife. Because these kids had no pocket knives and I was short on funds but wanted them to have a working slip joint knife for the process, I attempted to purchase several RR's for them.. I was fortunate enough to have been gifted the few RR knives I needed here in this forum from a great guy and member here for my cause and was able to intern pass them on to the children. These knives served that purpose perfectly.

However, when I continue to read multiple posts in this thread a(one) member here is submitting comparing these knives quality in workmanship, structural integrity and long term reliability in the same category with well known knives that have been produced by the same companies for many, many years, and in some cases for over a Century and have stood the ultimate test of time. Then the comparisons just becomes redundant, invalid and cannot be taken seriously by anyone who is even slightly aware of the vast differences, IMO. Therefore, I thought it prudent to submit my experiences and conclusions to the discussion to bring to light clarity as to the valid similarities and differences with facts.


Anthony
 
Anthony, your experience with RR knives undergoing daily use, is at odds with many others who have posted here, myself included. i have put 3 different RR knives to reasonably hard use in the last 18 months. all work just as well as when new, nothing has broken or come apart, and the edge holds well.
if a knife is going to 'fail', it will do so early on, as is your experience. if it stands up to a year of frequent, reasonably hard use, then it's likely to last a long time; i.e. any problems would already have declared themselves.
there is a huge variety in the RR knives. perhaps all are either not made in the same place, or not made to the same standards. also i think the recently made ones are superior to those i bought 18 months ago. perhaps try one of the "Long Rifle" ones or the Toothpick i spoke of a few posts back.
roland
 
rprocter said:
Anthony, your experience with RR knives undergoing daily use, is at odds with many others who have posted here, myself included. i have put 3 different RR knives to reasonably hard use in the last 18 months. all work just as well as when new, nothing has broken or come apart, and the edge holds well.
if a knife is going to 'fail', it will do so early on, as is your experience. if it stands up to a year of frequent, reasonably hard use, then it's likely to last a long time; i.e. any problems would already have declared themselves.
there is a huge variety in the RR knives. perhaps all are either not made in the same place, or not made to the same standards. also i think the recently made ones are superior to those i bought 18 months ago. perhaps try one of the "Long Rifle" ones or the Toothpick i spoke of a few posts back.
roland
Click to expand...

Roland,

You make a valid point. The ones from my experience were admittedly 2004-2005 models, which were I believe right after they were introduced to the US market. They may have indeed improved from what they once were initially in the last 4-5 years. I am by no means making any sweeping generalizations about all of the off shore produced knives with my experiences. Just reporting what happened to me. Although, my crew and I were by no means the only folks who have experienced an inordinate amount of sub-standard quality regarding these brands that have reported same. The local knife show crowd that I associate with also has experienced many similar problems.


Anthony
 
DeadHorse.JPG


Gents, I don't think this horse is getting up anytime soon. If you read through this thread the same points have been made over and over again and (it seems to me) only time (and use) will ultimately tell.
 
sunnyd said:
For my hard earned money, I will stick to purchasing cutlery that has been tried and tested true, time and time again!. Money well spent for a knife I'll get a lifetime of faithful service out of and one I'll be proud to pass on to my kinfolk, and to be remember by.
Click to expand...

For your hard earned money, I wouldn't be particularly careful about how the knives were used, either. It's odd how perfectly good tools fall apart when someone else pays for them. I recall a time when my employer bought everyone a new Victorinox SAK. Most surprising was how, after a year, so many were screwed up in some way, broken, or just plain lost.

As I've indicated, the RR knives I've come across and bought have been very good. There is nothing to indicate they will fall apart in normal use. I wish some of my more costly knives came with the same level of finish when new.
 
shecky said:
For your hard earned money, I wouldn't be particularly careful about how the knives were used, either. It's odd how perfectly good tools fall apart when someone else pays for them. I recall a time when my employer bought everyone a new Victorinox SAK. Most surprising was how, after a year, so many were screwed up in some way, broken, or just plain lost.

As I've indicated, the RR knives I've come across and bought have been very good. There is nothing to indicate they will fall apart in normal use. I wish some of my more costly knives came with the same level of finish when new.
Click to expand...

Gentlemen, before this goes further I'm going to tell you to take any continuation of this tit for tat arguing offline to email or PM. The points have been made ad nauseum and "saying so" (on one side or the other) isn't gonna change the facts going forward. Let's move on and talk about specific knives and drop the quibbling. It's okay to have divergent points of view without beating it to death within the thread.
 
rprocter said:
Quote: "Does anyone have any opinions on the texas toothpick knives by Rough Riders?"
i have a few RR Toothpick knives. the best is a 4 1/8" lockback with threaded brass bolsters, v. attractive dark brown jigged bone and a propellar shield. it's a very solid knife, the brass liners are thicker than usual, lock-up is 100% tight, and it fits in the hand perfectly. 4 1/8" is an excellent carry size and this is an excellent knife. if you see one, get it, you will really be pleased you did.
roland
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. Do you know how long the blades are on the 4 1/8" and 5" models respectively?
 
Also, how is the action on the toothpicks? Is it like a laguiole: smooth to open but snaps shut really powerfully?
 
Oh...uh...wait a minute...sorry...

:D

When dalee100 started this thread, he had three RR knives, two of which were patterns I didn't have. (Half-Whittler & Canoe.) That's what draws me back here when I see it pop up again on page 1: I hope to find out what someone else thought of a new pattern that I haven't tried yet. But, I'm to the point of ignoring whole pages of this thread because of the content.

I very much respect & value the opinions & experiences in this forum, but I have to say that the "...is-not-is-too-is-not-is-too-is-not-is-too..." dialogue is getting annoying.

I, for one, would like to see this thread continue as a good sounding board for the pros & cons of various stock (and some unusual) patterns from RR, SW, Marbles, & others. So, to that end, I have one of those Toothpick types on the way to me that rprocter mentioned earlier. I'll post my thoughts (and maybe some pics) on it and and several others when they get here & get some use.

No disrespect intended, I just agree that this thread could be very informative without the tit-for-tat mentioned earlier.

thx - cpr

ps - davide, I had a small RR Toothpick (not sure if it's quite the same as the one mentioned above) a couple of years ago, and the action on it was very nice. Good snap both ways. My only complaint was the pigment in the scales bled a couple times, but after a warm-water soak that problem was solved.
 
Here are most of my RR knives. the photograhpy here is not very good. all knives actually look much sharper than pics show.

2009-04-24001.jpg


here is the 4 1/8" Toothpick i spoke of earlier (blade 3 1/4") along with a smaller(3") pearl Toothpick
2009-04-24002.jpg


2 Lockbacks: 3 1/2" Choctaw and 3 3/4" "USN"
2009-04-24006.jpg


a 6 blade Stockman, Rifleman series
2009-04-24007.jpg


a 3 3/4" Copperhead, Long Rifle series
2009-04-24008.jpg


A 5 1/8" 2 blade Whittling knife and a 3 1/2" Lockback with imitation Tortoise
2009-04-24009.jpg


roland
 
Here's a pic of 2 more RRs that arrived today. called "Tobacco Bone" series, with a nice acorn shield; 3 3/4" Copperhead and 3 1/4" Barlow

hornetholley002-1.jpg


what is most amazing is the out-of-the-box sharpness of these 2. yes RR knives nearly always arrive sharp, but these are the sharpest knives i have ever received and that includes quite a few custom folders in the $500 and up range. i am not saying they will hold up like the customs, but the initial sharpness is amazing.
roland
 
"but the initial sharpness is amazing."

I agree with that. I haven't bought any in a few months, but all (about thirty or so) that I bought are VERY sharp. The same can be said for the Kissing Cranes that I bought. In the same time period, I bought quite a few USA made Schrade (new in the box older ones), and some Bear and Keen Cutter's. None of them were even close to being as sharp right out of the box.
 
rprocter said:
Here's a pic of 2 more RRs that arrived today. called "Tobacco Bone" series, with a nice acorn shield; 3 3/4" Copperhead and 3 1/4" Barlow

hornetholley002-1.jpg


what is most amazing is the out-of-the-box sharpness of these 2. yes RR knives nearly always arrive sharp, but these are the sharpest knives i have ever received and that includes quite a few custom folders in the $500 and up range. i am not saying they will hold up like the customs, but the initial sharpness is amazing.
roland
Click to expand...

How's the nail pulls on that barlow? I picked up their deluxe barlow with brown jigged bone and that thing is a nail-breaker for sure. Can't really access the larger blade without opening the smaller pen-blade first, which puts me to risk at cutting myself.
 
i think pull is perfect; moderately firm, but easy, not a nail-breaker or even a nail-dinger. opening and closing snap is satisfyingly crisp and audible.
the Barlow is my favorite of the 2. the fit of the springs/liners/scales/bolsters is as good as on a custom. i can find absolutely nothing to fault. it really is remarkable.
i don't know if i'm lucky, or if this v. fine level of F'nF is standard for this series. only way to know is for a few others to get one and post your observations here.
roland
 
I had a whole bunch of Saw Bone with the scrolled bolsters
They were really good.
Gave them all away as starter gifts for non-knife folk
They were pleased to get a very pretty looking knife


Peanut in Saw Bone
picture.php
 
I've been carrying a RR Barlow with sawcut bone scales for a few weeks now. I like it a lot. Fit and finish are pretty good. One small gouge in a scale, and a flat spot on the bare end that probably ought to be rounded. Considering that I've been carrying it in the same pocket with my keys, those faults don't stand out much any longer.

The spring action feels about right, and the springs lay flat both open and closed. It was fairly sharp when I got it - not quite shaving, but sharp enough. I'm only using it for office duty, so I expect it to hold up okay. Seems pretty good for the nine bucks. And it's a heck of a lot nicer than the mint "Imperial" Barlow I just got. I got one from China, instead of the US. It's more of a carnival prize than a knife. Stamped bolsters, hollow plastic scales, rough pivot and too-strong springs. I had one like it as a kid some thirty-odd years ago. I guess I need to dig my old one up and see if it's the same class of junk, or if maybe this new one is counterfeit. I was certainly hoping for something a little nicer when I bid on it.
 
I have purchased a handful for friends and family, and to be frank, they are better than some of the products from more traditional sources lately. The fit and finish leaves a little to be desired, but Ive been really happy with the blades. For what they cost, I cant think of a better deal in the folder world.
 
The new yellow handled RR's are very nice. Some have half stops and I like the shield they use.
 
I have purchased 7 Rough Rider folders in the last few months and have been amazed at the quality.

I have 3 of the "Rough Rider" series and they are as good or better than any Case/Cammilus/Schrade I have ever bought. Of course these were on the expensive side, at $15 each.

We all know that a Chinese subsistence farmer can become relatively wealthy (relative to farming) by working in a factory. Folding knives are a labor intensive product, and skilled Chinese will work for wages that won't even feed an American.

What I haven't seen here is an appreciation of the skills and abilities of the Chinese workman who turns out a product that is as good as we can and at a much lower cost. But "They" aren't "Us", so we Americans will automatically rspond with a "Yeah, but...." Lets be honest and give them their due. They produce a product functionally and aesthetically as good as ours, and at a fraction of the cost.

In reality we are in a world market today. There is no longer a "Them". There is only "Us". And ignoring this fact will only put us further back in the pack pulling the dog sled.

And we all know only the lead dog gets to see the scenery. The rest of the dogs spend their day following some a**hole.


Keithcarter
NRA Life
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top