Which first Sodbuster style to get?

J

joepa150

Joined
Mar 15, 2010
Messages
350
I never had this style of knife but I want one.
So my choices would be the following:
1) Case Sodbuster JR CV
2) Case Sodbuster JR SS
2) GEC Bullnose
3) Queen Country Cousin


It will be pocket carried and used for general everyday tasks. I do enjoy eating apples but the last time I ate and apple using a carbon steel black, it had a bad metallic taste and I almost threw up. Maybe a patina would help instead of keeping the blades oiled?
 
I just ordered a case jr cv. It won't be used for food, none of my carbon blades are. I don't like either thought: extra oil or metal taste. With that being said, I personally went for the cv because it is easier to sharpen and I like the character it develops over time
 
I have a yellow Case in CV and the black stainless version and I have to say that they are both fine knives. I lean towards the CV because I like the look of the yellow handles with a nice patina on the blade. But, if you just want to try the pattern go for the stainless. I got mine at a big box home improvement store for $19 and could not be happier. It takes a wicked edge too.
 
Tough to beat the Country Cousin. Great steel, almost stainless, and has a great grip. I found that the Case soddies were a bit thin for comfortable use for me, and you could easily buy two Queens for the price of the GEC. That could be a factor if you decide you don't like the pattern that much after using it for a while.

Robert
 
I think I am leaning towards the Queen BUT I can't find a reputable seller with them ready to ship
 
I've only got one sodbuster, and it's the Bullnose, so while I love the pattern I have no experience with the pattern as made by other makers so I can't give a fair recommendation. I'd say either the Case or the Queen (if you don't kind sharpening D2) should serve you just fine to test the pattern. But I can say that if you try a sodbuster and end up liking the pattern enough to want another, the Bullnose is a fantastic knife, one of my favourites. I love this knife, so you might look to it in the future. Or now as your first if you don't mind the extra cost of it. It's o1 is an outstanding steel. It is carbon though, if you're looking to avoid carbon on food.

I've personally never noticed an unusual taste with any of my carbon knives, but I say this as more of a sidenote/point of curiousity to me, because some people obviously do taste it. Weird the way peoples palettes differ so much!

Anyways, great pattern, you'll be happy with any sodbuster you purchase I'm sure.
 
I've got a Queen Country Cousin, Case, Tree Brand Guacho and a GEC orange Bullnose. The Queen is sweet but the Bullnose took it's EDC spot the first day I got it.
 
Been looking to get a sodbuster too...some good info here! Ive never had a problem with my carbon cooking knives, but i dont oil them, usually just force a patina. I do notice a taste on new carbon pocket/outdoor knives, but those are oiled a lot while cooking knives are seldom heavily oiled in my experience.
 
That funky carbon taste usually goes away after the patina forms. You can oil the carbon blades with mineral oil. It's food safe and a table spoon is good for the your system.
 
NoNameNomad said:
I've only got one sodbuster, and it's the Bullnose, so while I love the pattern I have no experience with the pattern as made by other makers so I can't give a fair recommendation. I'd say either the Case or the Queen (if you don't kind sharpening D2) should serve you just fine to test the pattern. But I can say that if you try a sodbuster and end up liking the pattern enough to want another, the Bullnose is a fantastic knife, one of my favourites.
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Is D2 hard to sharpen?
bdev said:
Try Mike....

http://www.collectorknives.net/queen-knives.html

He's got two Country Cousins listed.
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Never ordered from Mike. Hows his shipping prices and speed?

Awesome. That was the site I was looking at the Bullnoses on in the first place. I just didn't look for the Queen on their for some odd reason duh!
 
Badhammer said:
I've got a Queen Country Cousin, Case, Tree Brand Guacho and a GEC orange Bullnose. The Queen is sweet but the Bullnose took it's EDC spot the first day I got it.
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I watched a youtube video about the Queen Country Cousin. The person compared it to the Case Sodbuster jr and said fit and finish on the two were about the same.
While I like the way the Queen looks better than the Case, the main reason I would pay ~$15 more for the Queen would be to have a higher fit and finish.

How is the fit and finish in your opinion between Queen country cousin and the Case sodbuster?
 
I just got two CC's in from Mike- his prices are hard to beat and he ships fast.

D2 is harder to sharpen than 1095, but will stay sharper longer.
 
Mike's a good dude and he supports Bladeforums, can't beat supporting him. I have all the sodbusters you have asked about and I would rank them in this order with price not a factor, GEC, Queen, Case CV then Case Stainless. The 01 on the GEC sharpens easily and retains a good edge. I also think that the GEC is the most comfortable of the sodbusters, just the right size and thinkness imo. The Queen D2 is an edge retaining monster but is a little harder to sharpen. The new micarta Queen has become a quick favorite of mine, a classier better looking alternative to the delrin versions but has a price tag closer to the GEC. The Case is a workhorse entry level sodbuster that is almost throwaway cheap, can't be beat for the price. I prefer the CV since I like patinas but the stainless is decent as well. I say get all of the above, I have!!


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I'd go for a Bull Nose, seeing as I've had good luck with O1 tool steel. Fit and finish is good from what I here. The Queen Country Cousin appeals to me Aesthetically, and I really dig the brighter yellow handle. They D2 has grand edge retention, and resist corrosion pretty well, the Case IMHO is one of the best values for a working knife, in particular the 3138 in CV, a variation that hasn't been offered in some time.
 
I have the Bullnose
I have the Case
I have the Queen.

Of the three, I prefer the Queen because the blade shape works better for me. Until I tried carrying the Case I didn't know that I used the point of my knife as frequently as I do. The Case kind of doesn't have one and I missed it.

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knarfeng said:
I have the Bullnose
I have the Case
I have the Queen.

Of the three, I prefer the Queen because the blade shape works better for me. Until I tried carrying the Case I didn't know that I used the point of my knife as frequently as I do. The Case kind of doesn't have one and I missed it.
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I agree that the Queen has a more useful point. Don't have a Queen myself but it's obvious just from looking at it that it has a tip much better designed for piercing. I don't need to pierce things that often, but often enough that I've noticed my Bullnose is not the greatest piercer. Far from horrible at it, it does well enough that I\ don't mind. Still one of my two main EDCs, but it's not ideal for piercing through tougher material. The Case I've also not tried, but that snubnose point looks abominable for piercing. I still intend to get one though.

I'm looking at getting a Country Cousin soon. I'm new enough to collecting with so many classic patterns I haven't tried yet that I wasn't planning to buy more than one of a given pattern yet, but the sodbuster's the exception. That Country Cousin looks a beauty, going to tack one on with my next purchase, whatever that may be. I don't know if it'll bump my Bullnose out of EDC though. Time will tell.
 
I have the Bullnose and the Case Sodbuster Junior (yellow CV). I did have a full sized Case Sod Buster that I gave away (I need to get a new one in CV).

The Bullnose is my favorite because of the color, lanyard tube, and fit and finish. That being said, it's about twice the price of the Case which for all practical purposes is just as good.... the handles aren't quite finished as nice, but in this knife it really doesn't matter. I carry either from time to time and while the Bullnose is my favorite, the Case has some mojo that the Bullnose doesn't.

For a first, I'd say Case CV Yellow because it's just a classic. Mine was pretty sharp out of the box too!

I also should try the Queen now that it comes in Micarta.
 
joepa150 said:
I never had this style of knife but I want one.
So my choices would be the following:
1) Case Sodbuster JR CV
2) Case Sodbuster JR SS
2) GEC Bullnose
3) Queen Country Cousin


It will be pocket carried and used for general everyday tasks. I do enjoy eating apples but the last time I ate and apple using a carbon steel black, it had a bad metallic taste and I almost threw up. Maybe a patina would help instead of keeping the blades oiled?
Click to expand...
If I were you, I'd go with the Queen. D2 Tool Steel takes a patina way LESS easily than carbon, so you don't have to worry about oiling the blade OR developing a patina. It's almost stainless in its behavior, but is a really tough, hardworking steel that will hold an edge way longer than any stainless or carbon I've tried.
 
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