best sodbuster type knife?

woody d

woody d

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many years ago when i was a landscaper i carried a case sodbuster jr and loved that knife, but unfortunately i lost it at work. for whatever reason i have never replaced it and i am finding that other makers have similar style knives...so i ask you, which one is the best bang for the buck? id like to keep it in the 30-40 dollar range, im really just looking for a quality user to place in a pocket sheath i ordered last night to compliment a small fixed blade im quickly growing fond of. heres the sheath... [Link removed] (i hope i aint violating any rules by posting that link)

can a fella get a little help here, i have a little extra cash and would like to get the knife asap so i can try the combo out. i like the idea of 2 knives in my back pocket, i have enough stuff in my front pockets and on my belt already.

thanks,
woody
 
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My fave is Great Eastern's Redneck Farm tool (in orange!). It has O1 steel, which is the bee's knee's.
There are multiple threads here discussing it if you search.
 
ive searched, and have read about the GEC version, but cant seem to find any in stock??? hows everyone feel about the country cousin?
 
Just to throw it out there, though it isn't a true sodbuster, Opinels are fantastic work knives that cost next to nothing. My No.8 survived being owned by my grandfather, if that doesn't say anything, I don't know what does!! (He abuses the living heck out of his knives, unfortunately.)

Awesome lock, great steel and fantastic egros....just thought I would give it a shot!
 
woody d said:
ive searched, and have read about the GEC version, but cant seem to find any in stock??? hows everyone feel about the country cousin?
Click to expand...

The blade steel for Queen's Country Cousin is D2, which some find difficult to sharpen but once sharpened holds an edge nicely.

GEC is coming out with another run of their Bull Nose Work Knife in both orange and black next month. You can reserve one or the other or both at www.collectorknives.net a Blade Forums sponsored dealer. Just go to the site and when the home page comes up click on Great Eastern in the left pane and you'll see the reservation bar on the right side when the page comes up. They are above your stated price range though.

Heck, shop around and get another Case Sod Buster. They're great little knives.
 
thanks for all the help guys, im seriously looking at the country cousin.
 
i love my yeller Case CV Sodbuster Jr! one of my favorite knives got it a few years back for around $22
Big fan of the Case Soddie, also comes in stainless steel & black and i believe the large sodbuster is available in Stainless steel and blue as Case Workman series
Regards
Gene

soddie.jpg
 
I'd second the Opinel as a work knife. the GEC Redneck already mentioned is a lovely knife but hard to find as you are discovering.... I'm unimpressed with A.G.Russell's Rancher, blade play started creeping in after a short time, the knife has very little blade tang behind the pivot and i think this is a major factor.

Sam
 
GEC is my favorite sodbuster in your price range! Case is always a sure thing as well. Country cousin is nice and the D2 is a good steel but get ready to put a new edge on it when it comes in, apparently Queen Cutlery forgot about the "Cut" in cutlery:D
 
Opinel, no question. Not even close.

The blades have a convex grind that make short work of cutting through wood and brush. The pivot and lock will get gritty but will not wear down and fail when used in dirty and sandy environments. The pivot is rock solid. As others can attest, you will break a blade before you'll break the pivot.

Lastly, it's easy to modify the handle. Adding a deep easy open notch allows for easy one handed opening and closing.
 
Modoc ED said:
The blade steel for Queen's Country Cousin is D2, which some find difficult to sharpen but once sharpened holds an edge nicely.
Click to expand...

and that was the selling point! ive never had a QC knife so i figured id give one a try...i like D2 and have never had a problem sharpening it, so i just ordered one. what can i say, when i want something i want it NOW LOL

thanks for the help everyone, much appreciated
woody
 
woody d said:
..so i ask you, which one is the best bang for the buck? id like to keep it in the 30-40 dollar range, im really just looking for a quality user to place in a pocket sheath i ordered last night
Click to expand...

There are some standouts in this range, and even cheaper. I have read of folks that have purchased a Rough Rider liner lock work knife modeled after the CASE soddie, and they love it. Cheap, works very well, and you can get them very reasonably. If they get lost or stolen, you aren't out a fortune.

woody d said:
ive searched, and have read about the GEC version, but cant seem to find any in stock??? hows everyone feel about the country cousin?
Click to expand...

Not too sure, but I don't believe you can find the GEC version to meet your price requirements.

I have had the CASE Soddie Jr., and it is indeed a hard working, sturdy knife. Affordable, and you get your money's worth and then some. After my last trip to the Bass Pro Shop to inspect their knives, I was tempted to get one but couldn't find one that didn't have major issues of some sort. If you get one of these, make sure you can look it over. I don't know if they all do, but even Lowe's carries the Soddie Jr.

I have a Bulldog that is almost a mirror image of the CASE model. Good work knife, was priced right, and is a solid worker.

My favorite now by a long stroke is the Country Cousin. That full flat grind goes to a thin edge and it makes it easy to maintain as a wicked slicer. It is very sturdy, feels more so (just an opinion) than the CASE. I do like the fact the CC handle's are more round, and it gives a fuller, more comfortable feel in the hand. If you are using it for extended periods of work, that makes this knife much more comfortable to use (for me) than the thinner handled CASE.

The D2 blade isn't stainless, but it does a great job resisting my sweaty pockets. It gets rust dots on it after a couple of days riding in my pocket (still hitting 100 degrees down here, and I work outside all day sometimes) but they come off easily. Almost zero maintenance is needed on this knife.

Their yellow handles almost glow, so when it is filthy dirty and dropped or dropped in trash and weeds it is easy to find.

I gave away my CASE to a friend that loved it, kept the Bulldog (red handled.... never seen one like that) and use the CC.

Robert
 
I carry sodbusters (queen and case) as my edc due to local laws (sub 3" non lockers are ok)

I'd prefer to carry my GEC #72 lockback though
 
pinnah said:
Opinel, no question. Not even close.

The blades have a convex grind that make short work of cutting through wood and brush. The pivot and lock will get gritty but will not wear down and fail when used in dirty and sandy environments. The pivot is rock solid. As others can attest, you will break a blade before you'll break the pivot.

Lastly, it's easy to modify the handle. Adding a deep easy open notch allows for easy one handed opening and closing.
Click to expand...

+1 What he said :thumbup:
 
while i like the Opinels, thats not really what i was looking for.
i havent had a sodbuster type knife for 17 years, and this section of the forum reminded me just how much i missed my old Case.
looking forward to my latest purchase.
 
The GEC Bullnose in 01 is amazing. I love mine. The fit and finish and the heat treat on the steel are second to none. It's above your recommended price, though.

I also have an Eye Brand that I LOVE. 1095 steel with a nice thin blade--perfect for slicing. F&F is not on par with GEC or Case, but if you want a pure work knife for a good price, Eye Brand is great. The steel takes and keeps a very sharp edge. I like it better than Case CV, but it does require a bit more care.
 
I bought my bro a Queen country cousin a couple of years ago and the F&F of the knife was quite respectable especially for a Sodbuster. The D2 tool steel is a nice touch as well and as far as edge retention goes is quite respectable. All in all a good production sodbuster. Another Sodbuster that surprised me a great deal was the Robert Klaas "brown mule" while very inexpensive it features some simple unspecified carbon steel (kinda soft) that is very easy to sharpen and can get scary sharp quick. While I feel the Brown Mule is a good value it was a tad rough which IMO is more acceptable on a pattern like the soddie. The GEC is a grand looking knife and if it meets anywhere near their level of quality it should prove to be a winner in the long run. However I have no experience with it so I cannot attest to the quality. I've had a Case Sodbuster JR in CV as well and it's a fine knife for the price I just wish they'd offer a yellow delrin CV large sodbuster again.
 
woody d said:
while i like the Opinels, thats not really what i was looking for.
i havent had a sodbuster type knife for 17 years, and this section of the forum reminded me just how much i missed my old Case.
looking forward to my latest purchase.
Click to expand...

Ah. Wasn't sure how far afield you were willing to go with Sodbuster *type* and was keying in on "bang for the buck".

I find that knives, for me, are emotional issues and a certain brand or pattern is associated with fond memories, nothing else will do.

Speaking about good memories (for me) and "bucks", the other classic American work knife that can be holster carried is the Buck 112. I'm not suggesting the 112. But...

Q: What happens when you put a Case Sodbuster and a Buck 112 in a bag and give it a good shake?

A: You get the Buck Ecolite 112.

BU112GRS4.jpg


I've had mine for about a few weeks now and it won't leave my pocket. The Paperstone scales very much remind me of the Case Sodbuster, as do the general dimensions. I really dig the broad flat back for hard cutting. At the same time, it's definitely a Buck 112 in terms of its lines, which invokes deep memories for me, but probably not for you.

Anyway, if it were me and I had fond memories of a Case, I would probably get another Case. That's my pattern - stick with tried and true.
 
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