My first Sod Buster Jr. Some questions.

sqoon

sqoon

Joined
Jan 1, 2010
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I just got my first Case Sod Buster Jr. with yellow handles and CV steel. I bought this on a whim and was actually planning on returning it as soon as it arrived as I think I need to get off my butt and finally buy my Swayback Jack. Well, now that the knife is in my hand, I think I'm going to be hard pressed to return it. The pull and snap is much better than I was expecting. The grind is a little uneven, but the knife is razor sharp nonetheless.

However, my one gripe abou the knife is that when closed, it isn't very centered. I noticed the same thing in Severator's youtube video of his Sod Buster Jr. Is this simply common with the Sod Buster Jr., or is this a problem that I should address with Case, or are my chances of getting a "better" knife via exchanging it with the seller good?

It is a cheaper knife, so I'm not going to loose any sleep over it, but if I can get a proper knife with little hassle, I'll go for it.

I"m really surprised that I don't see this knife more on BFC. It's really an amazing knife. Good blade shape, amazing handle. Solid feel and weight. This strikes me as one of those knives that you could easily live with for the rest of your life and never need another. Sure, it probably isn't GOING to be that knife, but I'm just saying that it could be and I think that would be just fine.
 
Lot of people, including me, love that knife. Personally, off center blades bug the crap out of me. I have sent two knives back to case because of it. They will make it right.
 
I gotta get one of these. I have a soddie jr in stainless, but I really prefer the yellow handle and CV steel. Not to hi jack this thread, but I noticed on my stainless version that I can see lines running from the edge to the spine of the blade. I've never really seen this on other knives. Is it just that they don't polish the blades to keep cost down? Is the CV one the same way?
 
I think of the soddie as a dirty deeds knife, the one you don't care if it picks up a few scratches or dings. With a sodbuster, the proof is in the pudding, or in this case how it cuts. A flaw here or there is only part of the soddies charm. Kind of like a rattle in an old issue 1911A1.

Carl.
 
mdsmith said:
I gotta get one of these. I have a soddie jr in stainless, but I really prefer the yellow handle and CV steel. Not to hi jack this thread, but I noticed on my stainless version that I can see lines running from the edge to the spine of the blade. I've never really seen this on other knives. Is it just that they don't polish the blades to keep cost down? Is the CV one the same way?
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The CV has a mirror polish. In my research before purchasing, it was my understanding that the stainless version had a satin, if not simply an unfinished blade.
 
mdsmith said:
I gotta get one of these. I have a soddie jr in stainless, but I really prefer the yellow handle and CV steel. Not to hi jack this thread, but I noticed on my stainless version that I can see lines running from the edge to the spine of the blade. I've never really seen this on other knives. Is it just that they don't polish the blades to keep cost down? Is the CV one the same way?
Click to expand...

sqoon said:
The CV has a mirror polish. In my research before purchasing, it was my understanding that the stainless version had a satin, if not simply an unfinished blade.
Click to expand...

I think the finish on the stainless soddies (Case) is what's referred to as the 'as ground' finish. In other words, as it came off the grinder, without any additional buffing. I have a large and small Case soddie in stainless, and they're the same way. Very clearly seen grind lines from spine to edge. And the edges of the spine itself are very crisp (occasionally even with burrs).

Regarding an off-center blade, I agree with jackknife on this. Part of the character of the sodbuster, in it's perfect simplicity. I have three Case sodbusters (also 4 Queens, an Eye Brand and 4 Bulldogs), and I don't think any one of them is perfectly centered. I don't worry about it. One thing to consider, the bolsterless design, relatively soft Delrin scales and thin brass liners don't give a lot of lateral support to the pivot. Even if it starts out centered, with some use over time, the pivot will loosen up a bit anyway, allowing a little more sideways movement/play. The Case Sodbuster (especially the small one) also has a thinly ground blade. A lot of thin blades will have some curve/bend to them, from heat treat. At the tang, the blade might be straightly aligned, but the blade will curve left/right nearer to the tip.
 
mdsmith said:
I gotta get one of these. I have a soddie jr in stainless, but I really prefer the yellow handle and CV steel. Not to hi jack this thread, but I noticed on my stainless version that I can see lines running from the edge to the spine of the blade. I've never really seen this on other knives. Is it just that they don't polish the blades to keep cost down? Is the CV one the same way?
Click to expand...

My American Workman Sodbuster had mill marks from the edge to the spine the entire length of the blade. That is what I would call them I dont think the ones on mine are grinder marks they are too uniform in depth and width. My Sodbuster Jr. CV has no such marks.
 
okbow68 said:
My American Workman Sodbuster had mill marks from the edge to the spine the entire length of the blade. That is what I would call them I dont think the ones on mine are grinder marks they are too uniform in depth and width. My Sodbuster Jr. CV has no such marks.
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That's the 'as ground' finish, mentioned earlier. It is very uniform. I certainly wouldn't be able to replicate it by hand on a grinder, but I've no doubt Case has it down pat, using their own methods/techniques (maybe jigs) with their grinding apparatus. Point being, no additional buffing or polishing beyond that step. It's the same finish as seen on the black G-10 models, the blue 'American Workman' models, and at least some of the more recent 'regular' Sodbusters (black) in stainless.

The CV blades are polished, per Case's standard practice.
 
I have one of the yellow Case CV soddies. I really like mine. But, it too has a blade that's a bit off center. It doesn't bother me much, and doesn't affect it's functioning at all. That little soddie is a solid knife. I use it a lot in the garden and doing chores.
 
I have a few of the CV sod buster jr. knives and none of them have perfectly centered blades and I could care less if they do. I generally don't treat them very nice.....they get tossed around here and there and it's not uncommon for me to find surface rust on the blades due to neglect on my part. They are work knives and for me...as long as the blade isn't banging up against the liner I don't care. I pick them up for 15 or 16 bucks and wouldn't dream of sending a knife this inexpensive back to have a 1 mm adjustment made. If you need to do it, Case will certainly take care of you which is why I continue to buy Case knives.
 
Guess I got lucky with the blade centering. And, for the record, I never said that being obsessed with centered blades was rational or healthy. ;)
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
That's the 'as ground' finish, mentioned earlier. It is very uniform. I certainly wouldn't be able to replicate it by hand on a grinder, but I've no doubt Case has it down pat, using their own methods/techniques (maybe jigs) with their grinding apparatus. Point being, no additional buffing or polishing beyond that step. It's the same finish as seen on the black G-10 models, the blue 'American Workman' models, and at least some of the more recent 'regular' Sodbusters (black) in stainless.

The CV blades are polished, per Case's standard practice.
Click to expand...

Once again Obsessed you are right. I stropped it a little after my post and have to redact my statement about mill marks, it looks like machined grinding for sure but very uniform.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
One thing to consider, the bolsterless design, relatively soft Delrin scales and thin brass liners don't give a lot of lateral support to the pivot. Even if it starts out centered, with some use over time, the pivot will loosen up a bit anyway, allowing a little more sideways movement/play.
Click to expand...

I had my soddie loosen up after cutting some VERY tough cardboard at work. It was so tough I was worried the blade might snap, so not the sort of cutting job you get every day, but I was surprised it loosened up. I'm hoping a few taps on the pivot will tighten it up again.
 
jacknife said:
I had my soddie loosen up after cutting some VERY tough cardboard at work. It was so tough I was worried the blade might snap, so not the sort of cutting job you get every day, but I was surprised it loosened up. I'm hoping a few taps on the pivot will tighten it up again.
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I've even noticed mine loosen up when sharpening or stropping. Just a little bit of lateral pressure on the blade will do it.

I've snugged mine up, once or twice, with a gentle squeeze in a vise. Put a couple pieces of soft wood in the vise, maybe add a layer of fabric or leather to prevent scratching, then very gently squeeze it. Don't over-do it, doesn't take much. A smaller hobby-type vise (I use a Pana-Vise) makes it a bit easier to go about it softly. It also has some synthetic inserts, like nylon/Delrin, in the vise jaws, which also minimizes the scratching. It snugs it up fairly easily, but it's temporary. As I mentioned earlier, it's the nature of the sodbuster's construction.
 
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The Case Sodbuster Jr to me represents one of the best pocket knife deals out there.I've had mine for several months now,I still think highly of it.
 
Still loving it. I got a wicked edge on there right now. I took it to work and was amazed at the response I got. Several of my friends who like knives, but aren't into traditionals at all really dug it.

Mine does have some side to side play, but I frankly hadn't noticed it until today. I do need lube it up a bit though.
 
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