Got my two Rough Rider knives yesterday through the mail. Awesome blades. Like them both so much, not sure which one to carry. Canoe Jigged Bone Handle RR048, and Smooth Tobacco Bone Barlow RR783. IMG_0966.JPGIMG_0969.JPG

BARLOW!

Love the Tobacco bone, the shield and the pattern.  Carry, enjoy and let us know what you think about it as an EDC

I ordered 2 more Work Knives. Smooth Tobacco and a Jigged Amber bone, should be here by Monday.

Alexander, that is a sweet looking knife. Is it a true damascus or etched?

My name's not Alexander, but (lol), it's real San Mai Damascus.

http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/products/Rough+Rider/Rough+Rid...

Yup, so real damascus with a carbon steel core. It's one of their two most expensive knives so far. But from what I can tell also one of the nicest knives they've produced.

What about the bolster?

As far as I know.....the bolster too. 

My Smooth Tobacco Bone Work knife came in yesterday. Bone handle options only from now on. The lighting makes it look paler than it is.

My Amber Jigged bone version will be here today.

Nice one Brad! I like the Steer shield.

My Jigged Amber bone, in all her glory.

Very nice, they do a great job on this pattern, gotta love the bone handles.

What about the bolster?

Yup, the bolsters too. Kind of like a raindrop pattern damascus.

Review to follow soon.  I ordered one last Friday.  I'm also in the process of making a fixed blade using a herder hawkbill blade and some deer bone!  I've had the blade for several years and the bone for almost a year but had no idea what i was going to do with either of them until this knife came out!  Ad it will have a sheath made out of pig suede!

I've been investigating the pattern.  Many of the knives have a 4cm rule on the side.  I'm really not sure why but I'm guessing this that mushrooms need to be over a certain size to harvest.   THe blade is so you can cut the mushroom head off withot damaging the Mycelium, which is basically the root system of the mushrooms  and is a vital part of the eco-system. The brush is a very soft brush used to remove dirt without bruising the mushroom.   Many mushroom knives also have tweezers for removing thorns and such (I suppose it depends if the mushroom is harvested around thorny bushes?)  Some also have cor screws.  There are both fixed and folding varieties with folders commonly having a key ring near the top end.

As I said, I don't eat mushrooms and have never gone mushroom hunting.  I wouldn't even know which is ones are poisonous.   Yet I like the knives and I do have a tendency to use them in my art work.

Below is a Valarian War Princess in the Mushroom Swamp on the planet Ztarchia  during the 3rd interstellar War of the Shindo Galaxy (I know.  I read too much Sci-Fi in my youth)

54mm white cast metal figure by Valiant Enterprises.  Mushroom made of fluorescent putty and lightly coated with glow in the dark paint.

I won this on Ebay about 3 weeks ago. I really like this one, especially being stag, which is hard to find in RR.

And then I went and bought this from the round man for my wife. one of these is mop and the other is yellow delrin.

Rough Rider Knives on facebook has put forth a question I asked.  The question is what it most underutilized traditional pattern in their line and what would you like to see more of.  I pushing for the Scout/utility.   Feel free to push for the pattern you think is most underutilized in their line.

I am interested in the history of knives and brands. I only have a few RR knives but one of the first knives I bought 'online' was a small RR stockman around 2003-4. When were they first made and any other details about the origins of the brand and manufacturing will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Smiling Knife,

Hopefully someone can give you an actual date when the brand was released.  I'm not 100% sure.  What ! do know:

Rough Rider Knives is a house brand of Smoky Mountain Knife Works.  The majority of the knives are made in China at the Wayeah Knife Factory.  Some fixed blade production has also taken place in the SMKW Pakistani factory. The Pakistani knives are typically fixed blades with a stag handles and may use 420 steel. (I’m not 100% sure about the steel, as I have also heard that it is also 440A).

Almost all of the Chinese made knives have the 440 “Razor Sharp” stainless steel blades

A small number of knives have also been made under contract by Condor in El-Salvador.  The knives feature 1070 carbon steel blades. SMKW is in negations with Condor to expand their carbon steel production. (They have also used Condor for machetes and other large fixed blades in their Marbles line)

I am also not 100% sure when the Rough Rider line started but I think it has been around since the 1990s.  The pattern numbers on the knife are higher depending on when they were produced.  I think all triple digit numbers were first made before the year 2010.  All post 2010 knives have a four digit pattern umber (again not 100% sure if this is correct)

I should just give up.  I've been trying real hard to buy more American made knives but then Rough Rider comes along and offers this Half-Hawk in the Coal Miner Series. (as well as in other handles, including rhe Outdoorrsman Series.)  

How was I not suppose to buy it! I mean its a rope knife / cotton sampler, just all around cool knife and I needed it to complete the series!

That was rough rider number 101!.

Rough rider number 102 was a souvenir from Ken "Kirk" Benosn!

Not so much a box o knives but a drawer full of Rough Rider Coal Miners.  The little coin  is a piece of Coal Scrip issued by the Crummies Creek No.1 Coal Company in Cawood Kentucky. The face value on the coin is five cents, good only at the Campany store! (My mom's side of the family is from Cawood, Ky.)

I really enjoy my Rough Riders and always look them up first when the catalog comes.

Billy, I really like your RR stag lockback with the engraved blade. I seem to miss out on those good deals. Hey Chuck, please post us a picture of one of your Rough Riders. We enjoy seeing everyones, knives.

Rough Rider Silver Select Trapper.

Rough Rider Battle Axe Series Trapper. 1 of 6 knife patterns in series.

Hey Chuck, great looking knives! Thanks for the pictures. You certainly got your moneis worth on these pretty knives. I am sure other Rough Rider collectors will like your post.

When I photograph my Scrimshaw set tomorrow, I take a pic of the Battle Axe series. I have the complete set.

Can't wait to see them. That Battle Axe trapper was the only one in that series that I have.

The complete Battle Axe series.

Very nice, Chuck.

Thanks Tobias!!

My latest Rough Rider.  It's an older pattern:  RR696 Feather Canoe This is the early Turquoise Canoes with the Feather shield and Jade like box..

Blades are a little stiff but I think that's because the knife was "new old stock"  There was a small burr in the  file worked bolster that needed sanding down but other wise an excellent little canoe. 

That is one beautiful knife! Simple lines yet a subtle touch of elegance. The box is an excellent addition or rather a nice compliment to the knife. Well done!

Wow, guys thats some fine sets of knives. I really enjoy seeing them as a group.

Funny thing happened.  One morning I woke up and found out I was collecting Rough Rider Canoes.  It was planned.

and then there's the Canittlers but at least those were on purpose! Somebady help me before I start going after more the butterbeans! (only one of those (top, right corner below - Im Abalone mini-canoe)

That's a very impressive collection Tobias! I especially like the turquoise and Stoneworx knives.

That "Jade like box" is awesome!

Great collection, Tobias. I gave a turquoise Canoe to one of my grand daughters several years back, it's still going strong. She loves it. I had no idea they made so many different handle materials in the Canoe pattern.

One of these knives is not like the others.

Real nice, I give, maybe another member has better eyes than me. I like them all, good buddy.

The one between the White smooth bone and the Yellowhorse Turquoise is a Camco Workhorse series toothpick. I've since picked up a RR tortoise shell.

A better view of the Camco toothpick and 3 inch lockback.  Got thse  couple years back.  These were going to be some of the first Camillus made knives from China.  They came out shortly after the old Camillus went belly-up  making them some of the first released under new management. They're actually quite well made. Especially for Camcos!

These are my RR Tortoise Shell Peanut and Toothpick.  Also excellent knives. but if you collect rough riders then you already knew that!