Pattern recognition: Sodbuster

[quattromori]

Hi guys,
so in my little discovery journey among American traditionals, I decided that the next step will be a Sodbuster...maybe I'll get one before Xmas.
I want a simple knife for simple purposes. It will stay at work (along with a small SAK) and handle almost exclusively food tasks (fruit peeling and cutting, pizza, and so on). I want it to be a single bladed knife (the blade on the SAK will handle "dirty" tasks), want it stainless (I have nothing against carbon steel, but since this knife will be used specifically for food, I prefer stainless - carbon blades tend to give a metallic taste to fruit), and want a drop (or eventually clip) blade. First I thought I would get another Opinel, but then I thought this might be a chance to try another American traditional pattern. The Sodbuster.
Since I grew up in a world of single bladed knives, this pattern does look pretty familiar to me, so I feel confident that it will work just fine for the purpose...but, I'm kind of stuck between three knives, and maybe you can help me towards one or another.
As many of you might have guessed, the candidates are the Case Sodbuster Jr (around 3,5" is more than enough), the Queen Country Cousin, and the AG Russell Rancher. Any of the three will probably be a good choice, and will also give me the chance to try the yellow delrin handles.
Of course, I intend to use this thread to write my impressions about this pattern once I try it
Thanks for your feedback

Fausto

 

[jujigatame]

I haven't handled a Country Cousin or Rancher. I like the look of Rancher since it's got a bit more point than a Case. I would not hesitate to recommend trying the Rancher though since I've seen the quality of the knives AG has coming from overseas and if you ever had any problem with it you know they'd take care of you.

I do have a Case sodbuster Jr. that I keep in the kitchen for whatever non-food related cutting task may come up. Sort of the opposite of your intended use. Still, it's good as a general task knife. Easy to sharpen to a keen edge, strong spring and solid construction, very affordable, no big deal if gets beat up or stained.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Hi guys,
so in my little discovery journey among American traditionals, I decided that the next step will be a Sodbuster...maybe I'll get one before Xmas.
I want a simple knife for simple purposes. It will stay at work (along with a small SAK) and handle almost exclusively food tasks (fruit peeling and cutting, pizza, and so on). I want it to be a single bladed knife (the blade on the SAK will handle "dirty" tasks), want it stainless (I have nothing against carbon steel, but since this knife will be used specifically for food, I prefer stainless - carbon blades tend to give a metallic taste to fruit), and want a drop (or eventually clip) blade. First I thought I would get another Opinel, but then I thought this might be a chance to try another American traditional pattern. The Sodbuster.
Since I grew up in a world of single bladed knives, this pattern does look pretty familiar to me, so I feel confident that it will work just fine for the purpose...but, I'm kind of stuck between three knives, and maybe you can help me towards one or another.
As many of you might have guessed, the candidates are the Case Sodbuster Jr (around 3,5" is more than enough), the Queen Country Cousin, and the AG Russell Rancher. Any of the three will probably be a good choice, and will also give me the chance to try the yellow delrin handles.
Of course, I intend to use this thread to write my impressions about this pattern once I try it
Thanks for your feedback

Fausto

Fausto, I have all three (Case, Queen, AGR), and then some, of the models you mention. I like them all, for their own reasons. But, for the point in bold text above, I've come to prefer the thin hollow grind of the Case Jr. soddy. I use mine frequently for the same purpose (fruit, especially apples), and the thin blade of the small Case really stands out for food slicing. An apple is an excellent 'test case' for studying slicing geometry in a blade. They really tend to 'grab' onto thicker blades, which can make wrestling a sharp thicker blade through one a bit dicey. I've managed to poke and/or cut myself while 'testing' any of several knives in this manner. Some are definitely better at it, than others. The Queen Country Cousin and AG Russell Rancher models are excellent, but with blades that are somewhat thicker near the edge. I'd still recommend either of those knives too, perhaps for other uses, if you get the chance.

Case's Tru-Sharp stainless is very easy to keep sharp, too. And the two stainless soddies I do have from Case (small and large versions) both came with very good/excellent edge bevels. Maybe a little burr/wire edge to clean up, out of the box, but that isn't a big deal.

Best regards. :thumbup:

 

[Noddy]

Do try the Moore Maker small sodbuster in yellow bone and 1095

 

[Hicks]

I always thought Sodbusters were a German butchers pattern, not American?

 

[L. Richard]

I have the Case Sodbuster Jr. in SS as well as CV. It took a little longer to get a wicked sharp edge on the SS, but it holds the edge quite well, and it is easy to touch up when necessary. I haven't felt the need to get a Queen or other model. I often EDC a yellow Soddie. It's a dependable old friend. I like it as well as any other knife that I own, even the fancy ones. The main problem with Opinel is the wood swelling when it gets wet, making it hard to open, and it's a pain to dry out.

 

[WA Martin]

I've got the large sodbusters from Case and Rough Rider. The Case is in their American Workman scales. I much prefer it to the Rough Rider because it does not have a liner lock. If the Case Jr blade is long enough for you I'd probably go with it.

 

[quattromori]

David, that's the kind of answer I was looking for. I don't really need a strong knife: I need a knife that serves for the purpose, and a thinner blade will surely work better for food tasks and apple slicing (the standard comparison term - for me - is the Opinel, so you have an idea of what I'm looking for). I had no real clue about the blade grind of those three knives, so thanks for your replies.
When I wrote about the Sodbuster as an American pattern, I didn't want to argue about the origin of the pattern; I just bet that, in modern cutlery, the 95% of Sodbusters are produced (and sold) in the US, so that's why, personally, I consider it an American knife.
Generally, I find the drop point blade very handy for this kind of food tasks (maybe it's just my habit of using Opinel, who knows), and this could be another nice opportunity to take another step into the world of 'your' traditionals
And, of course, I'm more than open to any suggestion.

Fausto

 

[J Buck]

Quattromori,
I carry many different styles of knives daily, but the Sodbuster Jr. is my favorite. If I had to make the ugly choice of only one folding knife, the Sodbuster Jr would be my choice. I carry it when I am fishing in my kayak. I tend to be fumblefingured and dropping that one overboard would not be a financial hardship on my wallet! My older brother carried one in his pocket everyday since Case came out with that pattern over 40 years ago or so. I've seen it clean fish, skin deer, hogs and a couple of alligators. A most capable knife. Best buy for your money! Now if I can find one with stag or bone handles.......well, I probably would quit buying other knives!

Buona sera,
J Buck

 

[quattromori]

Thanks for your feedback.
Personally, I want this knife to have yellow delrin handles. Partly because I feel like it suits the pattern, and partly because I've never had a yellow one before. Also, this knife is going to be one of my "shadow" knives (meaning knives kept in a place of its on, vehicle, work, and so on) so I'm not interested in fancy scales at all.
Another question about it: how strong is the pull on the Case Jr. or on the others I mentioned above? Cause I like my knives to have the mildest pull available, and I'm afraid of nailbreakers (having grown up with friction folders).
Thanks again

Fausto

 

[Rsmith_77]

I have a case sodbuster jr in cv (yella handles)
nail pull is mild, maybe a 4 on a 1-10 scale. Shouldnt have much of an issue there

 

[pinnah]

I always thought Sodbusters were a German butchers pattern, not American?

I would love to hear more about this.

 

[Ryanol]

I picked up what I believe to be an older F. Herder sodbuster. Not sure if their patterns pre-date american made ones though.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

The 'Sod Buster' name itself, as applied to knives, is American in origin. A Case trademark, in fact. A.G. Russell even makes reference to this point in his catalog description of the Rancher knife, and therefore why he named it as such. And I'm assuming the 'sodbuster' colloquialism, referring to a farmer who works the soil, is also uniquely American, dating back to the late 1800s (according to my dictionary, anyways).

The pattern/style of the knife itself (regardless of the name we put on it) may very well originate in Europe, as with many things in America. We're still relatively young in the historical sense, with very deep roots elsewhere. It does speak volumes though, that all knives of this general pattern are usually described as 'sodbuster-style' knives. America might not've invented the pattern, but Case surely made it famous, it seems.

Here's an informative thread on the history of the pattern, with input from Bernard Levine --->: What is the history of the Sod Buster design?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thanks for your feedback.
Personally, I want this knife to have yellow delrin handles. Partly because I feel like it suits the pattern, and partly because I've never had a yellow one before. Also, this knife is going to be one of my "shadow" knives (meaning knives kept in a place of its on, vehicle, work, and so on) so I'm not interested in fancy scales at all.
Another question about it: how strong is the pull on the Case Jr. or on the others I mentioned above? Cause I like my knives to have the mildest pull available, and I'm afraid of nailbreakers (having grown up with friction folders).
Thanks again

Fausto

The Case's pull is relatively firm, at least on mine. BUT, importantly, it's also got a substantial amount of 'pinchable' blade above the handle, when closed. Don't have to rely solely on the nail nick. Even better, the 'as ground' finish on the blade provides additional grip, more so than a polished blade, which might get slippery with wet fingers. Even the high hollow grind of the blade is a little easier to pinch, by getting the fingertips beneath the spine of the blade.

My Queen Country Cousin has the stiffest pull, a smoother blade finish than the Case, and a flat grind. All of these things make it tougher to pinch open, especially with slippery fingers. Closing snap is VERY strong. I have to constantly remind myself to keep fingers/knuckles out of the blade's path, when opening or closing. If it catches you, it'll bite HARD.

The A.G. Russell Rancher is a great balance, between firmness of pull, and pinchable blade. The pull is the strongest in maybe the last 1/3 of travel, before closing, and also has inspiring snap into the open position. In between, the pull lightens a bit, to maybe a 5 out of 10. I can't help but think, a lot of engineering & design expertise went into tweaking the pull to near perfect on this knife, in all aspects.

 

[quattromori]

Thanks for the feedback. Maybe I will be able to ask for a check before buying the knife (for example AG Russell, from what I've read, offers a very good QC to customers), cause a strong pull would really be bad for me.
As for backsprings and engineering, in my life I've had the luck to try a couple of knives with an almost perfect pull. Strong enough on the first 30 or so degrees (great to keep the knife closed, and not dangerous as the knife wasn't open enough to allow a finger to get caught), then very mild for like 130/140 degrees, with a bit of a "kick" in the last few degrees to keep t open. I have no idea of how difficult it can be to obtain that feature (also, other users may have different preferences) but I know that the dynamics of the pull are one of the most important features of a folding knife (even on friction folders).
As for the Sodbuster...so far it seems like I might pick at the same time my first Sodbuster, my first "yeller", and my first Case all at once...

Fausto

 

[Will Power]

CASE jr Sodbuster is an excellent slicer for hard cheeses as well, a good food knife in the Opinel/Laguoile sense no doubt about it. Feels right in the hand as well, so I'd say you will likely be pleased with it.

RR do a small sodbuster in yellow that is also interesting (part of the Old Yellow series). Has a shield and 5 pins including the pivot. This is smaller than the CASE 8.6cm as opposed to 9.1cm approx. Bit slimmer too, and this one has no liner lock. Fit is very good, but it is a stronger sprung knife than the CASE so it may not suit you....no gaps or blade play at all.

 

[pinnah]

The 'Sod Buster' name itself, as applied to knives, is American in origin. A Case trademark, in fact. A.G. Russell even makes reference to this point in his catalog description of the Rancher knife, and therefore why he named it as such. And I'm assuming the 'sodbuster' colloquialism, referring to a farmer who works the soil, is also uniquely American, dating back to the late 1800s (according to my dictionary, anyways).

When I was a kid growing up in Kansas, I recall visiting the agriculture museum on a school field trip.
http://www.kansastravel.org/agriculturalhalloffame.htm

My (addled by age) recollection is that the John Deere steel plow was called the "sod buster", as it was the first plow that could punch through the thick prairie sod. There's also a connection here between sod busting and the barbed wire collection shown at the link above, as turning over the sod for farming was connected to the end of free ranging cattle, and all the disputes involved in that.

All of this has me wondering if there may have been a split in the knives used by farmers and ranchers and those used by cattlemen and cowboys?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

When I was a kid growing up in Kansas, I recall visiting the agriculture museum on a school field trip.
http://www.kansastravel.org/agriculturalhalloffame.htm

My (addled by age) recollection is that the John Deere steel plow was called the "sod buster", as it was the first plow that could punch through the thick prairie sod. There's also a connection here between sod busting and the barbed wire collection shown at the link above, as turning over the sod for farming was connected to the end of free ranging cattle, and all the disputes involved in that.

All of this has me wondering if there may have been a split in the knives used by farmers and ranchers and those used by cattlemen and cowboys?

That adds yet another dimension to the 'sodbuster' mystique, doesn't it? Cool pic of the plow; it looks almost identical to the etch on Case's Sod Buster blade. A neighbor of ours has just such a plow as a piece of landscape art in their front yard. Makes me envious when my folks & I take walks past it, going down the street. Every time I see it, I'm tempted to take my knife out of my pocket and compare the similarities. Neighbors might think it a bit strange, to see some nut (me) standing in the street, alternating glances between their yard art, and my pocketknife.