any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

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Chayes
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any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by Chayes »

I really like the canoes and have been scanning eBay to see offerings and Rough Rider really shares the market offerings. Anyone know about their quality? I assume that they're made in China.
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by jerryd6818 »

You assume correctly. They are made in China for SMKW. There is an entire thread devoted to them, here ---> viewtopic.php?f=79&t=45594
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by carrmillus »

.............. ::barf:: ............................
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by Quick Steel »

Yes they are made in China and they are made very well. Their quality control seems more consistent than some name brand American knives. Given their low cost they are a remarkable value.
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by Railsplitter »

I've had nothing but good experiences with Rough Rider knives. All of mine have come screamin' sharp out of the box and the quality has been very good to excellent.

I don't carry my Rough Riders because I like the knives in my pocket to be made in the U.S.A. but that's only my own personal preference. They make excellent carry knives. I feel comfortable saying that because I used to work with a guy that carried a Rough Rider Peanut everyday. Every few weeks he would give the knife to me so I could sharpen it for him. Every time he gave me that knife it had more wear on it than the last time. This went on for maybe 5 or 6 years. He used the heck out of that knife and I'm pretty sure he still had it in his pocket when he retired.

I have this Canoe that I bought quite awhile ago. It's been sitting in a cigar box for 8 years or so and it looks like I need to polish up the bolsters a bit.

Good snap, no blade play, no rub marks on the blades, nice color and jigging, and very sharp.
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by Railsplitter »

I also recommend taking a look at some of the offerings from the Colt brand of pocket knives. I've read that they are no longer made but there are still plenty of them out there. I've also read that they were made by the same folks that make Rough Riders.

This Utility/Scout knife is of amazing quality for the mere $20 that I paid for it.
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by jerryd6818 »

Up front and right out there in front of God and everybody, I admit it; I'm a hypocrite. I dis the Chinese knives, yet I have several and I still buy them (in fact I just bought one this morning as a gift). The dadblamed things are like potato chips. They're so cheap, they're my go to when I have a major Jones on for a new knife but can't afford one.

That said, in my opinion, the top three of the genre are Colt, Marbles and Rough Rider. In the modern line the ones Kershaw has made are also good. JMO
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by gsmith7158 »

I got this Colt for $11. I think the box is probably worth that.
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by Dinadan »

I think that Rough Riders are good knives for the price. They are a good way to try out a new (to you) pattern and decide if you like it or not. And good to use for tough jobs where a person might not want to use an expensive knife.
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by americanedgetech »

I am happy to see so much support for Rough Rider here.

IMHO they are a great value knife. There is a LOT of junk out there that sells for MORE money than RR knives. Gas Station knives, Flea Market knives... They all sell from 8-30 bucks, and you can buy a Very pretty RR knife (or two) for the same cost as one junker.

There is no shame in carrying a RR knife (IMHO). I love the few that I own.

As a side note, I will be selling them in my shop in Florida when I am up, and running. I live in a TINY town (2,500 people), and money is tight here. People can basically afford one great knife for their daily routine but they can also afford a new RR every now, and then.
RR fits in nicely between quality, and afford-ability. ::super_happy::
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by garddogg56 »

I don't ::not_saying::
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by Tsar Bomba »

Railsplitter wrote:I've had nothing but good experiences with Rough Rider knives. All of mine have come screamin' sharp out of the box and the quality has been very good to excellent.
This, with the exception of a sunfish that came butterknife-dull out of the box but is otherwise built solid.
Railsplitter wrote:I don't carry my Rough Riders because I like the knives in my pocket to be made in the U.S.A.
This, too.
gsmith7158 wrote:I got this Colt for $11. I think the box is probably worth that.
IIRC those were made in the same factory and using the same tooling as RR.
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by QTCut5 »

Well, you asked for "any opinion" so...Personally, I don't like them. From a purely collector viewpoint, they're cheap both in price and in "feeling" and they have absolutely zero "class" or collector value whatsoever. Now, that said...I admit I have owned a few (as well as various other knives made in different Chinese factories, most notably AG Russell--but that is an entirely different thread), and I can say with absolute confidence and certainty that Rough Rider pocket knives perform as well and in some cases even better than comparable knives made in any other country in the world. They do almost everything you would expect from a pocket knife. However, the one thing they do not do is give you that special feeling of pride of ownership every time you take it out of your pocket to use or when you gaze affectionately over the knives in your collection. I haven't really looked or asked, but it would surprise me to discover that people actually collect Rough Rider knives like they do with practically every single brand ever made in the USA.


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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by garddogg56 »

Like you said,'they asked" ::shrug:: yours was very well stated Q-Man ::hmm::
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by supratentorial »

Made in the USA still means something to me.
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by americanedgetech »

supratentorial wrote:Made in the USA still means something to me.
It means something to ALL Americans. ::nod::

That said, is there any American made knife that you know of that is also MADE in America that has 50-60 different models that almost all sell for less than 20 American dollars? I mean knives that actually have a decent life span, and a lifetime warranty? ::tu::

I'm not trolling you sir. Made in the USA means it will cost more. It does not mean it is inherently better. ::hmm::
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by Dinadan »

QTCut5 wrote:Well, you asked for "any opinion" so...Personally, I don't like them. From a purely collector viewpoint, they're cheap both in price and in "feeling" and they have absolutely zero "class" or collector value whatsoever. Now, that said...I admit I have owned a few (as well as various other knives made in different Chinese factories, most notably AG Russell--but that is an entirely different thread), and I can say with absolute confidence and certainty that Rough Rider pocket knives perform as well and in some cases even better than comparable knives made in any other country in the world. They do almost everything you would expect from a pocket knife. However, the one thing they do not do is give you that special feeling of pride of ownership every time you take it out of your pocket to use or when you gaze affectionately over the knives in your collection. I haven't really looked or asked, but it would surprise me to discover that people actually collect Rough Rider knives like they do with practically every single brand ever made in the USA.


~Q~
Q makes some good points. However, I will note that the pride of using a (recently made) American knife can fade a bit when a user discovers that he needs a knife opener to open that fine knife without breaking a nail. Maybe no one does collect Rough Riders. But how many folks buy GEC, Case, or Queen for any reason other than to collect? I have a couple of Case and one Queen and one GEC that I actually use. The others are safe queens and I bet I am not the only one.
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by supratentorial »

americanedgetech wrote:
supratentorial wrote:Made in the USA still means something to me.
It means something to ALL Americans. ::nod::

That said, is there any American made knife that you know of that is also MADE in America that has 50-60 different models that almost all sell for less than 20 American dollars? I mean knives that actually have a decent life span, and a lifetime warranty? ::tu::

I'm not trolling you sir. Made in the USA means it will cost more. It does not mean it is inherently better. ::hmm::
You say country of origin doesn't mean it is better. It also doesn't mean that it's not better. We can compare some examples in the photos below.

Also, there are of course other costs in addition to the retail price of a knife. There are bigger costs. But even if we disregard the cost to the American manufacturer and the cost of giving money to a country that protects North Korea, I think you are getting your money's worth from a $35 yeller handle stockman made in the USA by Case.

In this example, when closed the blades on the Rough Rider touch another blade or the liner.
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The edge of the small clip blade on this Rough Rider was only ground about half way.
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I will say that the "black stag bone" used on some of the Colts/Rough Riders are higher quality than some of the other bone used by Colt/Rough Rider. But a lot of the handle materials are of low quality. Some of the materials like pearl are even advertised by the owner/dealer of the brand as having imperfections. The yellow has streaks and a cheap feel compared to Case's delrin. And much of the bone and dye looks inferior.
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GEC does the best job with eliminating gaps and there can be some gaps on Queen and Case knives. In my experience the regular production Bose patterns (like the sowbelly) from Case usually are above their standard line. This photo shows some of the gaps of the Rough Rider sowbelly compared to sowbellies from Case and Queen. Arrows show locations where I could see light when held up to a lamp.
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by Mumbleypeg »

Perhaps all that has been said about RR, Colt, etc is true. I can't say myself, as I don't own a single one, and I will not. I carry and use a couple of Cases, and a Moore Maker (made by Queen). I don't baby them but neither do I abuse them as screwdrivers, hammers, or pry bars. (If I did own one I wouldn't use a RR that way either.). The last new EDC I bought is a Case 3318. I got it for $35, from my local Case dealer/hardware store. It's built better than the 1971-made 3318 it replaced.

It's not that I think being made in USA makes it any better. I just don't want my money going to support a communist country. I've been to China. I've seen the shiny new skyscraper buildings, subway systems, highways, etc, built with US dollars. And the construction cranes all over the place, building more.

I've also traveled across America, on decaying highways, through small to medium size towns with shuttered factories that once held textile mills, packing plants, tool factories, foundries, paper mills, and all the small businesses that used to prosper from those and the people who were employed by them. It saddens me greatly. There is, and has been for years now, a tremendous indescribable transfer of wealth taking place, from America to China. Yes it's complicated and we can all try to blame it on "the man" or whoever your particular bogeyman happens to be that self-justifies your being a victim.

As for myself I choose do my best to fight It. I choose to help my neighbors by shopping with local small businesses, and buying American made goods whenever possible. If I can't find what I need there, I try to buy used USA-made goods off eBay or etsy, before I buy Chinese. After searching unsuccessfully for a non-Made-in-China waffle iron, we bought a used but like-new American made Universal brand waffle iron off eBay. Still in the original box with paperwork. Works great! But you can't find one in a retail store made anywhere but in China. I can also find perfectly good used American-made knives for the same price as a new RR or Colt. Granted, those companies that made them are no longer in business, but at least my money ends up in the pocket of an American (or in some cases a Canadian) seller. Not the communist Chinese.

You can do with your money whatever you like, of course. But that's my 2 cents. If I offended you I hope you'll at least give some thought to what I have said, and help buy American. You may think it doesn't matter, but it does!

Rant over. :lol:

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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by garddogg56 »

MUMBLEYPEG that sir is exactly the way I feel ::nod::
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by edge213 »

I only own 4 or 5 RRs, but have handled many more. It safe to say they are worth the $7- $10 that they cost. But to say they are the same quality or better than Case, GEC, Queen etc is just plain foolish.
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by americanedgetech »

Ken,
That was an impressive statement sir. You make a lot of sense.
I see OUR government handing American real estate in lieu of interest payments on bonds to the Chinese as a real issue, and pocket knives as a not so much issue but your point is 100% on base.
I see this issue as a little deceiving tho. The manufacturer will make other brands for American based companies. They (manufacturer) also do NOT make all the profit. The American based importer SMKW makes a larger profit per unit.. SMKW is supporting American workers all the way from the cargo docks to the USPS driver that sends the invoices.
Blue Ridge Knives also make money, and supports the American economy by distributing those knives to retailers all over the US. Those retailers are also supporting/providing Americans with jobs.
When I put my key in the door in the morning my electric bill was paid selling RR knives, and my cup of coffee was bought with that same money. That girl that made my coffee... American job girl...

I get your point 100% but I think I see the picture as larger than one knife. Especially when I can not sell a Made in the USA Gerber due to price, and quality issues. I have to sell it for pennies more than wholesale to move them at all.

Now Case is different. They make quality knives that everyone wants If you have 30-40 bucks for an impulse buy or just to replace the one you lost.
I don't really deal with collectors where I am. I deal with oystermen, fishermen, construction guys, and general work a day dudes.
They come to me to have something fixed, and see I sell knives as well.
Some save up a bit, and buy that special knife they want, and others plop down 20 bucks, and buy a couple RR knives to give to the grand kids. Training knives as it were...
Sorry. Long winded
Respectfully meant
And please sir,
Do not ever worry about me being offended by a statement. Right or wrong they are only words, and words create thoughts that may just change something for the better.
You seem to be a good hearted man sir, and I applaude you! ::handshake:: I'll give your opinion more thought. :wink:

Edge, I don't think anyone here has stated that RR's are better than the brands you cited. I think the general feeling of their fans is that they cost less, and are good enough to be an EDC for common chores. ::tu::

Supra,
Those images are a great help to this thread. Same to be said about you experience, and knowledge on knives in general.
I am very happy to have found this site due to the way people handle themselves here. It IS all about the sharing of information.

I also understand your thoughts on the political implications. Somehow (as described above) I feel we are doing more good by at least spending the Majority of that money right here at home.
If America needs a 60 year old ass kicker, I am all in. If I can keep earning/spending, and paying my bills I will do that as well. One thing I will NOT do is prostitute my self, and send ALL of the money RR makes back to China. I will not import them or any other brand made outside the US. I will buy from US Distributer that get better pricing (less to China), and provide jobs here for Americans.

I hope that makes sense. It does to me. ::tu::
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by Toejammer »

To the original poster, collect what YOU like, don't rely on other peoples opinion as to what determines a good knife. A good knife is the knife you actually use and enjoy. Remember there used to be a hatred of Made in Japan items. Then those crafty folks started building awesome TV's, invented some of the best DVD / CD technologies, and made some damn fine cars too. So we found a new country to hate on. Give it another 20yrs and China made will be acceptable, and we'll all be hating,...I don't know,.... Pakistan ??

I was going to say more, but I'd just get banned.
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by zed6309 »

I think these are all fare views,I'm not American but our British cutlery industry has pretty much gone from Sheffield, I know a American company bought out Richard's in the early 80's and others just faded away,shrade bought out the I*XL brand as well, I own many old Sheffield penknives/pocket knives and some are well made and some are just ok , but most are pretty old and still function well and that says alot. I've owned many RR and I've got some Case and older Buck knives,fit & Finnish on the RR has always been good , recently I've picked up Taylor brands Schrades, there so good I have 5 now,what I really like it the build quality is great and the pins actually go through the bolsters and polished well, I use these knives daily and hopefully make years of memories of use, I love seeing well used knives no matter how much they cost or where they was made, but I do get how you feel about losing your companies :( But for me its about using these knives and making memories with them ::tu::
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Re: any opinion on Rough Rider knives?

Post by glennbad »

I've handled a number of RR knives. They seem nice in the hand, and likely perform the same as most pocketknives. However, with so many choices available in older knives (American) and current American makers like GEC, Case, Queen, etc., I see no need to use anything else.
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