Rough Rider is a China-based knife company. Many here have given it accolades as a low-cost knife choice that gives great (for the price) performance. I've only owned Rough Rider's folders, so a fixed blade from this company is a first for me. I wanted a knife that would be good for hunting, while still giving me the versatility of a general-duty blade. This lead me to the full-tang Long Rifle Patch Knife. The Long Rifle series of knives are based on old eastern knives, and all have a black powder rifle set into the handle as a shield. Here's the Patch Knife...
Cost? About twelve dollars. It's a well-made knife; not a Chinese piece of garbage that you typically hear about. Model number is 610. Here are the specifics...
Handle Details: The Patch Knife has a handle made of resin-impregnated hardwood. It looks like a dark shade of pine to me. It's 3-1/2" long and 1/2" thick. This is a full-tang knife, so the entire length of the blade is visible within the handle. They simply pinned two handle slabs onto the blade; this is cool for me because I like to be able to see the entire blade length. The handles are grooved slightly if you look at it from the top, and this gives your fingers a slight resting place. The left handle slab has a brass black powder rifle shield, and the two pins are stainless steel. You get a lanyard hole, but it's quite small at 3/16" in diameter. I can barely get a shoelace through it, and it's unlined. Another criticism I have is that the blade protrudes higher than the handle slabs on all sides - that is, you can feel the blade sticking out further than the handles. It's not flush. This isn't noticeable until you hold the knife, and even then it's not a huge amount (less than 1/16"). For a knife of such low cost, the fit and finish are still pretty darn good.
Blade Details: It's a full tang; we've covered that already. The blade is 3-14/16" long with a cutting edge of 3-1/2". 1/8" thick. It's hollow ground and is made of 8Cr14MoV stainless steel. That's right, no mystery steel here. Out of the box, it was sharp enough to slice paper. Sharpening was a bit tougher than I'm used to with 8Cr14MoV, but it sharpened up to a hair-shaving edge. In terms of markings, the Patch Knife has a little more than I'd like. The left side of the blade has the Rough Rider logo and 8CR14MOV, on the tang. It also has a stylized Long Hunter logo etched on, which I'll end up removing with some simichrome polish. The right side of the blade has CHINA on the tang.
The Sheath: The Patch Knife came with a dark brown leather sheath of the pouch type. There are no snaps or closures; instead the knife sits low in the sheath, ready for immediate use. The sheath is single-stitched and has a rivet at the top. It can be attached to your belt via fold-over belt loop in the back, and it will fit on a belt up to 1-3/4" wide. Overall, the sheath is 7-1/2" long and of good quality. The front has a modified basketweave pattern, but the rest of the sheath is smooth.
I rather like this knife, especially at the cost of $12. I'm not afraid to use it roughly, and if I lose it then I'm not out much. The upswept blade reminds me of a roach belly-style blade, while the straight handle gives me the impression this is to be used for many tasks instead of being just a dedicated skinner.
I'll soon be putting it against another $12 China-made knife that's good quality; the Cold Steel Roach Belly. For now, the Rough Rider knives continue to impress me for their price. Try one out yourself.
Handle Details: The Patch Knife has a handle made of resin-impregnated hardwood. It looks like a dark shade of pine to me. It's 3-1/2" long and 1/2" thick. This is a full-tang knife, so the entire length of the blade is visible within the handle. They simply pinned two handle slabs onto the blade; this is cool for me because I like to be able to see the entire blade length. The handles are grooved slightly if you look at it from the top, and this gives your fingers a slight resting place. The left handle slab has a brass black powder rifle shield, and the two pins are stainless steel. You get a lanyard hole, but it's quite small at 3/16" in diameter. I can barely get a shoelace through it, and it's unlined. Another criticism I have is that the blade protrudes higher than the handle slabs on all sides - that is, you can feel the blade sticking out further than the handles. It's not flush. This isn't noticeable until you hold the knife, and even then it's not a huge amount (less than 1/16"). For a knife of such low cost, the fit and finish are still pretty darn good.
Blade Details: It's a full tang; we've covered that already. The blade is 3-14/16" long with a cutting edge of 3-1/2". 1/8" thick. It's hollow ground and is made of 8Cr14MoV stainless steel. That's right, no mystery steel here. Out of the box, it was sharp enough to slice paper. Sharpening was a bit tougher than I'm used to with 8Cr14MoV, but it sharpened up to a hair-shaving edge. In terms of markings, the Patch Knife has a little more than I'd like. The left side of the blade has the Rough Rider logo and 8CR14MOV, on the tang. It also has a stylized Long Hunter logo etched on, which I'll end up removing with some simichrome polish. The right side of the blade has CHINA on the tang.
The Sheath: The Patch Knife came with a dark brown leather sheath of the pouch type. There are no snaps or closures; instead the knife sits low in the sheath, ready for immediate use. The sheath is single-stitched and has a rivet at the top. It can be attached to your belt via fold-over belt loop in the back, and it will fit on a belt up to 1-3/4" wide. Overall, the sheath is 7-1/2" long and of good quality. The front has a modified basketweave pattern, but the rest of the sheath is smooth.
I rather like this knife, especially at the cost of $12. I'm not afraid to use it roughly, and if I lose it then I'm not out much. The upswept blade reminds me of a roach belly-style blade, while the straight handle gives me the impression this is to be used for many tasks instead of being just a dedicated skinner.
I'll soon be putting it against another $12 China-made knife that's good quality; the Cold Steel Roach Belly. For now, the Rough Rider knives continue to impress me for their price. Try one out yourself.
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