The Rothco Ramster -- A Buckmaster 184 Survival Knife Clone

I'm a fan of Seinfeld and have watched practically every episode, yet I cannot recall the joke that you're referencing.

On the subject of knock-offs, -- and I know that this is a total tangent, but bear with me here... -- I really don't care so long as they're not illegal or counterfeit. If the patent has expired then it's not illegal for other companies to manufacture clones, copies, or in this case, reproductions of that product, licensed or otherwise.
Buck Knives hasn't manufactured the Buckmaster 184 since 1997, and thusly the only way to acquire a Buckmaster 184 is on the used market, for jacked up prices.

It honestly baffles me when folks call issue with a company which is legally manufacturing a reproduction of something that's long out of production, as well as with folks who purchase said reproductions, yet they have no issue with the folks who price-gouge for the originals. Perhaps there's a connection there? I dunno.

At any rate, the Rothco Ramster isn't taking any money away from Buck because they aren't making the Buckmaster 184 anymore and haven't since 1997. I've seen folks make the argument that cheap clones like the Ramster are what caused Buck to discontinue the Buckmaster 184 in the first place, but that's completely irrelevant this many years after the fact, and frankly I don't buy that either. Honestly, how long have their been cheap Chinese clones of the Buck 110 or 119 in production? Yet Buck is still making those knives to this very day. There were Buckmaster clones on the market since the first year that it was introduced, yet it remained in production for well over a decade. No, the Buckmaster was discontinued because the fad of Rambo-style Hollow Handle Survival Knives had already long since ended by 1997, so the knife simply wasn't a hot enough seller by then to continue production. That's all.

Honestly, if the presence of cheap Chinese knockoffs was enough to ruin businesses entirely, then every single company on Earth would be out of business by now.

Believe me, if Buck were still making the Buckmaster 184, then this thread wouldn't even exist because I would have happily bought a genuine Buckmaster over the Rothco Ramster, regardless of how much more it cost. It would most likely run around $200, over 4x that of the Ramster, but I woukd still buy it, as would pretty much anybody who wanted an actual Buckmaster.
 
Uncle Buckmaster said:
I'm a fan of Seinfeld and have watched practically every episode, yet I cannot recall the joke that you're referencing.
Click to expand...
The Outing episode. A reporter overheard Elaine joking that Jerry and George were gay (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). George was trying to get out of a relationship, and tried to use the ruse to convince his girlfriend that he’s gay. When she didn’t buy it, he ‘confessed’, ‘I’m Buck Naked, I’m a porn star.’
 
Did he have a sister who was frigid, and named "Never Naked"?
 
Uncle Buckmaster said:
Yeah, I've heard of it... The Buckmaster 2.0 Combat Diver. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that it's vaporware at this point, as it was announced years ago, but has yet to surface. (Pun intended)

To date, Buck themselves have never even acknowledged it, which suggests to me that the inventor sort of jumped the gun when he announced it as the heir apparent to the Buckmaster before having the design submitted/approved by Buck.

I'd like to see it surface someday in some form, but as it stands, it appears to have sunk. (Again, pun intended.)

That being said, the Buckmaster 2.0 was a very different animal from the original Buckmaster 184 and 185LT, with a completely different design, blade shape, sawteeth, handle, etc. So to me, it really wouldn't scratch the itch anyway.



Looking back, it's funny, because I've since gone on to get one of the Schrade Extreme Survival Knives, albeit a different model, the SCHF27.

SCHF27-G1.jpg


This is the original Gen 1 Model with a Full Tang 6-½" 8cr13MOV Ti-Nitride coated Stainless Steel Blade, Molded Thermoplastic Elastomer Handle, and a Multitool which is stored within.

SCHF27-G1-Multitool.jpg


Those little scallops on the spine are purely for show, as they're completely round, unsharpened, and with no angle which would enable them to function as a saw. Which I much admit, is somewhat disappointing to me. I know that these sawback blades typically don't work very well as saws, but I appreciate the feature regardless, and I feel that if they were going to put the effort into machining scallops into the slide, then they might as well have made them sawteeth. It just seems like a missed opportunity.

There's a Gen 2 model set for release on August 3rd with an improved AUS10 Blade and two-piece G10 handle scales, which I had pre-ordered, but the seller accidentally shipped me the older model, which I decided to keep, that way when I get the Gen 2 model later on, I can do a side-by-side comparison.

SCHF27-G1-Unsheathed.jpg


It comes with a cheap polymer sheath which I don't particularly care for, but it serves its purpose. I think I might have developed something of an appreciation for these cheap survival knives. :D
Click to expand...

Nothing like the original product (184) - I got one for sale open to offers in the appropriate for sale by individuals area.
 
 
Boombats said:
Not to derail but I really like this. Do you remember what it's called besides "Master USA?"
Click to expand...
Master is a sub brand of M tech..m tech rarely gives thier knives names because they are so generic.

Bur don't let that fool you. For the price, some are pretty good
 
So, I ended up slicing my thumb open today while cutting through some weeds. It's not bad or anything, just a little boo-boo, but at least it shows the factory edge on the Schrade SCHF27 is nice and sharp.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top