steel warrior

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bertosknives

Joined
Jul 17, 2005
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I just ordered a couple of these and some are decent but not as well built as case or queen. They are cosmeticaly as good but feel really cheap the back springs are a joke on about 7 out of the 12 I have which makes them pretty much useless. so be carefull by the way the bigger ones have much better backsprings but held next to my queens feels like a toy.If you want to try them start off with one or two at the most.just my .02 cents
 
It seems difficult for many importers to understand the notion that proper spring tension is way more important on slipjoints than on locking knives. I have yet to come across any off shore traditional slipjoint look alikes that have consistancy in the tension of the backsprings. I guess they figure that if the product looks like it might work, people will buy it even if it has little or no usefulness as a tool.
 
hmmm........sorry to hear the Steel Warriors are so inconsistent. I've been meaning to try one after I happened upon Rod Neep's excellent review of a SW Saddle Horn that sent the same pattern by Case "packing". Of course that's one knife and one man's opinion. Here's the low down : http://www.rod-neep.co.uk/rod/knives/reviews/steel-warrior1/index.html
Rod, if you happen by I hope you don't mind my posting the link to your excellent article. I always listen when Rod shares, he usually has much to offer always in good humor !

-Cheers to all !
 
actually the modle he reviewd was pretty good the only bad thing about it was one side of the handle was a totaly different color than the otherside. still feels cheap compared to my queens.By the way these are good knives for $10 if you get one with a good backspring.
 
bertosknives said:
actually the modle he reviewd was pretty good the only bad thing about it was one side of the handle was a totaly different color than the otherside. still feels cheap compared to my queens.By the way these are good knives for $10 if you get one with a good backspring.
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Good to know....thanks ! By the way, Last Christmans I tried a Chinese Rough Rider I fished off the "bay" for about $15 shipped. It was a MOP Canoe...I asked the seller if he had more than one, would he pick me out a nice one. When it arrived I was pleasantly surprised. Great fit and finish, no cracks near pins or bolsters, impressive snap, and sharp blades. I would have
paid twice the price and been happy. However, I have read reviews here and elsewhere that certain Rough Rider patterns with particular scales can be of poor quality. I rolled the dice and managed not to "crap out" on that one try. I'm uncertain if I'd gamble again on a Rough Rider. ?? !!
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-Best
 
I've never had a bad one, sorry you wernt so lucky.
All the ones i had were pretty nice fit and fishish too- mabye they are getting better?
 
I'll try to provide some feedback on Steel Warrior in a few days. I ordered a stockman in stag.

Last month I bought two Rough Rider knives, a very large stockman in black pearl and a stag trapper. The black pearl is really nice , but does have a few imperfections near the edges.

The stag trapper is also nice but there wasn't any care taken in matching the two scales. One side looks like deer stag , the other looks like ram horn. Like most have said they're worth their typical selling price and given how low that is you overlook certain minor flaws.
 
I got a SW a few months back after reading an impressive review of them. In a word, I wasn't impressed. The knife looked okay cosmetically but the back spring was uneven and week between the 3 blades and the blade itself was quite thin.
I have bought several RR knives and for the most part have been very happy with their quality. The only on of their line that looks pretty cheap is their imitation abalone. Looks awful IMO.
 
The RR awbaloney is a mixed bag. I have an RR muskrat in it that doesn't look bad. I have a locking sodbuster in it that looks gawdy awful. I managed to pick up a Sunfish/Elephant in it for 99 cents plus shipping (4.99) so couldn't pass that up as I wanted to try the pattern out without spending much. I have to laugh that of four RRs, three of them are in a handle I don't really care that much for.

I do have a small SW copperhead and this one was pretty impressive in terms of fit and finish and initial sharpness. Also on the way now is a SW trapper also in Cancun Blue that I got on the bay cheap. I mainly got it to go with the copperhead, because I like trappers, and due to this thread I wanted to examine another SW to see if I just got lucky the first time.

I'll let y'all know when it gets here.
 
The SW trapper came in the mail today. Pretty good overall with strong springs, good snap, and the fit & finish is good with the only gripe being that at the pivot area things are just a little bit too tight. The blade thickness is just a wee tiny bit too thick and drags against the liner some. Not so bad you can't open it, but enough you pay attention to it. It's a solid user, looks alright, and is well worth what I paid for it and even a bit more. But, that said, I'm pretty much done with the Chi-mades in general. Buying solid named American and European knives not only carries some history and tradition that I appreciate, but doing so also builds a collection that will hold and/or gain better value along the way. Plus one thing that is part of my enjoyment in owning different knives is the when I look at or handle them I can feel the connection, the continuity of past to present. With the Steel Warrior, Rough Rider, or whatever, it just stops there. I don't feel the same connection or hear the whispers of my heritage like I do when I handle my western made knives. Intangible, yes, but real enough to me.
 
Buying solid named American and European knives not only carries some history and tradition that I appreciate, but doing so also builds a collection that will hold and/or gain better value along the way. Plus one thing that is part of my enjoyment in owning different knives is the when I look at or handle them I can feel the connection, the continuity of past to present. With the Steel Warrior, Rough Rider, or whatever, it just stops there. I don't feel the same connection or hear the whispers of my heritage like I do when I handle my western made knives. Intangible, yes, but real enough to me.
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well said....I think I know exactly what you mean. I look close at one of those cheap Chinese slipies, and then remind myself, for $30 more I could get a Queen.

-regards
 
I picked up another cheap knife on ebay to try out. The brand is " US Classic." Should have been no surprise when it came that on the smallest blade said "china." The 1st time I put some Flitz to the main blade, the US classic faded from sight. *sigh*
 
I got my Stag SW Stockman on Friday. This wasn't my first Chinese made slipjoint so I wasn't expecting perfection. The SW knife was packed in a gray tin ( a wrist watch sized box ), the knife wasn't as big as I expected and the fit and finish is comparable to several Rough Rider knives I own.

I would say overall the fit and finish is very good, but not on par with my Case knives, the difference is mainly in the final finish. The Case knives have a high polished look (backsprings and blades), the Chinese knives don't have that level of finish or consistent quality. But the cost is about a quarter that of an entry level Case slipjont.

The springs are acceptable but not as strong as American or German made knives, however a large size Black Pearl RR Stockman I own has very strong springs, that knife is my favorite of the Chi knives.

The blades are all razor sharp and the Rockwell test "dimple" is present on the main blade.

These knives are definitely worth the modest price paid, collectors on a budget can buy many different patterns and scale materials. But I agree with others , it might be better to own one Case or Queen knife than 5 of these....
 
Agreed. For the money it's not a bad blade. I have had nicer, more expensive knives fold under the damage I have put my RR through. The problem I have is that I don't feel bad carrying a cheaper blade. I have a hard time breaking out my nicer knives because I don't want to scuff them up. Perhaps I will get over the honeymoon phase with them someday. :)
 
I have the same problem with not wanting to scuff up the nicer knives, but I find that the same principle prevents me from carrying the China mark on a blade. It is like having a knife that is defaced from the factory, for all the reasons that have been stated in this thread. I'm leaning toward the less expensive USA made knives for EDC (Case yellow delrin CV and Buck 303). Not pretty, but hard working tools that don't mind getting well used.
 
The RR sunfish in awbaloney finally got here. The scales on this one are actually attractive. One side is especially nice. There is a bit of gritty feeling on opening and closing, even after having oiled the pivots. It's reasonably sharp. For $5 something total shipped I can't complain. I'm thinking of making it my package opener so I don't gunk up my other blades with tape residue. The size and feel is interesting. I will carry it a little in a watch and vest pocket to see how it feels. If it works, then I'll probably keep my eye out for a good deal on an American or German version to be a vest/watch pocket knife. So the RR has served as a cheap test bed and has induced me to start looking into getting a better knife in the pattern.
 
My sunfish was real gritty too. Felt like sand in the joint when I opened it. Well, I just got a SW saddlehorn. Thought I'd give them another chance. Picked it up on ebay for change. Should be here in a few days.

It is like having a knife that is defaced from the factory, for all the reasons that have been stated in this thread.
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Yeah I get your point. Everytime I open it, I want to cover the china with my thumb.
 
Liveitloud said:
My sunfish was real gritty too. Felt like sand in the joint when I opened it. Well, I just got a SW saddlehorn. Thought I'd give them another chance. Picked it up on ebay for change. Should be here in a few days.



Yeah I get your point. Everytime I open it, I want to cover the china with my thumb.
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I used a Dremel with a cloth buffing wheel and some metal polish on one of my RR knives and "china" came right off. I tried the same with the front of the main blade but the "Always Ready" is still visible. It seems to be acid etched ( or something). I really don't want to use anyhing too abrasive.

I've got a few more RR's coming and I just got a Smith and Wesson large Ram Horned Sowbelly. The Smith is a little rough around the edges but the handle is well done and the blade sizes are perfect for me. I really like the sowbelly pattern....
 
Well I got the saddlehorn. I like the way the knife is made and the blades are all tight. It is a peach seed jig pattern. Ugly as hell. I don't know why SW likes those god-awful bright colors. It is very sharp too.
I'll break out my dremel and give that a try. That's a good suggestion. Speaking of RR's, have you seen the new sawcut patterns that they have come out with? Not bad lookin.
 
Liveitloud said:
Well I got the saddlehorn. I like the way the knife is made and the blades are all tight. It is a peach seed jig pattern. Ugly as hell. I don't know why SW likes those god-awful bright colors. It is very sharp too.
I'll break out my dremel and give that a try. That's a good suggestion. Speaking of RR's, have you seen the new sawcut patterns that they have come out with? Not bad lookin.
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I just got two sawcut's in the mail yesterday, the Barlow and Copperhead.

Both are very good looking. I cut myself with the copperhead ( so it's sharp), but after that I stopped examining them. Tonight I'll go over them again, at first glance they look good. I might get the canoe pattern next.
 
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