Having some RR's i know what to expect and that some cleaning is involved, but you made a very valid point giving it to someone who get's his first RR and open's it as a present. That person will look at an other way to the item and quite frankly be unpleasently surprised. They can do something about that, even when it's not a very expensive knife. It would be nice to see a large spearpoint blade on a pattern, wether the sadlehorn or other pattern. Thank you for the review Tobias.
Really like the single blade on this pattern. The other pattern with the same issue for me,is a gunstock.having a secondary blade destroys a equally ergonomic handle.JWKs made the single blade on there's and I've fallen in love with the gunstock pattern again.atb paddy
I think your rant was good. QC is important to the consumer. I think your example of gifting a knife that needs some extra work is something to consider, especially if the gift is going to a new or less experienced person. The under liner durability is a good question. I only have one bow trapper, the Tobacco Road two blade. I like that one and now I am thinking about getting one of the single blade models. Thanks Tobias!
I definitely prefer the one blade to the two blade. And I prefer this to the Upswept Bow. That's not to say I don't like the others. I just like this one more. I've been buying rough Ryders for a long time. I've seen a slip as to how clean the knives are currently coming vs. five years ago. All the pretty packaging doesn't make up for a dirty knife (my opinion). And at the end of the day, we're buying knives not boxes. (well, except for the one time, but I really liked the Toad Sticker Box and the knife was only $7!)
Very well done Tobias, great review, and your camera work is as good as any professional I have seen...maybe better. I miss the music at the end but silence is golden too. 😊 Thanks buddy.
I have the cub tortoise shell and it's an amazingly nice little knife. I'll live with the black stuff if it helps seal gaps. Mine has good action, it wasn't gunked up.
The dilemma of a pristine clean knife is a common issue with most factory made knives. You would think they would not let this happen for your explained reasons. However, consider that the issue of having large quantities of knives being stored in the factory. Then shipped in a not so safe environment and stored again for sale. Also, adding cost for detailed cleaning. I might think the retailer should deal with the problem instead of the factory. GEC knives sell in minutes, saving the problem of long periods of stotage.😂 I know the time it takes for me to clean a new knife would cost more than any retailer would spend. I believe unless asking for a clean knife and paying more for it, you are not going to change that problem. I bought a 1973 Camillus Folding Hunter never used still in the original box. It took careful hours of time to clean the knife to make it work and look new. That makes one good reason for buying older unused knives from other collectors. They do most or all the work and you don’t have too. 🔪
Excellent review as usual. I'm not a fan of the bow handle or the tortoise shell, but I do like the blade shape and size. Need that blade on a straighter bone handle in carbon steel. Then I'd be all. over it. Cheers!!
My experience with RR blades not being centered is not so much the blade being off at the pivot but bc of blade warp. If you look down the center line you can see where the spine starts to bend.
I think every RR I bought (more than 30) has benefited from some cleaning. Some more than others. I chalked it up to a breaking in period similar to modern knives. If I would work the knife to pull the junk slowly out, the knives get better with time. But my real question is: what is it? Is it grinding or buffing debris? Dried oil? A combination? And How do other manufacturers clean/prevent their knives from obtaining the black gunk?
Very true, especially with my recent purchases. But it has gotten much worse now that in the past. One wonders how much of that gunk is part of the Cancer warning on all the knives.
Not a fan of stonework, or tortoise shell, or bow trappers, But it feels like I ain't left you a comment in forever my friend. Great editing, as always!
How about White Smooth bone? I got some white smooth bone coming up? (the last of the scheduled Stone Worx is this Wednesday.) Got a "Beautiful Ugly Knives" this Sunday. Lots of variety in that one. Nice hearing from you! Thanks for dropping by.
Also there are 2 other single blade versions currently available the faded blue Jean Micarta and Tater Skin just for anyone else who is liking the look but wants a different handle option, as if someone wouldn’t like tortoiseshell
Yeah, that crud is a problem. QC needs to be better, especially if they’re using that goop. Old-style grit or schmutz is one thing, but the snot-goop adds a whole nother level of blecch. I guess I’d check any I bought as gifts. I’m willing to do a little cleaning and oiling on a knife, but scraping and polishing is a bit much. It is a sweet design, though, and a good-looking knife. Saddlehorn? What? Blasphemy! Lol. I love the thin curved handle on that razor - would like to see it with other blades.
They have used this black liner stuff in the past and it was never a problem. They were using it under the Colt line up as well. I’m not sure what’s going on with the Tortoise knives. I’ve bought two and both had issues with the goop.
I've had pretty good luck with Rough Ryder so far. Marbles, not so much. Based on your video I think I'm going to give this one a try. I've also ordered a double blade bow trapper in the stoneworx series but haven't received it yet.
Just got the cinnamon bone classic carbon single blade bow trapper. Agree that the single blade is nicer in hand than the two blade but I still like them too
I don’t own any of the tortoise shell but I have had several rough ryder knives that were so packed with dirt/junk that they were barely able to open and close by hand but I cleaned the dirt out around the bottom of the blade and oiled them just a bit. Open and close 5 times and they work perfectly. Its literally a 2 minute job. I don’t know why this doesn’t seem to happen on all of their knives.
Buck is infamous for dirty knives. I have a pro plus 110, s35 & smooth micarta. Repeatedly flushing to get the buffing compound out of the pivot was extensive and I really didn't like how they hit the pewter shield with a wheel resulting in scratching the surrounding scale.
I clean all my knives when I get them. I've gotten all kinds of knives dunked up. Some coat them in grease so they don't rust in transit. I really don't mind flushing it. A bad job of sharpening is different. It should be properly sharpened when I get it.
Many knives with Carbon or Damascus blades will be drenched in Grease or some type of rust inhibitor. It seems that dirty knives are becoming a thing these days. Five years ago, my Rough Ryders were not coming with all this filth on them. Did they need the occasional wiping down? Sure. But it wasn't like this.
Iìll be honest, this looks like a knife i would carry on a regular basis. i like the shape, i love the way the tortoise shell looks, on paper it's good steel, i like the heftier clip blade which i think could handle game skinning and some field work, for this heavier work it would benefit from a stiffer spring (the one i am carrying these days was deemed as having a 9 pull by thrifty kaniffy). I searched around but at the moment it's not available in europe (only the denim micarta variant), but i will buy it as soon as i able to find it.
This is why I’m not a fanboy of RR, are they good knives for the price? Yes, but they will more than likely always require a little elbow grease to get them there. I only have 4 now and the 4 I have are pretty good but one that I gave away was a muskrat and one blade had great action while the other was lazy at best and it drove me crazy. I gave it to a guy who always needed to borrow a knife and he’s thrilled with it. One I still have is a nice older congress knife but like the muskrat two of its four blades are very lazy. And finally my best rough rider is a Half Hawk from the coal miner line. It’s a great knife with great action on both blades but not only did I have to clean it really well I had to work the pivots with lapping compound because the action was so rough and gritty even after several flushes…. So my 2 cents are this- if they step up their quality/quality control, can they still get away with selling $15 knives? Probably not. And even though I’m not a RR hater I’m not a huge fan either and it’s for this reason. I’ll buy a RR sometimes just to scratch the itch, but I go in knowing what I’m getting
Their descriptions are often inaccurate, I feel like they copy and paste a lot of info. Blade steels and finishes are often wrong too but the pictures usually don’t lie and I actually rely on UA-camrs to tell the real story. Merry Christmas, now “clean up the knife I just gave you and you” and you will love it, (I hope). Actually this one is on my list for Christmas, my Misses will likely get it for me because she knows my affinity for these budget knives.
Any knife can come dirty, but how much care is taken, or how much is acceptable does vary with price. My #62 GEC’s poor action wasn’t awful, but at the price it was unforgivable. I kept it as a reminder that even the more expensive brands aren’t perfect. Slight imperfections in a $20 knife are forgivable by people like us. We might understand and be prepared to put in some work, but if my wife had bought that as a gift, she would be really upset at how shoddy it looked. That is the route to business suicide that the British knife industry fell in to in the 70’s. That being said, I do like the look of this knife. I need to pick up some tortoise shell acrylic RRs for my new display case.
My problem is this is becoming routine, almost expected with Rough Ryders. It wasn't always the case. Five years ago, the knives came clean and functional and it was the rare bird that wasn't. I'd rather have a clean knife instead of a big magnetic box.
did you get it from SMKW? If so call them! I'd definitely send back a knife before I wasted time fixing it. I'm tired of doing other people's job when it comes to new knives, especially when the knife is "guaranteed for life!"
"Have a knife day" mentioned that it also comes in Tater Skin and Blue Jean Micarta. So options are out there. Both Tater and Blue are of the old Big R line up of knives.
My biggest complaint is how EVERY knife has matchstrike pulls. Some patterns just should never have them, based off the intention of their use. Trappers, muskrats, and stockmans come to mind. If you've ever used one to process game or skinning, its virtually impossible to fully clean all the fats, tissue, fur and blood from matchstrike pulls. A regular nail nick, or long pull, are MUCH easier to clean.
I think QC from the seller's perspective is entirely different than than the consumer's perspective From the consumer's perspective it is "why doesn't this knife live up to my standard?" and that varies from person to person. The the Seller's perspective it is almost always "where is the tipping point between higher quality product versus lower sales profit." We as consumers do need to gripe when we see a drop in perceived QC and also send stronger messages by not accepting a lower quality item for the same or higher price.
I love Rough Ryder as well but I'd rather have the knife show up and ready to use instead of having SMKW send me a replacement for knife that is sub-par.
Definitely the weakest element of the knife. And what is worse, a feature that wouldn’t be necessary if the fit the covers properly to the knife. Just a cheap way to fill a gap that shouldn’t be there to begin with.
@@propblast82nd , they have it in faded denim micarta, Cinnamon stag bone. and tater skin micarta, to name a few. Several others in the two bladed versions.
Having some RR's i know what to expect and that some cleaning is involved, but you made a very valid point giving it to someone who get's his first RR and open's it as a present. That person will look at an other way to the item and quite frankly be unpleasently surprised. They can do something about that, even when it's not a very expensive knife. It would be nice to see a large spearpoint blade on a pattern, wether the sadlehorn or other pattern. Thank you for the review Tobias.
I need to get some of the rough Ryder tortoise shell knifes. Thanks for the great video!
I know it's been a while, but my RR2442 is great. Thanks for the encouragement!
Really like the single blade on this pattern. The other pattern with the same issue for me,is a gunstock.having a secondary blade destroys a equally ergonomic handle.JWKs made the single blade on there's and I've fallen in love with the gunstock pattern again.atb paddy
I got classic carbon bow trapper with two blades very solid knife 👍
I think your rant was good. QC is important to the consumer. I think your example of gifting a knife that needs some extra work is something to consider, especially if the gift is going to a new or less experienced person. The under liner durability is a good question. I only have one bow trapper, the Tobacco Road two blade. I like that one and now I am thinking about getting one of the single blade models. Thanks Tobias!
I definitely prefer the one blade to the two blade. And I prefer this to the Upswept Bow. That's not to say I don't like the others. I just like this one more. I've been buying rough Ryders for a long time. I've seen a slip as to how clean the knives are currently coming vs. five years ago. All the pretty packaging doesn't make up for a dirty knife (my opinion). And at the end of the day, we're buying knives not boxes. (well, except for the one time, but I really liked the Toad Sticker Box and the knife was only $7!)
Very well done Tobias, great review, and your camera work is as good as any professional I have seen...maybe better. I miss the music at the end but silence is golden too. 😊 Thanks buddy.
Well Crap! My editor pulled out the music! That Sucks!
I have the cub tortoise shell and it's an amazingly nice little knife. I'll live with the black stuff if it helps seal gaps. Mine has good action, it wasn't gunked up.
It's easy enough to clean up. I love the little Cub Lockbacks. they are very handy little knives.
The dilemma of a pristine clean knife is a common issue with most factory made knives. You would think they would not let this happen for your explained reasons. However, consider that the issue of having large quantities of knives being stored in the factory. Then shipped in a not so safe environment and stored again for sale. Also, adding cost for detailed cleaning. I might think the retailer should deal with the problem instead of the factory. GEC knives sell in minutes, saving the problem of long periods of stotage.😂
I know the time it takes for me to clean a new knife would cost more than any retailer would spend. I believe unless asking for a clean knife and paying more for it, you are not going to change that problem.
I bought a 1973 Camillus Folding Hunter never used still in the original box. It took careful hours of time to clean the knife to make it work and look new. That makes one good reason for buying older unused knives from other collectors. They do most or all the work and you don’t have too. 🔪
Excellent review as usual. I'm not a fan of the bow handle or the tortoise shell, but I do like the blade shape and size. Need that blade on a straighter bone handle in carbon steel. Then I'd be all.
over it.
Cheers!!
My experience with RR blades not being centered is not so much the blade being off at the pivot but bc of blade warp.
If you look down the center line you can see where the spine starts to bend.
Awesome video and story. I have the Stockman version and it had just a bit of goop on it and it cleaned right up.
Yeah, it is easy to clean up but it is also easy to spot. So I'm not sure why two out three my Tortoise shells have been filthy from the factory.
I think every RR I bought (more than 30) has benefited from some cleaning. Some more than others. I chalked it up to a breaking in period similar to modern knives. If I would work the knife to pull the junk slowly out, the knives get better with time.
But my real question is: what is it? Is it grinding or buffing debris? Dried oil? A combination? And How do other manufacturers clean/prevent their knives from obtaining the black gunk?
Very true, especially with my recent purchases. But it has gotten much worse now that in the past. One wonders how much of that gunk is part of the Cancer warning on all the knives.
Not a fan of stonework,
or tortoise shell,
or bow trappers,
But it feels like I ain't left you a comment in forever my friend.
Great editing, as always!
How about White Smooth bone? I got some white smooth bone coming up? (the last of the scheduled Stone Worx is this Wednesday.) Got a "Beautiful Ugly Knives" this Sunday. Lots of variety in that one. Nice hearing from you! Thanks for dropping by.
@@KnifeChatswithTobias I collect smooth white Case, so, uh, hell yeahs
Also there are 2 other single blade versions currently available the faded blue Jean Micarta and Tater Skin just for anyone else who is liking the look but wants a different handle option, as if someone wouldn’t like tortoiseshell
Thanks for the info!
A single blade version of this pattern is nice. Shame about the crud, but a nice knife nonetheless. Cheers, buddy!
Nice knives! You prefer Fitz or Case Paste?
Yeah, that crud is a problem. QC needs to be better, especially if they’re using that goop. Old-style grit or schmutz is one thing, but the snot-goop adds a whole nother level of blecch. I guess I’d check any I bought as gifts. I’m willing to do a little cleaning and oiling on a knife, but scraping and polishing is a bit much. It is a sweet design, though, and a good-looking knife. Saddlehorn? What? Blasphemy! Lol. I love the thin curved handle on that razor - would like to see it with other blades.
They have used this black liner stuff in the past and it was never a problem. They were using it under the Colt line up as well. I’m not sure what’s going on with the Tortoise knives. I’ve bought two and both had issues with the goop.
I've had pretty good luck with Rough Ryder so far. Marbles, not so much. Based on your video I think I'm going to give this one a try. I've also ordered a double blade bow trapper in the stoneworx series but haven't received it yet.
Thanks for sharing, Tobias.
Just got the cinnamon bone classic carbon single blade bow trapper. Agree that the single blade is nicer in hand than the two blade but I still like them too
I would like to see a few more options with the secondary blade. But I agree, it is nice to have both a single or two blade option.
I don’t own any of the tortoise shell but I have had several rough ryder knives that were so packed with dirt/junk that they were barely able to open and close by hand but I cleaned the dirt out around the bottom of the blade and oiled them just a bit. Open and close 5 times and they work perfectly. Its literally a 2 minute job. I don’t know why this doesn’t seem to happen on all of their knives.
It wasn’t always like this.
Buck is infamous for dirty knives. I have a pro plus 110, s35 & smooth micarta.
Repeatedly flushing to get the buffing compound out of the pivot was extensive and I really didn't like how they hit the pewter shield with a wheel resulting in scratching the surrounding scale.
I clean all my knives when I get them. I've gotten all kinds of knives dunked up. Some coat them in grease so they don't rust in transit. I really don't mind flushing it. A bad job of sharpening is different. It should be properly sharpened when I get it.
Many knives with Carbon or Damascus blades will be drenched in Grease or some type of rust inhibitor. It seems that dirty knives are becoming a thing these days. Five years ago, my Rough Ryders were not coming with all this filth on them. Did they need the occasional wiping down? Sure. But it wasn't like this.
Iìll be honest, this looks like a knife i would carry on a regular basis. i like the shape, i love the way the tortoise shell looks, on paper it's good steel, i like the heftier clip blade which i think could handle game skinning and some field work, for this heavier work it would benefit from a stiffer spring (the one i am carrying these days was deemed as having a 9 pull by thrifty kaniffy). I searched around but at the moment it's not available in europe (only the denim micarta variant), but i will buy it as soon as i able to find it.
I'm pretty happy with it. It definitely feels good in the hand and the blade has a good angle to it.
The new Tortoise Shell’s seem to be kinda dark I guess is because of the black liner. Most Roughy’s come dirty.
Thanks Tobias
It wasn’t always like that.
I had one of these knives and I gave it away. After watching this video I wish I still had it.
This is why I’m not a fanboy of RR, are they good knives for the price? Yes, but they will more than likely always require a little elbow grease to get them there. I only have 4 now and the 4 I have are pretty good but one that I gave away was a muskrat and one blade had great action while the other was lazy at best and it drove me crazy. I gave it to a guy who always needed to borrow a knife and he’s thrilled with it. One I still have is a nice older congress knife but like the muskrat two of its four blades are very lazy. And finally my best rough rider is a Half Hawk from the coal miner line. It’s a great knife with great action on both blades but not only did I have to clean it really well I had to work the pivots with lapping compound because the action was so rough and gritty even after several flushes…. So my 2 cents are this- if they step up their quality/quality control, can they still get away with selling $15 knives? Probably not. And even though I’m not a RR hater I’m not a huge fan either and it’s for this reason. I’ll buy a RR sometimes just to scratch the itch, but I go in knowing what I’m getting
I'd say that is a fair assessment.
the material and the shield......WINNER!
Their descriptions are often inaccurate, I feel like they copy and paste a lot of info. Blade steels and finishes are often wrong too but the pictures usually don’t lie and I actually rely on UA-camrs to tell the real story. Merry Christmas, now “clean up the knife I just gave you and you” and you will love it, (I hope). Actually this one is on my list for Christmas, my Misses will likely get it for me because she knows my affinity for these budget knives.
It’s a good knife. Feels great in the hand.
Any knife can come dirty, but how much care is taken, or how much is acceptable does vary with price. My #62 GEC’s poor action wasn’t awful, but at the price it was unforgivable. I kept it as a reminder that even the more expensive brands aren’t perfect. Slight imperfections in a $20 knife are forgivable by people like us. We might understand and be prepared to put in some work, but if my wife had bought that as a gift, she would be really upset at how shoddy it looked. That is the route to business suicide that the British knife industry fell in to in the 70’s. That being said, I do like the look of this knife. I need to pick up some tortoise shell acrylic RRs for my new display case.
My problem is this is becoming routine, almost expected with Rough Ryders. It wasn't always the case. Five years ago, the knives came clean and functional and it was the rare bird that wasn't. I'd rather have a clean knife instead of a big magnetic box.
Personally I'd love any of those tortoise shell knives to be available over here 🇬🇧
So, now that it’s been a year, do you feel like they took your advice to heart?
That is a sweet looking knife Tobias!!!
I'm really digging it, now that it is cleaned and polished!
My faded blue jeans version is very sloppy in the fully opened position, can it I fix it or should I send it back?
did you get it from SMKW? If so call them! I'd definitely send back a knife before I wasted time fixing it. I'm tired of doing other people's job when it comes to new knives, especially when the knife is "guaranteed for life!"
I like the looks of a single blade bow Trapper, but I only have a 2 blade version.
"Have a knife day" mentioned that it also comes in Tater Skin and Blue Jean Micarta. So options are out there. Both Tater and Blue are of the old Big R line up of knives.
Nice looking knife! I like that one
SMKW! "Selling dirty knives!"
My biggest complaint is how EVERY knife has matchstrike pulls. Some patterns just should never have them, based off the intention of their use. Trappers, muskrats, and stockmans come to mind. If you've ever used one to process game or skinning, its virtually impossible to fully clean all the fats, tissue, fur and blood from matchstrike pulls. A regular nail nick, or long pull, are MUCH easier to clean.
Very Good point. Sorry I didn't see this comment sooner. Rumor has it, RR might move away from the match strike pull.
@KnifeChatswithTobias no.worries, I'm sure you see tons of messages. And id be thrilled if they do. It's just overdone, like the big R bolsters were.
Missing the music on the slide show...
Yeah. I'm not sure what happened.
Always "excellent" chinese q.c.
I think QC from the seller's perspective is entirely different than than the consumer's perspective From the consumer's perspective it is "why doesn't this knife live up to my standard?" and that varies from person to person. The the Seller's perspective it is almost always "where is the tipping point between higher quality product versus lower sales profit." We as consumers do need to gripe when we see a drop in perceived QC and also send stronger messages by not accepting a lower quality item for the same or higher price.
You get two knives for the price of one if it is not working correctly. I do not understand the complaining. I love RR knives.
I love Rough Ryder as well but I'd rather have the knife show up and ready to use instead of having SMKW send me a replacement for knife that is sub-par.
I'm not a fan of the liners.
Definitely the weakest element of the knife. And what is worse, a feature that wouldn’t be necessary if the fit the covers properly to the knife. Just a cheap way to fill a gap that shouldn’t be there to begin with.
@@KnifeChatswithTobias Have they made this model with different handle scales ?
@@propblast82nd , they have it in faded denim micarta, Cinnamon stag bone. and tater skin micarta, to name a few. Several others in the two bladed versions.
@@KnifeChatswithTobias That one blade version looks great, thanks so much 👍