German Eye Sodbuster

Johnny11758

Johnny11758

Joined
Aug 17, 2004
Messages
465
Yesterday I received a German Eye large sodbuster, and I am very impressed. I've long been a fan of sodbusters and have a deep appreciation for those by Case, Queen, and Kissing Crane. The new Moore Maker sodbusters are beautiful, but they don't have quite as strong a backspring as the other brands I've mentioned. My German Eye has terrific fit and finish and one heck of a strong backspring. I'm assuming the German Eye is carbon steel and that I should keep the blade treated with Sentry Tuf. By the way, the German Eye has a beautiful subtle yellow handle that nearly universally appears flesh-colored in photos for some reason.
 

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Nice knife. You can fight the corrosion or work with it. If you develop a patina on carbon steel, it will resist red rust better. Soak it in vinegar for a while and rinse it off with cold water when it's darkened as much as you like.
 
I have wanted one of these (in carbon steel) for about two years. I have not pulled the trigger because of the "low tech-ness" of them. Convince me to buy one. (It will not be difficult.)
TC
 
They are not low-tech. They are modern knives with good materials and construction, just a simple, straight-forward design.

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They are called sodbusters since they are especially appropriate as farmers' knives. They are workers' knives generally, but come from a time when that meant farmers more than it does now.
 
clearytja said:
I have wanted one of these (in carbon steel) for about two years. I have not pulled the trigger because of the "low tech-ness" of them. Convince me to buy one. (It will not be difficult.)
TC
Click to expand...

You will not be disappointed by the German Eye large sodbuster. It is a knife that is up to very heavy cutting--a real work knife with rock-solid lockup that gets the job done. Cut heavy cardboard, leather, rope. Use it for yard work. Wonderfully comfortable in the hand, too. The sodbuster was the hard-working, back-bending farmer's knife of choice for many a year. A classic. And one of knifedom's great bang-for-your-buck bargains.
 
I have a few Eye Brand sodbusters - jr with yellow composition and wood handles, and a full size stag handled one with a saw. I really like how the blades are ground, nice and thin at the edge to optimize cutting ability. Easy to sharpen, and holds a decent edge. All of them have strong backsprings, too.
 
clearytja said:
I have wanted one of these (in carbon steel) for about two years. I have not pulled the trigger because of the "low tech-ness" of them. Convince me to buy one. (It will not be difficult.)
TC
Click to expand...


Don't think of it as a low tech, but as a simple rock reliable cutting tool. I've had two of these knives, the large and small ones, for about 20 years, and they will out work and out cut alot of the name brand high dollar wonder knives that cost three and four times thier price.

And like Esav says, go with a patina to give the blades some protection and you won't have any rust problems.
 
Nice, simple knife. I like the Eye Brand knives, and find they take and hold a great edge.
 
I really love my large Eye Brand sodbuster. It's one of my all-time favorite knives. It has a very comfortable handle and the wide, thin blade (with a distal taper) is a great cutter. Mine also has an extremely strong backspring, which I think is something you want on a big work knife. Another thing I like about it is that it's easy to open with gloves on, unlike a lot of other slip-joints.

The two sodbusters that I own aren't as well finished as my other Eye Brand knives. The plastic scales on the soddies are a bit duller and show some tool marks. Also, their blades have a sort of satin finish. The more expensive knives have shiny, polished scales and mirror finished blades, but the sodbusters cost less and are an excellent value.

Eye Brand's carbon steel is great stuff. It's easy to sharpen, gets very sharp, and holds an edge well. It seems to be pretty stain resistant too, which is weird. I cut up an apple once with my sodbuster and there were no signs of oxidation on the blade. Something like the 1075 steel in an Opinel will stain instantly if you slice an apple with it. There was a thread about Eye Brand's carbon steel on KFC awhile back. I don't remember what the name of the steel is, but it was something I hadn't heard of.
 
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