Why So Much Criticism Of Inexpensive Knives Like Rough Rider And Why Is Perfect Blade Centering So Important?

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Gene

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I might be repeating myself here concerning inexpensive knives such as Rough Rider and I apologize but it baffles me that I see everywhere on Youtube these “experts” on inexpensive knives detailing the most minute criticisms like a very slight and almost indistinguishable gap in the back spacers, the pull weight of the blade, how the scales match up to the bolsters and on and on. True, they like most of them in the end but come on, these are $10.00-$20.00 knives and I think they’re a bargain at their price point even if they have some “minor” faults.

To be truthful, I could examine my expensive Case or whatever brands from the past that I have like these “experts” do with these “cheapies” and I could find the same very minute “flaws” if I looked closely enough. Again, why criticize a $10-$20 knife like all these guys sometimes do and why are they so popular that they have hundreds if not many thousands of followers? In the end I truly am happy for them for their success but don’t understand such detailed criticisms concerning a $10-$20 knife.

Look, to each their own and it’s okay to do what you want to on Youtube or otherwise but I’m amazed at the quality you get nowadays with Rough Rider and others. True, they’re made in China and I wish they were made here in the U.S. but they’re a bonanza for knife lovers and especially the newbies getting into knives and others who just want a fairly decent knife to use at an inexpensive price point.

Sorry for the long rant but one last question. Why is blade centering so important? If the blades aren’t rubbing when closing and opening but a tick off looking down at the blades, what does that have to do with anything except esthetics or in other words, looks? If a blade is a little off but is not rubbing, why so important?

Look, I’m not judging anyone here and it’s great folks have different opinions and your opinion is as valid as mine. I’m just giving my opinion. It’s great we all love knives as they are so vastly interesting and useful. What say you? Peace to all and thanks for taking the time to read my semi tirade. 🥱
 
There are diminishing returns as the cost goes up but nicer is nicer. If those details aren’t worth the extra cost to you but they are worth it to others then it’s probably good that there are different options out there in terms of the presence or lack of minor flaws.
 
The channels that sell, review, and promote knives will often do vids on the best cheap knives available, because they exist and they're always trying to figure out new things to do content about. Well made, cheap knives (like the Ontario RAT1, QSP Penguin, and Opinel knives) get a lot of love because they are exceptional quality for the price. There are a lot of high price knives that get taken down a peg for being overpriced for what they are. In the case of Rough Rider knives, some people are going to be rubbed the wrong way by a company marinating itself in US historical nostalgia while their knives are being made in China, but others are going to rave about them.

 
RR are fine especially the Reserve or more limited ones.
Are most, more expensive Boker or GEC, better in feel and finish? Yes, but you are paying more. The cheaper Bokers have similar shortcomings. GEC can also have issues. like pull, cracks and so on.

I carry all and could not care less about what others think.
If you like it why would you care what someone that means nothing to you thinks.
People regularly do things that their family, spouse etc disapproves of, without caring too much about it, but worry about the opinion of youtube.

If you want something that is practically universally accepted as good, get a Victorinox.
 
and to the actual question, I like a centered blade, as well as a sharpened blade, as this shows that the company or maker spend an extra 2 minutes to make sure my knife was sorted.

Functionally, as lng as it does not rub on the sides, I am OKish with it
 
The purpose of a review imo is to get into the details of the knife, in this case minute details. There’s only so much to talk about after all. I like that because it helps me understand what to expect when I can’t hold it in my hand first. It’s up to me after that to decide what matters and what doesn’t, not them.
 
SAKs are hugely popular, also on BF. A SAK Spartan goes for < $25 on amazon, and you will look far and wide to find one with an off-center blade.

Just giving an example that a "cheap" knife doesn't have to have major quality issues, nor does it have to be made in communist China. This is what a miscentered RR is competing with. Your choice which one you prefer, of course.

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Blade centering has no bearing whatsoever on knife use unless it rubs on the liner. It is indicative of the care that was taken in machining and putting the knife together thought. Personnaly, I'm only going to care about that once a knife reach a certain pricepoint(above 200 buck for me).

Sharpness? Nowadays, I expect production knives to have horrible edges and that I'll have to sharpen them out of the box before putting them to use. Sometime I get a nice surprise and the edge is usable out of box, but who cares? It's not an Olfa, you will have to sharpen it at one point or another.

The country of origin is no indication of the quality, at all. That being said, I just do not like having "made in China" stamped on my blades. It's irrational today, I know, but it is grounded in a lifetime of experiencing products so poorly made as to being completely unusable, I just cannot get over the stigma, especially since Chinese still send over incredibly cheap junk along with well made products, so the stigma continues, but that is my personal hangup. And I do have 1 Chinese made knife, a Civivi, and I'm forced to admit that it's impecable in every way and punch way above its pricepoint.

Rough Ryder? Well, what else is there? Boker? It or miss, their higher tier are nice, but very expensive. Case? Their quality control is lengedary in it crappiness, I own 2 but wouldn't recomend them to anyone, at all. GEC? They don't exist in real life. Victorinox? Yeah, sure, but not the same style of knives, are they. The rest is either Chinese made with an american name brand attached, which is worst, or highly priced custom.

As to reviewers, it is their job to point out the good and the bad of a product they're reviewing. It's up to you after that to decide how much weight to put to any details they might have pointed out, so your purchasing decision is more informed. Some get emotional when flaws in their favorite products get pointed out, but that's stupid, it's just a product, so don't be like that.
 
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Some people just want nicer stuff. When people ask questions like this, it comes off as condemning for not being ok with junk. I'm not gonna feel bad because I like knives that are put together well. Also, I know I'm not alone in wanting domestic knives, which is very important to me...
 
Rough Ryder knives do have a following, their recent models that they call the Reserve seem to be up a notch and there for up a bit in price, but not so much that you can't afford them. One such was this lovely folder, that I've since parted ways with to fund something else, it escapes me now what it was but I am sure it was important ;)

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

I liked it enough to make a vertical leather sheath for it, always a good sign when I like something enough to do that;

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

And I am in the camp of blade centering doesn't bother me very much either, as long as it doesn't cause excessive blade rubbing, otherwise I am more concerned with how things cut ;)

Right now I don't have any Rough Ryder's in house, but that may change soon as I hear tell they have some new ones on the horizon, they always seem to be making something new all the time.

G2
 
I'm a Rough Ryder fan. Their knives are well done. The carbon II series is my favorite. The half hawk and large stockman are just awesome.

My two case knives sit in the drawer and the Rough Ryders git r dun.

I have nothing against case besides the blade rub. It's like they engineered the stockman blades to interfere with each other. The knives are gorgeous. One is really beautiful "autumn" bone.

I'd just rather beat up a perfectly nice $20 knife than a $90 knife.
 
I will weigh in with my own personal view about RR knives. Slipjoints in classic patterns are a piece of Americana to me. They're a reminder of the knives our fathers and grandfathers carried, and also bring back rose-tinted memories of the "good ole days". It's why I love my collection of American made slipjoints. I have a...let's call it a significant, number of GEC and Case knives. They bring me joy to own, because they were made by Americans, for Americans. I enjoy them in a way that I would never enjoy a soulless consumer product like RR (or other Chinese made slipjoint companies) makes. That is just my view on it. Now, if GEC/Case/etc. are out of your budget, I completely get it. No judgement from me.

Also, to remark on Case knives, perfectly made Case knives ARE out there in plentiful supply. I usually hit up my local Ace Hardware and see what they have available. Buying Case knives is much easier when you can physically examine them. All in all, I have more sharp edges at my house than I'll ever use in my lifetime, so really, they're all just consumer goods at this point. But a well made American slipjoint for me is a thing of beauty, and a little piece of the past.

Oh, and centering matters to me, I don't care how cheap the knife is. Nope, don't care, it matters to me. An offcenter blade makes the entire thing look poorly made, simple as that. If I receive a knife with an offcenter blade, it goes back. If you can't be bothered to make your product at a decent level of fit and finish, then I can't be bothered to pay you for it. I own something like ten Opinels, and those are like $12, and every single one has had a perfectly centered blade. So price is clearly not a factor, just the company's willingness to be lazy. 🤷
 
"Sorry for the long rant but one last question. Why is blade centering so important? If the blades aren’t rubbing when closing and opening but a tick off looking down at the blades, what does that have to do with anything except esthetics or in other words, looks? If a blade is a little off but is not rubbing, why so important?"

The blade centering can be an indicator to the care and time put into the knife. Who knows why people get hung up on cheap knives? If I spent fifteen bucks on a knife I suppose I'd be happy if it lasted two weeks, but theres no need when you own a box cutting knife that carries extra razor blades. I didn't know people were making videos critiquing that brand, it does sound silly but there's a lot of garbage and opinions on you tube. Every once in a while, I'll watch a Jim Skelton video because the guy goes on a gambit critiquing but in the way some people can appreciate with these weird knives he finds. If someone has been collecting knives long enough, you'd think they would outgrow the Big5 quality Chinese made knives. Life is too short to be watching you tube videos on cheap knives. Hope you got a good laugh out of it 😂
 
Quiet said:
I will weigh in with my own personal view about RR knives. Slipjoints in classic patterns are a piece of Americana to me. They're a reminder of the knives our fathers and grandfathers carried, and also bring back rose-tinted memories of the "good ole days". It's why I love my collection of American made slipjoints. I have a...let's call it a significant, number of GEC and Case knives. They bring me joy to own, because they were made by Americans, for Americans. I enjoy them in a way that I would never enjoy a soulless consumer product like RR (or other Chinese made slipjoint companies) makes. That is just my view on it. Now, if GEC/Case/etc. are out of your budget, I completely get it. No judgement from me.

Also, to remark on Case knives, perfectly made Case knives ARE out there in plentiful supply. I usually hit up my local Ace Hardware and see what they have available. Buying Case knives is much easier when you can physically examine them. All in all, I have more sharp edges at my house than I'll ever use in my lifetime, so really, they're all just consumer goods at this point. But a well made American slipjoint for me is a thing of beauty, and a little piece of the past.

Oh, and centering matters to me, I don't care how cheap the knife is. Nope, don't care, it matters to me. An offcenter blade makes the entire thing look poorly made, simple as that. If I receive a knife with an offcenter blade, it goes back. If you can't be bothered to make your product at a decent level of fit and finish, then I can't be bothered to pay you for it. I own something like ten Opinels, and those are like $12, and every single one has had a perfectly centered blade. So price is clearly not a factor, just the company's willingness to be lazy. 🤷
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Also a firm believer in stopping by the local Ace for Case Knives you can actually handle. The one around the corner from us started carrying Microtech, is that common in your area??
20230611_101215.jpg
 
As a knife enthusiast I think we are way over thinking knives. These tools are not that complicated. The only reason anyone is focused on this stuff is that the huge flood of information channel need something with which to fill the time.

Sharpness out-of-the-box, perfect centering, blade steel, drop shutty? Who cares? What really matters is how do you like the knife, does it fit comfortably in hand, how well does it carry and can it do what you need it to do.

Some knives are interesting, pretty, or works of artistic and technological perfection. None of that has much to do with utility. I try to enjoy them all, although I consider China an enemy state and would rather not buy anything from there.

n2s
 
not2sharp said:
As a knife enthusiast I think we are way over thinking knives. These tools are not that complicated. The only reason anyone is focused on this stuff is that the huge flood of information channel need something with which to fill the time.

Sharpness out-of-the-box, perfect centering, blade steel, drop shutty? Who cares? What really matters is how do you like the knife, does it fit comfortably in hand, how well does it carry and can it do what you need it to do.

Some knives are interesting, pretty, or works of artistic and technological perfection. None of that has much to do with utility. I try to enjoy them all, although I consider China an enemy state and would rather not buy anything from there.

n2s
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You would wear someone else's clothes?

They are comfortable.
Nice fabric.
Do their job.

Something isn't right though.

Not your clothes!

They even smell 'funny'!

You'd pay for that?

An off centered blade is like knowing you'll likely get food poisoning, yet you eat there anyway because you are hungry and don't care.
 
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