About ready to give up on Case knives

K

KHarper

Joined
Jan 4, 2019
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I just bought a new 3138CV Sodbuster in yellow synthetic to replace one of the same model I dropped somewhere in the snow, and when it arrived, the blade was unacceptably loose and didn't even have a point. It was just a rounded off tip. When the last one arrived and turned out to be loose, I figured it was a fluke and didn't mind because I managed to tighten it up pretty easily. But to get TWO in a row with blades flopping all over the place is just unacceptable, especially since this one didn't want to tighten up. I actually ended up slightly deforming the pivot heads before I could get the frame to draw down snuggly to the blade. And it already loosened up again the first time I put any real side pressure on the blade. And to make it worse, they appear to have changed the blade shape for some reason. The tip is finer, with less of a curve in the sweep up to the tip, and they had added belly to the previously flat cutting edge of the main blade. I liked the old blade shape, don't see why they had to change it at all. Anyway, $40 isn't an expensive knife, but it seems like it ought to at least guarantee an acceptably tight blade. I've bought plenty of cheaper knives that manage to have nice tight blades, so why can't Case manage, especially since they are supposed to be working knives? Since I have a slight knowledge of knives I knew how to tighten the blade and add a point to the tip, but many people have no idea how to do that, and they should get better quality than that for their money. It's too bad because I loved my Case Sodbuster, it was my favorite knife, and I carried it daily for a year before i stupidly lost it (no more horizontal belt sheaths in the snow, until I can figure out a way to get one that doesn't continuously get looser no matter how many pieces of leather you glue inside to make it hold more securely).
 
KHarper said:
Anyway, $40 isn't an expensive knife, but it seems like it ought to at least guarantee an acceptably tight blade. I've bought plenty of cheaper knives that manage to have nice tight blades, so why can't Case manage, especially since they are supposed to be working knives?
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"$40 isn't an expensive knife"
"Expensive" and "Inexpensive" are entirely budget dependent. To some adults, $40 is "expensive". To others, $4,000 is "inexpensive".
Concerning the rest of that quoted sentence:
So far as I know, there are only two things that are guaranteed in this "life":
1) Taxes. "Sales Tax" or "Income Tax", most on this planet pay taxes. (some also get to pay a surtax on fuel for their vehicles and heating their homes.)
2) "Life" is a terminal illness. Everything and anything "alive" will eventually "die".

"Acceptably tight blades" are not guaranteed, no matter how much a knife costs, or who made it.

In answer to your question "... why can't Case manage, especially since they are supposed to be working knives?" concerning wiggly-wobbly blades...
I don't know. Good question. There are very few "deal murders" for me: Serrated Blades, Wiggly-Wobbly blades, and other safety related defects, such as an excessively heavy pull, of say "over a seven" top the short list.
I see no sense in having a knife I have to fight to open, or need a tool to open.
.
 
I’m fortunate enough to live near a Case dealer and get to handle many of their more popular knives. In my experience, the yellow Delrin Sodbuster in CV has the worst quality control of all of them.

For whatever reason some of the patterns are almost always very good quality and others have more flukes.
Unfortunately the rounded tips aren’t a fluke but a feature of most Case knives.

Sorry you had to learn the hard way what many of us have already discovered, that ordering Case knives online is a gamble. I know it’s not always an option, but if you can track down certain hardware or farm stores you’ll find the Case Sodbuster readily available at many of them.
 
solphilos said:
I’m fortunate enough to live near a Case dealer and get to handle many of their more popular knives. In my experience, the yellow Delrin Sodbuster in CV has the worst quality control of all of them.

For whatever reason some of the patterns are almost always very good quality and others have more flukes.
Unfortunately the rounded tips aren’t a fluke but a feature of most Case knives.
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I was just about to post the same thing. I don’t think I’ve handled a sodbuster without blade play in recent memory. Yellow Delrin CV in particular. I also agree that some patterns just seem to be consistently better. For example, the large folding hunter. I haven’t handled one with noticeable blade play yet.
 
Tightening the side-to-side pivot play on Case Sod Busters is tricky, but doable.

I have a 2138 SS Sod Buster (2009 vintage) that had similar issues, when I first bought it. Found it secondhand on the 'Bay in 'as new' condition, for $13. So I didn't have any qualms about any small issues and no reservations about tweaking it to suit my expectations. For a while, I'd just tried to squeeze the pivot tight in a Pana-Vise with some nylon jaw inserts, which prevented marring of the handles or the brass heads of the cutlery rivet. That remedy would sort of work in the short-term. But it didn't take long for it to loosen up again.

I finally figured out, just squeezing it in a vise would move the handles inward, but really didn't compress the rivet at all. This is why it wouldn't stay tight for long. So, I changed my approach and used a flat-faced steel punch in a size approximately equal to the diameter of the rivet's head (maybe ~ 1/4" - 5/16"), and a mallet, to apply some tapping pressure directly atop the rivet and with no pressure on the handle itself, with the opposite side backed against a hard surface (I used the 'anvil' portion on a garage bench vise). It takes quite a lot of very careful & measured taps against the rivet head, to get it to move appreciably and compress the rivet so it holds. But once it does move, it stays put. These rivets are strong and hold better than I'd previously assumed, but it takes some patience and finesse to get them perfectly snug with no play. I tightened mine enough to completely eliminate the play. It left the pivot just a tiny bit slow to snap the blade shut with some confidence - but it does still close on it's own. I'm satisfied with that. The little bit of marring of the brass rivet head and of the Delrin handle can very easily be fixed with some light sanding with some wet/dry sandpaper (600+ grit works well). So after all that tapping & tweaking, I had it looking like I'd never messed with it.
 
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I take the knife and squeeze the pivot gently in a vice (with leather on leather side to protect the pivot) then I peen the pin with a small ball peen hammer on an anvil.

It is no fun to have ro do this on a new knife. I've had to do it on 4 or 5 knives....some over $100 new.
 
Yeah, those Case Sod Buster knives are the pits. Of course I never learn and just keep buying.

Mfpsguy.jpg


So easy to sharper a point and adjust a rivet it isn't even worth getting upset about; however, Case has a great return/warranty program and should fix anyone up that has a problem.

The advice given by David Obsessed with Edges Obsessed with Edges is spot on. I've followed his advice often regarding knife maintenance. Smart man that David.:thumbsup:
 
I stopped buying Case in 2012 for some of those very reasons along with some others. I don’t know it seems that it depends on the distributor but I don’t have access to a local distributor only online or the clam packs at the local hardware store that has very limited selection. I’ve seen some doozies! When I’ve been out of area in the big cities I’ve stopped in and looked them over and the quality is better. I suppose that’s common in lots of products across the board and the current market.
 
Thanks Ed, for your kind words. :thumbsup:

I pulled another of mine out of a drawer to inspect, in seeing this thread. It's a 3138 CV (2006 vintage), and it also has some side-to-side play. I'll probably take the same or similar approach in tightening up that one.

The blade tips can usually be repointed by sanding or filing down the spine a little bit, until it meets the sharpened cutting edge. Sometimes the cutting edge itself, near the tip, needs some tuning up too. But most of the 'pointing' work can be done from the spine side. On these soddies, with their nearly straight & flat spine or just a little bit of 'drop point' profile, the sanding/filing is that much easier to do without altering the original design profile of the tip.
 
As regards the points on these Case Sod Busters, I've never really seen the point about complaining about slightly blunt points on them. Pun intended. They're working knives and meant to be stuck in things (dirt, feed bags, hay bales, fire wood) and after some amount of sticking, the points are going to blunt and will need re-pointing anyway. If you want a Case Sod Buster with a guaranteed sharp point upon arrival, get one that is "as ground". Those suckers are sharp - cutting edge and point right outta the box or clam pack. They are just what's advertised - "as ground" never tumbled.

This is an "as ground" Case Sod Buster Jr. Very sharp point and cutting edge out of the box.

mMOpBpi.jpg
 
Modoc ED said:
As regards the points on these Case Sod Busters, I've never really seen the point about complaining about slightly blunt points on them. Pun intended. They're working knives and meant to be stuck in things (dirt, feed bags, hay bales, fire wood) and after some amount of sticking, the points are going to blunt and will need re-pointing anyway. If you want a Case Sod Buster with a guaranteed sharp point upon arrival, get one that is "as ground". Those suckers are sharp - cutting edge and point right outta the box or clam pack. They are just what's advertised - "as ground" never tumbled.

This is an "as ground" Case Sod Buster Jr. Very sharp point and cutting edge out of the box.

mMOpBpi.jpg
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Great "Point" Ed. ✌
 
I never had a truly bad Case knife myself and never inspected one before buying it first either, but may maybe I'm just lucky.
At most I've handled a display model to see if I wanted one, but never opened the box and inspected the one I was handed before purchasing.

I hope you don't give up on Case knives, but if you do that's your decision and nobody can make you to trust the quality of something you've been burned by twice so far.
 
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I recently started my journey into the sodbuster rabbit hole lol :D

My two case jr have a very solid lock, no blade play whatsoever.

My chestnut bone blade is very slightly off center and has a small gap between the spring and liner.

My yellow delrin came with a tiny crack in the center pins and the action was VERY gritty. I cleaned it thoroughly with dawn soap, compressed air, oil etc and is fine now :thumbsup:.

Overall I am happy with mine :), .... especially after putting a wicked edge on both :cool:

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QjBkIWf.jpg
 
CelloDan said:
I recently started my journey into the sodbuster rabbit hole lol :D

My two case jr have a very solid lock, no blade play whatsoever.

My chestnut bone blade is very slightly off center and has a small gap between the spring and liner.

My yellow delrin came with a tiny crack in the center pins and the action was VERY gritty. I cleaned it thoroughly with dawn soap, compressed air, oil etc and is fine now :thumbsup:.

Overall I am happy with mine :), .... especially after putting a wicked edge on both :cool:

9z73xMF.jpg

QjBkIWf.jpg
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That is one fine looking edge, I envy your sharpening skills :thumbsup:
 
HOW DARE YOU SPEAK SO POORLY OF AN AMERICAN CLASSIC?!?

Just kidding.

after being a life-long Case guy, two years ago I asked my sweet mother super politely to stop getting me Case knives as gifts. I live near a Cabelas that has a few that I can handle and every once in a while, and when I do I remember what my disappointment is in the product.

I impulsively wanted to get a Sodbuster a number a months ago to take camping. I asked the man at the counter if I could check out the ones they have in stock. 2 of them flopped from side to side like a dead fish. The 3rd had a blade so skewed in the blade well that the blade was scratched up already from the liner.

I’m sure others might have better luck, but with all my Case knives (Ive got more than I count off hand) I only have 2 that I would consider good and only one of those is perfect.
 
solphilos said:
That is one fine looking edge, I envy your sharpening skills :thumbsup:
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Thank you !
I am not an expert sharpener by any means. I adapted a cheap guided system ( similar to a lansky ) to use
3M Aluminum Oxide Films for Sharpening . I see Lee Valley has diamond films too but I have not tried those ones yet. I love my set up for regular stainless steels and especially for carbon steels.
 
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