Schrade Imperial Sodbuster Small Black

What a fantastic knife for £8! Feels like a knife my dad would've used. The handle feels quality and looks great, like ebony and brass. The blade is firm in deployment and snaps into the open position. Feels great in the hand. A perfect discrete knife that looks and feels like a quality gentleman's folder. And of course HH delivered within 24 hours of purchase.

A while ago I wrote a somewhat scathing review for Schrade's yellow handled Small Sodbuster. The shield (badge) was sloppily fitted, and the edge-holding characteristics were poor, I thought. The ergonomics were nice, rounded and inviting compared to Cases's current flat-sided Sodbuster Jr, and of course the cost was a fraction of a new Case equivalent, even a basic one (yes, they have quite a variety of this type). But in the end the yellow Schrade got only 3 stars from me. On a whim I included this black version on an order. When it arrived I was pleased to see that the shield was crisply stamped and fitted to a much higher standard. No mini moat around the oval Imperial shield. The grind had edges that were shallow, meaning that it cut with less effort than the more steeply banked yellow model. The thickness at the edge of the blade on the black model, that is, where the grind angle of the cutting edge meets the sides of the blade, is somewhat thick, at least twice as thick as the Case equivalent, but the shallower grind angle helps to compensate for this. Interestingly, at least for a collector, the blade of the Schrade is 2mm longer than the Case's. The handle lengths are identical, yet Schrade has slimmed theirs by about 3mm. This slimmer feel in the hand coupled with the pleasingly rounded contours on the Schrade actually seems better to me than the more boxy feel of the Case. Older Case Sodbuster Jrs. have a more contoured handle; one can only suppose that the present slab-sided manufacture is due to less hand finishing being required. And the butt of the Case frame actually comes to a bit of a point. Not uncomfortably so, but the Schrade by comparison is gently rounded off there, too. Maybe I was too harsh on the yellow Schrade Small Sodbuster. After all, at this price point, would a comparison to a Case really be fair, in terms of performance? Well, whether one chooses to put their pocket knife roughly through vigorous hard use throughout its life or to mollycoddle it is a personal matter. At the end of the day, there are times when a beater' blade is preferrable to a ruined expensive knife. And whatever misgivings the yellow model gave initially, both it and its sable stablemate are certainly good value for money. And this black Small Sodbuster is actually well finished. So - all is forgiven! Delivery from Heinnie's was at light speed. World class service, as per usual. Cheers!

Great little knife at just £8 quid. You really can't go wrong ! Blunt out of the box, why will, what to wear?1!

On the inside of the handle where the blade goes when closed, there are two pieces of the golden coloured metal sticking out, and both have scratched the blade. The word "IMPERIAL" stamped/engraved on the handle was full of dirt and grime. A little stiff to open. Blade was reasonably sharp out of the box, didn't split paper though. Still, usable. In short, a good knife if you aren't going to care all too much about it getting scratched and beaten up.

This is a lovely knife for £7.95, the bigger one is even better value for £8.95. I bought both as his and hers gardening knives. Just buy it, no make buy them both.

I had read many of the previous reviews but was still surprised at how good this knife is for under £8 . I carried a knife in my tool box at work for many years ( very many! ) , i would certainly have had this in my tool box ,i recommend this to all trades persons as its cheap enough to lose but substantial enough to use !

Amazed at how good this knife is for its price, great value. Sharp enough for an EDC knife and fits unnoticeable in pocket. Looks good and well made. Might be small but strong and sturdy blade. HH out did themselves with service as got knife within 24hrs from order, excellent as always.

Thought I'd give it a while before writing a review. Cracking knife, V sharp OTB and with a couple of quick sweeps over a strop was hair splittingly sharp! Nice firm action when opening and closing gives confidence. It looks like a classic boys pocket knife but it's an ideal tool for EDC with it's lack of intimidating character. Well done Schrade and of course well done HH on great service and speedy delivery but, that goes without saying!

At sub-£8 you can't really go wrong but don't expect it to compare to more expensive EDC's. Overall a quality bit of kit which is great value for money and it feels like it's worth a lot more. Pros: -very cheap -has a luxury feel to it Cons: -steel isn't the greatest -doesn't come particularly sharp -mechanism isn't very strong so there is a slight risk it might close on your fingers Overall, well worth the money. It's non-imposing and non-threatening which is great in an EDC. Would recommend.