- Classic Carbon Yellow Swayback RR1741

Another outstanding product from Rough Rider knives. The fit and finish is great, the knife is a heavier whittler than many. So it compares to a Morakniv fixed blade carver, say a 106 or 122. Steel is T10, a medium-speed tool steel that sharpens easily and keeps an edge for a reasonable period of time. Profiled the blades to a thin edge and went to work on a cherry-wood spoon. Carved easily and well, no problems. My Boker whittler is almost too light for such a spoon, so would say the Rough Rider outperforms a Boker for heavy carving. Only problem I found was the main blade tip stuck out a bit too far when using a small blade. But that was quickly fixed with a stone. And the price is an excellent incentive to try the Carbon series knives.

First, keep in mind that this is a $23 knife. Fit and finish is acceptable. All three blades "walk and talk" smoothly and with authority. Feels comfortable in the hand. This is the second Rough Rider pocket knife that I've reshaped and honed the blades to make more suitable for both whittling and serious carving. The first was a stainless steel 4 blade congress, this one's high carbon, so I'm interested to see if there's a noticeable difference in the long term. Overall, I'm satisfied with the quality and value of this knife.

Cons: I purchased this particular knife because I like this pattern and I was interested to check out the performance of T10 as a blade steel. However while inspecting the main blade I found some curious print on the back side of the blade it reads 440 razor sharp steel, therefore I am not sure at this point if the blade steel is actually T10. The knife did not come super sharp but all three blades did take a keen edge. Both bone covers are cracked at the large brass pin at the back springs, but this should not impact the covers’ integrity. Main blade pull weight is a little heavy. Pros: This swayback pattern feels good in the hand even under moderate to heavy cutting pressure. It makes a good blue jean coin pocket slip joint. The edge geometry makes this knife a good choice if you are searching for a good wood carving/whittling traditional pocket knife. Overall quality seems to be good as the knife is solidly built. Walk and talk is good. Back springs are strong, which helps maintain the blade in the open position. Fit and finish are okay. I believe this swayback whittler is a good value for anyone wanting to experience the joys of whittling!

I picked this up as a cheap alternative to Case's Seahorse Whittler. It worked great. The blades really are carbon steel. I don't if they're the highest quality carbon steel, but I've had no problem whittling with them, and that's what counts. It's also the Rough Rider that arrived with the best fit and finish for me. I was impressed with Rough Rider's fit and finish on the other knives I've bought from them, but this one was flawless. No gaps. No blade play, and no oddly scuffed off bolster decorations due to a polisher getting out of hand (I had a splitback whittler that had the entire clover leaf on one bolster polished clean off). All in all, it's a great knife. Not just a great cheap knife, but a legitimately great knife. While I usually use it for whittling, it stays in my pocket for other tasks. If you can still find one, I suggest buying it immediately.

Blades fall apart when using. I have several other Rough Riders but this model is a disgrace. Is not worth the money. Be careful I cut my hand when it broke very badly

Knife shipping was delayed a few times. I made contact with Rocky Mountain LLC and received feedback within minutes. According to USPS tracker, Rocky Mountain LLC sent the knife in for shipping the day I ordered it. USPS delayed the shipping. Rocky Mountain LLC took ownership of the delay, and never blamed USPS. I have made many purchases from them in the past and my experience has been they are normally the best price. After this demonstration of how much of a stand up company they are and how important their name is to them, I will always check them first for my frequent knife purchases. As for the knife, I haven't used it yet. I went off the many youtube videos that highly recommend the knife for carving. I own many knives and don't have expectations of this performing at the $200 level pocket knife like, my expectation is it will perform better than most 20 to 50 range carving knives. Fit and finish are good and it looks like it will hold up to the abuse of a regular use. My review was not to critique the knife, it is to simply recognize this stand up American business that deserves your look when shopping for a new knife.

This has quickly become my edc whittler. TIGHT on opening, very snappy, so be aware of that. A little stropping and it's nice n sharp right out the box. Keep it oiled, don't try to pry ANYTHING with the blades (some have done that and broken them). This is a precision carving tool, not a pry bar. Treat it with respect and it will treat you right^_^

Rough Rider's knife vs Case's Seahorse Whittler. Closed, it is shorter and fatter than the SHW. Basic construction is same, and the main blades are very close but not the same. The profile is the same, but the splines are much different. The SHW is wider and flat and narrows at the tip. The RR is ground and narrow about half way down the blade making the end of the blade much thinner. If you use your off hand to push or cantilever the blade for details, this narrow part is about where you would put your thumb and be uncomfortable. The quality of the blade is your basic SS polished blade, and seems pretty good. RR opens and closes securely and should not fold up on you as does the SHW. Both sport two smaller blades. The SHW has a basic pen and a straight, but they are really small. The RR gives you two basic pen blades, larger and heavier, but why two? Handles are one of the bigger differences. The SHW has a very tapered design with the two small blade close to flush. The RR is shorter with no real tapering (basic pocket knife shape) with the larger pen knifes out about an 1/8 to 1/4 inch, but the points are down and ok. The last thing is kind of a vanity thing. RR only has that yellow scale. The Case is available in hundreds. But vanity has a price. Twenty bucks for RR as opposed to sixty nine to hundreds. If you are just starting out, I would recommend the RR and a few chunks of bass wood.