I became aware of the Rough Ryder brand of pocketknives and fixed blades about 5 years ago on a holiday in the states.
At the time I was buying WR Case knives for my collection and pretty much dismissed the RR brand as cheap Chinese made imports,I couldn’t have been more wrong.
The knives ARE made in China and are cheap,that bit I did get right,however they are NOT “cheap quality” don’t get me wrong they are not quite up their with the top USA made knives but they are VERY close !
The brand is owned and marketed by Smokey Mountain Knife Works in Tennessee,the designs for the most part are classic pocketknife patterns and a huge catalogue of them,they also have a bunch of fixed blades but I have not handled any of these.
Blades in both high carbon and stainless steels,some with coatings and some Damascus,also a huge variety of handle materials,both natural and man made.
I have just returned from holiday again and on this trip I decided to pay the brand more attention and frankly I was blown away by what I saw and handled,to the point that they where the only pocketknives I actually bought on this trip.
I only have three knives ……… at the moment,but plan to expand on that,availability is good now over here with at least 4 big retailers stocking the brand,also the prices in the UK are still fantastic value for money,I reckon prices will inevitably climb as the brand gets even more popular,so if you like the idea of a traditional pocketknife that won’t break the bank,Rough Ryders are well worth consideration.
Heres my humble collection to start things rolling,if you have a Rough Ryder post up a picture
At the time I was buying WR Case knives for my collection and pretty much dismissed the RR brand as cheap Chinese made imports,I couldn’t have been more wrong.
The knives ARE made in China and are cheap,that bit I did get right,however they are NOT “cheap quality” don’t get me wrong they are not quite up their with the top USA made knives but they are VERY close !
The brand is owned and marketed by Smokey Mountain Knife Works in Tennessee,the designs for the most part are classic pocketknife patterns and a huge catalogue of them,they also have a bunch of fixed blades but I have not handled any of these.
Blades in both high carbon and stainless steels,some with coatings and some Damascus,also a huge variety of handle materials,both natural and man made.
I have just returned from holiday again and on this trip I decided to pay the brand more attention and frankly I was blown away by what I saw and handled,to the point that they where the only pocketknives I actually bought on this trip.
I only have three knives ……… at the moment,but plan to expand on that,availability is good now over here with at least 4 big retailers stocking the brand,also the prices in the UK are still fantastic value for money,I reckon prices will inevitably climb as the brand gets even more popular,so if you like the idea of a traditional pocketknife that won’t break the bank,Rough Ryders are well worth consideration.
Heres my humble collection to start things rolling,if you have a Rough Ryder post up a picture
