Comparing Rough Rider Knives to Case XX

See how these two "cheap", Chinese made traditional knives stack up to the US made Case folders.

Link to the $18 Rough Rider Stockman:

Link to the higher end "Reserve" model Common Stock:

[LouisL-qz]

For years I heard how good Rough Ryders were and I finally pulled the trigger on two of them and they are simply great. Thanks for the video, really enjoyed it.

[furyxan]

The RR reserve Stockman is always in my pocket! It's so useful, it's a great pocket size, it's elegant looking but still tough and no frills. My absolute favorite slip joint!

[Kyoko]

Rough Ryder is probably the best value in the knife business. They have so many patterns and they are all well constructed. The RR reserves are exceptional!

[larrymarkowitz]

This was a real helpful comparison, even between the two RR pieces. Thanks.

[thepenultimateninja]

About the longevity of Rough Rider compared to Case etc.
I once dropped a Rough Rider stockman down a flight of concrete steps, and broke a chunk off one of the bone scales (this would likely happen with any bone scaled knife).
Since it was broken, I decided to take it apart and see what the co nstruction was like.
It was the same as any other slipjoint knife. Solid brass liners with solid German silver bolsters soldered onto them, solid German silver/brass pins, and stainless steel blades and backsprings.
There were no surprises whatsoever, and no evidence that any corners were cut during manufacture.
There's absolutely no reason a Rough Rider shouldn't last as long as a Case, or any other brand for that matter.

[DonnieDailey]

As a collector of traditional pocketknives, with the Case Medium Stockman as my favorite pattern, I can tell you that blade rub is extremely common with the pattern. I'll agree that my older Case knives have better fit and finish than the newer ones, but they are starting to get better again.

[youngeezer]

Really enjoyed your video. My experience is similar to yours. I think we all know why RRs are inexpensive relative to Case. But there is no excuse for American manufacturing fit and finish issues.

[cintage]

I’ve got exactly the same Carbon II RR Stockman and I am also amazed by the quality of that very affordable knife.
Thanks a lot for this open-minded review.

[SpacecityEDC]

Nice job 👍 I just got my first Rough Ryder Reserve series knife as a gift but I think it was $35 😮 super nice knife, fit & finish spot on. I was impressed. I have a fair collection and pretty good variety of knives including some regular RR and a few Case too. The RRs are just good and the value is excellent. You don't want to say it too loud for fear of them raising the prices but it is what it is. My Case knives have been good also though, ...so far. I only have 5 so I don't have alot in my collection. But the price is always a factor and I think alot of knives out there are way, way over priced. So it's great to see a good quality product at good affordable prices bumping into the competition. Why can they do it and America can't? I love buying American products and always try to first but it's hard to do when you make comparisons. You start to question why spend double or more for the item when the quality just isn't there. Thanks for the video!

[tamieheadrick]

That Stockman reserve was beautiful until you pulled out the bottle opener, who needs a bottle opener but a bartender, would have loved to had it, but that bottle opener killed it for me

[GregWilmoth]

I’m thinking about getting a few RR. In the near future! Thanks for the video and review!

[GlennU]

I am a small Case dealer. I can tell you that the worst Case knives I got were in 2021 and 2022. I think they put out some rough knives during the pandemic. Since then, I have been happy with the quality I'm receiving.

[kokopelau]

I just received my first Rough Rider Carbon large Stockman, and it is fantastic. No blade rub. Great transitions. Carbon blade shaving sharp out of the box, and it is really nice to look at and handle. I paid $15 for it.

[Orlos_The_Druid]

The RESERVE Rough Rider is one of the BEST made knives Ive handled.

[terrancecoard]

The RRR are absolutely superb for the price and so are Queen which is even less. Then, in the $50 range, there are Rosecraft Blades traditional offerings! They are so well made I really would like to know if the extra $100-200 for one of the US made traditional knives are worth it‽ I watch a lot of knife channels and Case is the one that gets the most negative complaints. It is a shame because they are one of the major employers in my region and I sure wish they would step up their quality control process...that knife should have been at a discount for $30 max!

[denofearthundertheeverlast]

I know what you mean man, I have a cheap Owl Head large sow belly stockman that is perfect in every way, polish, snap, no blade rub, no cracks in the handle material, no gaps in the springs and brass spacers, no blade wobble and I paid $32 at a flea market so I know I over paid but I'm cool with it.

[joshtiscareno]

Rough Ryder is an interesting brand with some really cool takes on the traditional slipjoint, but their quality is nowhere near as good as CASE, in my experience. Although Rough Ryder CAN make some great stuff for outrageously low prices, the quality can be absolutely atrocious at times (WAY worse than your nitpicky complaints about that CASE stockman); stuff that would never pass QC in a US company.

Rough Ryders are also more likely to have gritty actions and mushy springs and are FILTHY dirty with polishing compound. While all slipjoints suffer from this to some degree (polishing compound gets trapped in the action when the knife is made), the Chinese brands are notoriously dirty across the board and it takes a LOT of work to clean this out with oil. My CASE knives, in comparision, aren't nearly as bad, and I find them to be one of the "cleaner" slipjoint brands.

I also think that CASE makes prettier knives overall (though I do have a few Rough Ryder beauties). While I like and own both brands, I prefer CASE hands down and am happy to pay extra for what they bring to the table.

[rcjoe]

I recently picked up a 10 dollar mossy oak white marble stockman at tractor supply no blade rub all centered and tight half stops no gaps ya 3cr but it just proves it can be done

[timwilliams]

I'm with you man I'm really tired of getting BURNed by Case! I buy in person Only.

[nickdolin]

Great video. RR can also be a bit hit or miss (have yet to handle Reserve's) but at 8-12 bucks a knife it's much much easier to forgive a little on the fit and finish of a knife. This is even more true as Case's prices continue to go up, with their cheapest being in the 60-70 range now days.