Rough Rider & Related Slipjoints

5K Qs said:
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
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Not really, no. I have a Schrade folder from the late 1970s (94OT frame) but it is not in particularly good shape, and it has a carbon steel blade. The old knife has a much thinner blade profile than the new 93OT, but that's about the only point of comparison. The snap is dead on the older knife, it has a fair amount of play when open with the liner lock engaged, one of the bolsters came off (exposing the Swinden key) and the tip broke off which I did a poor job of reprofiling. So compared to that old beat up knife, the new one is a peach.

I have a more recent 104OT (small pen knife) USA made but it is still NIB and I have not used it for anything. It was a gift from someone a while back. When I get a chance I'll take it out and look to see. It's a much smaller knife so blade thicknesses won't be a good gauge.

Edit: Ok, I finally had a chance to get out the 104OT.

The USA-made knife is a little prettier.

The sawcut Delrin is more of a true dark brown fading to lighter browns and amber, while the new knife is almost a black-brown with little transition to a taupe gray. The fine jigging lines in the Delrin are a bit more refined and smoother on the US version. Also, the line between the Delrin and the liners is a smoothly finished line where it looks a bit more uneven on the Taylor knife. It looks like they didn't worry about finishing off that side of the liner before attaching the Delrin to it, but waited until after assembly to polish the backspring area. It looks like it would be jagged but it is smooth to the touch. Also, the blade finish on the US-made is a little shinier, though both are a satin finish. The US knife is carbon steel so that might account for it.

Functionally, the Taylor knife is better. The action is smoother and the walk and talk is better. The blades are much sharper out of the box. Flush backsprings when opened, whereas one of the 104OT blades has a slightly proud backspring when open. Of course, the proof would be in the using. How well it holds an edge, ease of sharpening, whether or not it develops any blade play with use, etc.

But in general, I would say a non-collector just looking for a working knife in a slipjoint style wouldn't have anything to complain about with the new Taylor-made Schrades, based on my one experience so far.
 
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So the local pawn shop has 2 rough rider trappers and 1 Marbles canoe knife for 10$ a piece. They all look pretty nice and have a nice feel even though they are Chinese made. I have no experience with either brands and would like to know how they take an edge, how they hold up etc. I'm thinking of getting a package deal of all three for 20$
 
I only have 9 or 10 RR of various patterns, and a single Marbles, their all stainless steel "USA" on the handle camp knife.
All are great knives, worth far more than the selling price.
They hold an edge, and are easy to get shaving sharp. No blade play, either.
 
jc57 said:
Rough Riders are actually pretty decent knives for the money. There is an entire thread dedicated to the RR and related knives, which you may find helpful:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/582468-Rough-Rider-amp-Related-Slipjoints
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A good idea. Going to merge the threads. The "Rough Rider and Related..." thread was intended to capture this type of question. It comes up frequently. There is more information in that thread than you can even think to ask about.
 
Thank you, I still need to get paid so I won't buy them for a couple of weeks, assuming they are there, but I might scrounge up the money to buy that trapper. If I do get them I will give a review later on.
 
I've about a dozen or more RR's and find them a great knife for the money. Are they perfect? No. Are Case, GEC, etc. perfect? - No. But for the price I think RRs and Colts are the best bargain in users on the market today.
Rich
 
jc57 said:
Not really, no. I have a Schrade folder from the late 1970s (94OT frame) but it is not in particularly good shape, and it has a carbon steel blade. The old knife has a much thinner blade profile than the new 93OT, but that's about the only point of comparison. The snap is dead on the older knife, it has a fair amount of play when open with the liner lock engaged, one of the bolsters came off (exposing the Swinden key) and the tip broke off which I did a poor job of reprofiling. So compared to that old beat up knife, the new one is a peach.

I have a more recent 104OT (small pen knife) USA made but it is still NIB and I have not used it for anything. It was a gift from someone a while back. When I get a chance I'll take it out and look to see. It's a much smaller knife so blade thicknesses won't be a good gauge.

Edit: Ok, I finally had a chance to get out the 104OT.

The USA-made knife is a little prettier.

The sawcut Delrin is more of a true dark brown fading to lighter browns and amber, while the new knife is almost a black-brown with little transition to a taupe gray. The fine jigging lines in the Delrin are a bit more refined and smoother on the US version. Also, the line between the Delrin and the liners is a smoothly finished line where it looks a bit more uneven on the Taylor knife. It looks like they didn't worry about finishing off that side of the liner before attaching the Delrin to it, but waited until after assembly to polish the backspring area. It looks like it would be jagged but it is smooth to the touch. Also, the blade finish on the US-made is a little shinier, though both are a satin finish. The US knife is carbon steel so that might account for it.

Functionally, the Taylor knife is better. The action is smoother and the walk and talk is better. The blades are much sharper out of the box. Flush backsprings when opened, whereas one of the 104OT blades has a slightly proud backspring when open. Of course, the proof would be in the using. How well it holds an edge, ease of sharpening, whether or not it develops any blade play with use, etc.

But in general, I would say a non-collector just looking for a working knife in a slipjoint style wouldn't have anything to complain about with the new Taylor-made Schrades, based on my one experience so far.
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Thanks very much for the follow-up comparison, John. :thumbup:
I have a couple of the Schrade USA Old Timers, one carbon (34OT) and one stainless (93OT), and one example of a Taylor-made Schrade, a "Workmate" (44OT). My comparison experience is very similar to yours. I like my "old" Schrades very much, and I do think they look better than my Chinese Schrade; as you point out, the "old" Delrin is more attractive (but that's an "eye of the beholder" thing), and my main complaint with the "new" Old Timer is the very proud center pin. Here are photos of the Chinese 44OT, including a couple of the back of the knife that show the high (IMHO) pins, and maybe illustrate the liner finish that John mentions:
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But my USA and my Chinese Old Timers both seem to function well, at least up to my expectations. I'm kinda interested in checking out the bone and ironwood versions of Old Timers that are now offered on the Taylor-made OTs.

- GT
 
Rich S said:
I've about a dozen or more RR's and find them a great knife for the money. Are they perfect? No. Are Case, GEC, etc. perfect? - No. But for the price I think RRs and Colts are the best bargain in users on the market today.
Rich
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I think that's well said, Rich.

5K Qs said:
Thanks very much for the follow-up comparison, John. :thumbup:
I have a couple of the Schrade USA Old Timers, one carbon (34OT) and one stainless (93OT), and one example of a Taylor-made Schrade, a "Workmate" (44OT). My comparison experience is very similar to yours. I like my "old" Schrades very much, and I do think they look better than my Chinese Schrade; as you point out, the "old" Delrin is more attractive (but that's an "eye of the beholder" thing), and my main complaint with the "new" Old Timer is the very proud center pin. Here are photos of the Chinese 44OT, including a couple of the back of the knife that show the high (IMHO) pins, and maybe illustrate the liner finish that John mentions:

But my USA and my Chinese Old Timers both seem to function well, at least up to my expectations. I'm kinda interested in checking out the bone and ironwood versions of Old Timers that are now offered on the Taylor-made OTs.

- GT
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GT, nice photos. I don't have experience with the new Schrades though I've seen a few inside plastic clam packs at local stores. It may be the way they are made....I don't know...They may also have intended to spin the pin but missed it. The side on the left looks spun but the side on the right looks like it might not have been. It's difficult to tell from that angle. I made a similar post about a Buck 309 a few years back. Buck forgot to spin the center pin on one side. A knife maker was very kind to take care of it for me but it's something that can be fixed fairly easily with a drill press or a file.
 
Rough Riders can sell for $10 new, some even less, some a bit more, it depends on the pattern. So $10 second hand in a pawn shop is not really a good deal. The owner might not know what new ones sell for.
kj
 
Gary - sorry for not posting pics. I noticed on my new 93OT that one of the center pins seemed to have a little snag, wasn't sure if it was the pin or the surrounding Delrin was a little rough. That made me look a little closer and one of the two center pins did look a little proud. I thought about getting a nail punch out of the toolbox and peening it down a little, but I left it alone for now.

I'll try to get some backspring pics later. Mine looks worse than yours, but feels fine and doesn't seem to affect the functioning.
 
supratentorial said:
...GT, nice photos. I don't have experience with the new Schrades though I've seen a few inside plastic clam packs at local stores. It may be the way they are made....I don't know...They may also have intended to spin the pin but missed it. The side on the left looks spun but the side on the right looks like it might not have been. It's difficult to tell from that angle. I made a similar post about a Buck 309 a few years back. Buck forgot to spin the center pin on one side. A knife maker was very kind to take care of it for me but it's something that can be fixed fairly easily with a drill press or a file.
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Thanks, Jake; my photos are much better than they used to be, but still have huge room for improvement. Your conjectures about the center pin makes some sense. I should probably quit whining and just file 'em down! :eek:

jc57 said:
Gary - sorry for not posting pics. I noticed on my new 93OT that one of the center pins seemed to have a little snag, wasn't sure if it was the pin or the surrounding Delrin was a little rough. That made me look a little closer and one of the two center pins did look a little proud. I thought about getting a nail punch out of the toolbox and peening it down a little, but I left it alone for now.

I'll try to get some backspring pics later. Mine looks worse than yours, but feels fine and doesn't seem to affect the functioning.
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No photos are not a problem, John; I think you painted very helpful verbal pictures! ;) But since I do have an "old" 93OT, pics of a Taylor-made version of the same model would certainly interest me if you get a chance.

- GT
 
JPD1998 said:
This one is a Schrade branded knife , it's a large 2 blade jack, about the size of GEC's big jack. I bought five different patterns in this series , they were on closeout for about $15 each.

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I am a sucker for straight up Jack patterns like that. I really wish Rough Rider would do some pure swell end or cigar (I think I would call yours a cigar or equal end or whatever) Jack Knives with fat spear or clip main blades. Anyway, I'm now on the hunt for one like yours - I hadn't seen them before. Do you know if they are made where the RRs are made?

ETA: If you read this. How is the function of yours? I was just reading some less than encouraging reviews of the 65th Anniversary knives with stag.
 
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cityofthesouth said:
I am a sucker for straight up Jack patterns like that. I really wish Rough Rider would do some pure swell end or cigar (I think I would call yours a cigar or equal end or whatever) Jack Knives with fat spear or clip main blades. Anyway, I'm now on the hunt for one like yours - I hadn't seen them before. Do you know if they are made where the RRs are made?

ETA: If you read this. How is the function of yours? I was just reading some less than encouraging reviews of the 65th Anniversary knives with stag.
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As far as who manufactures them.... IMO they are not being made by the same manufacturer as RR knives. They are built differently, the blades on all the Schrade knives in this series are satin finished with hand ground swedges. I have a few knives with different branding that are similar, two that come to mind are Smith and Wesson and Owl brand. I know S&W is a Taylor brand so that would make sense given that Schrade is also a Taylor brand.

Fit and finish on all the knives I bought in this series is excellent. The only negative I can think of is some uneven blade grinds on some of them, but otherwise I think they're pretty good.

I hope this helps
 
JPD1998 said:
As far as who manufactures them.... IMO they are not being made by the same manufacturer as RR knives. They are built differently, the blades on all the Schrade knives in this series are satin finished with hand ground swedges. I have a few knives with different branding that are similar, two that come to mind are Smith and Wesson and Owl brand. I know S&W is a Taylor brand so that would make sense given that Schrade is also a Taylor brand.

Fit and finish on all the knives I bought in this series is excellent. The only negative I can think of is some uneven blade grinds on some of them, but otherwise I think they're pretty good.

I hope this helps
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Yes that is helpful, particularly when you have multiple examples to draw from. To try or not to try ... THAT is the question. There are a few different models on that auction site. For $15 I wouldn't hesitate but they are more like $40 and for that I am more likely to wait around on a nice vintage knife to come up.


Here let me edit this post about a hundred times. Has anyone taken any slipjoints apart for customizing purposes? Sometimes I think it would be nice to convert some patterns to a simple, slim, single blade knife.
 
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5K I think you beat me to the punch, I left a visitor's message as well Balrog!
 
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