Are Rough Rider knives durable?

Im still loving them so far. The congress is great. The blades are very thin and a little flexible, but as a result, its like whittling with a razor. It cuts like crazy! Ive had no issues. Its an arrowhead series, with imitation turquoise, and its gorgeous. I like the "jigging" and the fileworked bolsters. I like the blade selection. Its great. The long pull, match strike type nail nicks are good too. And it is holding up, its had a good bit of pocket time, and has gotten whacked on a table and been generally knocked around. Its no worse for the wear. My other RRs I bought are the same way. I gifted some, with good results. And im gonna gift more. Im keeping a premium select baby copperhead, and its beautiful! Case would charge an insane amount for the same knife. I like my RRs enough that I just bought another bunch of them I was hesitant at first. But Im a RR fan now! Well see if the new batch is as good as these were. I ordered a split back whittler because of this thread by the way, thanks alot!
 
bt93 said:
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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Agreed. The Vics are great value for money, and the Spartan is an excellent variant. Exposed rivets would top it a little bit, like those on the Alox Soldier or Cadet. Rivets that stand a bit proud, to allow for peening to adjust for wear, like on the US Milk-K-818 demo knife (or copy thereof) are always nice.

I would mention the Marbles 278 demo knife copy, but not if you want a working caplifter....

As for me, the Colonial 2205 scout has been just the ticket.
 
CVamberbonehead said:
Im still loving them so far. The congress is great. The blades are very thin and a little flexible, but as a result, its like whittling with a razor. It cuts like crazy! Ive had no issues. Its an arrowhead series, with imitation turquoise, and its gorgeous. I like the "jigging" and the fileworked bolsters. I like the blade selection. Its great. The long pull, match strike type nail nicks are good too. And it is holding up, its had a good bit of pocket time, and has gotten whacked on a table and been generally knocked around. Its no worse for the wear. My other RRs I bought are the same way. I gifted some, with good results. And im gonna gift more. Im keeping a premium select baby copperhead, and its beautiful! Case would charge an insane amount for the same knife. I like my RRs enough that I just bought another bunch of them I was hesitant at first. But Im a RR fan now! Well see if the new batch is as good as these were. I ordered a split back whittler because of this thread by the way, thanks alot!
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Ugh! I don't know why it always comes back to a Case comparison. I'm starting to wonder if everyone wants Case out of business and just another name stamped on imports.

Case would not charge an insane amount for the same knife. They don't make the same low quality. To drive the point across I hope everyone will appreciate the difference in comparing the quality of the mother of pearl on a Case knife to that on Rough Rider. Let's even toss out the examples from RR that are cracked (like some the OP received) and look at a "good one". You should see a clear difference. Go to a dealer selling mother of pearl raw materials and you will see that the quality and prices vary quite a bit.

Rough Rider is not the same the knife that you would get from Case. Also, buying lots of inexpensive knives, isn't cheaper than buying fewer high quality knives. It's a matter of quality vs quantity.

Not trying to rain on your parade. I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to collect. As a traditional knife enthusiasts, I hope that folks will appreciate US cutlery. It might not survive much longer if people don't appreciate it. Tariffs are what allowed it to survive 100+ years ago. Without that intervention, there are not many companies left now. And the companies don't get the appreciation that they deserve.
 
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supratentorial said:
I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to collect. As a traditional knife enthusiasts, I hope that folks will appreciate US cutlery. It might not survive much longer if people don't appreciate it. Tariffs are what allowed it to survive 100+ years ago.
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Being made in the US is another the reason why I prefer the Colonial 2205.
 
supratentorial said:
Ugh! I don't know why it always comes back to a Case comparison. I'm starting to wonder if everyone wants Case out of business and just another name stamped on imports.

Case would not charge an insane amount for the same knife. They don't make the same low quality. To drive the point across I hope everyone will appreciate the difference in comparing the quality of the mother of pearl on a Case knife to that on Rough Rider. Let's even toss out the examples from RR that are cracked (like some the OP received) and look at a "good one". You should see a clear difference. Go to a dealer selling mother of pearl raw materials and you will see that the quality and prices vary quite a bit.

Rough Rider is not the same the knife that you would get from Case. Also, buying lots of inexpensive knives, isn't cheaper than buying fewer high quality knives. It's a matter of quality vs quantity.

Not trying to rain on your parade. I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to collect. As a traditional knife enthusiasts, I hope that folks will appreciate US cutlery. It might not survive much longer if people don't appreciate it. Tariffs are what allowed it to survive 100+ years ago. Without that intervention, there are not many companies left now. And the companies don't get the appreciation that they deserve.
Click to expand...

Personally, I have nothing against a "Made in USA" knife.
I cannot afford a Case knife, though.
A Buck 301 Stockman (made in Post Falls, Idaho) sells for at least half what a Case stockman of the same size, with stainless blades.
Case prices, IMHO, are "insane". They are not twice or more better than a Buck.
A Rough Rider may not be "the same knife" as a Case, but the Rough Rider will do everything a like Case can do. Rough Rider are affordable, a Case is not, for a good number of people.
I've read a lot of posts by folks here that have had problems with their new Case knives, more often than folks having problems with Rough Rider, or Colt, or Marbles.
Rough Rider also makes more patterns than Case (for example, Case does not currently make a Barlow) and offers a wide choice of handle materials, possibly more than Case does.
There is a market for Rough Rider, just as there is for a $2,000 hand made custom. Case chooses to ignore the people who for whatever reason either will not or cannot spend more than $15 to $30 for a pocket knife.
 
afishhunter said:
Personally, I have nothing against a "Made in USA" knife.
I cannot afford a Case knife, though.
A Buck 301 Stockman (made in Post Falls, Idaho) sells for at least half what a Case stockman of the same size, with stainless blades.
Case prices, IMHO, are "insane". They are not twice or more better than a Buck.
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That's false.

A 3 7/8" Case 3347 costs $38.98 from a major Case dealer. A 3 7/8" Buck 301 costs $37.95.

Both Case and Buck make a nice stockman. But your claim is not true.

afishhunter said:
A Rough Rider may not be "the same knife" as a Case, but the Rough Rider will do everything a like Case can do.
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Never seen a Case knife fall apart like the RR posted earlier in this topic. They aren't "the same knife" in many ways.

afishhunter said:
I've read a lot of posts by folks here that have had problems with their new Case knives, more often than folks having problems with Rough Rider, or Colt, or Marbles.
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My point earlier in this topic is that people dismiss everything wrong with their RR. I often see photos of RR with obvious faults and they are described as perfect. Point out the faults and at best the response is it was cheap though. LOL!

Knife is falling apart. It was cheap though. Knife had cracked pearl. It was cheap though.

afishhunter said:
Rough Rider also makes more patterns than Case (for example, Case does not currently make a Barlow) and offers a wide choice of handle materials, possibly more than Case does.
There is a market for Rough Rider, just as there is for a $2,000 hand made custom. Case chooses to ignore the people who for whatever reason either will not or cannot spend more than $15 to $30 for a pocket knife.
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I looked online and I see a Case sodbuster for $20.


Altogether there are several false statements in this reply. That is my point. Let's give American companies a fair shake. They deserve more appreciation then what they're getting.
 
Hmmm...The percentage of threads in Traditional about American made knives is pretty high.
Out of 20 threads on the first page I make the following count as far as country of origin of the knives being discussed:
American 8
English 1
German 1
Finnish 1
Chinese 1

And I would say that most of those threads are positive. One thread in praise of Chinese-made knives does not seem excessive. And I suspect that the folks who are praising the Chinese knives are mostly not the same folks complaining about their Case and GEC knives. Different populations of the traditional knife community.

Maybe we can move along and just talk about the knives, instead of focusing on where they are made. Different folks like different stuff.
 
I have easily a dozen Rough Riders and only one had a bit of vertical blade play. I don't care who makes a knife as long as it is well made , and my Rough Riders go in the same drawer as my Boker, Case, GEC, Schatt & Morgan, and Parkers of various origins.
 
I can see both sides of this, and I agree that both sides have merit. Personally, I would rather have an American knife. Im not picking on Case, my favorite knife is a Case. My dad gave me a CV amber bone medium stockman (with the pen blade), and I wouldnt trade it for the world. The bone is worn mostly smooth and the bolsters are dinged up (a buddy needed my knife, he neglected to tell me that he actually needed a hammer..:mad:), the blades are dark grey and starting to wear. Its in a word, perfect:D Its why I chose my username. But, I am a realist. The cheapest knife Case makes (other than those Caliber plastic lockbacks..bleh..) is probably the yellow Sobuster Jr. And its $20 or more. For a knife with pearl and all that, its gonna be expensive.... Just not cool with me. I dont have safe queens. You cant take it with you when you go, so paying a ton of money for a knife that wont stay perfect anyway... seems like a waste. I love nice knives, but I think good cheapos have their place. I plan on gifting some of them anyway.
 
knarfeng said:
Hmmm...The percentage of threads in Traditional about American made knives is pretty high.
Out of 20 threads on the first page I make the following count as far as country of origin of the knives being discussed:
American 8
English 1
German 1
Finnish 1
Chinese 1

And I would say that most of those threads are positive. One thread in praise of Chinese-made knives does not seem excessive. And I suspect that the folks who are praising the Chinese knives are mostly not the same folks complaining about their Case and GEC knives. Different populations of the traditional knife community.

Maybe we can move along and just talk about the knives, instead of focusing on where they are made. Different folks like different stuff.
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I agree, so many people are nust fine with a SOG made overseas, or a Cold Steel or a Spyderco etc. But hate a traditional being made overseas. I dont get it. I do prefer American (go Buck! Woo!) but if it blows your skirt up, who cares where its made. As long as the quality is there. We live in a globalised society, its a fact of life.
 
supratentorial said:
That's false.

A 3 7/8" Case 3347 costs $38.98 from a major Case dealer. A 3 7/8" Buck 301 costs $37.95.

Both Case and Buck make a nice stockman. But your claim is not true.



Never seen a Case knife fall apart like the RR posted earlier in this topic. They aren't "the same knife" in many ways.



My point earlier in this topic is that people dismiss everything wrong with their RR. I often see photos of RR with obvious faults and they are described as perfect. Point out the faults and at best the response is it was cheap though. LOL!

Knife is falling apart. It was cheap though. Knife had cracked pearl. It was cheap though.



I looked online and I see a Case sodbuster for $20.


Altogether there are several false statements in this reply. That is my point. Let's give American companies a fair shake. They deserve more appreciation then what they're getting.
Click to expand...
I agree, I think its a little bit "apples to oranges" here. But, its a global market. American and chinese companies compete, so comparisons are inevitable. And to be fair, the market forces American companies to charge an arm and a leg for labor, and they pass that cost onto us. So I am frustrated as well, I want American traditional companies to succeed, but dont want to pay extra just because. And I think the shakedown of Case is because they are so pricey! If a Case was $10, people would say the same, it broke but it was cheap. It hurts alot more to break a $50 knife. The problem isnt the products, its the situation.
 
supratentorial said:
Ugh! I don't know why it always comes back to a Case comparison. I'm starting to wonder if everyone wants Case out of business and just another name stamped on imports.

Case would not charge an insane amount for the same knife. They don't make the same low quality. To drive the point across I hope everyone will appreciate the difference in comparing the quality of the mother of pearl on a Case knife to that on Rough Rider. Let's even toss out the examples from RR that are cracked (like some the OP received) and look at a "good one". You should see a clear difference. Go to a dealer selling mother of pearl raw materials and you will see that the quality and prices vary quite a bit.

Rough Rider is not the same the knife that you would get from Case. Also, buying lots of inexpensive knives, isn't cheaper than buying fewer high quality knives. It's a matter of quality vs quantity.

Not trying to rain on your parade. I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to collect. As a traditional knife enthusiasts, I hope that folks will appreciate US cutlery. It might not survive much longer if people don't appreciate it. Tariffs are what allowed it to survive 100+ years ago. Without that intervention, there are not many companies left now. And the companies don't get the appreciation that they deserve.
Click to expand...
I understand. And I think this a great post. I certainly dont want Case to go under, and I dont mind buying Case. But, they have a business strategy that I dont agree with, and I think if you care about something, then constructive criticism is good. Case ignores people who use their knives! I am a collector (I guess) in the sense that my wife says I have too many knives, but really im a user. And Case makes most of their stuff for collectors. The yellow CV line is great. The amber bone CV line also. Im sure theres more. But most of the knives are pretty little stainless numbers that arent really made with hard work in mind. And thats fine. But for people like me, its not ideal. So if RR can give me a nice knife for $10 to make me happy, then great. They make lots of stuff. I like that. I plan on getting more. But Im not saying I wont buy American, Im saying Ill keep up what Im doing. Only buying American on a once in a blue moon Tractor Supply Company clearance. As far as comparing quality, youre right, but to get the nicer materials, youre going to pay quite the premium for them, because theyre American, and because of the name.
 
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