I found the major problem with Rough Rider knives.

By whichfinger

Oct 14, 2017#2
Be careful or you'll put an eye out with one of those things.

I have a few dozen knives, even though I can only hold two at a time. The vast majority of them will never be used for their intended purpose. I blame it on OCD and and a cavalier attitude toward medication.

By JAB

Oct 20, 2017#4
Well, allow me to help feed the addiction, in case you didn't know this:

Rough Rider offers several of their knives with really cool, glow in the dark scales. How's that for 'like a kid with Matchbox cars' collectability? I bought my nephews each one for Christmas a couple of years ago. The oldest nephew got a Stockman, the younger one got a single blade lockback. At the same time, I bought the Trapper for myself.







I liked this one because not only do the handles glow in the dark but the clip point blade is a lock-back. One, negative thing about Rough Riders is that the fit and finish can vary - sometimes quite a bit - from one specimen to another. One would expect this to be the case given the low cost. As I live not too far from Smoky Mountain Knife Works (about an hour, give or take) I buy my Rough Rider knives there in person so I can inspect them and pick the best. That is how I know that the fit and finish can vary pretty widely - because I have seen some that had some annoying problems with fit and finish and others, including the ones I chose, with near perfect fit and finish.



I haven't carried this one more than maybe once or twice. I generally carry a Spyderco Resilience clipped into my right pocket and a Victorinox Tinker SAK in my left pocket so I don't really have room to carry it. I want to pick up a few more Rough Riders, especially the 'moon glow' models, and I might have to make room to carry one or another of them, sometimes.



My first Rough Rider was a 'Deer Slayer' model. I bought it back when TN knife law first changed to do away with blade length restrictions. I wanted a large pocket knife with which to celebrate. I carried it for a while. I like the knife but would like it much better if it were a lock-back or liner lock design. Honestly, I think it is just begging to be a locking blade instead of a slipjoint. It looks like they aren't even making the Deer Slayer model, any more. Too bad. Mine is made like this:



but has the 'smooth white bone' handles like this:

[Admin note: Pic missing]

By Ulmus

Feb 22, 2018#6
Yeah. They're a gateway knife company.

By whichfinger

Apr 28, 2018#9
Nice lookin' knife! Now, go out, carve some oak, and let us know how well it keeps an edge.