Rough Riders!

[Dinadan]

Ivoryman, you make some good points about GEC knives maintaining and increasing in value. But if I want to invest some money, I talk to my financial advisor. I buy knives for fun. If I bought as many GECs as Rough Riders then I really would be needing to talk to my financial advisor: about how to pay for my knives!

When I spent $20 for a RR, that is just beer money. I spent $20 for a case of beer and I know that I am not going to make a profit, but it is not wasted money! Same with a RR. I like getting those little packages in the mailbox!

[QTCut5]

I'm sure that I am probably stating the obvious here, but personally, I think any knife's value depends upon how it is perceived; i.e., a knife that is used primarily as a tool will have a different value to the owner than a knife that is purchased primarily as a collectible piece of art (duh, obviously). I think it's safe to say that even the relatively low-cost knives made by Parker, Frost, Rough Ryder, etc., although perfectly capable as cutting tools, are not generally considered to be highly collectible among most knife collectors/enthusiasts. So, the objective functionality of a knife is not really the issue when it comes to the subjective price or perceived "value." The monetary value of a given knife is simply a factor of market forces, i.e., what people are willing to pay for it. "Value" is not intrinsic to a knife itself any more than a Picasso painting is only worth the cost of the canvass, paint and frame.

As far as "investment value," a $20.00 RR that functions as intended (with no major flaws or issues) is every bit as good an investment (possibly even better for EDC users) as any high dollar GEC, Chris Reeve, William Henry or even a custom handmade knife--the only real difference is whether the owner plans to use it, collect it, or "flip" it. IMHO YMMV

[TPK]

I like that Hedgehog ya got Q! Looks great!


I got these two RR's for Fathers Day on thursday. My wife bought me the Stockman & I treated myself to the smaller Copperhead. (I've been a really good Dad all year! )

Not perfect knives but pretty nice for the price. Transions between materials could be a little smoother. And the Copperhead had a pretty weak snap to it but some Ballistol oil helped with that. Overall, pretty nice knives.

I will give them a little showcase time first before I EDC them. Got enough EDC's anyways.

[Quick Steel]

Like many RR knives, Tom, yours have an attractive look to them.

[RancherinAz]

Out of the 14 Rough Ryder and Rough Rider knives I have , only the last one was a disappointment . That one is the "Black & Blue" Hawkbill . The backspring is too thin for the blade tang or the blade tang is too thick for the backspring which causes an unacceptable gap between the liner and spring starting just north of the center pin and increasing in width as it gains on the tang . I haven't decided yet whether it's worth the hassle to send it back for replacement/refund or not . But I was good at 13 and the 14th one blew it all into the weeds .
As far as the name change thing goes , the way I understand it is that it started out as ...
Rough Ryder , then changed to Rough Rider and then they decided to go back to Rough Ryder . I do have some older models that obviously sat around as NOS a few years before I got them that indeed do have the Rough Ryder name on them and then more recent production that has the name Rough Rider on them and then , the most recent ones that are back to Rough Ryder again .
As for my opinion , batting 100 through the first 13 units is pretty good and I have been very pleased with the overall quality of RR slip joints as I've got Case knives that can't keep up with the same consistency in the QC department while costing far more . The exception being my 14th RR . The beginning of my knife collecting started long ago with Schrade cutlery's Old Timer and Uncle Henry lines . I have a nice little collection of those vintage USA produced pieces . And then a small sampling of the now BTI or Smith & Wesson owned and Chinese produced Old Timers and Uncle Henry's , which are surprisingly nice pieces for the money . As for steel quality that you constantly hear criticism about in the Chinese knives , the way I understand it is that SMKW supplies the 440A stainless for the manufacture of RR slip joints . Hell , Buck uses 420HC and the famous 110 is actually a softer steel than what RR uses . Case and their "Surgical Steel" is 420HC too . And when Schrade was produced in the USA , it was 440A also while the current Chinese produced Schrade uses 7CR17Mov and that "is" the Chinese equivalent to 440A US stainless . So WTH is all the blade bashing about ?
Bottom line , Rough Rider or Ryder or whatever they decide they wanna call it this week , is a great slip joint knife , cost aside , sans the last one I got and hopefully that doesn't end up trending .
Okay , I think I covered it all and I'll shut up now .

[jerryd6818]

RancherinAz, welcome to AAPK. Glad to have you aboard.

[Louisville.Boy1947]

Rancher in Az
Why not send the RR Hawkbill back? I have found that all you have to do is call and request a prepaid label (they will email it to you) and use the original shipping box and send it back. In some cases they will just ship a replacement and tell you to keep the original unless the replacement is faulty and then they will want both back in order to give a refund. Their customer service has been top notch. Give them a call!

[Quick Steel]

Welcome aboard RA. Hope you will post some photos of your knives when you can.

[RancherinAz]

RancherinAz, welcome to AAPK. Glad to have you aboard.

Thanks Jerry

[RancherinAz]

Rancher in Az
Why not send the RR Hawkbill back? I have found that all you have to do is call and request a prepaid label (they will email it to you) and use the original shipping box and send it back. In some cases they will just ship a replacement and tell you to keep the original unless the replacement is faulty and then they will want both back in order to give a refund. Their customer service has been top notch. Give them a call!

Okay , I'll give that a try . Thanks

[RancherinAz]

Welcome aboard RA. Hope you will post some photos of your knives when you can.

I absolutely will . I've just gotta figure out why my phone won't take pictures . I think it's full and I need to do some house cleaning . But I'll post Picts as soon as I can .

[RancherinAz]

So , I hope this works .
This is my Rough Rider collection

[Quick Steel]

A very nice collection RA. A wide variety of patterns and covers. Well done.

[Dinadan]

RancherinAz - nice group of Rough Riders! And welcome to the forum!

[RancherinAz]

A very nice collection RA. A wide variety of patterns and covers. Well done.

Thanks QS Didn't break the bank doing it either which is really cool .

[RancherinAz]

RancherinAz - nice group of Rough Riders! And welcome to the forum!

Thanks Dinadan . And thanks .

[bighomer]

rancher glad to have you aboard the finest knife forum in the world.
Great looking RR'S

[RancherinAz]

rancher glad to have you aboard the finest knife forum in the world.
Great looking RR'S

Thank you sir . This group seems to be real nice . Although I've run into some real snobbery on some other threads . Then there's those that despise us that collect anything made in China
It can get down right nasty in some of the responses .

[TPK]

rancher glad to have you aboard the finest knife forum in the world.
Great looking RR'S

Thank you sir . This group seems to be real nice . Although I've run into some real snobbery on some other threads . Then there's those that despise us that collect anything made in China
It can get down right nasty in some of the responses .

Hello! You came to the right place! Not everyone here at the AAPK collects RR but there is room here for anyone that does. I have 4 or 5 RR in my knife collection. I'm also a BIG FAN of the modern day Robi Klaas / Kissing Crane knives. They are also made in China & are really good knives like the RR brand. I have also been told that the modern day China made Mables knives are really good knives but I don't have any of those myself yet. Anyways, pull up a chair & make yourself at home. Lotta great friendly knifers here with a lot of knowledge they are glad to share. I don't know a whole lot about knives myself but I do know a whole lot more about knives than I did a couple of years ago when I started collecting. And everything I know, I learned from the great folks here. Don't miss signing up for the monthly Knife Giveaway! If you hurry, there is still time to sign up for the May Giveaway! Enjoy your time here and chances are good, you'll make a few new Cyber friends along the way.

P.S.
Great looking knives!

[Madmarco]

Hey guys! I just want to make anyone who's not aware of this that I just saw on Ebay Rough Ryder/Rider Dr.'s knives that had the spatula and a CLIP-POINT blade, and a model with the spatula and a Sheepfoot blade. I'd never seen anything other than the spear-point blade, and although I'm not a fan of the spatulas they were still pretty cool. The seller is antiques_plus!

[QTCut5]

Of all the new RR Doctor's knives, I like this one called "The Pipe Doctor" the best.

If I smoked a pipe, I would definitely get this one. Cool shield!

https://atlanticknife.com/collections/r ... knife-1899

[Quick Steel]

I would love to have had that good looking knife back in my pipe smoking days.

[jerryd6818]

Of all the new RR Doctor's knives, I like this one called "The Pipe Doctor" the best.

If I smoked a pipe, I would definitely get this one. Cool shield!

https://atlanticknife.com/collections/r ... knife-1899

What a coincidence. I just bought one this morning for the shield and the main blade and even though I haven't bought one in a coon's age, I still like Doctor knives.

Edit: Oh, and I quit smoking 26 years ago so smoking is not related to the purchase.

[RancherinAz]

rancher glad to have you aboard the finest knife forum in the world.
Great looking RR'S

Thank you sir . This group seems to be real nice . Although I've run into some real snobbery on some other threads . Then there's those that despise us that collect anything made in China
It can get down right nasty in some of the responses .

Hello! You came to the right place! Not everyone here at the AAPK collects RR but there is room here for anyone that does. I have 4 or 5 RR in my knife collection. I'm also a BIG FAN of the modern day Robi Klaas / Kissing Crane knives. They are also made in China & are really good knives like the RR brand. I have also been told that the modern day China made Mables knives are really good knives but I don't have any of those myself yet. Anyways, pull up a chair & make yourself at home. Lotta great friendly knifers here with a lot of knowledge they are glad to share. I don't know a whole lot about knives myself but I do know a whole lot more about knives than I did a couple of years ago when I started collecting. And everything I know, I learned from the great folks here. Don't miss signing up for the monthly Knife Giveaway! If you hurry, there is still time to sign up for the May Giveaway! Enjoy your time here and chances are good, you'll make a few new Cyber friends along the way.

P.S.
Great looking knives!

Thanks Tom . I appreciate that .

[dlr110]

Just got these in on Saturday. It's the Rough Ryder Denim Series. Very beautiful knives, that have the same excellent workmanship as all the other RR's and with a very affordable price. The materials used are outstanding and present the feel and look of a great EDC or collectable knife. The only one I didn't purchase was the Large Moose. Here is the SMKW's description: "All of the knives in the Denim Micarta T-10 Carbon Steel Series feature T-10 carbon steel blades with a mirror polished finish, half stops, and match strike pulls. The handles are denim Micarta with brass liners, and nickel silver pins and slant ‘R’ bolsters."

The only problem I found was with the Barlow. Both blades set at the same depth in the well when closed and of course they are close together. This makes it almost impossible to open the main blade without opening the smaller blade first, because you can't get your fingernail in the nail pull of the main blade. I contacted SMKW and a person on the showroom floor confirmed the ones he had were made the same way and that he could not open the main blade with the nail pull. I then spoke to Chase (not sure what department) and he agreed this is a design flaw and assured me he would notify the buyers to pass this on to the appropriate factory reps. Don't know if this will change future designs, but it's something.