case sodbusters (and other american brands) over-priced in the uk?

[pellgarlic]

hi =)

i've been a lurker for a couple of months, and got a lot of really helpful info from the discussions on this site, so thought i should actually start to join in =)

long story short:

i'm looking for a fairly cheap (up to about £30 max, but preferably a bit less) sub-3" single-blade carbon slipjoint for edc and light bushcraft type stuff, and am quite taken by the sodbuster style. it seems that a few makes are touted as being the safest bets quality-wise: case, queen, boker, and to a lesser extent german eye (aka "eye brand") and kissing cranes (these last two seem to polarise opinion).

despite not being keen on its hollow grind, i'm particularly drawn to the case sodbuster jr in chrome vanadium with delrin handle, (partly because it gets such high praise, and partly because i can't seem to find a uk stockist of a suitable non-locking boker, or the queen country cousin in d2 which i'm also interested in, and partly because the kissing cranes and german eyes seem to have such variable quality) but i have a reservation:

it seems that one of the reasons this knife is so highly esteemed in the US is because of how much knife you get for what you pay - it seems it's readily available in the US for around the $20 mark, which equates to roughly £12. however, on the couple of uk sites which sell it, it's closer to £30...

now, this is no reflection on those sites, or my opinion of them - i realise there are import costs etc, and the price is most likely fair in that context, but - does that make that particular knife a less sensible option for someone looking for a good quality "budget" knife in the uk?

e.g. - the mora clippers are quite highly regarded for similar reasons - they are excellent quality for not much money, but if they were about 3 times the price, they would be competing against other more "upmarket" models, and would not be as clearly worth the money.

the other options i have been considering are:

1. a german eye sodbuster, which has a flat grind that i'd be much happier with, available from heinnie for about £30 also, which i'm pretty sure has a carbon blade, despite the website stating it's stainless... (anyone feel free to correct me if i'm wrong - i'm sure you will =P) as i say above, the seemingly spotty quality of this brand due to the uncertainty of whether or not it was actually made in germany or with solingen steel, i'm hesitant about it.

2. a sheffield steel lamb-foot of the kind made by trevor ablett or george wostenholm, which do look really nice, and i am sure they are great quality, but are also up around £30 or so, and i'm not sure about the utility of that blade shape in bushcraft type duties.

so, because of all of the above, i'm leaning more towards one of the cheapo joker carbon slipjoints, which are unlikely to be up to the same standard as a case et al, but seem to be "ok", and are available for around £12... i really don't want to go down the "get one of each" route, as tempting as it might be for some - it's gonna be "one knife to rule them all" for me.

of course, at the end of the day, it's up to me if i think any particular knife is worth the money i would have to pay to get it, but i'd be interested to know if anyone here who has forked out £30 or so for a case sodbuster (or similar amounts for the other brands i mentioned) reckons it was worth it, or if anyone can recommend something i haven't already mentioned...

ok, so that wasn't such a short story after all, but i kept it as short as i could =)

 

[British Red]

I have a Trevor Ablett twin blade - its just fine for EDC and bushcrafting. Its an absolute bargain too - a hand made knife by a master craftsman for about £40 that you can carry and use every day? Fantastic value.

I lost my first a few years back and was buying a replacement same day

This is my latest - now stained and much abused

I have a variety of "nice" folders, but I always end up carrying an Ablett

 

[Retired Member southey]

I know it's a little different than the style youv'e been looking at, but have you conciderd the Svord peasant? recently got my hands on one and i just can't put it down, easly and edc either by asking the shop to find you a sub3" blade to send you or if they can't then you can just remove the tiny amount of metal it would take to put it under, good strong blade and handle, super sharp and holds it, plus the look is good to. just a thought. i think henniehaynes have them at a reasonable price.


O by the way Hello and welcome.

 

[pellgarlic]

wow, quick replies... =)

British Red - thanks for the confirmation about use of the Trevor Ablett - the main concern i have about it is the blade shape - i really only want a single blade (i have a rough rider "canoe", which i find uncomfortable to use because of the second blade still sticking out of the handle), and the lamb-foot shape doesn't look like it would be particularly suitable for "hole boring"...

southey - thanks for the welcome =) and yes, i did look at the svord peasant - looks like a really nice knife, i totally dig the aesthetics of it, but i decided it would just be a bit too big for me to edc (awkward shape compared to sodbusters), and the slightly over legal blade length was an issue too - i'm only just learning how to sharpen a knife without ruining it, let alone do any modification of the blade length/shape, however slight the actual modification. it does remain on the back-burner as a possibility though...

 

[Retired Member southey]

Yup i completely understand you there, if you do decide to have a look, like i say ask the shop to measure a few as the manufacturing tolerances are pretty slack and a some are under some are over. have fun mate.

 

[nitrambur]

How about a Masrerin Marinera? Similar shape to the sodbusters, and the olive wood version is pretty cheap

http://www.heinnie.com/Knives/-UK-L...in-Knives/Maserin-Marinera/p-92-641-655-2922/

 

[British Red]

pellgarlic,

Trevor does all sorts of blade shapes - clip point, spear point, lambsfoot and others - pick whichever one you like - the clip point (half open in the picture above) is pretty handy

Red

 

[pellgarlic]

nitrambur - thanks for the maserin suggestion, however, i happen to already own that one =P it's a nice wee knife, feels good in the hand (can get a good strong grip on the chunky handle), finish not perfect, but good enough (filed down a couple of sharp corners), ever-so-slight side-to-side blade play after some fairly rigorous use, and a stainless blade - i'm specifically after something in carbon now, after getting having had the maserin and a stainless mora for a wee while now (i noticed that the mora's blade has a couple of small chips in it now, maybe because i was trying to cut through some knots that were too hard, but i've read that carbon is "tougher" and should be less likely to chip).

british red - you say trevor does a spear point?... maybe there is another place to look, but i couldn't see that here: http://www.sheffield-cutlery.com/pocketknife.html worth an email to ask i guess =) i don't know what it is, but i just can't get excited about the clip point - i guess i just like the more subdued shape of a spear/drop point better, and could live with the lamb-foot shape as well. maybe that's just me being shallow =P why should form trump function? but i can't help but judge knives on appearance when it's next to impossible to see them "in person" before buying them... i guess that's the value of forums like this - we newbies can benefit from the experience of those that have come before...

 

[sam_acw]

I've got an Eye-brand sodbuster, bought back in the day you could get them on E-bay.
It's a bit of an odd-fish really. The back spring is very very stiff and the fit on the handle is a "D" grade. The blade is a good carbon steel and so gently hollow ground that it's almost flat - I've convexed the edge and it takes a nice toothy finish very easily.
They're great budget knives or perhaps projects for people who want to re-build a folder - they're not classy or well finished.

 

[British Red]

This is a spearpoint double blade

I lost this one and must say I find the finer point on the clip point more handy for delicate work

 

[pellgarlic]

sam_acw - i'd be interested to know how you think your eye-brand compares to the "german eye" one on heinnie just now - does yours have the same engravings/markings on the blade for example? the pic on heinnie makes it look like decent, and afaict, although this brand was historically known to be very good. its recent history has apparently been a bit spotty, and i'm not sure if the price on heinnie reflects high quality, or just the fact that it's not easy to get in the uk (which it isn't - heinnie seem to be the only uk-based site to have them) - maybe in a similar respect to the case sodbusters.

british red - i think i will investigate the spear-point option - the look of the clip-joint just isn't floating my boat unfortunately, and i want to be able to look at it and think "damn, that's pretty!", as well as it functioning well =P

 

[sam_acw]

It's the same model and colour as the one on the hennie website - the working bits are fine but the scales are not evenly rounded and there are gaps between the liner and scale. The blade is also not perfectly straight to the handle, they're both straight but there's a slight angle at the join.
I've got the longer bladed one, closer to 4 inches. They are working knives and tough - I wouldn't worry about battoning with it, whittling or anything else. The blades do develop patina and the markings on the blade rub off after a while without much effort.
Having looked at reviews I'm guessing the QC on the handles is a little hit and miss.

 

[Jacknife]

The Case Sodbuster is a very good knife. I've got four, two stainless and two in CV. Fit and finish is very good on all of them.

The cheapest I've seen them is £27 all in from www.moonrakerknives.co.uk

Are they worth it? Case Sodbusters are a quality knife that will last you a long time, so yes they probably are worth it.

You are not going to find new knives made by Case cheap.

I didn't buy mine new so can't honestly say if I would pay that much now, but if you see one in classifieds snap it up.

 

[OhCanada]

Does anyone else have a Sodbuster from Czechoslovakia? Not the republic, mine says Czechoslovakia on the blade but no other markings to indicate maker. It has a very strong backspring.