Rough Riders!

[Dinadan]

I wanted to post some comments about some Rough Rider knives. I know most of the readers of this forum probably do not carry China made knives, but I am pretty sure I am not the only one here who sometimes carries one. Five knives today.

Biggest first

5 1/2" Clasp Knife
I ordered this knife after looking over an AAPK thread about clasp knives. I thought they looked interesting. For my first foray nto the clasp knife category I bought a cheap Rough Rider. Nothing about it is disappointing. Size: huge, weight: heavy, blade: sharp. Walk and talk is perfect for the size of the knife. That means that you do not want your finger in the way when it snaps closed! I have not had it long, and probably like most clasp knives of this size, it has not been used much.

5" Fish knife
I bought this knife to use, and I have used it quite a bit. The scaling blade works well at scaling fish, unless the fish is of a species with very large and tough scales. It does fine on Speckled Trout, White Trout, Kingfish, and Croakers. Up against a large Red Drum it is weak. But I think that any folding scaling tool would be over stressed against a large Red Drum. The clip blade is good. Long enough for filleting and stout enough to hack rib bones. It takes and holds an edge pretty good. I have had it in saltwater several times and so far it has no rust. The blades have what I consider perfect snap opening and closing.

4" Three backspring lockback whittler
This is a nice size pocket knife with nice size blades. The clip is a good size and shape. But I really like the secondary blades. The spey blade has a modified shape that I like alot better than the traditional spey blade. The sheepsfoot blade is a good size and shape. Unlike most two spring whittlers, all three blades are the same thickness. Decent snap opening and closing. All round, this is a very good knife. I have carried it a fair bit, and the only thing I have against it is that it is not a traditional whittler!

3 1/2" Whittler
This is a very good knife for the price. I have carried and used this knife at work where it was satuated with sweat all day and saltwater fishing where it was exposed to saltwater. So far, no rust. It takes and holds and edge pretty well. The saber ground main blade is a bit thick for fine slicing (much like the Case Seahorse) but it is good for light rough work. The snap is decent, not real strong, but quite adequate. This is a split backspring whittler.

3" Whittler
This is a tiny knife. It is a split backspring whittler, and seems well made. Maybe suitable for heading strawberries or cleaning your nails. I really have not used it much due to the small size

[TripleF]

Good stufff Mel!

I reviewed one a while back and beat the hell out of it and it kept on going. I was very impressed.

[SteelMyHeart85420]

They suffer from lesser-quality materials, the fit and finish is extremely good for $10-$20 knives. You get what you pay for. I don't feel bad asking a little more than I should from a R.R., like I might from one of my "better" knives...if I happen to carry a R.R., which is a bit rare. My cheap Marbles whittler (in genuine imitation tortoise shell, no less) gets a little pocket time, and that's not too dissimilar. Thanks for posting.

[carrmillus]

They suffer from lesser-quality materials, the fit and finish is extremely good for $10-$20 knives. You get what you pay for. I don't feel bad asking a little more than I should from a R.R., like I might from one of my "better" knives...if I happen to carry a R.R., which is a bit rare. My cheap Marbles whittler (in genuine imitation tortoise shell, no less) gets a little pocket time, and that's not too dissimilar. Thanks for posting.

...I used to carry one of the bone-handled whittlers to use for jobs I wouldn't want to chance damaging my old Camillus whittler, and it held up well, but I just can't do it now!!..has to be Camillus!!!......................... .....................

[Dinadan]

Thank you for the kind words, fellows. I know a lot of folks just do not like any China knives. My favorite EDC knives are Case and GEC, but I like having the option of a Rough Rider or such to stick in my pocket for rough conditions.

[SteelMyHeart85420]

I'm gonna beat up a Steel Warrior this week, then gift it to my cuz, if it survives

[Outlaw358]

I for one like Rough Rider knives.
That lockback whittler is very nice

[Colonel26]

I think Steelmyheart is dead on here. For disclosures sake the only China knife I own is a chicom Buck my wife once gave me. And as much as I hate to admit it, it's a dang good knife. I did once own a Chinese spyderco and it was a great knife. So it seems the involvement of the parent company has a lot to do with the quality of Chinese knives.

But to the RR point.....It seems that some are decent knives, especially for the money, and many suffer from very poor materials. Case in point....

My oldest boy (10) is infatuated with my Case loomfixers. So one day at a gun show my daddy bought him a RR loomfixer. It's a good looking knife, and solidly built. But when I tried to sharpen it, it was a no go. The stainless used was way too soft and the edge rolled badly. Shame too, because it is a good looking knife.

I will though give them props in this regard, they do make these wonderful old patterns that American makers just aren't producing anymore, like the loomfixer.

[Dinadan]

I for one like Rough Rider knives.
That lockback whittler is very nice

It is a good knife and probably deserves a bit more pocket time than I give it.

I will though give them props in this regard, they do make these wonderful old patterns that American makers just aren't producing anymore, like the loomfixer.

Good point, Colonel. I hope they do a few more old patterns. Like Steelmyheart implied, a Rough Rider is a good cheap knife for rough work that may damage the knife. I take them when I am fishing on salt water because I hate to take a $60 Case where it will be in salt water. So far my Rough Riders have not rusted, so maybe I do need to give a Case Fish Knife a good test and see if it is better.

[0078]

It seems to me most products sold in the USA have some kind of outside influence where they are manufactured at. I own a few China knives but never carried one. I have to many USA made knive to choose from to carry a China made knife. (No knocks on China made knives.) I really think that I'm proud to leave in the USA and I choose not to carry a China knife.

[PigSticker]

I've bought and carried RR's I ain't ever had a problem with any of them--far as people who use them for so called rough work that that they're afearded to use their USA knives on that says a lot about those cheap China knives--you can't compare all China made knives in the same pile either that would be like judging a USA made knife by Colonial brand-----------

[Dinadan]

Saturday I used my RR fish knife for a bit of cutting and to scale a good mess of flounder and saltwater trout. A couple of days later I went to take it out of my tackle box for a cleaning and noticed (ouch) that the clip blade was not fully closed. Upon examination the backspring was broke. It must have happened while just laying in the tackle box, because I could never have missed that exposed tip while scaling. Darned annoying because I really liked that knife and I do not think anyone else makes one that size. I guess I will just get another. First time I have ever had a backspring break. It probably would not have happened if I had bought Case, but on the other hand I am only one third as annoyed as I would be if a Case broke!

[junebug]

CRAZY!
SORRY MAN, KNOW YA LIKED THE KNIFE


MY WHITTLIN' CONGRESS IS STILL GOIN STRONG NO ISSUES....NO BLADE PLAY/WOBBLE

[edge213]

RRs are OK. But you can't compare them to Case, GEC, Queen etc as far as quality. And I do own some RRs.

[r redden]

I know some of you will disagree but I think RR's are a great way to experience different patterns without spending a lot of money. Everyone when first starting out collecting traditional pocket knives are bombarded by the abundance of different patterns available and really don't have a clue as to what they like. From the way it looks to the number of blades, blade shape, length, how it fits in your hand and on and on. When I finally decided what I truly wanted to collect was traditional pocket knives I thought I needed to buy everything that the folks on Blade Forums were raving about (my only source of info at the time). I started buying knives because of popularity of certain custom makers and production brands having no idea what I was doing and in a short while I had spent about $4000 and though I really liked some of them I also found I had a lot of knives that really didn't appeal to me. I started selling them off and only recouped about 70% of my money. I then read a thread where the OP stated that the RR's were good knife and it was an inexpensive way to try different patterns for little money then when you decided what you did and did not like you could purchase better quality knives with confidence. I took this advice and was on my way to building a collection that I truly enjoyed. I think this is great advice for newbie's and anyone looking to try a new pattern they've never tried and get some good little knives for gifting or use. Here's a reality check the first photo is about $85 worth of RR's the second about $85 worth of GEC.

[Dinadan]

r redden - I pretty much agree with your points. I have used Rough Riders and other China knives to experience patterns that interested me, but I was not ready to spend a hundred dollars on. If I am sure I want a particular knife to use, then I am willing to spend $50 to $100 for a Case, Queen, or GEC. But for just experimenting and playing around a $15 Rough Rider works.

Nice illustrative photos to make your point, too!

[MTURBO]

I have been collecting Rough Riders for a few years now and have a decent collection of the Trappers.
I carry these knives often and when someone comments on one of them I usually just give it to them.
I can afford to do this with the "under $10 knives"

I like them...and when I lose one of them it's no big deal.

[Captain O]

I have but one Rough Rider knife. It is the 1203 "blue swirl" scaled Melon Tester. (It came in a box with an noxious orange frog printed upon it and brazenly marked "Toad Stabber"). It has a 4 3/4" tapered, narrow blade of 440A steel. Trust me, it looks "meaner than a junkyard dog" and twice as deadly! If you're looking for an inexpensive knife for "melon testing" (yeah, right) It's worth a look. They run about $10.00-$11.00 on Amazon and are currently only coming in a white scaled model (model #1201).

It sits in a box, but if I go into a "rough" neighborhood it could ride unnoticed as a "silent sentinel" in a shirt, or sport coat pocket.

[Dinadan]

MTURBO - nice lot of RR trappers. I do not read of many folks who collect Rough Riders, so you may have the best collection of RR trappers of anyone!

Captain O - we need a photo or it did not happen! Just kidding, sounds like a cool knife.

Here is my latest Rough Rider - a Mushroom Hunter's Knife. I just could not resist this knife. I stuck it in my lunch box to use next time I see some interesting mushrooms.

[jerryd6818]

Several years ago, when I first discovered Rough Rider, I went on a spending spree. Ended up with close to a dozen, for which I never paid more than $10 apiece. I have two left and in spite of my prejudice will most likely not part with them.

Just added a Coal Miner Half-Hawk (only God knows why). It should be here tomorrow or Monday.

[jerryd6818]

I have but one Rough Rider knife. It is the 1203 "blue swirl" scaled Melon Tester. (It came in a box with an noxious orange frog printed upon it and brazenly marked "Toad Stabber"). It has a 4 3/4" tapered, narrow blade of 440A steel. Trust me, it looks "meaner than a junkyard dog" and twice as deadly! If you're looking for an inexpensive knife for "melon testing" (yeah, right) It's worth a look. They run about $10.00-$11.00 on Amazon and are currently only coming in a white scaled model (model #1201).

It sits in a box, but if I go into a "rough" neighborhood it could ride unnoticed as a "silent sentinel" in a shirt, or sport coat pocket.

I don't know where you're from of how old you are but back in the dark ages when I was a tad, old Jasper Brown sat beside Route 1 with his team of mules and a wagon load of watermelons for 50¢ each. Before you bought one, he would "plug" it for you so you could taste it. I don't remember what pattern knife he used or whether it was his pocket knife (or maybe yours) or a kitchen knife but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a "Melon Tester / Sausage Knife". The point being that's not just a name that was thought up out of whole cloth. It has roots.

[Captain O]

Jerry, I pre-enlisted in the Navy shortly after I turned 18 on 12/01/1972. (Yep, I'm 61 years old) and missed being shipped of to Vietnam by about seven months. Remember when president Nixon said, "I'm not sending any more of our boys of to Vietnam." That was 1/23/1973. I was sworn into the Navy on 7/19/1973.

When I was 13, I had my first "Melon Tester" 7" Imperial Sabre with cracked-ice scales. Later I bought a 9" Imperial Saber, which also had the cracked-ice scales. I bought my first "Melon Tester" in 1968. They were $1.25 back then and we bought them at the Sprouse-Reitz store 6 blocks from our house in Corvallis, Oregon.

[Dinadan]

Just added a Coal Miner Half-Hawk (only God knows why).

It is a good looking knife, Jerry. I keep being surprised by the quality of bone handles of my Rough Riders and other Chinese knives. I look at one of them and figure it is only ten dollars, why not?

Jerry, I pre-enlisted in the Navy shortly after I turned 18 on 12/01/1972. (Yep, I'm 61 years old) and missed being shipped of to Vietnam by about seven months. Remember when president Nixon said, "I'm not sending any more of our boys of to Vietnam." That was 1/23/1973. I was sworn into the Navy on 7/19/1973.

I am just a year older than you, Captain. I went into the Navy early in 1973. I was sent to the Sixth Fleet in the Med.

[deltaboy]

I gotten 3-4 of them and they are as good as Imperial or Colonial back in the day or modern Taylor made Old Timers. IMO for 90% of all knife users would be fine with one as.part.of their EDC system.

[Dinadan]

I gotten 3-4 of them and they are as good as Imperial or Colonial back in the day or modern Taylor made Old Timers. IMO for 90% of all knife users would be fine with one as.part.of their EDC system.

Deltaboy - welcome to the forum! I think you are right that 90% of all knife users would be fine with a Rough Rider. But, on this forum, we probably have the most discriminating 1% of users! I still carry and use my RR knifes at times and they work fine.