Are Rough Rider knives durable?

Hickory n steel said:
I know this is off topic, but every time I see your Avatar pic I wanna ask, is that a picture of you ?
It's a little blurry, but it looks just like Colin Mochrie from " who's line is it anyways ? "
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That's Bill Murray in my avatar.
I'm finding it almost laughable that some here consider rough rider on par with Case. Now I'm not one to get a knife and check for gaps, I do notice if the blade is rubbing, only saw that with a RR.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't begrudge anyone who chose a Rough Rider, but I've never seen one that matched up to case. Case knives just seem to have a nicer walk and talk and feels solid.
I imagine with the amount of knives that Case produces, there are some lemons that get through and with the amount that RR produces, there are some real nice ones that get through. But overrall, Case is just plain better built with better steel and QC even. I'm not fussy enough to worry about colors running, as long as the knife does what I want, that's ultimately all that matters.
 
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I can't really speak to the OP's question of durability, because if I need a hard use knife I get out a fixed blade. But for normal pocket knife uses, the RRs hold up well. I've owned and handled dozens of each, Case and Rough Rider, and I think the quality is similar, but the nod goes to Case. Rough Rider's steel seems better, with a little better edge holding, but both are good enough for normal usage. Case's bone dying and jigging are clearly superior, with fit and finish very close, but Case again slightly ahead.

On a scale of 1-10, if Rough Rider is a 6, then Case is about a 6½-7. Doesn't seem like a huge improvement, and it's not, so many people think the Rough Rider is a much better value at one-fifth the cost. But in any manufacturing endeavor, it costs a lot more to get a noticeable improvement, so I consider them to both be good values. In the 30 or so of each I've owned, I've only had a couple lemons from each brand, and I've had a couple of each that were as good as most any factory knife I've handled. I don't think you can go wrong with either one.
 
I think Rough Rider has a definite place in the knife world. I love to give them to people that are new to knives or have limited exposure to traditional knives. I support a local Boy Scout Troop and recently gave them 20 knives and could not have done this at Case's price point. I personally feel Case makes a better knife but at the same time I feel Rough Rider certainly comes in at a close second and "fills in a lot of gaps" pun intended left by Case. Whatever your opinion it's not worth acting like a knife snob or arguing over. I say that because I have seen this type of discussion escalate into an all out war.
 
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black mamba said:
I can't really speak to the OP's question of durability, because if I need a hard use knife I get out a fixed blade. But for normal pocket knife uses, the RRs hold up well. I've owned and handled dozens of each, Case and Rough Rider, and I think the quality is similar, but the nod goes to Case. Rough Rider's steel seems better, with a little better edge holding, but both are good enough for normal usage. Case's bone dying and jigging are clearly superior, with fit and finish very close, but Case again slightly ahead.

On a scale of 1-10, if Rough Rider is a 6, then Case is about a 6½-7. Doesn't seem like a huge improvement, and it's not, so many people think the Rough Rider is a much better value at one-fifth the cost. But in any manufacturing endeavor, it costs a lot more to get a noticeable improvement, so I consider them to both be good values. In the 30 or so of each I've owned, I've only had a couple lemons from each brand, and I've had a couple of each that were as good as most any factory knife I've handled. I don't think you can go wrong with either one.
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I agree with your assessment and think it also represents my opinions. The best Case knives I've owned are at least more aesthetically pleasing than the best RR examples I have. Better jigging, better handle contouring and something else that's more subtle, although I don't know what. Probably something sentimental that RR could never provide.
I also think the match striker nail nicks are overkill. It looks classy on some designs but is kind of gaudy on other patterns and too ubiquitous in my opinion.

Although I do prefer Case, they seem to have a lower QC. I've gotten more lemons from my favorite company than from the imports, and maybe that's part of the issue;
Its more disappointing to receive a bad product from a company you hold in high esteem than from one that you don't.
The big deal about RR is that they are so cheap, and made in (insert political diatribe here) so when they make a consistently good product it comes as a huge shock.
I think this combined with certain political biases is why people seem to have such differing experiences with these knives.
 
The durability is there with RR but as Jeff says, really tough work demands a fixed-blade.

I've been very pleased with most of my RR knives, some I like a lot. I find the steel they use-whatever it is...appears superior to either CASE's cv or ss. How so? The RR retains an edge much longer than a CASE knife from my experience. In spring I go to the woodland and cut 20-50 pea-sticks from Willow and suchlike, the RR steel does not shrink from it and remains sharp whereas CASE needs a sharpening and won't cut as cleanly. Only my experience so draw your own conclusions.

Oddly enough, i look around on my desk, it's a large one and it's strewn with knives,some ornaments and books. These are knives I like to keep at hand to look at in particular. Lots of GEC, some French knives, Böker, load of Queen Bonestag, Queen made Winchesters, 2 Rough Riders and 2 CASE knives. Looks like they're equal there!

Thanks, Will
 
bt93 said:
That's Bill Murray in my avatar.
I'm finding it almost laughable that some here consider rough rider on par with Case. Now I'm not one to get a knife and check for gaps, I do notice if the blade is rubbing, only saw that with a RR.
Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't begrudge anyone who chose a Rough Rider, but I've never seen one that matched up to case. Case knives just seem to have a nicer walk and talk and feels solid.
I imagine with the amount of knives that Case produces, there are some lemons that get through and with the amount that RR produces, there are some real nice ones that get through. But overrall, Case is just plain better built with better steel and QC even. I'm not fussy enough to worry about colors running, as long as the knife does what I want, that's ultimately all that matters.
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Ah, now I see it. That pic is so blurry it's hard to tell .

I also don't know why anyone says rough rider knives are as good as case, I've only held one perfect knife from them yet.
Most have come with slightly bent blades when they shouldn't, some blade play, a stockman with blades that scratch each other, a moose with an overly strong backspring, a teeny tiny trapper with a pivot pin that sits a little below flush on one side, and another just like it that had a little bit of blade play.
The only perfect one was a teeny tiny little toothpick that I gave my Mon for Christmas last year.
 
Rough Riders are $10 knives, Case are not. No need to argue about it. Would a $30 Case last 3x longer.......maybe :)

I can't buy RR due to the ugly nail nicks. I like "crisper" designs, materials and execution. Almost bought a RR lockback whittler, but the ugly bone and loose slipjoint blades kept the $ in my pocket.

Per cheap durable traditional knives, a $8 Opinel beats any RR if you are buying a knife to use. Opinels are a classic in their durability.
 
brownshoe said:
Per cheap durable traditional knives, a $8 Opinel beats any RR if you are buying a knife to use. Opinels are a classic in their durability.
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While I agree with the sentiment, Opinel is a style/pattern all of it's own. RR knives are of different patterns. Also, where are the $8 Opinels at? I don't have any yet and that should be remedied ;)
 
I dont know, Ive never had an opinel folks. I hear theyre good, but I dont know. To be honest, Im not sure how a knife with bone covers, bolsters, brass liners, heat treated steel backsprings and pinned construction (RR or similar slipjoint) could possibly be bested durability wise by a knife made of a blade pinned into a piece of wood (opinel)... I would like to have though, as I like simple, classic knives with thin carbon steel blades.
 
bt93 said:
I think the dollar for dollar best value for a pocket knife would be Victorinox. A Spartan is a bit more expensive than a rough rider, but sinc Vics are rivetted instead of pinned, they don't loosen up near as easy, plus you get a caplifter to open a cold beer amongst other things. Hard to top that.
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+1

And thanks to TSA, it's very easy to find a used 2 or 3 layer Vic on Ebay for a Rough Rider range price.
 
CVamberbonehead said:
I dont know, Ive never had an opinel folks. I hear theyre good, but I dont know. To be honest, Im not sure how a knife with bone covers, bolsters, brass liners, heat treated steel backsprings and pinned construction (RR or similar slipjoint) could possibly be bested durability wise by a knife made of a blade pinned into a piece of wood (opinel)... I would like to have though, as I like simple, classic knives with thin carbon steel blades.
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Actually, I think the pivot pin on an Opinel is stronger than a pivot pin on a traditional jack. The pin on an Opinel is left with a head on it. In contrast, a traditional jack typically has the pin ground down flush with the bolster.

GEC did make one of their electrician knives with pivot pins that weren't ground flush --similar to the pins on an Opinel. That provided extra strength for using the electrician screwdriver. And if the joint loosened up it would be easier to tighten up. But the pins on most traditional jacks are ground flush, sacrificing some durability for appearance.

The Opinel has an internal ring that functions as the bolster (in addition to the external locking ring or virobloc). The pin goes through that internal ring. The Opinel doesn't have brass liners, but neither does a wooden ax handle or a wooden hammer handle, etc. Those tools are subjected to more stress than any properly used pocket knife.

Similarly, the pins on a Swiss army knife should also be stronger than the pins on a traditional jack.
 
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supratentorial said:
Actually, I think the pivot pin on an Opinel is stronger than a pivot pin on a traditional jack. The pin on an Opinel is left with a head on it. In contrast, a traditional jack typically has the pin ground down flush with the bolster.

GEC did make one of their electrician knives with pivot pins that weren't ground flush --similar to the pins on an Opinel. That provided extra strength for using the electrician screwdriver. And if the joint loosened up it would be easier to tighten up. But the pins on most traditional jacks are ground flush, sacrificing some durability for appearance.

The Opinel has an internal ring that functions as the bolster (in addition to the external locking ring or virobloc). The pin goes through that internal ring. The Opinel doesn't have brass liners, but neither does a wooden ax handle or a wooden hammer handle, etc. Those tools are subjected to more stress than any properly used pocket knife.

Similarly, the pins on a Swiss army knife should also be stronger than the pins on a traditional jack.
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Thanks for the new info, I didnt know that about the Opinels. And I never thought about the comparision with other wooden handles. That makes alot of sense.
 
JupiterPaladin said:
While I agree with the sentiment, Opinel is a style/pattern all of it's own. RR knives are of different patterns. Also, where are the $8 Opinels at? I don't have any yet and that should be remedied ;)
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Opinels haven’t been eight bucks since the seventies or eighties. I have a couple that old that have held up pretty well that may have been eight dollar knives. It’s hard to remember.
 
Taking a quick look around, I see $10 shipped for a #6 and around $12 shipped for a #8. It's about the same price as a RR after you factor in shipping. If you shop for deals, you can get knives from both brands for cheaper, especially when combined with other purchases to balance out shipping or get a shipping deal. Or buy on the secondary market. But buying isn't an allowed topic for discussion. I just make the point that prices are fairly comparable.

As others said, you can also get deals on Victorinox knives that put them at a comparable price. But retail prices are generally double the cost of an Opinel or RR. Not too long ago, you could get a Victorinox for just as cheap. That changed after they started using a MAP.
 
I have not broken a knife in years, Maybe it because my father drove into me you learn every tools limits and you don't abuse them!I

For you young folks ,He told and showed me then, if I broken it then is was drove home with a belt on my backside!
 
Well I dont plan on breaking it. Haha I grew up on a family farm, and we didnt have much money. I know the value of a good tool, and how to maintain one. I also know that as much as I would love to buy a GEC or Queen or Case, itd be out of my price range to buy an equivalent model. I just got married on the 4th, and I financed most of it myself, so I dont have the money to get a Case with the same materials and such. So, whats a poor boy to do? I got the Rough Riders. I just hope that theyll give good service if I do my part to keep them in working order.
 
CVamberbonehead said:
I thought about it, but I dont like that its got 2 clip point blades. I dont use them much. What a cool pattern though!
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I've owned the RR 4" congress in plain bone. The "premium select" is pretty fancy by comparison with its buffalo horn, black pearl and abalone inlays! It is a 1/2" smaller than the one that I owned. The 4" was sturdy. The blades might have a bit more flex on the 3.5" but I don't know. That was true in comparing the 4" and 3.5" stock knives at least.

Enjoy the knife for what it is rather than what it is not and you should be fine. ...also, don't break Ace's father's knives! :D
 
supratentorial said:
I've owned the RR 4" congress in plain bone. The "premium select" is pretty fancy by comparison with its buffalo horn, black pearl and abalone inlays! It is a 1/2" smaller than the one that I owned. The 4" was sturdy. The blades might have a bit more flex on the 3.5" but I don't know. That was true in comparing the 4" and 3.5" stock knives at least.

Enjoy the knife for what it is rather than what it is not and you should be fine. ...also, don't break Ace's father's knives! :D
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Yeah, the fancyness is what drew me in lol I think even if the knives arent tough enough to be workers, at least theyll be nice to look at
 
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