Thanks for watching! Check out my Knife Collectors Log & Record Book!: amzn.to/3PhVUn1 Thanks for the Support!! My Instagram: instagram.com/slipjointguy Here are more amazon links! GOOD QUALITY OILS 3N1 oil: amzn.to/3sAF5Fk G96: amzn.to/3aYRiOj Hoppe’s oil: amzn.to/3q0HffR Ballistol aerosol: amzn.to/3b1Gu20 Ballistol oil: amzn.to/3r1qAdm Ballistol wipes: amzn.to/3r3yB1z Renaissance wax: amzn.to/3kvDb6c OTER-Messer Knives OTTER BEE Knife!!! amzn.to/3ke9Ugt Mercator black cat K55K carbon: amzn.to/35iil4f Copper Mercator with clip and CARBON blade: amzn.to/3eKtbTE Large otter Hippekniep smoked oak handles: amzn.to/2WgCC4L Small Otter Hippekniep Black Grenadil handles amzn.to/3algvmh Green Bone little Doctors knife: amzn.to/37mvHxB Small anchor knife (smoked oak) amzn.to/3agHr6j Large anchor knife (sapeli wood) amzn.to/3r1cDg8 Small Anchor knife (sapeli wood) amzn.to/2KueE3D Kershaw slipjoints Barlow style: amzn.to/2UD9nZo Stockman: amzn.to/3f8vujz Trapper: amzn.to/35F36Th POLISHING PASTES WR Case Paste: amzn.to/3iQL6ss Wenol polish: amzn.to/3aZ07rs Flitz polish: amzn.to/3ktGNFV My favorite SLIPJOINT BOOKS How to restore and repair slipjoint knife book: amzn.to/3jTQwnO Slip-joint Folder Designing and Building: amzn.to/3b1xHwP WR CASE KNIVES Case Medium Stockman in CV!: amzn.to/2R20Ddb Case Congress: amzn.to/3gU0Jyg and amzn.to/2QV7oh5 Case Bone Stag Barlow: amzn.to/2Z9Bulp Case Dark red bone Barlow: amzn.to/3i3R0GX Case Smooth red Bone Barlow: amzn.to/31W3XNs Case White Bone Barlow: amzn.to/3jOdAUA Case Antique bone Barlow: amzn.to/2QWGWUc Case Russlock Amber bone: amzn.to/3312KDF Case Russlock Dark red Bone CV!!: amzn.to/32XBxC2 Case Baby Butterbean Black synthetic: amzn.to/2ESzyXM Case Butterbean Icthus! : amzn.to/3561ZMh Case Butterbean Mediterranean Blue Bone: amzn.to/331ikiC Case Butterbean SAMBAR STAG!: amzn.to/3bsZ1Tf Case branded easel: amzn.to/2QT1sFp Case Bandana: amzn.to/3jKQsWX
I like the Rough Ryder knives. I think they are just right for the beginning collectors looking to build a collection for not a lot of money. I have a few in my collection
I have six and like them...I rotate my EDC with them...there is a HUUUUGE difference between *inexpensive* and *cheap* that should be paid attention to, imo :)
Because of RUclips videos, touting Rough Ryder quality, I recently purchased 5 varying patterns from ebay. The first knife is a Glow handle, small sod buster(rr1427) and it is a good knife. I really do like it. I also purchased a fish knife(rr1401) that is a good knife. I'm happy with it. And that was it. 2 out of 5 were good. One knife, a red jig bone sod buster(rr304), had the blade so off center it had scratches from the liner. That was the only one I returned. Another knife, a blue bone stockman(rr1556) had the small blade damaged. The blade had a flat spot, with a burr, as if it were hit with something against the blade edge. And the final knife, a Working Man, green bone(rr1957) had the tip sticking out above the handle when opened. I can slide my fingernail and pull the blade open from the tip when closed. And when closing the blade, it doesnt click shut. The only thing holding the blade closed is side pressure from the pivot end. I've never had a pocket knife like this. If the pivot end ever gets loose, the blade will flop around. And all of the knives had the regular defects, like gaps and marks. Rough Ryder is a cheap, low quality brand with a high percentage of defective knives. I don't expect them to hold up well under serious use and the odds of getting a good one are less than 50 percent, in my experience. And I'm suspicious that there are sellers on ebay selling seconds without informing buyers. And the cost is so low they expect the buyer not to return them for any reason.
I love them. They haven’t let me down yet. The price is right. Also I have so many Case, Buck, Puma knives that it’s pathetic. I have at least 20 Rough Ryders knives and I love every one of them.
I’m a slip joint collector, but I bought 3 RRs last week just to see them. I’m moderately impressed. Certainly good for the price. They’re not GEC, but they’re far from the worst slipjoints out there.
I probably own 20 or 30 RR knives and for the most part, they've been well worth the money I paid. Walk & talk is the usual flaw in them. F&F is usually superb, especially for the $$$ spent. Now, if they'd come out with a plain, old-fashioned "HIGH CARBON 1095 steel blade"! Not titanium-coated, not stainless steel and NOT High-carbon stainless steel.... just plain old fashioned carbon steel! It ain't rocket science. It's a proven fact, 1095 will take a finer edge, by far!
gemstateguy your quite right! Plain 1095 with nice bone, wood or even good acrylic covers would be very nice, and collectible. I’ll be picking up a few more for sure.
@@slick_slicers , maybe they'll get wind of our suggestion and come out with a few patterns in 1095. I'm like you.... I'd be buying them like popcorn! I really like the patina and "pocket-worn" look of a good knife.
Just so you know, Smoky Mountain Knife Works owns Rough Rider knives their hand belt and back for life so if they have that knife and stock you can send it back with the with the chipped scale and then they'll replace the knife
"Cheap Chinese knives"? Maybe inexpensive, but I don't think I'd call them cheap. I've got some RR knives that are absolutely perfect in every respect other than the final polish. Give me 15 minutes and I'll have it looking like the best Case that ever left the factory. The days of long ago are gone, guys. Unless you've got some mighty deep pockets, good luck in finding a better AFFORDABLE knife without spending the kid's milk money! The Chinese make some superb knives, I don't care if they're made on the moon! RR knives I bought 10 years ago for $8.00 are now selling for $16.00. Do you have a Case that has doubled in value in that length of time?
Thanks for your perspective, I agree with it all, I'd prefer it if stuff were manufactured in America. But in terms of Bang for your Buck you can't beat Rough Riders. What I pay for one Case or GEC etc I can literally buy half a dozen RR's and try that many different other patterns. One style of collecting is not the monetary value but of having and trying a wide range, having as diverse a collection as possible. If i wanted one knife for each traditional pattern, it'd cost me an arm and a leg, but thanks to RR, i might just could get there
The Chinese have been making knives and Steel weapons for a few thousand years we only just got started in comparison. About 30 years ago I bought 1 Kitchen butcher knife in the Chinese market in Chinatown. To this day it has only been sharpened on the 12in steel that I bought along with it and towards the handle is the original Edge still razor-sharp. I'm in Canada and I just ordered five more on Amazon USA because when I buy a few of them at once I only pay one shipping charge. Years ago I bought a Spyderco pm-2 and a Benchmade 940 but because they're so expensive I don't use them where the Rough Riders are used everyday
Not cheap knives...inexpensive knives. Not really collector knives, they are user knives. Made in China, but designed in the USA, and the company, is American...Smokey Mountain Knife Works. These knives are greatly undervalued, they do what a knife is meant to do...cut! Edit:- The quality is getting better and better, each batch coming from the factory is better than the last.
Nice vid.There are people who collect knives and people who use knives, I carry a knife everyday, and there's no way I'm going to carry a 60+ dollar knife. I use them, I loose them, I loan them to people, Rough Rider is perfect for that. They are a cheap, usable tool. I don't need eye candy.
My hope is that one day these Rough Rider knives will trickle down in price, so I can start collecting them. Perhaps, on the second hand market, like most of the knives I collect? $5 delivered is the MAX I will pay for a knife. And I will never start when talking about my knives, "for the price, they are good", as they can only be, one, or the other.
Someone said on another channel, these knives give you a chance to try out a pattern that you may not have tried before. I have 6 different RRs and like them all. Like you said, I wouldn’t destroy a case xx knife but am not afraid to use my RRs
Great review and i agree fully. Just done a simple cut test and resharpen. Great results and i buy them for use and to fill in till i get branded patterns. Atb paddy 👍☘️😊
I have a bunch of RR knives...just like the way they look. A few of them I own are worthy of edc status and I do carry them such as the Classic Carbon series, Black Bone and Copper series, and their Premium Select series. Thanks for sharing.
I have a classic carbon toothpick that i love, its my official whittling knife and recently got a Dog bone jack muskrat...its a work of art! Its one of the knives id take to my grave.
Their f&f is stunning for the money, and I’ve seen a lot worse on ‘handmade’ Sheffield or Solingen knives at 5 times the price. They’ll never be the mainstay of my collection, but I can see a few filling the gaps in patterns in my collection till something better comes up.
You didn’t think it was nice for a RR, you thought it was just nice! You didn’t know it was a RR! I think that’s the point. I pick traditional knives for the looks. Not the steel or even the functionality. I have my Benchmades for that.
I'm just getting into slip joint knives and purchased a GEC #31 red micarta and while it was a beautiful knife the lock must have been a 9, literally a nail breaker, 3 times, for all the talk of made in the USA you expect better than a knife you can't use, shame on GEC for letting this out of the shop, I told the seller I had RR knives that function beautifully compared to this over priced piece of crap. Try RR knives first you won't be disappointed I promise you.
woptucci yeah great value for the money. I would call GEC and see if they can work on that action for you. I know the feeling of buying a high dollar knife with flaws, not a good feeling at all.
@@slipjointguy It was a $60 knife but none the less should function properly I mean all that need be done is for someone to check it at the end of production . I have since heard this model is notorious for a over strong pull, I sent mine back to TSA knives, very nice folks who stated they check all knives before they ship, reasonable if it gets done and in this case it didn't but still the seller said they would make it right in the end so that is a happy ending.
Steel is everything on a knife. What Rough Rider knives use is 440A. "The "A" matters. It tells you this is the lowest grade of 440 steel. This doesn't mean it's horrible steel. It's the most commonly used steel for work knives of every type in the world. Even our own military uses forty tons of it each year. But it is not even in the same zip code as the steel Case XX uses. Or most of the other top brands, for that matter. People talk about this brand being better, or that brand being better, but Case XX uses the best steel of any brand on the market. Where others use a standard 440C that gives a very toothy edge, the Case proprietary 440C gives an edge so smooth the tooth barely shows up under a microscope. And where others use standard 1095, Case uses 1095 CV that is much stronger, much tougher, and that has much better edge retention than standard. If you're a collector who never uses a knife, then steel doesn't matter. You may as well collect the prettiest brand and let it go at that. Or even photos of the prettiest brand. I know two people who actually do this. But if you use knives, then steel matters, and Case uses the best steels, hands down.
James Richie :- I have one Rough Ryder that has 440C blades...it came razor sharp out of the box...sharper than most of my Case knives from the factory. Steel does matter, but heat great matters more. For example Lionsteel is having trouble with it's heat treat, on quality steel. Boker has perfected the heat treat on 440C, and Tony Bose has perfected D2 ( Dr. D2), but many companies are selling knives with these steels, but with less than optimum heat treat. Buck has been using a inexpensive steel for years, but has the the heat treat dialed in perfectly. Don't put down 440A or 440B or "surgical stainless" type blades ...these less expensive steels can be optimized during the heat treat and outperform ho-hum treated expensive steels. The proof, as far as knives go, is in the cutting. (And cost effectiveness) Edit:- Rough Ryder is also producing carbon steel blades.
Case’s tru-Sharp is 420HC. It is far from the best steel hands down. I love Case but their steel is not nearly as good as you’re trying to make it out to be.
And Case now uses 1086 CV not 1095CV they switched a while back. Case just stamps their blades SS or CV but are very ambiguous with their steel. They haven’t used 440C or 1095 in years. And when they do use a quality steel they shout it from the roof tops and the price sky rockets.
James Richie :- I've said this before, but it is worth repeating....STEEL IS NOT EVERYTHING on a knife! Steel is one factor, but heat treat and design (edge geometry) are just as important. The most expensive steel improperly heat treated is useless, and a "thick" edge might make for a useable axe but is non-functionable on a knife blade. Simplistic statements are the bane of modern internet conversations...and at the root of a lot of our troubles. In these knife forums, there are novice knife buyers who use the information posted and proceed to make purchases based on that "leaned knowledge". When someone comes out and makes erroneous statements, that person is poisoning the information pool and misleading people who depend on the video poster for facts.
Thanks for watching!
Check out my Knife Collectors Log & Record Book!: amzn.to/3PhVUn1
Thanks for the Support!!
My Instagram: instagram.com/slipjointguy
Here are more amazon links!
GOOD QUALITY OILS
3N1 oil: amzn.to/3sAF5Fk
G96: amzn.to/3aYRiOj
Hoppe’s oil: amzn.to/3q0HffR
Ballistol aerosol: amzn.to/3b1Gu20
Ballistol oil: amzn.to/3r1qAdm
Ballistol wipes: amzn.to/3r3yB1z
Renaissance wax: amzn.to/3kvDb6c
OTER-Messer Knives
OTTER BEE Knife!!! amzn.to/3ke9Ugt
Mercator black cat K55K carbon: amzn.to/35iil4f
Copper Mercator with clip and CARBON blade: amzn.to/3eKtbTE
Large otter Hippekniep smoked oak handles: amzn.to/2WgCC4L
Small Otter Hippekniep Black Grenadil handles amzn.to/3algvmh
Green Bone little Doctors knife: amzn.to/37mvHxB
Small anchor knife (smoked oak) amzn.to/3agHr6j
Large anchor knife (sapeli wood) amzn.to/3r1cDg8
Small Anchor knife (sapeli wood) amzn.to/2KueE3D
Kershaw slipjoints
Barlow style: amzn.to/2UD9nZo
Stockman: amzn.to/3f8vujz
Trapper: amzn.to/35F36Th
POLISHING PASTES
WR Case Paste: amzn.to/3iQL6ss
Wenol polish: amzn.to/3aZ07rs
Flitz polish: amzn.to/3ktGNFV
My favorite SLIPJOINT BOOKS
How to restore and repair slipjoint knife book: amzn.to/3jTQwnO
Slip-joint Folder Designing and Building: amzn.to/3b1xHwP
WR CASE KNIVES
Case Medium Stockman in CV!: amzn.to/2R20Ddb
Case Congress: amzn.to/3gU0Jyg and amzn.to/2QV7oh5
Case Bone Stag Barlow: amzn.to/2Z9Bulp
Case Dark red bone Barlow: amzn.to/3i3R0GX
Case Smooth red Bone Barlow: amzn.to/31W3XNs
Case White Bone Barlow: amzn.to/3jOdAUA
Case Antique bone Barlow: amzn.to/2QWGWUc
Case Russlock Amber bone: amzn.to/3312KDF
Case Russlock Dark red Bone CV!!: amzn.to/32XBxC2
Case Baby Butterbean Black synthetic: amzn.to/2ESzyXM
Case Butterbean Icthus! : amzn.to/3561ZMh
Case Butterbean Mediterranean Blue Bone: amzn.to/331ikiC
Case Butterbean SAMBAR STAG!: amzn.to/3bsZ1Tf
Case branded easel: amzn.to/2QT1sFp
Case Bandana: amzn.to/3jKQsWX
I like the Rough Ryder knives. I think they are just right for the beginning collectors looking to build a collection for not a lot of money. I have a few in my collection
I have six and like them...I rotate my EDC with them...there is a HUUUUGE difference between *inexpensive* and *cheap* that should be paid attention to, imo :)
Because of RUclips videos, touting Rough Ryder quality, I recently purchased 5 varying patterns from ebay.
The first knife is a Glow handle, small sod buster(rr1427) and it is a good knife. I really do like it.
I also purchased a fish knife(rr1401) that is a good knife. I'm happy with it. And that was it. 2 out of 5 were good.
One knife, a red jig bone sod buster(rr304), had the blade so off center it had scratches from the liner. That was the only one I returned.
Another knife, a blue bone stockman(rr1556) had the small blade damaged. The blade had a flat spot, with a burr, as if it were hit with something against the blade edge.
And the final knife, a Working Man, green bone(rr1957) had the tip sticking out above the handle when opened. I can slide my fingernail and pull the blade open from the tip when closed. And when closing the blade, it doesnt click shut. The only thing holding the blade closed is side pressure from the pivot end. I've never had a pocket knife like this. If the pivot end ever gets loose, the blade will flop around.
And all of the knives had the regular defects, like gaps and marks.
Rough Ryder is a cheap, low quality brand with a high percentage of defective knives. I don't expect them to hold up well under serious use and the odds of getting a good one are less than 50 percent, in my experience. And I'm suspicious that there are sellers on ebay selling seconds without informing buyers. And the cost is so low they expect the buyer not to return them for any reason.
I love them. They haven’t let me down yet. The price is right. Also I have so many Case, Buck, Puma knives that it’s pathetic. I have at least 20 Rough Ryders knives and I love every one of them.
I’m a slip joint collector, but I bought 3 RRs last week just to see them. I’m moderately impressed. Certainly good for the price. They’re not GEC, but they’re far from the worst slipjoints out there.
I probably own 20 or 30 RR knives and for the most part, they've been well worth the money I paid. Walk & talk is the usual flaw in them. F&F is usually superb, especially for the $$$ spent. Now, if they'd come out with a plain, old-fashioned "HIGH CARBON 1095 steel blade"! Not titanium-coated, not stainless steel and NOT High-carbon stainless steel.... just plain old fashioned carbon steel! It ain't rocket science. It's a proven fact, 1095 will take a finer edge, by far!
gemstateguy your quite right! Plain 1095 with nice bone, wood or even good acrylic covers would be very nice, and collectible. I’ll be picking up a few more for sure.
@@slick_slicers , maybe they'll get wind of our suggestion and come out with a few patterns in 1095. I'm like you.... I'd be buying them like popcorn! I really like the patina and "pocket-worn" look of a good knife.
Spot on! Some of my favourite carries are my worn Sheffield pocket knives.
Just so you know, Smoky Mountain Knife Works owns Rough Rider knives their hand belt and back for life so if they have that knife and stock you can send it back with the with the chipped scale and then they'll replace the knife
"Cheap Chinese knives"? Maybe inexpensive, but I don't think I'd call them cheap. I've got some RR knives that are absolutely perfect in every respect other than the final polish. Give me 15 minutes and I'll have it looking like the best Case that ever left the factory. The days of long ago are gone, guys. Unless you've got some mighty deep pockets, good luck in finding a better AFFORDABLE knife without spending the kid's milk money! The Chinese make some superb knives, I don't care if they're made on the moon!
RR knives I bought 10 years ago for $8.00 are now selling for $16.00. Do you have a Case that has doubled in value in that length of time?
I’m gonna give them a try! BTW, what do you use to polish your knives??
Thanks for your perspective, I agree with it all, I'd prefer it if stuff were manufactured in America. But in terms of Bang for your Buck you can't beat Rough Riders. What I pay for one Case or GEC etc I can literally buy half a dozen RR's and try that many different other patterns. One style of collecting is not the monetary value but of having and trying a wide range, having as diverse a collection as possible.
If i wanted one knife for each traditional pattern, it'd cost me an arm and a leg, but thanks to RR, i might just could get there
Good objective review, thanks. I enjoy giving RR to my non-knife friends.
The Chinese have been making knives and Steel weapons for a few thousand years we only just got started in comparison. About 30 years ago I bought 1 Kitchen butcher knife in the Chinese market in Chinatown. To this day it has only been sharpened on the 12in steel that I bought along with it and towards the handle is the original Edge still razor-sharp. I'm in Canada and I just ordered five more on Amazon USA because when I buy a few of them at once I only pay one shipping charge. Years ago I bought a Spyderco pm-2 and a Benchmade 940 but because they're so expensive I don't use them where the Rough Riders are used everyday
Not cheap knives...inexpensive knives.
Not really collector knives, they are user knives.
Made in China, but designed in the USA, and
the company, is American...Smokey Mountain Knife Works.
These knives are greatly undervalued, they do what a knife is meant to do...cut!
Edit:- The quality is getting better and better, each batch coming from the factory is better than the last.
Nice vid.There are people who collect knives and people who use knives, I carry a knife everyday, and there's no way I'm going to carry a 60+ dollar knife. I use them, I loose them, I loan them to people, Rough Rider is perfect for that. They are a cheap, usable tool. I don't need eye candy.
I agree! Rough Rider Knives aren't bad at all.
My hope is that one day these Rough Rider knives will trickle down in price, so I can start collecting them. Perhaps, on the second hand market, like most of the knives I collect? $5 delivered is the MAX I will pay for a knife. And I will never start when talking about my knives, "for the price, they are good", as they can only be, one, or the other.
Amazon sells roughRider knives is for 45 or 50 bucks I guess they’re waiting to catch an unexpected person that doesn’t know better
Trapper looks nice! What is the closed length?
Great review! I have just one, but it's decent too. It's not super steel, yet they get the hardness right. They do hold a good edge.
Someone said on another channel, these knives give you a chance to try out a pattern that you may not have tried before. I have 6 different RRs and like them all. Like you said, I wouldn’t destroy a case xx knife but am not afraid to use my RRs
exactly! thanks for the comment!
Question, do they still make the one with the blade and pliers ?
I bought a guitar for around 150 bucks and some years later find out people are paying 800 to 1200 bucks. Those knives could turn into gold some day.
please, what is the Rough Rider model number for the one with the pliers on it? Thanks.
Rough Rider Electrician's Knife Tobacco Smooth Bone 1081
I have a few RR knives,great knife for the price. Why buy a knife you are afraid to use.
Great review and i agree fully. Just done a simple cut test and resharpen. Great results and i buy them for use and to fill in till i get branded patterns. Atb paddy 👍☘️😊
I have a bunch of RR knives...just like the way they look. A few of them I own are worthy of edc status and I do carry them such as the Classic Carbon series, Black Bone and Copper series, and their Premium Select series. Thanks for sharing.
I have a classic carbon toothpick that i love, its my official whittling knife and recently got a Dog bone jack muskrat...its a work of art! Its one of the knives id take to my grave.
By the way, Paddy sent me over. I’m in the UK and collect slip joints as they are all that’s legal here. Pop over and see my channel.
Their f&f is stunning for the money, and I’ve seen a lot worse on ‘handmade’ Sheffield or Solingen knives at 5 times the price. They’ll never be the mainstay of my collection, but I can see a few filling the gaps in patterns in my collection till something better comes up.
Yep, I agree whole-heartedly. Not a bigger bang for your knife $$$$ than a RR. Boker Plus also makes a pretty good knife.
You didn’t think it was nice for a RR, you thought it was just nice! You didn’t know it was a RR! I think that’s the point. I pick traditional knives for the looks. Not the steel or even the functionality. I have my Benchmades for that.
the trapper is sweeeet!
I'm just getting into slip joint knives and purchased a GEC #31 red micarta and while it was a beautiful knife the lock must have been a 9, literally a nail breaker, 3 times, for all the talk of made in the USA you expect better than a knife you can't use, shame on GEC for letting this out of the shop, I told the seller I had RR knives that function beautifully compared to this over priced piece of crap. Try RR knives first you won't be disappointed I promise you.
woptucci yeah great value for the money. I would call GEC and see if they can work on that action for you. I know the feeling of buying a high dollar knife with flaws, not a good feeling at all.
@@slipjointguy It was a $60 knife but none the less should function properly I mean all that need be done is for someone to check it at the end of production . I have since heard this model is notorious for a over strong pull, I sent mine back to TSA knives, very nice folks who stated they check all knives before they ship, reasonable if it gets done and in this case it didn't but still the seller said they would make it right in the end so that is a happy ending.
woptucci that’s good. TSA are good dealers!
@@slipjointguy l
Steel is everything on a knife. What Rough Rider knives use is 440A. "The "A" matters. It tells you this is the lowest grade of 440 steel. This doesn't mean it's horrible steel. It's the most commonly used steel for work knives of every type in the world. Even our own military uses forty tons of it each year. But it is not even in the same zip code as the steel Case XX uses. Or most of the other top brands, for that matter.
People talk about this brand being better, or that brand being better, but Case XX uses the best steel of any brand on the market. Where others use a standard 440C that gives a very toothy edge, the Case proprietary 440C gives an edge so smooth the tooth barely shows up under a microscope. And where others use standard 1095, Case uses 1095 CV that is much stronger, much tougher, and that has much better edge retention than standard.
If you're a collector who never uses a knife, then steel doesn't matter. You may as well collect the prettiest brand and let it go at that. Or even photos of the prettiest brand. I know two people who actually do this. But if you use knives, then steel matters, and Case uses the best steels, hands down.
James Richie :- I have one Rough Ryder that has 440C blades...it came razor sharp out of the box...sharper than most of my Case knives from the factory.
Steel does matter, but heat great matters more. For example Lionsteel is having trouble with it's heat treat, on quality steel.
Boker has perfected the heat treat on 440C, and Tony Bose has perfected D2 ( Dr. D2), but many companies are selling knives with these steels, but with less than optimum heat treat. Buck has been using a inexpensive steel for years, but has the the heat treat dialed in perfectly.
Don't put down 440A or 440B or "surgical stainless" type blades ...these less expensive steels can be optimized during the heat treat and outperform ho-hum treated expensive steels.
The proof, as far as knives go, is in the cutting. (And cost effectiveness)
Edit:- Rough Ryder is also producing carbon steel blades.
Case’s tru-Sharp is 420HC. It is far from the best steel hands down. I love Case but their steel is not nearly as good as you’re trying to make it out to be.
And Case now uses 1086 CV not 1095CV they switched a while back.
Case just stamps their blades SS or CV but are very ambiguous with their steel.
They haven’t used 440C or 1095 in years. And when they do use a quality steel they shout it from the roof tops and the price sky rockets.
James Richie :- I've said this before, but it is worth repeating....STEEL IS NOT EVERYTHING on a knife!
Steel is one factor, but heat treat and design (edge geometry) are just as important.
The most expensive steel improperly heat treated is useless, and a "thick" edge might make for a useable axe but is non-functionable on a knife blade.
Simplistic statements are the bane of modern internet conversations...and at the root of a lot of our troubles. In these knife forums, there are novice knife buyers who use the information posted and proceed to make purchases based on that "leaned knowledge". When someone comes out and makes erroneous statements, that person is poisoning the information pool and misleading people who depend on the video poster for facts.