Kimzilla wrote: ↑Fri Sep 29, 2023 12:43 am
I got this fun lil feller today...I love me some Western themed knives
$7.50 plus $5.95 shipping (I was the only bidder) - I feel like a real winner today!
The husband loved it UNTIL he opened it up and saw "CHINA" on the tang and then he put it down in disgust
I think we've agreed to disagree on the Rough Rider knife made in China thing because there was no further discussion after I said "Yes, Rough Rider is exclusively made in China, but they are good quality knives."
For a long time I wouldn’t buy knives from China. I always bought American or European exclusively. I’ve reassessed my original opinion of the quality of Chinese knives. They’ve improved tremendously in quality. My second objection was I always buy American. Problem there is that EVERYTHING these days is made in China. Ever read the fine print on products or shop at Walmart ? We have less choice now. Rough Rider is a good knife at a good value. The blue denim micarta referred to is a RRR ROUGH RIDER RESERVE. Same company but a huge upgrade from their regular line. The scales are perfectly even with the bolsters, and pins are perfectly even with the handles. All highly polished. I was reluctant to buy one, that is until I actually examined one. Now I have several of the ROUGH RIDER RESERVE knives.
They are fantastic at a great price. Averaging about $45-$90, the quality is second to none. D2 steel blades and a lot of hand work done on them. Fit and finish is superb. Everything is perfectly fitted and hand polished. Every single blade has gator snap.
If you haven’t actually handled one, you are missing a terrific quality knife at a terrific price.
... 
... " but they are good quality knives" ... 
Your Western example looks to be a pretty good quality piece 
