All About Pocket Knives

Another Rough Rider Toe Nail in Strawberry Bone with re-lief engraved bolsters - The bolsters on these knives are made from quality German Silver - I have engraved about 2 dozen of them so far & havent hit one air hole or pot hole in the bolster, so they are ground from stock & not cast like many German knives - I no longer engrave Hubertus knives - the bolsters cut really dirty, they are cast & they are horrible from a engravers standpoint. The material, what ever it is appears to stand up under use. fighting Rooster also have cheaper cast bolsters, Frank had his share of seconds! Rugers can be a handful to engrave - they bleed - i can be cutting one & red buffing compound comes pouring out! they are also cast not machined -the air holes are buffed over to cover them up - They do cut nice & they also perform very well. Anyway - thats your lession for today - This one can be found in the Customized Link section of my site since i engraved it in deep re-lief - Yom

Very very nice work again, Tom

Marty

Fantastic job! You do wonderful work!

great lookin work Tom. Now thats some skills !

Great work, Tom. I'm glad you're hear. It's nice to hear a different point
of view from someone with experience.

GOOD lookin' knife Tom!!!

You made a good quality, less expensive knife even better!!

For the money, those RR's can't be beat. I have been wanting to pick up a Colt knife, which is also an imported knife as I've heard they are very nice as well. Have you tried anything from the Colt line yet and if you have, how did they hold up?

Again, very nice work!!

Cope wrote:GOOD lookin' knife Tom!!!

You made a good quality, less expensive knife even better!!

For the money, those RR's can't be beat. I have been wanting to pick up a Colt knife, which is also an imported knife as I've heard they are very nice as well. Have you tried anything from the Colt line yet and if you have, how did they hold up?

Again, very nice work!!

Only Colt I have ever owned was a automatic which is very well made & very fast - tom

That looks great! i've been meaning to pick one a those up but never have i do have quite a few RR i go on a spending spree snap up a pile and give em away at X-Mas or for B-Day gifts and keep what ever is left over. Rite now i've been carring a Four Blade Congress in the same color and really like it and have to keep a close eye on it cause everybody wants the thing

Will those RR take and hold an edge?

glenn, you can make a piece of regular structural steel take a very keen edge if you know how. But, it won't keep it.

With a RR they will take a fine keen edge again if you know how. Will they keep it? Yes....as much as can be expected from the steel it is made from. Will it keep an edge as long as say a good quality carbon steel blade like GEC? No. Is that the fault of the knife? No. It is due to the steel used.

That being said, I have cut many sisal haybale strings with a RR knife when testing one and they held up well for such a cheap investment. Did it hold up as good as some of the other knives I've carried or even made through the years.....no. But they are what they are and as long as you realize that you will be completely satisfied with your purchase.

I have never been a fan of the Chinese knives, but then I wasn't a fan of the Japanese knives of the '50 & '60 either. Those old Japanese knives would not hold an edge. By the 1970s Japan was producing fair quality knives and by the 1980 & 1990s they made some of the best knives on the market. They invested in their steel industry and produced some really good steels like AUS8-A and ATS-34, which are some of the most popular steels in the industry today. Japanese VG-10 is held by some to be one of the best knife steels available today. Today, IMO, Kershaw makes some of the best user knives for the money on the market today; great fit & finish, excellent steel and an outstanding warranty. Kershaw has recently shifted some of their production; the low end knives to their own plant in China, (a plant they built and own), and ironically, they now make all their assisted opening knives in their Tualatin Oregon plant.

I have no doubt that China’s cutlery industry will follow the same track as Japan’s, but it seems to be moving at a much faster pace. Indeed some here in this forum have said they have seen significant improvements within the last few years.

The bone on that ET almost reminds me of a Robeson I have. It is a nice looking knife and with Tom’s engraving it has a lot of eye appeal! I have no doubt that those will sell fast. Nice bling for the pocket at an affordable so you can actually carry & use it.

glenn you asked if the RR's would take & hold an edge and the answer is YES. You just have to remember what you have. You have a $10-$20 knife and if your like me you don't want to ruin a good knife if your going to really USE the knife. I have carried one a lot and if I lose one or chip the blade, it don't make me sick. I like to trade a little on the side and like knifemaker3 said on another post, I have sold more of those than everything else put together. I have yet to see another modern knife as sharp as these are fresh out of the box. I gave my brother inlaw one about 6 yrs ago and I asked him yesterday if he still had it and he pulled it out of his pocket and said it was the best cheap knife he ever had.

One more thing I'd like to add is about the Colt line that SMKW has put out. They are making some awesome looking knives but they are a bit more than the RR's. I'm thinking most are $20 plus. I have been wanting to get one, just haven't yet. Several members here have said they really liked them.

It's good to see people coming out of the closet!

Another dirty little fact - I have seen custom knives sell for $5,000.00 dollars to 8,000 dollars that have never seen a heat treating oven! I was working the Knife Makers Guild Show in Fl. in the early 90's - The guild member who was set up next to me had some beautiful daggers & short swords -Very well-known member. He said he used ATS-34 Stainless which is what I used on every knife I ever built - I ask him about his heat treading process - He told me he didn't heat treat any of his knives that if someone paid $8,000.00 for a knife they would only display it, not use it. He handed me on of his knives & ask him how he was able to install the guard without any solder showing - he said it's simple I use Super glue - So for 8,000 dollars you got what he called a knife that wasn't heat treated & it was glued together. True Story - Tom

One more thing I'd like to add is about the Colt line that SMKW has put out. They are making some awesome looking knives but they are a bit more than the RR's. I'm thinking most are $20 plus. I have been wanting to get one, just haven't yet. Several members here have said they really liked them.
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Brad if you look at RR & a Marbles - they are twin sisters, only difference being the price! You pay 10 bucks more for the Marbles but's thats the only difference, The name. That dem Marbles large Trapper is a heck of a knife - beautiful. Chev & GMC pick-ups come off the same assembly line - just a different decal .

Colt knives - yep - they are a few more bucks - any difference in quality, not that i can see - i'm sure the extra 20 bucks goes to Colt or Winchester - S&W - Ruger who ever. These gun company's don't own knife making plant's - it's all re-brand. The same company could make all the knives listed?

Why do the guy's like them - they are a good knife for a price that the working guy can afford! Nice to see some folks talking about them in a positive way. tom

Tom

Dale, I know your not a big fan of Stainless Steel - Why? I would guess because like you said in the 60'- 70's this stuff came on the market stamped made with 440C - Which at the time a good stainless - but people figured out very fast that there were different grades of 440C & many of the knives were made from cheap 440.

Where Japan really stepped up is when Boeing who first built ATS34 for their engines wouldn't sell small amounts to vendors. Someone? Don't know who saw an opening in the market & started selling ATS34 in smaller amounts to vendors. ATS34 is only as good as the maker who is heat treating it - When done right, I feel it's one of not the finest choice for a knife blade & spring. ATS must be fired twice & drawn back down twice. You can Rockwell it to 60 & it's still flexible. I also used ATS for all my springs in my slipjoints - I would draw them back to 47 to 49 - get them harder than that in time the spring will break.

So that’s my take on Stainless Steel after using it for 30 years. - Other’s may disagree - Tom

Thanks guys

Tom Hudson wrote:Dale, I know your not a big fan of Stainless Steel - Why? I would guess because like you said in the 60'- 70's this stuff came on the market stamped made with 440C - Which at the time a good stainless - but people figured out very fast that there were different grades of 440C & many of the knives were made from cheap 440.

ATS34 is only as good as the maker who is heat treating it - When done right, I feel it's one of not the finest choice for a knife blade & spring. Tom

I have this strange notion about knives, I think that a person needs to be able to use them, i.e.; it must be functional. I see a knife first and foremost as a tool. Consequently I don’t have a great love for safe queens or knives that won’t hold an edge. They may be beautiful, but if they are not functional they loose a lot of their appeal to me.

You are right; in the ’60 & ’70 stainless was junk from many companies. I am sure that plays a part in my lack of enthusiasm for it. Ironically I do like some of the new “super steels” like ATS-34, S30V and others. I have a Buck I EDC that has S30V steel. Of course the heat threat is done by Paul Bos and that knife is amazing, but so are the regular production Buck knives (made of 420) that Paul Bos heat treats!

I think the type of knife influences my steel preference. I prefer 1095 carbon steel in slipjoints, though I can adjust to the idea of “super steel” in a traditional pattern. Most stainless I have seen in production slipjoints is less than optimal. It takes good heat-treating to bring out the full potential of any steel.

Perhaps the reason I like carbon steel so much, (aside from the ease of sharpening in the field), is that it is easier to get the optimal heat treatment on it than on many of the stainless steels. I also like the way carbon steel feels when I cut with it.