Rough Rider & Related Slipjoints

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I got these two recently. My first. I am quite impressed. I had been eyeing the tobacco bone trappers folks have posted and decided to go for the congress. It looks a little different color wise but it's great. RRR. But the half hawk tortoise is so satisfying. The quality is similar imo makes me wonder if I just got lucky .
 
RustyRick said:
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I got these two recently. My first. I am quite impressed. I had been eyeing the tobacco bone trappers folks have posted and decided to go for the congress. It looks a little different color wise but it's great. RRR. But the half hawk tortoise is so satisfying. The quality is similar imo makes me wonder if I just got lucky .
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No I dont think you just got lucky ! Ive been collecting RRs for around 18 months now ( think Ive got 16 ) and each one has an overall good fit and finish , walk and talk , well centred blades etc . There is a great deal of controvosy on knife forums trying to discredit Rough Ryder slip joints mainly because they are manufactured in China ! but apparently the scales and certain other components are made in the US ? Anyway its a personal choice thing and of course it would be nice if they were completely made in the US , but if that were the case then prices would be a lot higher !
 
OK , its obvious now that Rough Ryder slip joints have a great following both in the US and the UK as well as other European countries after all they have been in existence for 31 years now , so they must be doing something right !
Every now and then you may pick up a lemon which needs to be returned but that applies to other more well known manufacturers also , but all in all RR knives have made their mark with many satisfied collectors / users .
It would be interesting to know other peoples opinions on their own specific choice in what they believe to be the best style of Rough Ryder slip joint and for what practical reasons , size , shape , blade configuration . For all I like all of mine for their aesthetics , Ive started to look more into why they would be a good choice for a general purpose EDC / utility knife . The two Ive come up with are the white smooth bone Copperhead for its nice traditional shape and looks , its compact size ( being smaller it fits neatly into a pocket ) and its two blade configuration ( two sizes of clip point ) , Ive also found that the copperheads tend to have a great walk and talk . My second choice is the Stag bone Sowbelly Trapper , once again a great traditional looking knife with its sowbelly shape and good looking stag bone scales which RR do to a good quality reproduction of stag horn . Once again it has my prefered two blade configuration , clip point and a broader than normal Spey blade which I prefer . This knife feels a little chunkier but with a nice bit heft to make it feel like a working knife . Be good to hear other peoples opinions .
As an afterthought , Ive just bought the RR large brown stag bone stockman , and it fits the bill for a great working knife with great traditional looks with everything as it should be , definitely consider this if youre after a good strong working slip joint .
 
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Rhinofly said:
Digging around in the early RR years has been very interesting. As I get into them, I am discovering that in many cases I prefer the older knives to the newer knives. I am not really a fan of the huge boxes, the embossed bolster “R”, the main pivot washers on the RRR knives, or the blade swedges. To me, it makes many of the knives feel bloated and overdone. Does a knife really need a bolster stamp, an embossed shield, a blade etch and a tang stamp? The older knife designs were cleaner and simpler, in many cases (this is especially true of the canoe, one of my favorites). Here is a photo showing what I was talking about a few posts up regarding Rough Rider’s willingness to experiment with bone jigging. These are all old-school Riders - no Ryders, Reserves, Big Boxes or Bolster R’s in the bunch.

From top to bottom, left to right, they are: Bark Bone, Twisted Bone, Black Sawcut, Twisted Tree Root, Brown Gunstock, Armor Hide, Moonshiner, and Moss Jigged Green. The Black Sawcut, Twisted Tree Root, and Moss Jigged Green were only released in this pattern (Big Trapper). It's really too bad, the Black Sawcut makes for a beautiful cover.




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Hi , got to say I like the twisted tree root , Armoured hide (is that supposed to replicate Armadillo ?) and the moonshiner / corn cob I believe ? is this the one you used to get the package of the moonshine barrel and a small flask ?
 
In regards to their traditionals, they are a handsome, replaceable, higher quality, affordable work knife. They are getting to have high enough quality to be collected. I own about 10 or so, all traditionals except for 1. And it is my go to edc modern folder but it looks like a modern version of a 112 might look. Razor sharp and it flips like it’s floating in a pocket of air. IMG_5023.jpeg
 
Just picked up this marbles stockman in d2 for like $15 so I could get free shipping. Fit and finish seems pretty good. Can't beat d2 steel for $15. It may be the dirtiest knife I've ever received nib. So, it'll need a thorough cleaning. But, that may also help with the poor action. Nevertheless, impressed you can get 3 blades in d2 steel at this price. If the action clears up, I'll be a very happy camper and may have to pick up a spare.

 
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