Victorinox Classic SD, Schrade Century CN22, Rough Rider 541 comparison

[dks]

Warning: This overview contains 3 items. If you only want to look at 1 item at a time then this is not the review you are looking for…    

The Victorinox classic is probably the most popular branded multitool of all time. So it was natural to try to imitate it and when this was not successful to just clone it.

These 3 knife based multitools (or maybe scissor based..) are :
The classic SD
The Schrade Century CN22
The Rough rider RR541

They all have the same tools:



The Schrade has a loose toothpick and the RR has a very tight toothpick, which is also differently shaped.
The Schrade looks bigger, similar in length to the 65mm Wenger line (bottom of picture).



However it is not really noticeably longer inside, as the outer plastic covers are just bigger than the inside parts. In reality the actual body (tools, liners) is about the size of the 58mm Victorinox.
You can see here the empty space between the end of the coves and the liners:



And with the others:



The Schrade weighs(OK, has mass of) 22.3g, the Classic 20.8 and the RR, the heftier one, 23.5
The RR is actually thicker and feels like it has an extra layer.

The blades are similar in size and shape and all cut well.





The scissors are similar but the Schrade ones are bigger and has a screw in the pivot instead of a rivet. The RR’s spring is inferior in feel and looks. It reminds me of the springs in the scissors of the really nasty SAK contenders from China.




In use, after 1 cut. The RR cuts the shortest.



The files are similar in size but the Schrade has a more regular looking file, which may be better for filing metals too. The other two have the standard looking Classic file.



The boxes:



So, what is the conclusion?
They are all at leas OK.

The Classic has the best walk and talk, smoothest operation, good “natural” general feel, but then, it is the one I am most used too.
The Schrade (made in Germany, assembled in the US) also feels like a quality product, despite the loose toothpick and has good walk and talk.
The RR feels a bit cheaper, because of the wedged in toothpick and the scissors but has the best snap in the tools; you get the idea that it was designed by a slipjoint manufacturer and the blade “locks” with a very solid sound.

Now, the price is the deciding factor. The RR is the cheapest, in theory, but since most people will have to import it, from the US, if you factor in the price of shipping and possibly taxes it will be about the same as the Classic, which you can buy from a local shop.
The Schrade is no longer made and the prices that used to be similar to Victorinox are not fixed. On a good day (cheap eBay buy for example) it will be worth it. As a no longer available collectible (and with expensive US shipping) it may be too expensive, to use.

The Classic is what it is, with good quality and availability both new and used, in a much greater variety of colours and scales.

Summarising, for the money I will need to pay the RR will be my last option, with the other two pretty close, but with the classic winning.

[enki_ck]

Thanks for the comparison and summary.

I didn't know RR was branching into SAKalikes. New thing or have they had other models too? Not really sure how I feel about that though.

[kirk13]

Cheers,I'd been looking forward to that,though getting the Schrade was a bonus

Nice write up

[dks]

Many thanks to both 

You can't really blame RR.. Schrade has been copying the Classic for years and nobody complained    They have not attempted to make any other SAK style knives, as far as I know, but they do make multitools etc.. Here is a review of their wrench and scout from a while back (maybe I need to organise the reviews too...)

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php?topic=35701.0

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,26362.0.html

This model has been available for years, on eBay, but the shipping, for something this small was not worth it.. but I got a Barlow from the seller, so I used the opportunity to get one of the 541s, with reduced shipping.

I have not seen them reviewed anywhere before, so I assume that they are not popular. However, on amazon US they are around $3 so they are a lot cheaper than the Classic for those Stateside... but still not many people seem to buy them.
It can make a great stocking filler. Even though the scissors are not great it is a good tool. I trimmed a nail with the scissors today and it worked fine.

[dks]

I forgot to add a link with some more information on the Schrade Century knives:

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,31439.0.html

[Cupboard]

A Classic is so cheap I can't really see the point in the others.

[dks]

Think in US prices