Rough Rider’s Smoky Mountain Toothpick (RR626)

Why I bought it:

I recently purchased the Rough Rider 626 Boot knife. As a person who likes Boot knives, I thought this would be a nice addition to my collection of fixed blades; in particular, I thought the stacked leather handle would look nice alongside the Saigon Sidekick (RR1093) The knife is one of many Smoky Mountain Toothpicks made by SMKW/Rough Rider. All are modeled after the old Parker Smoky Mountain Toothpick. I’m not sure what my opinion of this knife is. For the moment, I’ll say it has great untapped potential that could have been better exploited.

Dislikes.

The knife is marketed as a double-edged dagger. This isn’t the case. Neither edge is actually sharp. As I’m unsure if the steel is 420 or 440 Stainless, I’m not even sure how well it can be sharpened. If you can sharpen it, it will take some time as the blade is quite dull. Indeed it seems to have the edge of presentation or ceremonial knife and not that of a true fighting knife. Of course it is pointy as all get outdoors, so stabbing is not an issue.

The handle is less than four inches long making it a little difficult to grip.

The blade etch is actually a black ink pad stamping. I’m not sure how the original Parker etch was done as I’ve only seen it online and not in person. I do know the Parker stamp appeared more refined and elegant.

Likes:

The knife is well built and the stacked leather grip is nice and tight. The leather grip was in fact my main reason for buying this knife. The stacked leather handle reminds me of a knife designed for military/combat and I just flat out liked the way it looked.

The brass pommel and cross guard are also quite nice. The knife has great looking profile and with the exception of the dull blade makes a pretty darn good looking boot knife.

The knife is quite small and easy to conceal. It is designed to be a boot knife and could easily be used as such. In this case the small grip makes sense as the knife isn’t really designed for a prolonged fight but for last ditch defense or quick ambush at close range.

The sheath is nice and fits the knife quite well. It has a large belt loop and nice belt/boot clip that appears quite sound. The handle strap is close to the throat which many people prefer. (Not my personal taste.) Leather would’ve been nicer but as sheaths go this one of the better ballistic nylon sheaths I’ve seen on an inexpensive knife.

Smoky Mountain Toothpick stored in the provided sheath.

Summing things up:

If you’re looking for a presentation or ceremonial boot knife, this one fits the bill quite nicely. It looks pretty good and for the price would do fine for the $10-15 price tag. The brass furniture, stainless polished and polished leather handle does make for a knife that is suited more for parade ground smartness than the take down of check-point sentry

Of course I originally bought the knife because I was looking for a sharp double edged boot dagger with the intent of using it as such, if necessary. I was hoping to make it a companion piece for my Saigon Sidekick (and I still might do this).

I would've preferred a razor sharp blade straight from the block but this isn't the case with this knife. I could probably accomplish this with a little elbow grease but for now, I'm just going to let the knife be as it is while I ponder future projects.

Warning:
This knife is not a toy! Do not think for a second that it is not a lethal weapon. You could easily stab yourself or others with it if you’re not careful. I suspect the dull edge isn’t going to keep you out of trouble with the law if you’re caught carrying it in a place where you shouldn’t be carrying it. Respect it and carry it as you would any other sharp object.