Rough Rider & Related Slipjoints

[kootenay joe]

Jake you say: "The faults are there."
For the most part are these really "faults" or an acceptable variation in tolerances ? A "fault" is something that would impair function to some degree or if cosmetic, something that makes it look downright ugly.
There are 3 things i greatly appreciate about Rough Rider traditional style folders:
1) they cut very well and the steel does hold up well, every bit as well as Case, Tru-Sharp or CV. And they function well as far as pull strength, walk/talk, and do not easily get 'knocked off' the fully open position. i.e. they are great user knives.
2) reliable quality. The quality i describe above is true for every one of the ~ 250 RR's i own. I have no other knife brand that is this consistent.
3) i get just as strong a pleasurable feeling from opening up a new RR or from using an RR that i get from a GEC or one of my many Custom folders. Like, for $10 i'm having as much fun as for $500. It's cheap thrills man. As a knife addict, i love it.
kj

 

[Sonny14]

Jake you say: "The faults are there."
For the most part are these really "faults" or an acceptable variation in tolerances ? A "fault" is something that would impair function to some degree or if cosmetic, something that makes it look downright ugly.
There are 3 things i greatly appreciate about Rough Rider traditional style folders:
1) they cut very well and the steel does hold up well, every bit as well as Case, Tru-Sharp or CV. And they function well as far as pull strength, walk/talk, and do not easily get 'knocked off' the fully open position. i.e. they are great user knives.
2) reliable quality. The quality i describe above is true for every one of the ~ 250 RR's i own. I have no other knife brand that is this consistent.
3) i get just as strong a pleasurable feeling from opening up a new RR or from using an RR that i get from a GEC or one of my many Custom folders. Like, for $10 i'm having as much fun as for $500. It's cheap thrills man. As a knife addict, i love it.
kj

Very well said. I am in agreement, especially about getting such a nice, usable knife for $10; I find it very exciting also. I also notice more variability in my Case, and especially modern US-made Bucks than I do with my RR's & Steel Warriors. I've heard horror stories about even the finest US-made slip joints. Don't underrate PRC knives, they learn fast, and their quality more than rivals US-made anything nowadays.

Sonny.

 

[r8shell]

Neat! I've never seen a Rough Rider with that kind of filework.

I have a small black stockman that came with filework. Pretty fancy for a 7 dollar knife!



I've found the steel to hold an edge well enough. Maybe a bit better than Case's tru-sharp. but I haven't put it to a scientific test. Just a bit of whittling.



As others have said, I think they're great for trying out new patterns, and experimenting with modifications without too much monetary risk. If you ever want to try to learn the art of scrimshaw, get a few in white bone.

 

[supratentorial]

Jake you say: "The faults are there."
For the most part are these really "faults" or an acceptable variation in tolerances ?

Both.

A "fault" is something that would impair function to some degree or if cosmetic, something that makes it look downright ugly.

I was using this definition of "fault". A "fault" can impair function or make something downright ugly but that's not essential to the definition.

1fault
noun \ˈfȯlt, in poetry also ˈfȯt\

: a problem or bad part that prevents something from being perfect : a flaw or defect

I usually spend most of my time in other parts of the traditionals forum but I was brought here by a post that was moved into this thread. As an outsider to the Rough Rider thread, I noticed a striking difference in opinion on "quality". A lot of the knives that are described as being of high "quality" have "faults" that might be the subject of a long and heated discussion in the rest of the forum.

Some faults have little significance in my opinion. Others would disagree. I sometimes think that collectors come up with criteria just to justify their spending!

I would say that the amount of rub on that Rough Rider 725 is a fault. Personally, a little blade rub doesn't bother me but it is so extreme in this example that I do think it affects the function, especially the rub between the sheepfoot and clip blades. They hit hard. It's an issue on both of my examples of the 725 pattern. I've also seen blade rub on the spey blade of more than a dozen sowbellies. Yet, I only seem to see positive comments in this thread. I'm not sure why. I've owned probably around 50 of these knives though I only have a handful now.

There are 3 things i greatly appreciate about Rough Rider traditional style folders:
1) they cut very well and the steel does hold up well, every bit as well as Case, Tru-Sharp or CV. And they function well as far as pull strength, walk/talk, and do not easily get 'knocked off' the fully open position. i.e. they are great user knives.
2) reliable quality. The quality i describe above is true for every one of the ~ 250 RR's i own. I have no other knife brand that is this consistent.
3) i get just as strong a pleasurable feeling from opening up a new RR or from using an RR that i get from a GEC or one of my many Custom folders. Like, for $10 i'm having as much fun as for $500. It's cheap thrills man. As a knife addict, i love it.
kj

The pull strength and walk and talk are generally pretty good... when the blades aren't hitting eachother!

The part in bold is important. Enjoy!

 

[kootenay joe]

r8shell, i know you whittled the complicated 2 chain links at right angles to each other, but did you also do those 2 scrimshaws ?
Are you an artist by profession or an art teacher ?
kj

 

[r8shell]

I usually spend most of my time in other parts of the traditionals forum but I was brought here by a post that was moved into this thread. As an outsider to the Rough Rider thread, I noticed a striking difference in opinion on "quality". A lot of the knives that are described as being of high "quality" have "faults" that might be the subject of a long and heated discussion in the rest of the forum.

Some faults have little significance in my opinion. Others would disagree. I sometimes think that collectors come up with criteria just to justify their spending!

I would say that the amount of rub on that Rough Rider 725 is a fault. Personally, a little blade rub doesn't bother me but it is so extreme in this example that I do think it affects the function, especially the rub between the sheepfoot and clip blades. They hit hard. It's an issue on both of my examples of the 725 pattern. I've also seen blade rub on the spey blade of more than a dozen sowbellies. Yet, I only seem to see positive comments in this thread. I'm not sure why. I've owned probably around 50 of these knives though I only have a handful now.

I would not call most Rough Riders "flawless." I think it's just really hard not to take price into account when most of them come "Very Good." So you aren't wrong that some of these flaws would be picked over in a thread discussing knives costing 10 or more times the price.

 

[r8shell]

r8shell, i know you whittled the complicated 2 chain links at right angles to each other, but did you also do those 2 scrimshaws ?
Are you an artist by profession or an art teacher ?
kj

Yes, I did the scrimshaw, and
Yep, art teacher.

I've always dabbled in crafty type stuff.

 

[supratentorial]

Nice work, r8shell!

Here are a few photos of some of the knives. These are old photos and I no longer have some of them. Based on the photos in this thread, I bought one of the Colt knives with the black stag. I generally don't like the bone covers on these knives but that black stag is some of the nicest looking jigged bone that I've seen on a knife from Rough Rider et al.

 

[supratentorial]

Here's a photo of the black stag. I found this photo on the web and borrowed it. I hope mine looks as nice.

 

[RickT57]

I'm gonna open my mouth. I am a user not a collector. I am using a new Taylor/ Schrade 33OT. is it perfect? No. But it does a great job. For $15. Users just want a useful tool.

In my past I spent big bucks on Microtech and Dalton knives. Never again.

On a more important note I have a crush on R8shell

 

[supratentorial]

I'm gonna open my mouth. I am a user not a collector. I am using a new Taylor/ Schrade 33OT. is it perfect? No. But it does a great job. For $15. Users just want a useful tool.

In my past I spent big bucks on Microtech and Dalton knives. Never again.

On a more important note I have a crush on R8shell

Rick, I don't disagree with anything you said except I don't have any experience with the new Schrade knives from Taylor. From what I've heard, the Taylor knives are similar to the Rough Riders. And I've never met R8shell! Ha ha ha!

If someone asks about steel hardness or quality, I'll give them my honest opinion. But some of these inexpensive knives are a value and might be the right choice depending on ones needs.

On a side note, one of my favorite patterns is the Moore Maker "moose". It's probably the closest that I've seen to the old Remington sowbellies and the steel/grind is great (especially compared to some of the sharpened crow bars from Queen) but I've never seen one that was well built! LOL. I have one in my pocket right now that is as sharp as a razor but has all sorts of problems... including a cracked scale (that one was my fault but Queen is to blame for the rest of the problems) I plan on buying at least 2 more.

 

[5K Qs]

...As others have said, I think they're great for trying out new patterns, and experimenting with modifications without too much monetary risk. If you ever want to try to learn the art of scrimshaw, get a few in white bone.
...

Rachel, your scrimshaw looks marvelous!! :thumbup::thumbup:
There sure are a lot of talented people here, representing a broad spectrum of talents!
(I think I have some talents, but apparently not in areas that are relevant to traditional pocket knives. )

Changing gears, I'll post a few photos of some Rough Riders I ordered a while ago but haven't showed off yet in this thread. First, a RR "work knife" in amber jigged bone; it's obviously the RR version of a sodbuster jr. I thought I ordered one that had a liner lock, but apparently not. The bone doesn't really match my other Rough Riders in "amber jigged bone", but I like the covers nonetheless.

I also bought a little lockback with "midnight swirl" handles. The main reason I ordered it was to check out what the acrylic handle material looked like in person; I'm pretty pleased with it.

Another lockback, this one a canoe pattern, was also in my order. This one DID come with the amber jigged bone colors I expected. An unexpected "bonus" was the saber grind on the main blade. I'm liking this knife a LOT so far.

Finally, a RR electrician's knife. Seems to be a very solid, well-made knife, and I appreciate the good advice it gives me every time I look at the shield!

- GT

 

[jc57]

I've been curious for a while about the quality of the imported brands and so recently ordered a Rough Rider RR534 small coke bottle in amber jigged bone, and a Taylor Schrade 93OT in the sawcut Delrin. They both arrived today, and I have to say they are nice little knives.

The little RR has half stops, centered blades, smooth action, great walk and talk, and an ideal pull for a knife its size (3" closed) - I'd call it about a 6.5 pull. Backsprings perfectly flush in both the open and closed positions. The blades are serviceably sharp with a very fine-grit edge to them. They still need a little sharpening for my taste but in general a nice edge. Absolutely no side to side blade play.

The scales were a little mismatched but not dramatically so, no worse so than most of the amber bone Case knives I have bought. The pile side is prettier than the mark side. I thought the matchstrike pulls might look cheesy but they actually make it look a little dressier. Overall it's a great small knife on its own merits, before you consider that it was less than $10 shipped to me. I may have a different opinion about the steel after sharpening and carrying it some but so far, it's a winner.

Next up is the Schrade Old Timer Wrangler 93OT, in sawcut Delrin and satin finished blades. I have always been intrigued by this pattern, since it combines a clip and sheepsfoot in a 2-blade jack pattern. Basically a 2/3 Stockman, leaving off the spey. Whereas the RR reminded me of a Case knife, this one makes me think of the Buck 300 series. It has smooth easy pulls like my Buck 301, good walk and talk, springs flush in the open and closed positions, no liner gaps, sunk joints.

Both blades are quite sharp right of the box. The clip blade was merely "very sharp." The sheepsfoot blade was scary sharp, as in, I think I could actually shave my face with it. Very finely ground blades, no hint of a burr or wire edge.

The clip is a long, slim (edge to spine) but surprisingly sturdy blade, with just the slightest amount of side to side blade play. A little bit off center but no worse than some more expensive brands, and doesn't affect function. It reminds me of a toothpick blade in overall shape, just thicker. The sheepsfoot blade is centered and has no blade play, and not being crinked like typical stockman patterns has a nice straight edge.

The Schrade was a bit higher priced. I think I paid about $16 shipped, so that's getting closer to the Buck 30x series that I would say it directly competes with. Just judging it as a knife with a "working man" trim, if I were wanting a knife to just buy and use as a tool, I'd be very happy with the Schrade, especially with how sharp the blades were out of the box.

Both of these knives supposedly use something similar to 440A. I'm not a steel guy so I don't know if that means they won't hold an edge as long or will just wear out sooner, or not. Considering my knife use is somewhat limited, I probably won't be able to tell the difference between the 440A and something like 420HC.

So in general I am pleasantly surprised at how nice these knives are and feel I got a really good value for my money. Clearly the RR at under $10 is the value winner, but there is nothing wrong with the Schrade at its price point either.

 

[Bloefield]

I rather like these lockbacks of the Outdoorsman Series. The Acorn shields are neat with the "RR"s in them.
Not much wrong with them if anything. Smooth bone, tight lockup, centered, sharp and under $9 delivered.

I've got a backup or two for when everyone figures out how good they are and the price goes up.

 

[5K Qs]

I've been curious for a while about the quality of the imported brands and so recently ordered a Rough Rider RR534 small coke bottle in amber jigged bone, and a Taylor Schrade 93OT in the sawcut Delrin. They both arrived today, and I have to say they are nice little knives.
…
Next up is the Schrade Old Timer Wrangler 93OT, in sawcut Delrin and satin finished blades. I have always been intrigued by this pattern, since it combines a clip and sheepsfoot in a 2-blade jack pattern. Basically a 2/3 Stockman, leaving off the spey. Whereas the RR reminded me of a Case knife, this one makes me think of the Buck 300 series. ...

So in general I am pleasantly surprised at how nice these knives are and feel I got a really good value for my money. Clearly the RR at under $10 is the value winner, but there is nothing wrong with the Schrade at its price point either.

Thanks for the review! :thumbup::thumbup:

John, do you have any experience with the Schrade USA Old Timers, and would it be fair to compare the current Schrade OTs to the old ones? Thanks.

- GT

 

[afishhunter]

Thanks for the review! :thumbup::thumbup:

John, do you have any experience with the Schrade USA Old Timers, and would it be fair to compare the current Schrade OTs to the old ones? Thanks.

- GT

Personally, I think it would be fair to compare the stainless bladed USA to the current production.

But then again, what do I know?

 

[Rich S]

I recently got a Schrade 8OT (stockman) with a saw cut bone handle from KC. IMHO, just as well made as the old OTs.
Rich

 

[supratentorial]

I received a 3rd Rough Rider 725 as well as some Colt CT-248. I won't make any critical comments since they are not well received. But I thought it may be of interest that this third example of the RR 725 does not have any rub at all between the sheepfoot and clip blades. They are actually spaced pretty far apart. I won't comment on the spey blade. It's a pretty noticeable difference between the others so I'll add a photo when I get a chance.

Edit to add photos. I took some measurements with a caliper and the clip blade that hits the sheepfoot blade actually pushes it about 1mm when closed.

 

[Will Power]

I think all comments critical or complimentary are always well received when they are grounded in context. :thumbup:

If a knife has not pleased somebody we need to hear why and on what grounds, equally if it is pleasing then how and why. Plenty of my costlier knives have been disappointments (people seldom want to hear about that for sure!) Some of my cheaper knives including RRs have been poor, vast majority have not though. I want to hear others' undoctored experiences and I want to tell it how it is too.

Thanks, Will

 

[swaybacksteve]

The Colt teardrop in action...making a good sandwich, better. Chicken with green chili's, guac,lightly grilled onions, lettuce and tomato.