Bear & Sons C337 Yellow G10 Farm Hand (Sodbuster)

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afi1

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Feb 9, 2013
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I've had a $50 gift card to [a sporting goods store] since last Christmas. Unfortunately, there are no local stores in my area. I was visiting family this past weekend in North Georgia, and on the way back I stopped by the one in Augusta. I browsed for a bit, and had already grabbed a red Tinker; my first Victorinox. I know it's hard to believe, but I've never owned one. I think I had a Wenger when I was a kid, but God only knows what happened to it.

Anyway, I found a rack of Bear & Sons knives. One that jumped out at me was the C337 Yellow G10 Farm Hand. It is a liner-less Sodbuster type knife, 1.9oz with a 2 3/4in. 1095 carbon steel blade. Of the 7 examples they had, I picked the best looking one. This is saying something, because there was a huge variation of fit and finish between each knife. This seems to be the general consensus on Bear & Sons products. The Price was $29, which is high- but I went ahead and picked it up.

Once I got home and opened it up, I made a few observations. For one, the blade came oiled out of the package, but some spotting was still present after I wiped it down. There was also a good bit of polishing compound left on the blade. The handle was full of dust, too. I don't know if it was dried polishing compound, or G10 dust. There are also a few discolored areas on the G10 scales. The finish on the portion of the blade that interfaces with the spring is very rough, and can be felt when opening and closing the blade. I was able to clean out some grit, but even still the steel itself is very uneven. I oiled it up and it relieved some of the friction- but its still there. This may slick up over time. A rough burr was also present on the blades edge. It touched up nicely on a ceramic rod, but shouldn't have had to be done right out of the box. I'm not very impressed with the quality of this US produced knife. The Chinese produced Puma SGB I posted about earlier is head and shoulders above this knife. I imagine this knife will perform well as a user, but surely not a show piece.

I'm not concerned about the knife being liner-less, as G10 is extremely hard/strong. Many large "Tactical" folders employ liner-less G10 scales. Cold Steel and Al Mar come to mind.








Here you can see some of the discoloration on the G10.


Here is the lack of finish I attribute the rough opening to.


Compared to the Puma SGB Lonestar 30.
 
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Thanks for your detailed post and observations.

Sadly, your findings echo my own regarding the Bear & Sons knives I've examined in person. To me, they consistently look and feel like true "knock-offs"-- knives someone made based only on pictures of quality items.

In addition to fit and finish issues, their design almost always includes something out of proportion, a line shortened or lengthened where it ought not be, a little bit here or there that leaves the knife looking 'off.'

~ P.
 
Thanks for sharing your new knife and your observations of it. I would love to add one or two of their products to my collection, just to have some representation of them... but only when I can purchase somewhere where I can inspect and get something showing some of their better work. Too bad they have such a reputation, and apparently well deserved one... but maybe someday... well, just maybe, they can turn it around?... Well, just wishful thinking, I guess :-)
 
Thanks for the review, I'd heard some positive things about this particular Bear, but I guess it's just hit or miss, as others have stated. I don't really know who buys Bear, they cost about the same as Case, or 300 series Bucks.
 
I read another review on this particular Bear knife a couple weeks ago and I have to say it's the only model I feel compelled to give a chance as I really like the way it looks and the materials used. I have found it for under $20 on the big auction site as well so it's pretty reasonably priced if you search around.
 
jkulysses said:
I read another review on this particular Bear knife a couple weeks ago and I have to say it's the only model I feel compelled to give a chance as I really like the way it looks and the materials used. I have found it for under $20 on the big auction site as well so it's pretty reasonably priced if you search around.
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For under $20 I would say go for it. The materials and construction are very unique in a factory Sodbuster- The lockback one more so. I will probably buy one of those, too, just to add to the collection. Just don't expect stellar QC. I would suggest purchasing from a retailer where you can give it a once over before purchase. Either that, or some place with an easy return policy in case the one you receive is bad.
 
I don't think Bear has made a real effort at producing top quality knives, but seems more intent on users. I have seen some really nice knives from them over the years, but an awful of poor made product as well.

I just saw some of their product for the first time on the rack at my local sporting goods store as well. I was surprised. Actually, their product look pretty good from what I could see in the blister packs. I think if you "get a good one" then you have a lot of knife in your hand. But I wouldn't buy one from a place I couldn't immediately and painlessly return it.

More importantly though, for what they were charging, and based on my past experience you can get a lot more knife for about the same money. Still tough to be a BUCK for a workingman's knife at a workingman's budget, and still tough to be a CASE or QUEEN for a sodbuster pattern. For the price of the BEAR sodbuster I saw in the store, I could get a QUEEN with D2 for blade steel.

Added: BTW, that PUMA is nasty ugly. Where was that one made?

Robert
 
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afi1 said:
Ugly? I think it looks good. It's Chinese produced with a German blade.
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It is unlikely to be made in China with a German-made blade. Not cost effective. I'd like to see the tang stamps. Some of the markings can be misleading.
 
knarfeng said:
It is unlikely to be made in China with a German-made blade. Not cost effective. I'd like to see the tang stamps. Some of the markings can be misleading.
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Here is the initial review thread I posted:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1110412-Puma-SGB-Lonestar-30-(Sodbuster)

Information on Puma's SGB line can be found on their website home page. Here is the knife in question:
http://pumaknifecompanyusa.com/PUMA0174-Lonestar30-SGB-yellow-P354.aspx#sthash.GKBAFSb6.dpbs
 
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I don't know if I would go as far as calling the Puma "nasty ugly" lol. I like the way the bone scales look with the black flecks in throughout the bone.
 
Importing German blades to China to be made into pocket knives is a new one on me. I'd only heard of the reverse. It's a multinational market for sure.
 
knarfeng said:
Importing German blades to China to be made into pocket knives is a new one on me. I'd only heard of the reverse. It's a multinational market for sure.
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Think about this for a minute. I have a great Taiwan made knife that had "German steel blade" etched into it. The didn't say the blade itself was made in Germany, just the steel.

These guys say more sometimes with what they don't say. I pulled four of my seven Pumas, and they all are marked Solingen on them somewhere on the main blade.

NOTE: This blade does not say the origin of the steel. It simply says it is a German blade. Since the website says it is 440a, the darling of the Chinese knife industry, it would be easy enough for them to purchase this type of inexpensive stainless in long, bulk coils made to their specs for their stamping machines. Since they stamped it, ground it, treated it and etched it, that would make it a German blade from Chinese steel.

This isn't any different than my Taiwan blade being made from German steel. They just sourced their bulk manufacturing needs from another country, the final product was produced in their factory in Germany.

Went through this same type of advertising and promotion sleight of hand with the American tool industry about 25 years ago.

Just sayin'...

Robert
 
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Well, I'll start by saying that I really don't care where the Puma was made- I'm only trying to save them a little face by making sure the facts are straight in case someone stumbles onto this thread via Google. I don't want a company losing business because of me, so here goes.

Not only does Puma say this in the link posted earlier: "Country of Origin: German Blade, assembled in China"
It also says this on the back of the package the knife I have came in:


This thread is providing some great discussion, though. I didn't foresee it going this way when I was posting- Especially since the original thread on the Puma only had 2 replies.
 
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afi1, I want to say thanks for staying on top of this thread so that we are all properly educated on what is going on with Puma. At one time Puma (at least to me in the 70s) was the top of the mountain as far as knife makers go. Now it seems as with most makers they are doing what they need to do to stay afloat in the hyper competitive global market.

Without you taking the time to post the back of the blister pack your knife came in I don't think any of us would have gotten the actual truth of the matter correct. Certainly, I wouldn't have.

At any rate, welcome aboard!

Robert
 
I was cleaning out the car and found the original packaging for the knife. On the back, it had a registration card and a website to register online. I registered mine online, and received this email in response:

"Dear Customer,

Thanks for Choosing a Bear & Son knife! We know there are many options out there and the
workers that make this USA made knife appreciate your support!

With over 80 American Workers in the Bear & Son Cutlery Facility & almost 1000 American
Workers at Bear & Son's Many Suppliers

All Bear & Son Cutlery Products are Made in the USA!

Thanks for you Purchase!

Ken Griffey; President of Bear & Son Cutlery"

I know its automated, but its still cool. I just wish those 80 something Americans would put a little more effort into the F&F of their product.
 
afi1 said:
I know its automated, but its still cool. I just wish those 80 something Americans would put a little more effort into the F&F of their product.
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That is a nice touch. Most registrations I do these days only seem to result in a flurry of email spam for like products from the company or near products from their associates to sell me something else.

I know it is a small thing, but it is kind of nice.

Robert
 
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