RR just amazes me all the time

Not picking on you, Peter, I always respect what you bring to the forum and your enthusiasm.

I just don't think we need to mention the origin of the knives ad nauseum as it's been sufficiently documented here and elsewhere.

Those who have issues with knives made abroad or specifically in China or any other country can vote with their hard earned money how and where to spend it.

This sub-forum is for the discussion of the knives themselves on their own merits, good and bad.

Again, Peter, not a slap at you so please don't take it that way. I wish everyone had your spirit, enthusiasm and sense of comraderie. :thumbup:
 
My apologies. I was unaware of the rule prohibiting mentioning where a knife is manufactured.
 
No apology necessary. It is not the content of your or any other posts here that is the issue and there is no such rule.

(I am merely attempting to circumvent some issues that have arisen in the past and that do not further the best interests of this sub-forum.)

Thanks for your concern, it is greatly appreciated. :thumbup: :cool:
 
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I for one appreciate what Blues said here; by the way, sorry if my reference to being surprised at the imported (PRC) quality was interpreted as being political.

I've seen several forums, some non-knife related, where the political issues get WAY out of control. At least here at BF, things are reigned in with regard to politics; that's why right now, this is the only forum I'm a participating member of. It's also (was and is) the only forum where I'll sit with my son and let him look at pictures of knives, dogs, hunting, etc. that are posted here.

thx - cpr
 
Many thanks for that. I don't want to sidetrack this thread and I hope folks will understand that sometimes in an abundance of caution it might seem that some of the "moderation" is overzealous. However, in the past we have had to deal with some comments that bashed other nations, cultures, peoples etc and since we have members from all over the world that visit in this virtual living room, we try our best to have it be comfortable for all.

I apologize in advance for diverting the discussion and to anyone who may have thought that I was singling them out or presuming that they would do any of the things mentioned above.

Okay, now get back to discussing those RR knives. Maybe I'll break down and get one myself sometime so I can discuss them intelligently myself.
 
scattershot said:
I have several Rough Riders, but I haven't gotten a tiny toothpick yet. Anyone try this one?
Click to expand...

yup ,, first class fit and finish too .



and eer i dont care if they made on the moon by little green men , so long as they are good and up to the job .:D
 
Way back when, in 2004-05. I had four of these knives sent to me at the behest of a fellow member on bf.com who claimed he had found some incredible looking traditional slippy's with bone scales produced overseas. For the meager price of $4.50 USD each. And if I took all four, they would come with free shipping. Well, I said, "sign me up, I'm a knife knut always looking for some new cutt'n steel".. After receiving them I was somewhat impressed with them and promptly handed them out to all the members of my construction crew as gifts one Friday evening right after quiting time just before the Thanksgiving holiday. I asked these fellows at the time to put away they're Schrades, Camillus's and Case's up, in favor of trying these new RR's. They agreed and were smiling and seemed happy to have a nice new shiny knife to put in they're carpenters pouch to use and try out...

Fast forward four years later. Each and every one have real problems. Among them, seriously shrinkage or curling and cracking with the bone scales. Broken tips on the blades. But worst yet, they all have serious side to side loose wobble on the blades. My buddy Jason's Trapper had his main blade with so much movement that it became unsafe to use on any real cutting chores. Needless to say he picked back up his old 1980's 285UH Trapper and gave the RR Trapper away to one of the laborers around May of this year.

After all this time with witnessing skilled carpenters that know how to take care of they're tools year after year and the knives in question not being up to the task, I figured its not a knife I would opt to ever pass on to any of my kinfolk.
 
Anthony,

I've never owned or handled one. If you've seen any of late, do you have any idea as to whether the recent generation of these knives have been markedly improved? (Not just cosmetically.)

Interesting to get some perspective on the actual knives themselves. Thanks for that info! :thumbup:
 
Elliot,

First let me state that I was not even going to post here in the beginning, but after contemplating my experiences with these knives, I changed my mind for the benefit of others who may be considering RR purchases for the long hall..

To answer your question: No, I have not handled any of the new generation of RR knives. They likely have made some improvements since the first generation that I handled and used. But, for me the new prices they charge are prohibitive and I am not willing to take any more chances based on my previous experiences. The way I figure it, I can purchase vintage unused USA produced Schrades, Camillus, Imperials, Colonials and others which have hundereds of years of solid cuttley expierience built into them, for about the same price or less than what is being charged for a new overseas made RR.. For me I recon its just a matter of value for one's hard earned dollar. Sorry I couldn't be of more help with your question. Perhaps others may be of more assistance.

Best,

Anthony
 
Thanks, Anthony. I was merely curious. Like you, I concentrate on those other makers for the most part.
 
Do you guys actually use these knives? I understand the appeal of a cheap knife, but we're supposed to be knifenuts here. RR may make a decent slipjoint, but their stuff still doesn't compare to Case or Queen.
 
I've used my copperhead, but I never carry it by itself, theres always one of my proven knives with me as backup.
It hasnt failed yet.

Peter
 
IME, Case or Queen doesn't compare to Case or Queen. RR are working fine. And getting better.
 
Elliott - regarding specific use, some things I've observed with seven knives, Rough Rider (RR) and Steel Warrior (SW). I've carried all of these in rotation at one time or another, and I've included notes on specific knives.

On the advice of a police investigator, I started keeping notes/pictures on all my knives (high-end or not) after my collection was stolen back in the late 1990's. I started adding details after I joined the forums here. (This post is a cut & paste, with some editing, from my files, so the format may look a little funky.)

If you want to see images, SMKW #'s are in parenthesis.

***

SW Barricuda, blue scales: (FRSW100CBJ) June 2006. Okay edge out of the box, better once I took my Lansky sharpener to it. (A little tedious on these small knives.) Smooth opening, lock-up was solid, no wobble, lock was easy to use (no sticking). Once sharpened, this one held an edge for a long time, and it sharpened up pretty easily. Scales "bled" some blue pigment (sweaty palms on a hot day) but otherwise no shrinkage or cracking. This was the first import slip-joint I bought, and I used it for awhile. A good friend at ACE Hardware, who knew I liked knives, sold it to me at a discount, so I could try it out; couldn't say no to that. My only complaint is that the handle design is too skinny for me. Spring is flush open/closed.

RR 3.5" pearl-handled knife: (RR238) Dec. 2006. Good edge out of the box, fit & finish were good, pearl had some dark & some white areas, but otherwise was "lifeless" as another forum member stated elsewhere, lock was bad. SMKW credited me the price back. After seeing the pearl, I didn't really want another one. This one's relegated to letter-opener use on the desk.

***
***

RR 3-blade Jack, red scales: June 2007. (RR430) This one had the best edges, on all three blades, out of the box, and had a unique feel to it too - all three blades pivot off the small end. Pretty heavy for a small knife. No wobble in the blades. Red scales oozed a lot of pigment when I washed it, but they seem to be pretty stable otherwise. One small gap in the backsprings, but otherwise F&F are pretty good. I used every blade for everything, from cutting steak/hot dogs/fruit veggies/etc. (I use it as my pic-nic knife) and I also used it for a lot of whittling. I've used the middle blade (drop-point) for drilling holes in pine fence posts a couple of times, no problems. All three blades have solid half-stops, springs are all flush when open/closed.

RR pearl-handled canoe: (RR231) Sept. 2007. After the first pearl-handled knife from RR, I swore off them, then broke down and bought this one from Bob Tice Knives. Cost more, but it was worth the extra $ - great knife, great F&F, nice looking pearl, although one side is lighter than the other. This is my Sunday knife (a tradition in my family) and while it's only used on weekends, it gets limited use - I try not to use it where it can get dropped. Good edges out of the box, no wobble, haven't had to sharpen it yet. Springs are flush open/closed.

SW locking whittler: (FRSW116WABS) Dec. 2007. I bought this one before I realized it was basically a knock-off of the Case/T. Bose model. Blade grind was not very even, apparently having to grind such a large (thick) tang was not easy to do. solid lock-up, but flimsy looking lock lever. Edge was okay out of the box, and I cut up a lot of cardboard at Christmas with it. I had to sharpen it several times, and the point dulled from being stabbed through cardboard, but it held up okay. Pried out dozens of staples from bicycle boxes, tip held up okay. I complained to SMKW about the lock - solid lock-up, but looked flimsy - and they sent another one at no charge. A little better, blade symmetry was more consistent, lock appeared not as flimsy. I used the small blades on both to carve about 150-200 (or more?) notches of various sizes in sticks while watching tv one night. edges on the small blades were good out of the box, and I haven't sharpened them yet. Those thin blades are great for whittling & detail work. Springs NOT flush when open, but don't sit up enough to matter.

***

RR Elephant Toenail: (RR508) Sept. 2007. I beat the he!! out of this one, and it held up very well. Smooth opening, but a "nail-breaker", by purview of the thick backspring on the main blade. The small blade was easier to open, good edge out of the box. Edge on the main (large) blade was terrible out of the box, I think because the main blade's so thick. Good, even grinds on both both blades, but the final edge on the main blade was terrible. I spent some time fixing that, then used it for everything. I cut up a lot of cardboard & old rope with it; used the tip to counter-sink several dozen screw heads (it's wide enough for that); used it at the grill for all the cutting I needed to do for several hours at a party, including using the back of the main blade to scrape out the bean skillet; battonned it through quite a few 2x4 pieces; I broke the tip of the small blade cleaning gunk out of an old mill file I was using. Out of all of that, I only sharpened it a couple of times. My only other complaint is that there was a small gap in the backsprings, which I hate 'cause crud gets in there and is a real pain to get it all out. Springs are flush open/closed.

SW Large Trapper, bone scales: Sept. 2006. My favorite of all of these. Good edges out of the box, LARGE nail nicks, strongest springs (other than the ET) of any folder I own. I used this for 8-9 months for everything, my only complaint was that it dulled pretty quickly, but sharpened up really well.

***

So, a rather long post, but hopefully it's helpful. I think this is all the RR & SW knives I own, other than the RR 2nds grab bag I bought, and I haven't had time to use those enough to evaluate them.

One last note - I haven't owned any of these long enough to judge the long-term stability of the bone scales. We'll see how they look in another 3-4 years.

I gotta go run errands - I'll be back later, and post more notes if I find them.

thx - cpr
 
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orca/cpr (I never know what I'm supposed to call you. :p), anyway, thanks for taking the time to provide that excellent info.

I'm sure it'll prove very helpful to those who have been considering these knives.

Well done! :thumbup: :cool:
 
Couple of additions about fit&finish/durability.

RR are cheap to buy, my Scout was 8 dollars. It seems like they are improved in quality and feel but the long term durability must be more debatable.

My experiences for what they are worth: On colour bleed,not seen any on the Brown Gunstock bone or the Amber jigged bone on the Scout I recently bought. The Green gunstock bone on the Mini Trapper and Peanut has washed out, a little but not after 2 washes. The Peanut has very thin blades but extremely sharp, both it and the Mini Trapper have been used in the garden a good deal over 15 months,no wobble no blade play VERY GOOD. Brown Bone Copperhead not used much as I don't use the pattern much but sharp and well finished,no build faults. Red Bone Large liner lock Sodbuster (Dirtbuster) as I've written before, this was a bleeder and a disaster!Washed it many times and it STAINED my hands red! Very alarming if you think about possible toxins...for this reason I've never yet trusted an RR for food preparation..Then the damn thing fell to bits in my hand and nearly cut me to death! The pivot failed or sheered off and the whole thing broke up aargh! I don't judge a knife on one example (I've got 3 Schatt&Morgans I feel are lousy quality,poor stainless and pitiful build)but you should take note of poor examples. RR are generally alright so far, Rough&Ready in some respects though but useful for nasty tasks or getting the feel of a pattern, some individual examples are really good too. They augment American cutlers they certainly don't replace them in any way,but their low price will make them attractive to a wider public.
 
I have some "older" RRs (2005) and I agree they did not hold up to hard work. My latest RRs are worlds better not only tougher but better FF. The problem is that you don't know when any particular knife was made. Amber bone knives are new and so is the scout and marlin but besides those I don't know. I guess you have to trust your dealer. IMHO

Tom
 
Mailman just dropped off a RR stag peanut to my office. Color me impressed. Very decent fit and finish (easily on par with the Case yeller handles or the Schrade OT or UH series). The scales are a little uneven (one is thick, almost perfect, the other is a bit wavy). Nice fluted nail nicks. The blades are ground a bit thick, they will be thinned out in short order. Really nice snap to the springs.

If the heat treat and steel quality are as good as the rest of the knife, I would rate it an outstanding value.
 
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