Large Flat Ground Sodbusters?

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pinnah

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Jul 28, 2011
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Looking for recommendations on a large full sized Sodbusters.

Must not be hollow ground.

Ideas?
 
Case's large Sod Buster pattern (2138 SS or 3138 CV, at 4-5/8" closed) is flat-ground, as are the versions from Eye Brand (a.k.a. 'Carl Schlieper') and A.G. Russell ('Cowboy' is the larger pattern).


David
 
Thanks folks!

Much to think about.... GEC is probably out of my price range and the Eye Brand would be a stretch.

Can anybody comment on the width of the knives compared to each other? Side by each shots would be very helpful. I'm looking for something size comparable to my Opinel #9 and Buck 110, but it needs to be pocket carryable. My Buck 500 and Opinel are, but my 110 and bigger Schrade 5OT are not. Not really. Thinner is better for pocket carry.

I'm primarily interested in strength of the pivot and the quality of the steel and don't care one bit on fit and finish. I currently trust no folding knife more than my Opinel #9 in terms of standing up to hard cutting and strong lateral forces on the joint. Much stronger than my Buck, Schrade and other lockbacks. Stronger than all traditional slip joints too. Any comments along that line would be helpful. I want something as strong or stronger than my Opinel.

My understanding is that the Case "flat grind" is more truly a very high and shallow hollow grind, is that true? Could just be internutz jabber.

Any comments on the AG Russel 8Cr13MoV or the Eye Brand hammer forced carbon steel would be welcome. Both new steels for me.

Thanks all for the input.
 
A large Case or Eye-Brand sodbuster should standup to anything you would call hard cutting. These are very rugged knife actually mean for hard work. I had a Yellow delrin Eye-Brand that I abused theheckout of, because it was my "beater" knife. It never gave in and aged very gracefully. Full flat grind blade got scary sharp, and stayed that way pretty good. It was a far better knife than my number 8 Opinel. I really believe the Case is just as good. I've seen the Case sodbusters beat on by others who are non knife people and thnk a knife is like a .99 cent screw driver. They held up fine. Case CV is good stuff.
 
Carl,

Your comments about your Sodbuster in our discussions on Opinels have been a big prompt for me, so thank you.

<drift>
I had an opportunity to handle my son's #8 last night (he was working on a school project that involved cutting) and was reminded how much less knife the #8 is compared to the #9.
</drift.

Funny balance I'm shooting.... Big enough for my big hands. Burly enough for hard cutting. Manageable in terms of weight and thickness to carry in jeans pocket.
 
Alnamvet68 said:
How about this new kid on the block by Smith & Sons, and in collaboration with GEC?

Click to expand...

Al,

Pretty, but I'm 99% sure I don't want a lockback. I've wrecked too many of them cutting brush. Wrecked every brand I've tried and gotten them all to loosen up vertically. Just the nature of the design. Fine for hunting. But not what I'm planning on using this knife for.

Pretty knife though.
 
pinnah said:
Thanks folks!

Much to think about.... GEC is probably out of my price range and the Eye Brand would be a stretch.

Can anybody comment on the width of the knives compared to each other? Side by each shots would be very helpful. I'm looking for something size comparable to my Opinel #9 and Buck 110, but it needs to be pocket carryable. My Buck 500 and Opinel are, but my 110 and bigger Schrade 5OT are not. Not really. Thinner is better for pocket carry.

I'm primarily interested in strength of the pivot and the quality of the steel and don't care one bit on fit and finish. I currently trust no folding knife more than my Opinel #9 in terms of standing up to hard cutting and strong lateral forces on the joint. Much stronger than my Buck, Schrade and other lockbacks. Stronger than all traditional slip joints too. Any comments along that line would be helpful. I want something as strong or stronger than my Opinel.

My understanding is that the Case "flat grind" is more truly a very high and shallow hollow grind, is that true? Could just be internutz jabber.

Any comments on the AG Russel 8Cr13MoV or the Eye Brand hammer forced carbon steel would be welcome. Both new steels for me.

Thanks all for the input.
Click to expand...

The pics below are comparisons between the A.G. Russell Cowboy (in yellow Delrin and black 'Rucarta') and the large case Sod Busters (2138 SS in black, and the 3138 CV in yellow). You might notice the AGR knives' blades are bigger, and yet nestled into significantly shorter handles (and the yellow AGR is thinner as well, and GREAT for back-pocket carry):

BTW, the grind on the Case large soddies is a true flat grind; it can be verified by placing the straight edge of a steel ruler alongside the blade. The small Sod Buster Jr. from Case is a high hollow grind (and very thin behind the edge; a great slicer).

The 8Cr steel on the AGR knives takes a nice edge, and quite easily with any means similar to what I've used on my Case soddies (in either steel). Seems to respond well to fairly high polish as well. The carbon steel in the Eye Brand soddie behaves as I would expect of a good carbon steel: takes a very fine edge, and easily. I like it.


David
 
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pinnah said:
Al,

Pretty, but I'm 99% sure I don't want a lockback. I've wrecked too many of them cutting brush. Wrecked every brand I've tried and gotten them all to loosen up vertically. Just the nature of the design. Fine for hunting. But not what I'm planning on using this knife for.

Pretty knife though.
Click to expand...

Dave, think about that for a moment.

There's a reason that all those old Sheffield pruning knives were slip joints. And, there's a reason that all those old sailors sheep foot clasp knives were a slip joint. The slip joint design, by virtue of the way it's built, will take more punishment and heavy use than a lock blade. The heavy duty slip joint is the Colt 1911 of pocket knives.

They had lock blades in the 1800'ss, yet they never really caught on with the working guy who needed a strongly made knife. Gardeners, sailors, farm workers, ranchers, they mostly went for sturdy slip joints. A lot of the lock blades ov the 1800's were of the folding dagger configuration. Yes, there were some of them used by working men, but the numbers pale in comparison to the slip joint. Theres a cutlery museum in Intercourse Pennsylvania that has a great collection of all kinds of knives from the 1800's and back. Very very few locking blades on display.

If you want a heavy duty slip joint, go get a Tina brand pruner knife. they are built like George Patton wished his Sherman tanks had been built like. Bill Moran, who could make himself any knife he wanted to, swore by Tina brand slip joints. Well, them and the old Hen and Roosters.

Look at the design of the Opinel, and then study a sodbuster. The Opinel puts everything, and I mean the whole ball game, on two skinny little fingers of wood. The blade, bolster, and locking ring is mounted on a couple of slivers of wood that is then drilled out for the pivot pin. There's actually very little wood supporting the blade and bolster. Then there's the sharp ledge corner at the base of this, that makes a very neat stress line that it all comes under pressure when cutting hard. If there's a flaw in the grain of the wood, or a slight crack where the factory drilled it out for the pivot…

A sodbuster with brass or steel liners with either delrin slabs like on Case, or micarta like on the GEC farm and field sod dies, is a much much stronger design that is built in such a way and with materials that are not going anayhwere that you'll never break one. The GEC sodbusters are probably the strongest built sodbuster on the market. It's a hell of a knife!

I'm very sure any of the name brand sodbusters will outwork an Opinel. Once you try one, I think your Opinel will be residing in your sock drawer. :D
 
my 2$. AGR Cowboy, for the price and very slim and nice for the pocket.
Case Sodbuster, for the price and it's a classic.
Bear & Son Gen.4, for the price, the G10 and it will do the work.
rolf
 
The Case large sodbuster is a great bargain but the Bullbuster is a rock solid monster of a knife. If I carried a large soddie it would probably be the Bullbuster but I find most of the large soddies a bit too cumbersome to ride in the pocket often. The exceptions would probably be the AG Cowboy and Case Carbon Fiber Sodbuster. Both have flat handles compared to the swell of most others, makes riding the pocket a bit more palatable. Case's Carbon fiber is probably out of your price range but the AG Cowboy is a good deal. You could always get a hip sheath to avoid pocket carry and get which ever you like best.
 
Trevytrev,

If I could live with belt hoslters, the world would be my oyster. I just can't deal with them.

I'm looking for the largest pocket knife I can live with.

Need to think more about the AG Cowboy and compare it to the Buck 500 for size. More research, tonight, hopefully during a hockey game.

Thanks all. Keep the comments coming.

Carl, more on Opinels after the thread dies down a bit.
 
I understand your belt sheath sentiments, I feel the same way!

If memory serves me the Buck 500 is much heavier than any of these soddies we've been discussing. The nickle bosters just make the knife a lead weight in the pocket. Don't get me wrong, I like the 500 and tried to edc it in my pocket., but it was just too weighty.

When I get home, I'll look through what I have for some more ideas.
 
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