SZCO Supplies Sodbuster Work Knife

When I was about 12, my parents gave me my first real knife, they got it for free. It had a cheap rawhide sheath, and the handle was kept on by some type of recessed screw. But it had a legit bone handle, a thick blade about 7 inches long, a blood groove and was made of stainless steel. Not much of a knife to see, but it sharpened well and was my first fishing knife. Served me well for years, I can still see it in my head. This is such a knife. Not expensive but good lock and snap, solid blade and bolsters. It will treat you as well as you treat it, but that's true of even expensive knives. Thumbs up here especially for the price.

Listen, I love high quality, and American made, and collectible knives just as much as the next knife freak, but I had to drop the three bucks and find out what this "Sodbuster" was like. Worst case scenario, it becomes a garden knife. It's pretty cool. This knife is manufactured in Pakistan. Although inexpensive as all get out, it IS tight. The steel is cheap, but it's very easy to sharpen. The factory edge is sufficient a short while, but seriously, knife geeks (like me) who break down and buy this budget stuff put a custom edge on such blades immediately out of the box. Whatever the wood is, it's quite attractive. As for the "walk and talk" ... the spring is very tight and the blade opens in a couple of stages, although it may grow smoother over time. It's talks loud when you close it, making a very satisfying SNAP.So, here's what I did the moment I took it out of the box ... I took 0000 steel wool and removed the word "PAKINSTAN" from the blade. It's not an etching so it came off immediately. Then, I ran the wool over the wood scales to knock back any light finish and rubbed it down with olive oil, also oiling the spring, and left it to sit for a while. Once fairly well absorbed, I wiped away any remaining oil and proceeded to grind a full convex edge to the blade using ever finer grits of wet/dry sandpaper and a mouse pad, until I could shave the hair from my arm effortlessly. (If anyone is interested, I began with 220 grit to reshape the grind and finished with 3000 grit.) Then, another rub down with olive oil left to soak in slowly. Looks pretty lustrous now, and cuts like a knife should.You know, it's just a totally inexpensive, easy to modify work knife. If you're willing to put a really good edge on it, I can't possibly see how it isn't a steal at $3.26 DELIVERED. Good heavens ... no brainer. Great tool to throw in your fall jacket pocket, your tackle box, your gardening tray, whatever. Bust it, ruin it, lose it ... you're out three bucks.I'm happy that I purchased it. I have a half a notion to order a half dozen more and give them away at Christmas!UPDATE: I notice the price has doubled on this product since I posted my review. I've been carrying the knife in my jacket pocket and using it for various utilitarian jobs for some time now, and despite the Pakistani steel (which is normally considered pretty awful) it seems to be holding and edge pretty well. My verdict, even at seven bucks, still worth the money.

So I've owned really expensive, quality knives. I appreciated them, but was always worried about losing them or breaking them. I camp, fish, farm..So there are lots of opportunities to misplace or lose it. I'm occasionally in situations where I need to (frankly) misuse my knife and risk damaging it. I'd also say that most were very high quality - HARD - steel and a bit difficult to put an edge on.I've had small, cheap flimsy knifes that I didn't trust not to break. Many were too short, which means the handle is short. This limits your leverage and how much energy you can put behind the blade. So these knives were of limited value.I've had fancy Swiss Army knives but 95% or more of the time, I just used the "big" blade. The rest was just extra weight and bulk.I've had ugly knives - which no matter how good they are designed functionally, there is no excuse for poor aesthetics. Many were designed to resemble something from the movies. I'm not a Navy Seal. I'm not Rambo, I don't need a pocket knife to look like theirs.So what I found in this knife was:1. Cheap as hell at less than 7 bucks so I'm never worried losing or abusing it if necessary. I'm going to buy more for spares.2. Full size handle. Not too flat - you can get your hand around it. Not to short.3. One, simple, functional blade. Even has a point that is useful.4. Oil the handle and I think it looks sharp as hell.5. Steel is the (almost) the right hardness. I can very easily put decent edge on it with a whetstone in less than 2 minutes. I keep a stone on my dresser next to my wallet, keys and knife - I keep this knife sharp rather than waiting until it's dull and I have to do something.It's a bit more bulky than I like and the steel is a bit harder than I like - but this is a really good knife. It's a knife for an adult.

Mine had a bit of side to side and opened-lockup play, but not horrible by any means.With that said, I knew I wouldn't be putting any effort into refinishing the wood.I gave mine to friend who liked it more than I did.Fits the hand nicely!It's a good value for the price and and would function well for everyday utility.It was delivered very quickly by SZCO Supplies.