Rough Ryder Classic Carbon II Seahorse Whittler 18

Some years ago, the British collector Rod Neep had a fascinating website about pocket knife collecting, including a web page about the Seahorse Whittler pattern. As far back as the mid 1600’s, this specific pattern has existed. The distinctively curved “serpentine” frame houses a fairly robust main blade, shaped in what is arguably the most popular and appropriate blade for whittling, the Wharncliffe design. Whittling is a subdivision of wood carving, really; but while wood carving tools include chisels, gouges, skew chisels, scorps, “Sloyd” knives (which are a type of fixed blade knife), etc, and while wood carving is best suited to a studio, workshop, or at least to a permanent or temporary designated area to work in, most people would associate whittling with a handheld piece of suitable wood and a small knife, often a pocket knife, as an item or ornament is gradually made by hand. Chip carving is a related activity, but with other specific tools and methods. Whittling involves creativity and imagination, with useful skills learned along the way. A pocket knife that is UK friendly allows the hobby to be portable and somewhat spontaneous. Unlike other Whittler pattern slip joint pocket knives, that is, folding traditional pocket knives, which more often feature a clip blade or sometimes a spear point blade, the Wharncliffe blade has a very fine tip; so the main blade excels at stock removal and rough shaping, as the main blade on a Whittler should do, whilst also permitting meticulous detail work. Normally the smaller blades, or blade, if only one secondary blade is present, of a Whittler are reserved for more delicate and precise cuts. Rough Ryder has chosen to give half stops to all three blades of this model. The walk and talk is well done, and the blades snap authoritatively into place at the half stops and in the fully opened and closed positions. The weight of this model is a bit hefty, yet the handle contours are smooth and inviting, and the balance whilst using the main blade is quite nice. The smaller blades are both of the Pen pattern, another useful and common choice for smaller secondary blades on many different pocket knife patterns. Case uses a combination of Pen and Coping blade shapes on their Seahorse Whittler, as well as the Wharncliffe main blade, but with a very thick spine on the main blade, without any swedge, which offers a more comfortable support for one’s thumb for push cuts, even when using a “thumb on thumb” technique when control, power, and precision are all important. The Case Seahorse Whittler has no half stops, and it works just fine. As other reviews have noted, it would have been better if Rough Ryder had likewise designed their Wharncliffe main blade with a wider back surface. As it is, all three blades on the Rough Ryder Seahorse Whittler have stylish swedges, or bevels, at the back of the blades, which do not exactly create a sharp edge on the spine of the blades, but are not quite as comfortable for extended sessions of whittling as is the broader Case offering. Swedges do contribute to flexibility of the blades, which is a desirable feature. With regard to this hobby, the well - respected author E. J. Tangerman, in his book “Whittling and Woodcarving,” published in 1936, speaks highly of the importance of a flexible blade for detailed shaping, and of course stresses the need for initial sharpening, and then frequent stropping as the project takes shape. Really, sharpening should only be done to achieve a fine edge, followed by stropping to remove any burrs or “wire edge” remnants from the sharpening process. Stropping is really a must; otherwise, the edge is not truly sharp enough for effective wood carving, which will quickly discourage a beginner. Stropping every few minutes to rapidly restore a very keen edge soon becomes second nature. It only takes a dozen or so alternating strokes, similar to a barber maintaining a razor. The result will be an easy gliding cut going with the grain of the wood, which leaves a glossy finish, even when cutting across the grain. Of course, the harder the wood, the more often the edge should be stropped. But the results are well worth it. Rough Ryder’s Seahorse Whittler is of the split back design, with a central spacer that tapers to nothing. Case’s equivalent, by comparison, also has two full length back springs but with no central spacer visible at the back. Blade rub is quite common in pocket knives when the closed blades overlap; many patterns from many manufacturers exhibit this tendency. So it is not worth fretting over, and most users accept this as part of the charm of taking up the enjoyable hobby of whittling. Patience and perseverance are needed for the beginner; however, mindful attentiveness in short order becomes a sort of therapy, and calm careful techniques will yield a pleasant and satisfying experience. Rough Ryder has done well, overall, with this model. Yes, there are daylight gaps when viewing the back of the pocket knife. And it did need sharpening and stropping to suitably prepare the blades. The badge recess could have been machined more carefully. Yet the total effect is pleasing, and this makes a welcome addition to the modest collection. And it does work! Rough Ryder’s stainless pocket knives have been well received by wood carving enthusiasts for some years now, and their carbon steel models are reportedly also very capable. A small trivia point: my older examples from this manufacturer are clearly stamped “Rough Rider” on the main blade’s tang. The spelling changed somewhere along the way. Cheers to HH for supplying this model, and for a remarkably quick delivery.

The Seahorse Whittler as a distinct pattern has existed since the mid 1600’s, according to an interesting article written several years ago by British collector Rod Neep, His enthusiastic and informative commentary kindled my interest in Seahorse Whittlers. As a whittling implement, this specific pattern is of course ideal for the job. Fixed blade whittling knives are often designed with a Wharncliffe blade, which seems to be a good all around choice due to its precisely narrowing fine tip. Perfect for many types of detailed work. So a folding pocket knife version that is UK friendly lets you take your hobby into the great outdoors. This is a fairly chunky and weighty model, although I have not yet used it extensively. Compared to a Case Seahorse Whittler, the RR is broader, offers very firm tension of the back springs, which are of the “split back” design; separated by a fairly thick brass spacer between the two small pen blades, and the spacer tapers gradually to a fine point that leaves both back springs supporting the main blade. Case, on the other hand, makes their Seahorse with a small brass spacer separating the two smaller blades, one of which is a coping blade (like a miniature lamb foot shape), and the other blade is a small pen pattern. The Case looks and feels almost spindly next to the RR, especially where the handle contains the two thin and somewhat flexible smaller blades. The Case is not the split back type, so no spacer is visible from the back, although the two back springs both support the main Wharncliffe blade, which has a perfectly straight cutting edge, angled slightly tip forward, as is usual for this pattern. The RR Wharncliffe has a very slight curve to its edge, not sideways, but rather, shaped and ground so that the cutting edge trails back ever so slightly. The Case Wharncliffe, by comparison, is thick at the spine, and comfortable to use. Deep swedges adorn all three blades of the RR, and I concur with the other reviewers that have mentioned that the very thin spine areas due to the swedges can become uncomfortable against one’s thumb when using push cuts; especially thumb on thumb techniques. Perhaps a glove or a dedicated thumb protector may help. The walk and talk of the RR is firm and definite, and the half stops are stout. Case does not provide any half stops for their model, and the effort to open and close is nowhere near as severe. In fact, the shape as well as the stiffer action of the RR immediately puts me in mind of another well regarded American manufacturer, Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC), although the overall quality and price of GEC is at a more premium level, and the volume of their output is less. RR could do with tidying up the recess for the badge. The badge has tiny gaps here and there at its edges. The blades are quite straight on the RR, but as is very nearly always so when pocket knife blades overlap, blade rub is inevitable. Not to worry. Such things annoy some users, but realistically, unless the item is just for show, it will naturally acquire small signs of wear and tear, and thereby, genuine character. Generally speaking, carbon steel will perform very satisfactorily when it comes to carving; some users would consider nothing else. So this Rough Ryder Seahorse Whittler seems to be a good choice. A tiny bit of trivia: my older RR models actually read “Rough Rider” at the tang stamps. Newer models are stamped “Rough Ryder,” and I’m not sure why. By the way, if whittling interests you as a hobby, consider finding a copy of “Whittling and Woodcarving” by E. J. Tangerman (1936). It’s quite a treasure trove of information. But thank you, HH, for another pleasant experience.

When I saw this knife my first thought was. This could make a good whittling knife, a back pocket take anywhere carver. But when I opened the main blade I could see that is was badly warped. ,I almost returned it. But I knew that for it to suit me I would alter it anyway. I slightly altered the blade shape and ground it to the thickness I wanted. It took a while until I got the wrinkley tin effect ground flat. The blade was thinner and razor sharp when finished. Just right for me. I then moved on to the second blade and reshaped it and reground it. The 3rd blade I left as it was. Polished out the slight 2000 grit markes and put it to use. It's now my favourite edc. and furthermore I really enjoyed doing it.

Very well engineered knife , small abrasion on main blade hence only 4 Star.

lovely knife at a great price. I cannot fault it used all over my allotment and keeps a good edge, for the price I think its a bargain.

I have had this knife for 2/3 months now. It looked ok out of the box apart from being blunt. So I started to sharpen it. That's when I found the main blade to be so badly ground it resembled a wrinkley tin sheet. I should have sent it back but i persevered and got a sort of edge on it. Well it's a cheap knife and it looks ok when it's closed. Why are the 2 small blades the same, think I will alter one of them. I have half a dozen RR knives now and only 2 of them are all right the rest are c**p! Think I have learned my lesson now. You get what you pay for

Robust knife with what I thought was an unusual main blade shape but I was quickly won over when I tried a little carving and marking out for carpentry. The mirror finish did highlight dents in the blade and a 4mm circular defect that looked similar to a burn mark but they do not affect the function of the blade so I’ll live with them.

I’ve bought several RR knives over the past 5 years and am really impressed with the quality to price ratio. The seahorse whittler is another example of this. I’m a huge fan of the pattern and, as an avid whittler, value the advantages of a large warncliffe blade. The steel sharpens well and there is no play in the blades. I love the look of the handle scales and the overall size and weight. The lost star is down to the loss of comfort when actually whittling due to the swedges-they may look good but they’re not practical for long carving sessions. This is about the only aspect in which the Case seahorse whittler out performs the RR. As a casual whittler though, it is a bargain.

so many models , it was hard to clhoose , so I bought three. All of these are good quality , compared to their price