ROUGH RIDER CLASSIC CARBON SWAYBACK WHITTLER

Go buy one. If you are somehow unhappy with it, it would help to validate the other whittler you own  (and paid 10 times as much for)

3-Blade Swayback whittler, model # RR1741

Finally, RR did the right thing with their steel. Don't get me wrong, the 440 (A?) steel that they use currently in all of their traditional pocket knife patterns is adequate. It is not the crumbly mystery steel you get from Tourist souvenior shops. 

The flip top box that the whittler came in was tastefully aged. It even has a piece of waxed paper covering the knife, a-la WR CASE & Sons. Blades came covered in light machine oil.

Don't know what took them so long. I only came across them a month or so ago.If you search the web, people were talking about this "Classic Carbon" series as early as January 2018.
3 3/4" Closed.

Yellow "Composition" handles. Delrin? Reminds me of undyed cattle bone of old. 

Since this "CC" series is all about the steel used for the blades, namely the Chinese made T10, I will GLOAT about it. A bit. According to CAS Iberia's steel info page and other steel manufacturer's sites: 

T10 is: 
0.36% Maganese ("promotes greater strength by increasing the hardenabilty of steel..")
0.32% Silicon (used primarily as a deoxidizer in steels to improve soundness. ie free from defects and decays)
and ......you guessed it: 1.0% Carbon.

T10 has been widely touted as the  1095 equivalent from Chinese steel makers. Well, the internet says so, it must be true...right? (Yup. says the advanced knife bro on Youtube)

So does it make the cut?
Beautifully.I will get to that. Let's talk about price. I paid $18 and change for mine on ebay. There are at least 14 or so variations on this Classic Carbon theme, all under $20 and I am very tempted to get more. But I refreined. But it would be so wrong not to get at least one. So I chose one which I think offered the best bang for the buck: The (Splitback!!) Swayback Whittler RR1741.

How much would it cost to obtain a splitback from other knife maker? 

As I stared in admiration at the tapered brass back, I could hear sounds of furious typing. Maybe it's about the gaps and sloppy worksmanship. Maybe it's about blade centering. Or Walk and talk? Maybe Americans felt it's Chinese made, therefore not patriotic. Maybe we should not get political here.
Tell you what: At the count of three, flip over your computer's keyboard and read the Country of Manufacture out loud: Made in __________ oops.

For me, it's about the value and collectibility.  Come on! for $18, you can't complain. Nowadays, I tend to use my knives than hoarde them. He who dies with the most knives wins, but I have little use for medals in my coffin.

Here's a shot for those people who collect dead centered knives. This whittler is dead centered when closed. There isn't room for otherwise. When open, on the pen blade will scrape the finish of the main wharncliffe blade. 

 Does it cut? Well enough.
Does it sharpen easy like 1095?  I have yet to re-sharpen the edge. But if the factory edge is anything to go by, I notice there isn't the usual " Razor Sharp 440 Steel" burring that I can feel with this knife. 

Lastly, this knife will rust. Good news for patina lovers.

Two springs tension the main blade, while at the other end, one spring powers each penblade.

New Shield says "C.C" Yes, It's a glue-on job. And so are CASE's. At least the modern ones.

Pen blades are useful, but who needs two on the same knife? I will probably grind down one of them to make a coping blade. But which one?