Sodbuster/Sodbuster Jr durability?

I Have A Case Sodbuster I Bought Back In The 70's (yeah They Had Steel Blades Back Then) And I Have Used It For Everything, And Yes It Will Close On Your Fingers! Never Had A Problem With It, But I Did Take A Triangle Jewlers File To The Slick Black Handles And Groove Them. When You Are Done Using It Just Wipe It Off With Some Kind Of Oil Every Now And Then And It Will Last You. (off And On Through 20 Years In The Military) And It Never Failed To Cut For Me
 
Okay. Now ya all done it! I popped into the local Tru Value in our little town. This one still focuses more on hardware. They had a little Case display case (starting to sound like an Alan Jackson, Little Bitty song). I ended up buying the one Sod Buster Jr. they had. This one is the yellow handle with CV steel. Nice knife over all. Good spring, decent fit, it doesn't walk and talk like Bartleby's stainless one, darn it. That would just be sweet if it did. I like it fine though.

I've wanted a sodbuster pattern for a long time, but never got one until now. Could be a contagion though. I think I may need to gather up others of different makes plus another Case or two. The Queen knives I've seen on the net and heard about from folks on here seem appealing. While I don't have any currently, I have a soft spot for Robert Klass Kissing Cranes as my dad had a well used Congress that he gave me years ago when I went into the Army. (I'll save the story for another time.) I gave it to my son a few years ago when he his son was born. Cripes, I'm on the verge of becoming a knife collector instead of the accumulator I have been.

"Honey! How many knives do you need?!"

"Uh, how many different ones do they make?"

"They?"

"Yeah, you know, the various knifemakers."

"Grumble, moan, my mother warned me..."
 
Thanks for the comments, Amos. Yeah, I'm trying to resist getting one of the CV sodbuster jrs, but I know I'll get one sooner or later. Once my wife went past "how many knives do you need?" and started to replace it with "you do know you already have that in a different color, what makes this one different?" I knew I might have to slow down. Good thing that sometimes she collects shoes....
 
Bartleby said:
... "you do know you already have that in a different color, what makes this one different?"...
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LOL, if it had been a shoe she would have realized she answered her own question. Wait, isnt' that the question we ask them about shoes?

My best friend back at Fort Bragg and his wife had a good deal going, I guess. Anytime he bought a gun she would spend the same amount in jewelry, especially diamonds. At least both had something of value to show for money spent. I've tried not to encourage such thinking.

Bartleby, what chunk of Texas are you in? I'm just west of San Antone.

It just occured to me. If you put your Sodbusters next to your Stockmans, will you start a range war?
 
Bartleby said:
Thanks for the comments, Amos. Yeah, I'm trying to resist getting one of the CV sodbuster jrs, but I know I'll get one sooner or later. Once my wife went past "how many knives do you need?" and started to replace it with "you do know you already have that in a different color, what makes this one different?" I knew I might have to slow down. Good thing that sometimes she collects shoes....
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Do you really let her bye more shoes than she need ta walk in. Thats destroying good knifemoney:D :confused: ;)
 
Amos, I'm now in Arlington, near Fort Worth. Always keep your stockman in a seperate pocket from your sodbuster. NirreBosse-remember if you time your knife buying to occur just about a week after shoe buying, knife money is often pre-justified (marriage is all about compromise).
 
I got a chance to handle two different sizes of the Kissing Crane Brown Mule/Sodbuster patterns this weekend and they were very nice. The backsprings were like bear traps.
 
Amos Iron Wolf said:
LOL, if it had been a shoe she would have realized she answered her own question. Wait, isnt' that the question we ask them about shoes?

My best friend back at Fort Bragg and his wife had a good deal going, I guess. Anytime he bought a gun she would spend the same amount in jewelry, especially diamonds. At least both had something of value to show for money spent. I've tried not to encourage such thinking.

Bartleby, what chunk of Texas are you in? I'm just west of San Antone.

It just occured to me. If you put your Sodbusters next to your Stockmans, will you start a range war?
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Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa LOL That's a good one.
 
Kissing Cranes actually makes two differently named lines of sodbusters: One is the previously mentioned Brown Mule which has a carbon steel blade with a skinner style profile and brown wooden handles. It comes (I think) in three different sizes. I have the largest of these (about a 4" or slightly plus) blade and it is pretty good. The only real problem I have had with mine is that the pivot can get filled with metal shavings even when it is well lubricated. Mine was like this and almost would not open for a few weeks but this problem did seem to go away eventually and the knife saw heavy use before the shavings appeared. The other Kissing Cranes sodbuster is the Coal Miner. I don't know what the blade material is but I always thought carbon, and the black synthetic handles and more of a clip type blade profile. I have no idea about the quality of this one. I think it also comes in three sizes. The Brown Mule has a HEAVY backspring and I would think that it could cause major damage on an accidental closing.

I also have a non-Country Cousin Queen sodbuster in D2. This is a well made knife and similar to a Case Sodbuster Jr. in size. I was of the impression that the Country Cousins were only made in "Queen Steel" some type of stainless but not D2 but this may have changed. This one takes forever to sharpen but takes a good edge.

The Eye Brand Sodbusters have always tempted me, but with a price tag nearly twice that of the large Brown Mule for one the size of my Queen, I have never bitten. Eye Brand also makes a hard-to-find locking full size Sodbuster that I have yet to see or handle. From the few Case products I have handled lately, I would be afraid of wasting money on anything new from Case. Their pre-70's knives are great though. The Boker Gauchos look like a pretty good deal also. They are not made in Germany but in Argentina and have a similar price tag to the Brown Mules.
 
Thanks for the detailed reply, Drifter. I may get a Brown Mule or a Boker (I've never seen an Argentine knife, so it is interesting on this basis alone...) just to try them out, since they are so inexpensive. The stainless Case is doing well still (but I did go to a store where I could pick a winner), I'm planning to look at the yellow CV case if I get back over to the hardware store during the weekend.
 
The Drifter said:
Eye Brand also makes a hard-to-find locking full size Sodbuster that I have yet to see or handle.
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The Knives Plus web site advertises these, so I assume that they have them in stock or could order one. They also advertise the saw/blade combo with stag handles. I have never ordered from this company and don't know what their service is like.
 
Bartleby, while I haven't used my CV yellow handle heavily since I got it, I'm still liking it a lot. Whenever I do use it, it works great and I do like the look and feel of it. It's been my EDC since I got it. I guess you could say I've been very happy with it. Go for it!

I get paid tomorrow, so I'm thinking of heading back to the hardware store and getting another yellow handle Case in a different pattern. I may just do that each payday or so until I get one of eveything they have. Then I can start netting other brands. <looking around to make sure the wife isn't reading this over my shoulder> In my best Elmer Fudd voice, "Shhhh, I'm hunting pocket knives!" I almost feel like a kid just anticipating the possible trip to the store the tomorrow. :D Oh, wait! I haven't checked the little General Store at Rio Medina to see what they might have. Good thing I'm off tomorrow.

I'm still tempted to get a stockman and put it on the same table with my sodbuster, just to see. Not in the pocket though, the thought of the collateral damage from a range war involving blades in that vicinity is just kind of scary. Especially when you think about what some of those stockman blades have been used on livestock for.:eek: Come to think of it, I may never carry a stockman in my front pants pocket ever again!
 
Amos, I kinda went about it from the other direction, started with a medium CV stockman (3318) and got the stainless sodbuster for situations that call for the use of a bit stouter blade that can be kept clean pretty easy. That being said, when I started carrying the stainless sodbuster I found that I liked it more than I thought I would, mostly for its no nonsense design. I sure do like CV for EDC(except in the summer when it warms up over 100 for a few weeks). So, I stumbled into the hardware store over the weekend a got that yellow sodbuster. Sharpened up real good. Will probably be my EDC until it warms up (then I'll switch back to stainless....)
 
Bartleby said:
That being said, when I started carrying the stainless sodbuster I found that I liked it more than I thought I would, mostly for its no nonsense design.
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Yep, I'm still amazed at how much I really like the sodbuster, and the yellow handle. Like you, I also like it more that I thought I would for the same reason - a good, no nonsense design. The yellow handles just kind of appeal to me. Maybe it's because they make me think a little of lightly aged ivory, I dunno. Maybe just because they are a little different without being delicate looking, like say pearl scales. Either way I think more sodbusters from a variety of makers will be finding their way into the house. I may make a an open top sheath for it for the summer to keep it out of my sweaty pocket. Or, I may just get a stainless one for the summer. ;)

For anyone out there who has been thinking of getting a sodbuster, but has been hesitating, don't. It's an excellent carry and user pattern and it is hard to go wrong with one.
 
I'll tell you what just when you think you've got every knife you'll ever need something like this happens. A friend of mine came by work today and whooped out his full size sodbuster to threaten me. after I took it away from him {he's fatter,older,and not as quick as i am} I looked at it and thought "dang this is a nice feeling knife I might have to pick one up sometime". then I came to the board and I'll be darned if this post didn't pop up. I guess it's just fate, i now have got to get me another sodbuster, full size with cv steel. case of course. thanks guys i need another knife like i need 25 extra pounds. you should be ashamed of yourselves. later, ahgar
future sodbuster owner. dangit.
 
Most happy to be of service, ahgar! Nice to know it worked.

Oh hell, mine's a junior. Now I'll have to get a full size. Agh!
 
All I carry is 2 cv case's. When we are deployed I'll carry an ss model. I was going to get an okc 499, but they said it was "mean looking" so I 'll spend my $17 on a case. My 2 cv's are ~ 15yrs old. All thats wrong is when I was just learing to freehand sharpen I wound up putting a 12 degree edge on 1 (which works beautiful) on hide, & 550 cord.
 
Case sodbuster is a timeless classic, like the Opinel (another excellent cheap but well-made knife)It looks good,handles very well and is simple and strong.I have an SS one, I know you are all going to say it's crap but I can't put up with all that rust&maintenance work on carbon or CV.

Whatever, it's a fine and genuine workhorse that looks good.
 
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