Rough Ryder Reserve: New Premium Rough Ryder Line

EngrSorenson said:
As always Harry, I appreciate your opinions- you're definitely right that they have a little "hokey" look to them. To me they look a little bulky or clumsy, which I can forgive if I get a good solid working knife out of the bargain. Having seen your fine specimens, I'm not surprised it's a deal breaker for you. You seem like a guy who likes top quality form and function.

Perhaps what you mean to say that you want to support companies that you like, such as GEC, rather than buy a Rough Ryder Reserve. I'm guessing that's probably a true statement you'd support and definitely doesn't risk infringing on the concerns of our moderators. :thumbsup::D

Your points are actually stronger minus the "There would be none of my money going to an American worker . I prefer to support my neighbors and friends ." part. I love your posts and I think highly of your opinions on knives, but these two things have nothing really to do with knives.

If you're looking to be consistent with your intent, you'd probably want to avoid buying knives that are made with almost all exotic woods (African Blackwood, Bloodwood, Snakewood, Cocobolo, most Rosewood, Ebony, etc), camel bone, most bovine bone, most brass, some machining oil... well... you see where this is going.

I like your opinions on the knife design; you've got a good eye for it. Let's stick to that type of discussion. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
I have edited my posting . Thank you for pointing out my error .

Harry
 
My experience with Rough Ryder knives has always been hit or miss.
I just can't tell if they are going to send me a good one, a decent one, or a crappy one.
I'd rather not risk that on a knife that costs three times as much.
Plus, the over-all design aren't really doing much for me.
But I am looking forward to the reviews and hope some of you get some good ones to share.
 
Old Engineer said:
I have edited my posting . Thank you for pointing out my error .

Harry
Click to expand...

No harm, no foul! You've always got solid points to make in discussions of knives.

JohnDF said:
My experience with Rough Ryder knives has always been hit or miss.
I just can't tell if they are going to send me a good one, a decent one, or a crappy one.
I'd rather not risk that on a knife that costs three times as much.
Plus, the over-all design aren't really doing much for me.
But I am looking forward to the reviews and hope some of you get some good ones to share.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm with you on that- kind of like what was said before about having to "prove" themselves. They were so close with that one arm razor pattern. that could have been a barlow or something more down the middle, and it would have boosted my interest. One arm blades just kind of lose my interest because the point of the blade gets obscured.

fishface5 said:
So has anyone actually handled one of these reserve versions?
Click to expand...

I've been looking to see if anyone's got an advanced review out there, but so far I haven't found anything.
 
Ramrodmb said:
Hey Gary. How you been my friend?
Knife tricks are fun;) but wouldn't it be easier (and safer:eek:) to use the hook on the end of the blade, as designed??:D:D
Click to expand...
Mark, somehow I missed this. I usually say, "So far, so good." I've avoided the COVID cooties so far (and I'm too old for the COVID cuties to have much appeal for me :rolleyes:).
Using the one-arm hook would certainly be WAY easier than trying a one-handed open on the EO notch, but don't you like a challenge now and then?? ;)

- GT
 
Warning for inappropriate content
JohnDF said:
My experience with Rough Ryder knives has always been hit or miss.
I just can't tell if they are going to send me a good one, a decent one, or a crappy one.
I'd rather not risk that on a knife that costs three times as much.
Plus, the over-all design aren't really doing much for me.
But I am looking forward to the reviews and hope some of you get some good ones to share.
Click to expand...

That’s the problem with knives made in labour camps. Generally, knives made by paid workers will be of higher quality. Latest reports from Tibet are suggesting that the factories are using “unspecified measures to effectively eliminate 'lazy people'”, so if you send it back you might get the issues rectified.
 
Camillus said:
That’s the problem with knives made in labour camps. Generally, knives made by paid workers will be of higher quality. Latest reports from Tibet are suggesting that the factories are using “unspecified measures to effectively eliminate 'lazy people'”, so if you send it back you might get the issues rectified.
Click to expand...

come on, you know the rules. No political discussion here. Take it to the political section.
 
Camillus said:
That’s the problem with knives made in labour camps. Generally, knives made by paid workers will be of higher quality. Latest reports from Tibet are suggesting that the factories are using “unspecified measures to effectively eliminate 'lazy people'”, so if you send it back you might get the issues rectified.
Click to expand...

I think the Buck family and the Glesser's Chinese-made Buck and Spyderco knives are good quality factory knives made by reputable firms.

My only Chinese factory-made traditional pattern is a stag handle Lever-Lock, and it's as good or better than the Italian and German brands.
 
brownshoe said:
My only Chinese factory-made traditional pattern is a stag handle Lever-Lock, and it's as good or better than the Italian and German brands.
Click to expand...

yup- it’s not where it’s made, it’s how much companies are willing to spend. I think that’s one reason people hate things made certain places- companies produced low quality items, spending next to nothing to make them. That isn’t a rule about things from those places, it’s just a trend.

Rough Ryder Reserve is going to be interesting to me because the company is increasing their effort, which means they’re spending more in materials and quality control. I hope this is beneficial for everyone involved.

now if they could just make a better design...
 
EngrSorenson said:
yup- it’s not where it’s made, it’s how much companies are willing to spend. I think that’s one reason people hate things made certain places- companies produced low quality items, spending next to nothing to make them. That isn’t a rule about things from those places, it’s just a trend.

Rough Ryder Reserve is going to be interesting to me because the company is increasing their effort, which means they’re spending more in materials and quality control. I hope this is beneficial for everyone involved.

now if they could just make a better design...
Click to expand...

What do you find lacking/objectionable in the design?..... Does it include all the knives made or hit and miss occurances?..... Do they have design features that you find positive and unique to the brand?
 
HEMI 49 said:
What do you find lacking/objectionable in the design?..... Does it include all the knives made or hit and miss occurances?..... Do they have design features that you find positive and unique to the brand?
Click to expand...

it’s more the design of the three RR Reserve knives which bother me.
  1. Single blade one arm razor with easy open isn’t a typical offering. I don’t have a lot of use for one, and at 4 inches it’s a little big.
  2. “Kayak” has a liner between the blades which isn’t really necessary, and the blade choices are weird.
  3. The whittler is too large, the handle swells are super pointy, and the giant leaf shaped blade doesn’t fit the pattern well, and looks like it will effect how the knife feels when using the secondary blades.
im fine with the general Rough Ryder designs. They’re a little odd but it’s part of the fun of inexpensive knives.
 
..........well, have ordered one - so let's see what they are like this side o' the pond.

In D2, they'll be a good workhorse of a knife - a compact and solid (no doubt) contemporary take on a traditional.
 
EngrSorenson said:
it’s more the design of the three RR Reserve knives which bother me.
  1. Single blade one arm razor with easy open isn’t a typical offering. I don’t have a lot of use for one, and at 4 inches it’s a little big.
  2. “Kayak” has a liner between the blades which isn’t really necessary, and the blade choices are weird.
  3. The whittler is too large, the handle swells are super pointy, and the giant leaf shaped blade doesn’t fit the pattern well, and looks like it will effect how the knife feels when using the secondary blades.
im fine with the general Rough Ryder designs. They’re a little odd but it’s part of the fun of inexpensive knives.
Click to expand...

I've bought 30-40 RR knives and generally like them....... I like the ability to use or abuse them without the concerns an expensive knife would cause..... If I supplied employees with a knife for jobsite use, I would definitely pass out RR versus a knife that cost 10x more....... Some of their knives come with hollow ground blades which cut like a scalpel.....

I think their fit and finish is not consistent..... Since I don't acquire them to look "pretty" like a knife costing 3 figures ($xxx.xx), I don't feel cheated because I didn't pay for the embellishment in the first place....

It will be interesting to see how the R3 knives look in the flesh........
 
HEMI 49 said:
What do you find lacking/objectionable in the design?..... Does it include all the knives made or hit and miss occurances?..... Do they have design features that you find positive and unique to the brand?
Click to expand...

Their designs have already been discussed in this thread and in others. Historically, most of their designs have been okay, but every so often they go over the top or come up with an element that is downright ugly. Some of their recent releases have been very nice, and very well done.

On these Reserve releases, I have not heard anybody react positively to the designs. That could change once somebody can handle them to see how they look and feel in person.

Now I would be curious to know a bit about who designs their knives. I don’t get the impression there is a single designer with a consistent style. It seems more like there are several people doing the work, some with more talent than others, or better taste, or something.
 
Henry Beige said:
Now I would be curious to know a bit about who designs their knives..
Click to expand...

There's a Youtube video up in which the narrator states that he designed the Kayak. I didn't catch his name and I don't know how to link the video here. You can find it by searching Youtube for "rough ryder reserve knives".

The first knife he talks about has a dent in the cutting edge caused by blade rap. You can see it clear as day at about 6:40 in the video. I'm not trying to be negative. Just wanted to point it out.
 
I watched that video from SMKW just now. Honestly the knives looked better in the video.

There’s a fourth version we haven’t even seen yet, so I found that exciting.

anyone notice how they used brass spacers around the main blade of the whittler? I’ve never seen that before but it looks kind of chinsey.
 
Rough Rider had a chance to convince me they had the QC they boasted about, they failed miserably. Being the cranky old fart that I am they blew it, I'll pay a few bucks more for a Buck if I want Chinese take out.
 
Squid61 said:
Rough Rider had a chance to convince me they had the QC they boasted about, they failed miserably. Being the cranky old fart that I am they blew it, I'll pay a few bucks more for a Buck if I want Chinese take out.
Click to expand...

What leads you to say that? It is hard to know how to evaluate your post without some particulars. I was not aware that RR had boasted about their quality control. A number of people here have commented favorably about the fit and finish of some recent knives, and noticed a general improvement in quality. Peoples’ experience with the warranty sounds pretty good, with several examples of sending out a replacement knife. Tell us about your bad experience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top