Rough Rider & Related Slipjoints

Imperial? I don't know about that comparison. Imperial, at least the Frontier versions were part of the Case family of knives that were contracted out to Cammilus to make. I don't think RR makes other knife brands...although being from Chinese factories they could share parts. Nevertheless RR seems to be a few steps ahead of many other brands made there.

I think I'm gonna order up a camp knife.
 
Balrog99 said:
Would rough rider be kinda the equivalent to imperial back in the day?
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IMO, as far as a lower cost alternative to more expensive knives, I can see the similarity.
Here's a shot of a few vintage Imperial knives, although I can't remember if the sowbelly is an Imperial.

But these are an example of low cost knives that were offered for sale in every hardware store. Usually in counter top cardboard displays, in the 60's and 70's.
The blade steel was pretty good, but they were built to be sold at a low cost and they're not really all that well made.

I think RR knives were conceived as a direct shot at Case.

 
swaybacksteve said:
Imperial? I don't know about that comparison. Imperial, at least the Frontier versions were part of the Case family of knives that were contracted out to Cammilus to make. I don't think RR makes other knife brands...although being from Chinese factories they could share parts. Nevertheless RR seems to be a few steps ahead of many other brands made there.

I think I'm gonna order up a camp knife.
Click to expand...

The factory that makes a number of other brands, SMKWs owns the RR trade mark and the colt trade mark, both are made at the same factory in China. I' have seen many brands that were the same patterns with the same bolsters but varied handle materials that were Likely made at the same factory. I don't think Imperial is using that factory but I could be wrong, I have tried one and it wasn't up to RR quality or heat treat.

Best regards

Robin
 
"I think RR knives were conceived as a direct shot at Case."

I agree JPD, the RR patterns are very similar to the Case patterns. The difference is the RRs come sharper than the Case knives.

Best regards

Robin
 
Pipeman said:
"I think RR knives were conceived as a direct shot at Case."

I agree JPD, the RR patterns are very similar to the Case patterns. The difference is the RRs come sharper than the Case knives.

Best regards

Robin
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Some RR's also appear to be ground to a thinner edge ( if I'm saying that right) and most are ground pretty evenly too.
But yes they are very sharp out of the box and very easy to touch up.

I use a RR whittler or stockman at work. A few months ago I had to cut through heavy nylon wire ties in a server room and the small RR whittler took it like a champ. I thought for sure the edge would roll.

As far as Case , most of the dozen or so I've bought came pretty sharp too, but I do recall getting one or two that weren't razor sharp.
 
I have one of the new Taylor-Schrade 4 blade Imperial Congress pattern knives.
I am not impressed. It just will not take an edge or hold it. I've used fine Arkansas stone, fine ceramic rod, and stropping. I guess this Imperial will just take up space in the drawer.

The Imperial Barlow I have (2 blade, brown cheap plastic covers) will take and hold an edge.

On the plus side, it did tell me I don't particularly care for the way the Congress pattern feels in my hand.
 
Pipeman said:
"I think RR knives were conceived as a direct shot at Case."

I agree JPD, the RR patterns are very similar to the Case patterns. The difference is the RRs come sharper than the Case knives.

Best regards

Robin
Click to expand...

Rough Rider has more patterns than Case, too: Large and small Sunfish, Deer Slayer, Large and small Coke Bottle, Camp Knife.

Considering the price of a Case v Rough Rider, you would think the Case knives would be consistantly sharper out of the box than the Rough Riders.
 
A quick update on my RR buffalo horn muskrat. I previously posted about my plans to try some diy jigging of the scales. Here is the before shot, with the glossy, translucent, plasticy looking horn, which was so see-through that you could see the glue bubbles under the scales in some areas:
Iphone5-june11-2015-roughriders by mazdamattc, on Flickr
Here is the "after" shot:
Iphone5-june22-2015-buffalo-muskrat-DIY-jigging by mazdamattc, on Flickr
Certainly amateurish, but I am happy with it. I used a dremel tool attachment that looked like a tiny circular saw. It cost me $6, which was 2/3 the cost of the knife!!!!
 
Great jig job mazdattc, looks good to me, an improvement IMHO.

I am going to be doing a lot of gardening this year, (at least that's my story & excuse and I'm stickin' to it), and I will be needing a good pruning knife, so I picked these two up on the bay for cheap. First is a Rough Rider RR1143 Coal Miner Series Buffalo Horn Hawkbill, the second is an all stainless steel Chinese no name. The RR is well made, no surprises there, but it is my least favorite of these two.
The no name knife is actually more comfortable in my hand, seems well made, and has a liner lock so will be safer to use among other reasons. It also has a bail as opposed to just a lanyard hole as on the RR, which I find to be more convenient when gardening.
I do like the lined bolsters, the horn handles, the jig, the 440A steel, and I like RR's looks in general, but as a usable tool the all-metal knife wins the day. The RR will look great on my knife display log, but it just feels too weird in my hand to get much use. The no name will be used hard & often, and I won't have to worry about tossing it into a tool box and breaking it. The RR will live on display as my only buffalo handled knife, (so far). I'm not bad mouthing Rough Rider by any means, I have others that I love, but this one just doesn't fit the hand that well, so I'll just keep it as a "looker".



 
oh joy. just notified the RR Stoneworx Stockman I orderd has been delivered. :) Now to get home to get it and the other ... 12 or so I've ordered while on the road ...
 
Ebay and Amazon are not BF dealer members. Although they get mentioned occasionally we certainly don't want a discussion about how they work and how you pay them etc, on this forum. In fact a discussion about where to buy and how much something costs doesn't belong here either. Three posts are being removed.
 
I had to try one of the Rough Rider's out. I purchased a RR378 Whittler at 3" and was very happy with what I got for my money. A few issues of note; I do not like the nail nicks as they are shallow and not defined. I had a gap between the liner and center spring. The blades are fairly thin. Other than that it is a very good knife for the price.






I know it is not fair to compare it to a GEC but here it is next to a 33 Conductor (balloon whittler) which is an exceptional knife.
 
Dave...do any of the blades have any wobble at half stop or full? Those thin blades should get real sharp and the thinness will hopefully give some flex for whittling, if flex is what you like in a whittler. I like alittle...

I'm waiting on a scout to tryout should get here in a couple of days but gonna spend some time visiting daughter in Telluride.
 
Isn't that gap between the center liner and the springs at the narrow end fairly common on this pattern? I don't own one to compare yours to.
 
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