Thats a good looking pocketknife!
As far as I know this only seems to be an issue with the large sodbusters. The smaller ones have a different type of rivet and I've experienced no issues with mine.Awesome! Thanks so muchThats a real shame, I was thinking their sodbuster line looked pretty good. The jigged bone looked like a cheap alternative to a Case version. Glad I saw this. Thats pretty bad.
I had some more thoughts that I will preface with the fact I am a Case fan and have been for many years. I also am old enough to remember many other American knife production companies thriving such as Schrade, Colonial, Camillus and such so the choices we once had have narrowed in the number of brands available to the consumer today.
In 1972, Case was sold to American brands ending nearly 100 years of being a family owned company. Supratentorial is right most collectors feel that was the last year of consistently great knife production from Case. Others will argue that it was in 1975 when Russell Osborne passed away ending his tenure as president. Either way Case began to have a lot of inconsistency in fit and finish however I have noticed personally over the last few years it seems they have really stepped up their game in that department. and IMO are back on tract but still not as good as those older knives. I have never really researched Rough Rider Knives but I am correct that they are the result of a collaboration between Smokey Mountain Knife Works and Blue Ridge Knives. Seeking to manufacture a good inexpensive knife that was fairly consistent in fit and finish they, like so many knife companies from Buck to Spyderco sought out a good Chinese knife manufacturing company to make these knifes for them and IMO they were successful in their endeavor and began the production of the Rough Rider Brand. The factory they use also makes other quality inexpensive knives like Marbles and Colt.
The point of this is that comparing these two brands is like the old saying of comparing apples to oranges. They are both knives but also totally different from each other and as such you will always ruffle some feathers by making these comparisons. Even though they are manufactured offshore for cheap labor cost to be able to sell Rough Rider at the low price point they do there will always have to be a difference in the quality of materials used between them and Case because of the cost limits to purchase materials that must be in place to keep the prices low.
I think the real question here is three fold.
1.) Are Case knives really worth four or five times more than Rough Riders IMO it depends on the knife and it's intended purpose.
2.) Does Rough Rider make a good knife IMO yes.
3.) Are Rough Rider Knives worth buying IMO yes.
There are many reasons to buy a Rough Rider one it's a way people can afford to own and try out different patterns without breaking the bank but collectability is low for anything but the fun of it because they are so inexpensive.
There are also many reasons to buy a Case knife they are highly collectable, are of good quality and have a wide variety of traditional patterns available however they are more pricey and some folks just can't afford them.
I could go on but I'm sure your tired of reading.
). At that time, there was no internet. Most folks bought local at retail prices. The Schrade 8OT was cheaper than the Case knives sold locally. It wasn't until much later that I owned my first Case knife. I do like Tony Bose and enjoy his collaborations. But I own/owned a lot more knives from other brands. Like most collectors my collection grew much larger than my actual needs. Collecting is a luxury not a necessity. I survived for many years with only one pocket knife.
Great post! Well saidI had some more thoughts that I will preface with the fact I am a Case fan and have been for many years. I also am old enough to remember many other American knife production companies thriving such as Schrade, Colonial, Camillus and such so the choices we once had have narrowed in the number of brands available to the consumer today.
In 1972, Case was sold to American brands ending nearly 100 years of being a family owned company. Supratentorial is right most collectors feel that was the last year of consistently great knife production from Case. Others will argue that it was in 1975 when Russell Osborne passed away ending his tenure as president. Either way Case began to have a lot of inconsistency in fit and finish however I have noticed personally over the last few years it seems they have really stepped up their game in that department. and IMO are back on tract but still not as good as those older knives. I have never really researched Rough Rider Knives but I am correct that they are the result of a collaboration between Smokey Mountain Knife Works and Blue Ridge Knives. Seeking to manufacture a good inexpensive knife that was fairly consistent in fit and finish they, like so many knife companies from Buck to Spyderco sought out a good Chinese knife manufacturing company to make these knifes for them and IMO they were successful in their endeavor and began the production of the Rough Rider Brand. The factory they use also makes other quality inexpensive knives like Marbles and Colt.
The point of this is that comparing these two brands is like the old saying of comparing apples to oranges. They are both knives but also totally different from each other and as such you will always ruffle some feathers by making these comparisons. Even though they are manufactured offshore for cheap labor cost to be able to sell Rough Rider at the low price point they do there will always have to be a difference in the quality of materials used between them and Case because of the cost limits to purchase materials that must be in place to keep the prices low.
I think the real question here is three fold.
1.) Are Case knives really worth four or five times more than Rough Riders IMO it depends on the knife and it's intended purpose.
2.) Does Rough Rider make a good knife IMO yes.
3.) Are Rough Rider Knives worth buying IMO yes.
There are many reasons to buy a Rough Rider one it's a way people can afford to own and try out different patterns without breaking the bank but collectability is low for anything but the fun of it because they are so inexpensive.
There are also many reasons to buy a Case knife they are highly collectable, are of good quality and have a wide variety of traditional patterns available however they are more pricey and some folks just can't afford them.
I could go on but I'm sure your tired of reading.
