REVIEW – Growing up in the South, I was surrounded by men carrying a pocket knife. There was my Dad, his 5 brothers, and all my older cousins. If you asked one of them if they had a knife on them, inevitably you’d get the answer, I’ve got my pants on, don’t I? My Dad always carried an Old Timer stockman so of course, I thought that I needed one just like him. When I was old enough, that was exactly what he got me. I loved it and still have it to this day. As I grew older, I started seeing other pocket knives available at some of the local hardware stores. Some were cheaper than my Old Timer, but then there was a display of Case knives. The prices were higher but man, they looked beautiful to me. If anyone I knew carried a Case knife, I didn’t know about it. In fact, if you did carry one you were almost redneck royalty. Now the Case knife model that always drew my eye was their Sod Buster with its single blade and simple shape. Sure, there were plenty of flashier knives available, but that one spoke to me. I can’t say why, but for some reason, I never bought one. So when given the chance to review a knife from W.R. Case and Sons, I knew just what I wanted. I was thrilled when I was told I could get one with premium materials and immediately chose the Case Second cut jig burnt goldenrod Damascus Sod Buster Jr.
What is it?
The Case Second cut jig burnt goldenrod Damascus Sod Buster Jr. is a slip joint pocket knife with a skinner style blade made from carbon Damascus steel, burnt goldenrod jigged bone handles, and a nickel silver shield.
What’s included?
- Sod Buster Jr. pocket knife
- Product and warranty information
Tech specs
Click to expand
Model No. 52421
Pattern stamp: 6137 DAM
Blade length: 2.8″
Handle material: Bone
Handle finish: Jigged
Blade type: Skinner
Blade material: Damascus
Blade finish: Dam-bowl finish
Lock type: non-locking slip joint
Closed length: 3.63″
Weight: 2.1 oz
Design and features
First off, this is the Sod Buster Jr., not the Sod Buster. The difference is size. I’ve got a couple of full-sized trappers and came to realize that as much as I love them, I prefer a smaller knife to carry. The Sod Buster Jr. fits that bill perfectly with its 2.8″ blade. I just don’t find myself needing a huge blade on a daily basis. The Damascus steel used on this knife is down right gorgeous, and being Damascus, no two knives will be exactly alike. I do wish Case would’ve noted what types of steel were used to make the blade. It doesn’t really matter I guess. I’d just like to know. Being it’s carbon steel, it will need a little more maintenance to keep rust at bay.
The handle scales are second-cut jigged bone and I think they look great even though I admittedly didn’t know what second-cut bone was supposed to be. For those of you as ignorant as I was, I found a pretty good description online saying, “Second-cut bone is usually stained, dyed, heavily jigged, burned, and sometimes stabilized to make up for its shortcomings in appearance and possible weakness.” I don’t see any kind of flaw or imperfection that would give me pause concerning possible weakness. With Case’s reputation, I’m sure they’ve taken care of that. The length of the handle allows me to get a 3 finger grip on it and it feels good in the hand. There are no hot spots that I found.
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The Sod Buster Jr. has the traditional build materials with brass liners coupled with a steel back spring. This is the type of knife I remember from my childhood, a timeless classic.
For any Case aficionados, I included the shot of the tang stamp, or should I say etching. Typically Case uses an actual stamping process on the tang but it seems they’ve gone high-tech and are using lasers now. I don’t know if that’s across all lines or just with certain ones. I know that it’s used as a dating system so I thought someone might be interested to see it. This picture also shows a better view of the depth of the Damascus etch.
Here’s the other side with the pattern etch, USA 6137 DAM.
My only nit to pick with this knife would be the blade alignment. It’s not centered. It’s probably because I watch way too many knife reviews online and the majority of those are tactical-style knives that you can take completely apart. You can sort of tune them to get them to line up better. It’s not a big deal. The blade closes cleanly and doesn’t rub.
What I like about Case Second cut jig burnt goldenrod Damascus Sod Buster Jr.
- Classic styling
- Premium materials
- Size
What needs to be improved?
- Blade centering
Final thoughts
Prepare yourself for the price of this knife. It’s expensive. This isn’t a tactical button lock front/rear flipper with a milled titanium pocket clip, timascus handle scales, and some super steel. It’s a classic slip joint knife with a mix of traditional and premium materials. Case knives are made in the US which may account for the price. Case even states with this knife that some hand-crafting is involved. Is it worth it? That’s a question you have to answer for yourself. It does come with a limited lifetime warranty so as long you don’t purposely destroy it, Case will repair it should it need to be. This is a knife that can be handed down as an heirloom.
Price: $236.99
Where to buy: Case knives and Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Case. Case did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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My grandfather bought me my first knife in 1966. I was 6 yrs old. He was a retired Air Force master seargent and always carried a Case XX stockman. He took me to the local hardware store a picked out a Case XX peanut with 2″ blade and real bone handle for $5.00. I was thrilled, especially when he taught me how to sharpen it with 2 different stones and razor strap to remove any spurs. I don’t carry it anymore (it’s in the dresser) I now carry a special edition Schrade with real bone and 3″ blade, but I’ll always remember my Case XX
Great story! Thanks for sharing that.
Yo, that’s pretty steep for a Sod Buster Jr, and I prefer the full size SB. But at least it’s carbon steel. I own several Case knives, from decades ago. I went to Carl Schlieper Eye Brand when it became virtually impossible to find Case knives with carbon steel blades. Stainless just sucks.
I agree. I would love to get a full sized SB as well
I have a Sod Buster, full size, that was given to me as a gift from family friend in 1982 I believe. He owned hardware store that had a huge display case. That one is with me everyday. Nice knife, own several other Case XX knives. It’s my go-to knife. This new model looks great but for that price I will stick with my ol’ black delrin handle Sod Buster. Thank though for very well written review.
And thank you for the story and nice comments.
The premium price is because of the extra work involved making the Damascus steel. I have a beautiful case canoe with raindrop Damascus, and stag grips.
I would love to have one but what one thing about case knives is that they don’t lock and that makes them so dangerous.
If it helps any, I’ve had slip joint knives for decades and never cut myself because of the lock. They also have that stop point when the blade is about 90 degrees so that helps as well.
Yeah that’s a good looking knife. If it had a lock and pocket clip I would consider getting one
All tools with a blade (sharp) can be dangerous. Use common sense, some skill, don’t get in a hurry. You will do just fine weather the knife locks or not.