Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Billy Oneale on March 25, 2018 at 17:44

Ron, I am with you. I probably have around 150 RR. They are great value for the money. That being said, they do not compare to brands such as Great Eastern and a lot of Queens. I do find some comparable to some of the lower end Case knives in some instances. The thing I love most, at $12.00 to $15.00 a knife, I won't be crying if I break or lose one. I have never had any real issues with the RR brand that I have not had with others.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on March 25, 2018 at 19:23

You are absolutely correct and RR had the right idea at the beginning.  The RR challenge, if you can get someone to do it, will change the minds 8 times out of 10.  These knives, because of F&F and price point are fantastic give away knives, a youngsters first knife, the alternative knife you carry because people are always borrowing your knife and as you say, they give you the ability to carry more patterns than other knives would.  I recommend to someone looking for a pattern that "fits them" to start with RR.  Continue to rotate them out until you find that pattern you just love the look of and the use of.

Collecting knives is a marathon, not a sprint.  Buy what you like, can afford, carry what you love and enjoy them all. Then hang out here at iKC because for us all knives and their owners are welcome :)

FeaturedPermalink Reply by dead_left_knife_guy on March 31, 2018 at 14:10

I am someone who would have totally written off Rough Rider if not for winning a Rough Rider in last Halloween's iKC photo contest.  The fit & finish were great, & the knife was incredibly sharp.  Sharpness out of the box is not a deal breaker by any means, but it shows the manufacturer is giving attention to that detail -- & often means other details are tended to as well.

I recently purchased my second Rough Rider -- an assisted-opening karambit -- & it was also quite sharp out of the box.  It was also designed so as to make it relatively safe to open, something not necessarily true of all assisted opening karambits.  At $10, it's one of the best karambits I have in my new but growing karambit sub-collection.

Needless to say, I am planning to purchase more Rough Riders, likely in the near future.  The SMKW catalog just came in the mail today, & I've already dog-eared a couple Rough Rider pages...

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on March 31, 2018 at 19:09

DLKG,

WOW!  Now that is a great way to have begun the RR challenge!

I am so pleased that a small gift has turn the tide and you were willing to try another.  I have not seen that Karambit but will be getting hands on with one either at Blade or the next trip to SMKW.  With small hands some of them are easy for me and have the potential to be a little scary in the open, I would love to find one that would work as I see it as a knife I could caryy in the yard and work with

FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on March 31, 2018 at 21:00

I have 55 Rough Rider knives with one more on the way.  It should be here Monday or Tuesday.  I have never had any problems with any of them.  I have tested many of them for sharpness out of the box.  Every one that I have tested was hair shaving sharp out of the box.  They all have good snap opening and closing.  The blades have no wobble or looseness when open.

I have a RR in my pocket right now.  It is the RR718 Work Knife.  I did a daily use test of this knife.  You can read it here.

http://iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/a-daily-use-test-of-a-rough...

Another RR that I use a lot is my RR1349 Sidewinder fixed blade.  I like to take it to the woods with me.  It has a good study sheath.  It also works good for cutting up large heavy cardboard boxes.  Here are the results of a test I put the Sidewinder through.

http://iknifecollector.com/group/roughridercollectors/forum/topics/...

All in all, I feel that RR's give as much bang for your buck as just about any knife..  They are a good solid knife that will hold up to daily use.  They do a decent job of holding an edge and are easy to sharpen.

Permalink Reply by Vaughn on July 5, 2018 at 11:06

 I like the R.R. knives and not ashamed in the least. Always happy with the quality and price.Knives.jpg

Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on July 5, 2018 at 14:14

Nice looking group, Vaughn.

Permalink Reply by Vaughn on July 5, 2018 at 14:18

 Thanks, those aren't all R.R, and is just part of the collection.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 12, 2018 at 19:00

Vaughn,

Good work!  Never be embarrassed about what works for you.  The prejudice of RR being an offshore knife should have disappeared already, they have proven too many times to too many people.  They are inexpensive with a high percentage of good Quality control 

Vaughn said:

 I like the R.R. knives and not ashamed in the least. Always happy with the quality and price.Knives.jpg

Permalink Reply by Ugly Old Guy on July 13, 2018 at 12:01

Personally, I'd choose a RR over a Case.
1) More Patterns.
2) The Case may be "prettier" and have a higher polish, but that just makes them a fingerprint and smudge magnet.
3) From my limited experience with Case, my Rough Riders hold an edge better.
4) Cost. A Case costs 3 - 5 times as much as a Rough Rider, but is not any better at cutting.
5) On average, there is no practical difference in the fit of a Case vs Rough Rider. Either can (and do) have minor gaps. Both rarely (if ever) have any blade wiggle. Both seem to have even grinds and are sharp out of the box.
6) Rough Riders seem to last just as long as a Case ... possibly longer since Rough Rider holds an edge better, it needs less sharpening.

Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on July 13, 2018 at 22:01

Up until recently, Steve, I would have agreed with everything that you said.  I took the Rough "Rider Challenge" a long time ago, and was suitably impressed.  I carried a Rough Rider stag Whittler for several years and it was basically identical to a CASE Whittler.

Lately though, Rough Rider has been thinning their blades to where they are roughly 1/2 the thickness of a similar CASE pattern.  A Rough Rider representative even tried to say it wasn't true until I showed photographic proof.  

Still, I'm a Rough Rider fan, just wish that they would return to the old way of doing things.

Permalink Reply by Michael D. Mitchell on February 12, 2020 at 7:21

Ron, Like My MOM Alway'z told Me....."Mejor Tarde que Nunca" (Better Late than Never).  Rite on Bro!!!

Michael.    To You az Well J.J. "Thumb'z Up".

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