Rough Rider & Related Slipjoints

[Rhinofly]

I am very excited about the RRR swayback, and just ordered one myself. They look really nice.

 

[ebrandwein]

Nice little demonstration but...

All in fairness, the movement you are performing with that knife likely won't snap close a knife without halfstop either...

That’s true. That being said, I posted this after I really did slip with this knife at a speed that might have. Hard to film it without a tripod though

 

[euroken]

That’s true. That being said, I posted this after I really did slip with this knife at a speed that might have. Hard to film it without a tripod though

Thanks for making the video. Wasn't trying to argue that it can't happen. There's been few discussions on the forums about the 'usefulness' or even 'preferences' of users of traditionals with half-stops. I think it's pretty split down the middle whether the half-stop is deemed safer than one without.

Don't mean to derail the thread!

 

[ErikMB]

Is this typical of the RR Barlows? The main blade nail nick is inaccessible and if I adjust the kick on the secondary, the secondary nick will be too low...

I put a tiny shim in there to raise the blade. I use either leather or a piece of a toothpick. With a little oil and compression it stays in place.

A dab of superglue helps, too, but you have to be really careful with it. I was pretty good with that game, "Operation" when I was a kid so I manage to get the dot of glue in there without sticking the spring to the plates. ;-)

 

[cbay]

I'd be interested in seeing some examples of what dying the scales on some RR's looks like if you want to share.
Had 4 RR's with really poor snap on close (out of 70 something, so not a deterrent from buying RR's)
So to replace them on warranty I am getting 4 RR copperheads in brown jigged bone - as they appear to be the last of that pattern without the "R" stamped on the bolster.
My thinking is to try my hand at some color change with these when they arrive. Plan to order black, brown and red rit dye and see what I can come up with.
If there is another color to try I'm open to suggestions.

 

[afishhunter]

C cbay If memory serves, somewhere between maybe 2,000 ~ 3,000 posts/a couple years back are some examples of Rough Riders with re-dyed bone. They looked pretty good from what I recall..

 

[Makael]

Im curious the attraction to Rough Rider knives. Ive been reading off and on for years and havent found the desire to purchase one. Im trying to figure out why their popular here and there. It seems the cheap price and decent build quality are the main reason. Why they are so cheap is never talked about. Not wanting to disrupt the thread but looking for reasons people collect them. Its not for resale. If your holding one admiring the knife what is it that strikes you as a positive.
We all know why the price is low, we all know they are made in a communist country. We know build quality is good. We also know why US made knives cost more. Its not profits. Labor costs are not comparible.

Ty for info

 

[tejasandre]

Im curious the attraction to Rough Rider knives. Ive been reading off and on for years and havent found the desire to purchase one. Im trying to figure out why their popular here and there. It seems the cheap price and decent build quality are the main reason. Why they are so cheap is never talked about. Not wanting to disrupt the thread but looking for reasons people collect them. Its not for resale. If your holding one admiring the knife what is it that strikes you as a positive.
We all know why the price is low, we all know they are made in a communist country. We know build quality is good. We also know why US made knives cost more. Its not profits. Labor costs are not comparible.

Ty for info

Seems you’ve answered your own questions.

 

[afishhunter]

Im curious the attraction to Rough Rider knives. Ive been reading off and on for years and havent found the desire to purchase one. Im trying to figure out why their popular here and there. It seems the cheap price and decent build quality are the main reason. Why they are so cheap is never talked about. Not wanting to disrupt the thread but looking for reasons people collect them. Its not for resale. If your holding one admiring the knife what is it that strikes you as a positive.
We all know why the price is low, we all know they are made in a communist country. We know build quality is good. We also know why US made knives cost more. Its not profits. Labor costs are not comparible.

Ty for info

I like them because they are good knives, a large selection of patterns (some not made by onshore companies because they are "in the vault") which allows you to try different patterns without bankrupting the bank, such as the sunfish. (price a domestic sunfish on the secondary market. No domestic manufacturer currently makes one that I know of. The RR is under $20 (unless the "reserve" model). A domestic manufactured sunfish is much, much more; $350 to $550 and more on the secondary market the last time I looked.

Rough Rider has a lifetime guarantee, which they do honor/stand behind.

While they may be manufactured offshore, the company is domestic. For what it is worth, they are not the only domestic company that contracts offshore production. Buck, for example has several models made offshore, and not just the 37x and 38x series of slipjoints. I am pretty sure the popular Buck Selkirk sheath knife is one of their offshore produced knives, and a few of their modern folders.
(All of Buck's offshore knives come with the same forever warranty as their made in Idaho knives, by the way.)

Yes, most of the Rough Rider's "are made in a communist country". So what? The factories are not owned by the government, any more than the government here owns the factory of the domestic manufactured brands.
If the communist government is getting any money from their cutlery manufacturers, it is by taxation. Exact same way our government is funded.
Oh, Tariffs don't affect any government except the one collecting it, by the way. Governments don't pay the Tariffs, industry does, who then pass that cost on to the consumer..

 

[cbay]

Always liked knives, but to be honest they have always either been affordable but junk, or nice and expensive.
I don't have enough money to accumulate very many expensive knives, and wouldn't want to carry them around and use them much.
So, my "collecting" would be very limited otherwise.
Plus, some of the fairly expensive knives I've purchased were disappointing in quality.
Show me comparable knives made here of the same quality for 30-40 bucks and I would probably sell all these which cost under 20 dollars and get them.
Bottom line is I never affected the other knife markets because I never would have got into it otherwise. Matter of fact this may lead to collecting knives made elsewhere with different history and reputation... Never know.
On to the quality / price ratio of RR's... The quality I'm seeing is similar to case and other well accepted knife makers. And in some examples maybe better but I really don't have enough of the others to say how that plays out in number.
Yes I've run into issues but
is a fairly small amount.
Using these hard in the field doing anything one would normally use a knife for I find they get the job done day in and day out, leaving me feeling like I got no worries continuing to carry them.
Price... That is the biggest head scratcher on the whole deal. It leaves a feeling of doubt about the knife in general with them being so cheap. On the two big knife forums I read just about every post related to RR's over the last few years.... trying to come to grips with this price/quality deal, figuring I'd eventually locate some major downside to their quality to justify their cost.... We're talking hundreds of pages of discussions on them. All it has done so far is confirm they are the real deal of affordable pocket knives.
I live and breathe Rural America, so I do feel some remorse for buying these knowing where they come from but I still do it... for now, hoping they set the bar a little higher and the price just a little lower over here.
It's controversial that's for sure. Maybe some good can come from shining a light on the disparity here I dunno but for now I'll admit it is a lot of fun messing with em.

 

[JohnDF]

You can buy 1 GEC knife
Or you can buy 2 Case knives
Or you can buy 4 Rough Ryder knives
It's your money, spend it however you want.
But don't say you feel bad for spending your money overseas, it's your decision.
People make that excuse all the time... "I can only afford a $20.00 knife"... and then they buy 20 of them.

 

[cbay]

 

[afishhunter]

But don't say you feel bad for spending your money overseas, it's your decision

Don't matter what brand it is. Your car, computer, cellphone, digital camera, radio, TV, DVD, game console, etc. has components from or was made entirely offshore.
All of the Japanese and German car brands have assembly plants in the US. They even use some US sourced/manufactured components. (not there are that many anymore)
No matter what you buy part of that money "goes overseas" even if only to Mexico for wiring harnesses and your Apple/MAC device, or Argentina for the leather covering the seats and dash of your car.

 

[JohnDF]

Don't matter what brand it is. Your car, computer, cellphone, digital camera, radio, TV, DVD, game console, etc. has components from or was made entirely offshore

Exactly... I made no judgements about where the stuff is made.

 

[Elsilrac1]

I struggled in the early days of RR, but there knives were 3 dollars, so quality was not great. In years past they make great affordable knives that can be obtained without a reservation or lottery. I think these knives have a great fit in our society if you can leave behind CNN. Just my 2 cents.

 

[joeradza]

I think these knives have a great fit in our society if you can leave behind CNN.

WHAT?!!

 

[nickvnlr]

I like the abundance of patterns available. I also appreciate beating on a $20 knife rather than on a $150+ knife. Don't get me wrong, I have a few GEC users and a few higher end modern knife users, but if I break a $20 knife, I'm not going to cry overly much. If I break an (basically) irreplaceable GEC I am going to be very, very sad.

 

[5K Qs]

I struggled in the early days of RR, but there knives were 3 dollars, so quality was not great. In years past they make great affordable knives that can be obtained without a reservation or lottery. I think these knives have a great fit in our society if you can leave behind CNN. Just my 2 cents.

WHAT?!!

I agree, Alan; that statement is inscrutable to me.
I think it might be one of those Zen koans, and I'm not nearly enlightened enough to grasp it!

FWIW, Post #11 in https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/vintage-knife-catalogs-ads-images-links-only.755317/ shows some pocket knife pages from the 1924 Sears catalog. Lots of knives under $1 and lots of knives between $1 and $2. I wasn't around in 1924, but if I had been, I'd have done my knife shopping at Sears. (I'm sure I looked at knives plenty of times in the 1960s from Sears, but I don't remember the prices and didn't find a 60s Sears catalog in a brief search, so I'll go with the 1924 prices.) So let's say I'm the kind of guy that would have bought a $1 knife at Sears in 1924. Now find an online inflation calculator and see what it says a $1 knife from 1924 should cost today (2021). The calculator told me $16.04. Sounds like if I was a Sears knife customer back in the day, I should be a Rough Ryder customer today. $40, $100, and $140 knives are just not my style, and I can't detect that their build quality is 2.5 times or 6 times or 9 times as good as RRs.

- GT

 

[tejasandre]

Rough rider = gateway slip joint world

 

[joeradza]

Here’s a Boy Scouts Chow Kit by George Schrade that included a knife , fork and spoon in a leather carrying case that sold for $2 at J.C. Penney.