Thrifty Thursday... Cheap Traditional Knives

Is it really Thursday again?

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My new beer knife, can't afford a GEC Beer Scout but this will do the job just as well. The quality for under $20 can't be questioned imo, snappy walk and talk and no wobble, thin stock and came with a decent edge

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Edit: Bad luck with QC on purchases lately. Blade rap on the Bantam, pretty unfortunate. Hard to get a picture of the edge but here's the contact on the spring
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Well, just in time for Thrifty Thursday I got this piece of work in the mail today. The old Rough Ryder Carbon Steel Medium Toothpick. I wanted to try the pattern. On this one the blade was very noticeably bent and twisted. I have been trying to carefully straighten it out some (without breaking it) and it is better now than it was out of the box, but you can see from the pictures that it is still bent towards the end. Also, there is gapping where the covers meet the top bolster. While I was ordering and paying shipping, I also got one of the new Chinese Queen peanuts because I liked the spearpoint. Upon initial examination I thought it was pretty nice, but after opening and closing it a few times I am seeing the signature blade rap mark at the center pin (another common problem I am seeing repeatedly from these knives)
I keep swearing off Rough Ryders and associated brands, but for some reason I keep coming back, suckered, er, I mean, drawn in by the low prices and hopes of decent quality, but I keep getting disappointed. Oh well, it is sharp and it cuts stuff, so I guess for the sale price of $9.99 it is OK, but I think I will probably be looking for a case.IMG_2741.JPGIMG_2740.JPGIMG_2742.JPG
 
chevyrulez1 said:
Well, just in time for Thrifty Thursday I got this piece of work in the mail today. The old Rough Ryder Carbon Steel Medium Toothpick. I wanted to try the pattern. On this one the blade was very noticeably bent and twisted. I have been trying to carefully straighten it out some (without breaking it) and it is better now than it was out of the box, but you can see from the pictures that it is still bent towards the end. Also, there is gapping where the covers meet the top bolster. While I was ordering and paying shipping, I also got one of the new Chinese Queen peanuts because I liked the spearpoint. Upon initial examination I thought it was pretty nice, but after opening and closing it a few times I am seeing the signature blade rap mark at the center pin (another common problem I am seeing repeatedly from these knives)
I keep swearing off Rough Ryders and associated brands, but for some reason I keep coming back, suckered, er, I mean, drawn in by the low prices and hopes of decent quality, but I keep getting disappointed. Oh well, it is sharp and it cuts stuff, so I guess for the sale price of $9.99 it is OK, but I think I will probably be looking for a case.
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So I bought two large work knives from RR while at SMKW, one a Bluejeans handle with stainless blade and a Carbon version from the same line as your toothpick. The Carbon has all the same issues yours has and Ive since bought 2 more (3 total) for blade swaps and its the same story while 2 of the 3 Bluejeans versions have been solid and well done. I have taken all 6 knives apart and the carbon ones are dirty with lots of grit and pieces of brass in them where the Bluejeans have all been considerably cleaner. Something about where the carbons are made is way way off from the others.

Matt
 
The clock says Friday, but I'm still up, so it's still my Thursday. Working nights for almost 30 years will do that to you. This is my thriftiest knife, as after I admired the cute little advertising knife the service guy at the dealership where I bought my pickup had, he gave it to me. I think it's a traditional knife, since I seem to remember seeing similar ones as a kid. 3" long red plastic body and operating lever, 2" blade 1mm thick. Definitely light duty, with some blade play. I wouldn't whittle anything harder than balsa wood or maybe soft pine with it. But okay for cutting out coupons or coring apples.
 

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marantz said:
The clock says Friday, but I'm still up, so it's still my Thursday. Working nights for almost 30 years will do that to you. This is my thriftiest knife, as after I admired the cute little advertising knife the service guy at the dealership where I bought my pickup had, he gave it to me. I think it's a traditional knife, since I seem to remember seeing similar ones as a kid. 3" long red plastic body and operating lever, 2" blade 1mm thick. Definitely light duty, with some blade play. I wouldn't whittle anything harder than balsa wood or maybe soft pine with it. But okay for cutting out coupons or coring apples.
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Very traditional, IMHO. Looks like it is based somewhat on the Christi knife. 😊
 
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Afishhunter, thanks. But your reference to the Christy knife confuses me. I have a Christy knife (still being made!) but it has a different mechanism. Both knives slide out through a handle frame, so maybe that's what you mean. The Christy has a spring loaded button that disengages/engages a pin into notches in the upper frame. My ad knife has a lever that pivots on a small metal block attached to the blade tang. Pulling the lever out of the frame with a thumbnail and flipping it over allows one to push the blade out, and lock it by pressing the lever back into the frame. I'm not even sure what to call it. Rough Ryder makes a version they call a zipper knife. I tried searching for lever lock knives, and they all seemed to be OTF, out the front, switchblades. Do you think the mechanism is similar in any way? I know I saw cheap ad knives similar to mine, but can't remember what my successful search terms were. Argh!
 
marantz said:
Do you think the mechanism is similar in any way? I know I saw cheap ad knives similar to mine, but can't remember what my successful search terms were. Argh!
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Similar in that they slide, have thin slicey blades, and are about the same size.

Try "companion sliding blade pocket knife" for your search term. 😊
("Sliding blade pocket knife" brings up way too many irrelevant Stanley and Stanley-ish utility knives/box cutters to sort through. ☹️)

I didn't try "retractable blade pocket knife", believing that would be near 100% Stanley/Stanley type knives, even if/though they are not really a "pocket knife", IMHO.
 
marantz said:
The clock says Friday, but I'm still up, so it's still my Thursday. Working nights for almost 30 years will do that to you. This is my thriftiest knife, as after I admired the cute little advertising knife the service guy at the dealership where I bought my pickup had, he gave it to me. I think it's a traditional knife, since I seem to remember seeing similar ones as a kid. 3" long red plastic body and operating lever, 2" blade 1mm thick. Definitely light duty, with some blade play. I wouldn't whittle anything harder than balsa wood or maybe soft pine with it. But okay for cutting out coupons or coring apples.
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afishhunter said:
Very traditional, IMHO. Looks like it is based somewhat on the Christi knife. 😊
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marantz said:
... Do you think the mechanism is similar in any way? I know I saw cheap ad knives similar to mine, but can't remember what my successful search terms were. Argh!
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afishhunter said:
Similar in that they slide, have thin slicey blades, and are about the same size.

Try "companion sliding blade pocket knife" for your search term. 😊
("Sliding blade pocket knife" brings up way too many irrelevant Stanley and Stanley-ish utility knives/box cutters to sort through. ☹️)

I didn't try "retractable blade pocket knife", believing that would be near 100% Stanley/Stanley type knives, even if/though they are not really a "pocket knife", IMHO.
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FWIW, I've seen knives like the one M marantz posted called "flip-it knives". (I checked a couple of online vendors, and you can still buy one like mine for about $3.)
Here are some shots of one I got about 40 years ago from a guy who runs a grain elevator:
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- GT
 
Thanks, gentlemen. Both search terms worked. Flip-It and Flip N Klik seem to be brand names. ABS bodies, stainless steel blades. The Rough Ryder copy is Al and G10 body, 440A blade. I wonder if it has less blade play than the Flips.
 
r8shell said:
Is it really Thursday again?

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And again!
5K Qs said:
This little RR whittler with a spear main is a favorite of mine. (Didn't GEC finally come out with a whittler with spearpoint main blade?)
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- GT
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Maybe GEC will inspire RR to start lambsfooting.
sf fanatic said:
He offered me one for $25.
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I think I already said 😍. I don't know what I thought I had to add.

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It's wonderful how good a made-to-be-inexpensive knife can be.
 
J Just Tom. generously sent me a package containing 6 "thrifty" pocket knives recently! I'll post a quick photo of one of them in this thread today. It's a 4" Ranger jack (a Colonial brand), with clip/pen blade combo and yellow synthetic covers advertising Chiquita bananas. I doubt if my photo is good enough to show it, but the main blade is etched with "RANGER/ULTRA-HONED". Thanks, Tom, for the cheerful, solid knife!
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- GT
 
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