Condor Bushlore Knife - Bushcraft Knife - 1075 High Carbon Steel - Walnut Handle - Scandi Grind - Small Fixed Blade Knives - Hand Crafted Leather Sheath - 3mm Thick - 4.3in Blade - 6.1 oz

UPDATE Used the knife over Memorial Day Weekend and was really satisfied with the performance. I carved wooden toggles, made feather sticks, used it to baton kindling, cut rope and many other tasks. Washed it up and then used it for food prep cutting potatoes and onions. After all that it still sliced tomatoes and raw chicken with little effort and still had a great edge. After touching it up on leather it was back to shaving sharp. The knife is more than worth the price. Gotta say I really like this knife. It would be very hard to find a better knife at this price. The form and function of this knife is spot on. Blade- Was not hair popping sharp on arrival but it would shave. The blade is blued to help prevent rust and should help if you are in the field for a prolonged time without any type of oil. A few minutes on the work sharp field sharpener and the knife is scary sharp. Handle- The hardwood handle slabs feel great in the hand. Holding the knife just feels right. The color of these handles can vary but I am very pleased with mine. They look much better in person than in pictures. Sheath- The sheath is worth the price of the knife. It is of the same if not better quality as most custom sheaths I have seen. Some people say their knife fit loose in the sheath. That isn't the case with the one I received. Function- Man this thing really cuts!!! Feather sticks are a breeze with this knife. I didn't think it would feather as well as my mora knives but I was WAY wrong. Slices very well also. Some people my complain about the blade thickness saying it bends and you can't pry with it.... it's a knife not a pry bar!!! This thing cuts better than many of my more expensive knives. I would definitely recommend this knife to friends and family.

Great knife for the price. Finding a sturdy knife that doesn't break your wallet can be difficult, but this knife does just that. It's blade is high carbon, so it will retain its edge well and it has a walnut handle. There arent many knifes that have real wood handles anymore. This one is nice. I don't think you have to worry about it cracking under 'normal' conditions. The only real caveat to this knife is one of its pros: the high carbon steel. It rusts pretty easily. Just take care of it like you would any other tool (because it is a tool). Oil it after every use and if it does rust, a pencil eraser will remove most of it. Others have said that the blade doesn't come 'razor' sharp. Because of the high-carbon steel, the blade will never be razor sharp. If you want something that's razor sharp, get a box cutter or something. This thing was made to endure some tough stuff (batonning, carving, cutting real wood, striking flint, etc.) that would break anything that was razor sharp (high carbon steel is relatively soft compared to low carbon steel. It retains a reasonably sharp edge very well and doesn't break easily. However, low carbon steel will give you your 'razor' sharp edge, but it's also brittle and will break if strained). All in all, it's a good bushcraft knife. It comes with a pretty nice leather sheath that I assume also fits a few of condor's other fixed blades. If you're willing to take care of it, then this is a great buy. Plus, it's hard to beat the pricetag.

TL;DR Condor's quality control has improved, the knife came ready out of box and, and is a great all around blade for the common man who's watching their pack weight in the deep woods while hunting but need a dependable blade that can both prepare game and split wood if needed. Long part: I don't need to go too into detail about this knife, but I will say that Condor has really improved the quality of products they put out. For a while Condor was known amongst us almost as a project company, you'd by a solidly built tool but need to sharpen (sometimes even grind) it yourself really. My Kephart has been a constant companion (along with my old butcher knife and my Mora Classic) for many years now, but out of box I needed to do some sanding to make the Kephart's tip symmetrical and heavily sharpen it. Great steel and was a great little blade after some work. Mora's are almost always perfect out of box. I stayed far away from the old Bushlore, but the newer design as others have said the is not only better but in my opinion should be an industry standard for blades at this price point. Mine came with almost perfect symmetrical geometry (the cutting grind was perfect, the tip grind was a hair higher on one side but the tip is perfectly straight), was effortlessly able to take hair off my arm, and a perfect 90 degree spine for a ferro rod OR shaving bark. Keep it up Condor. As far as the design, the philosophy of use behind this knife is for Bushcraft and camp tasks, though would be perfectly functional for hunting (which I plan on doing a lot). Blades of this size should be complemented with an axe or hatchet if possible, but if needed this blade can baton wood (split wood by hammering it with a piece of wood). I love my Mora and my rummage sale picked butcher knife, but when hunting in the backcountry you want to keep your pack weight under 30 (or 25) lbs, your rifle or bow included. With a partial tang blade like a Mora or a thin blade like my butcher knife, you'll want to bring an axe or saw as well for processing wood. For small game and carving a Mora is perfection, but for deer or emergency fire making I want a more durable and slightly larger blade. Which is why I think the slightly higher price you pay for the Bushlore is just as an exceptional value as a Mora is. If you don't do a lot of backcountry hunting/bushcraft, a Mora will serve you well, especially for you Ultra-Light people. The Mora Bushcraft Black is also great but more expensive than the Condor Bushlore. If you're hunting close to your vehicle or base camp, you could bring an even larger hunting knife like a Buck or a KaBar plus an axe and dedicated skinning or carving knife because weight isn't as much of a concern. The Bushlore is an all around tool for the common man and one that fits the bill for one watching their pack weight deep in the woods but needs a durable blade for both large game and bushcraft, one I will pass on to my children most likely. I've done a bit of testing in the week I've had it, feathering wood, batoning wood (a test, not a practice), and cutting food. So far it functions just as well as my Mora and will be able to withstand abuse in the field if needed. 10/10, couldn't be made better for its intended use without increasing the price. Will be coming with me from now on.

First, the good parts: 1) For the price, mine was very well-made. I realize others may have different experiences, but quality control is always something that is a lower priority when you're getting good components for a good price. 2) The sheath is excellent. I purchased a Leatherman multitool that came with a "premium leather sheath," and that thing's a piece of crap next to this sheath. My only problem is that I'm left-handed, but that's a problem I have with almost any knife, ever. 3) It is so. comfortable. to. use. The weight is excellent, the balance is very good, and the walnut grip is just pleasing. The handle is comfortable and long enough to adjust one's grip depending on the task being performed- you can clench down and get a lot of power, or spread out and get a good, choked grip to do finer work. Since it's a full tang, I also feel a little more confident beating up the pommel a bit- not that I plan to, but I could if I needed to. That thrills me. The thickness of the blade also makes it a bit easier to slip your thumb up onto the spine and do a little bit of fine control. 4) Holds a pretty excellent edge. It made it through slaughtering, cleaning and butchering two roosters without a hiccup. Now the bad: 1) The factory edge is terrible. I mean dull. I'm not really complaining, per se, but it needs to be said. Don't expect for this knife to be ready to use out of the box. Expect to spend some time pampering the edge into a good workable level of sharpness. 2) While the walnut handle is beautiful and comfortable and just feels great in my hand... the leather sheath just leeches the color right out. This isn't really a problem for me; whenever I want it to look pretty, a quick rub of oil brings it back to factory spec, and I don't mind if it looks a bit rough when I am using it. But if anyone looking to buy this knife is ridiculous about looks like that, be advised. 3) If for whatever reason you do want to get this knife just insanely sharp... it'll take a fair bit of work, compared to a more expensive knife. This is because the grind on the blade is just awful. It's too steep an angle to really get a good edge. Don't get me wrong, it's durable, and it's easy to sharpen in the field. But if you want to slide this bad boy through paper, get ready to admit one thing: sharpening a scandi grind blade that is this thick is just a pain. Can you get it sharp enough to be very useful and serviceable? Absolutely. It takes maybe ten minutes out of the box to have it ready to roll. But if you're looking to scrape hairs off your arm, be ready to redo the grind. All told, I'm very pleased with this knife. It's quite possibly the best purchase I've made in a long time. For the price it performs admirably- and for the price, I wouldn't feel bad about modifying it to enhance its performance. The design is great, the materials are great, the performance is very good, and it's cheap enough that I won't worry about modding it later as my skill level goes up.

DISCLAIMER: This is my first Condor knife, and I am already in love with this company. The knife arrived in a simple, but attractive box along with full company contact information and complete mini-catalog. SHEATH: + * * * * * is made of veg-tanned 9oz leather (very heavy and incredibly durable, for those who don't know leather by oz weight), and is riveted top and bottom, and it bears the patented Condor 'condor' emblem printed into the leather. In between the rivets is wax-cord stitching to preserve the triple-thick leather edge. *Try to avoid getting the sheath too wet, as leather holds moisture deep and for a long time. If you do get the sheath wet, wipe clean and heat-dry, then cool to room temperature before returning the knife to its sheath. You'll read why below. **FIVE STARS** BLADE: + * * * * is a full-tang CARBON STEEL design with a factory edge razor out of the box, which holds up very well even under bush-whacking duress. Make sure you have gun-oil handy as carbon steel (unlike stainless) will rust easily if exposed to weather. Read note above regarding the care and upkeep of leather sheaths/holsters. My one negative remark here is that the blade has a deep imprint reading "Condor" on one facet, and "El Salvador" (their factory location) on the opposite facet. These deep letter prints are not a good idea on carbon steel (In my opinion) since they 'pocket' water and can easily rust if the water is not quickly removed and the blade oiled. THIS IS NOT A NOVICE or ENTRY-LEVEL KNIFE! Use it daily> be prepared to care for it daily. You cannot use it and then leave it for a week before upkeep-care. **FOUR STARS** HANDLE: + * * * * is what Condor calls 'hickory-type,' but it is made out of a hardwood similar to hickory, which comes from South America. Again, have your gun-oil handy. Out of the box, the handle was properly dried, but it took several applications of oil, drinking deeply before it finally darkened up to what I would call a 'healthier' patina. Don't get me wrong. Condor got this right. I would rather have the wood factory-dry than factory-oiled. I prefer to apply my own products than to have a company apply them for me. Just be aware that this is a step you will need to take quickly. You wouldn't want water to soak into the dry wood and create rusting issues with the rear of the tang. Would've preferred genuine hickory, so **FOUR STARS** APPLICATIONS: + * * * * * The day I took it out of the box, one of my boys shaved the hair off his arm. This is common. Any factory can deliver a sharp edge, right? Sure! But how about after I've already hacked through a bunch of maple boughs to hew arrows for my boy's homemade bow? ...That's what I thought. The second application came after I had to dispatch a deer caught in one of our barb-wire fences. Without graphic details, the knife performed with razor-edged precision and the exactness I would demand from a MUCH more expensive knife. I've hacked limbs, cut through plastic- thick and thin, field-dressed animals, butchered animals, and even hewed fresh bone! ...Then I finally sharpened the knife! **FIVE STARS** SHARPENING: + * * * * the Bushlore holds an exceptional edge, but once sharpening is necessary, I suggest an oil-stone, heavy on the oil. It took awhile to smooth away the horizontal factory grind-lines, (They seemed a little on the deep side, hence the four stars) but once I did, I was able to easily float the edge and smooth away the excess. It took very little dressing to have the knife sharper than it was out of the box. **FOUR STARS** OVERALL 22 of Nater's 25 stars = Exceptional CONDOR INFORMATION: This company, which was founded in 1787 in Germany, was one of the preeminent cutlery manufacturers of that time, and helped Germany rise to fame as the finest blade-manufacturing country in the world. Their traditions and original designs, along with many new cutting-edge innovations, remain today, almost 230 years later. Now factory-based in El Salvador, they continue to turn out simplistic, unassuming quality of the highest order. IN CLOSING: Everyone who has read my reviews of (especially) HELLE KNIVES of Norway knows that I am very high on that company. No one makes a more beautiful knife in that price-range, in my opinion. I mention them now because I believe I have found a comparable match, but for a quarter the cost. For durability and field-usefulness, CONDOR soars above the rest. Since I do survival hikes every year, practicality and longevity are the highest considerations. This is a uniquely valuable knife to me. Having the knife now, I would gladly pay twice as much to repurchase if I lost it. *This is a hacking jungle-type knife: hence the name, Bushlore. Many of Condor's knives are of this design, and most of their products are designed with South-American usage in mind. However, the Bushlore's durability makes it a perfect fit for a more rugged, North-American 'survival' situation in which you might need to hack, chop, eviscerate, self-defend, wedge or spear. The Condor Bushlore knife will do it all, and then beg for more. Thank you, Condor, for making an exceptional tool. If this was a ten-star rating system, the CONDOR BUSHLORE would get ALL 10 Thanks for reading. Let me know if this review was helpful to you. -NATER

Purchased through Amazon for $30.35 with free shipping. The Condor Bushlore knife is a rough copy of one that Ray Mears had custom made by a smith in Sweden. The pattern seems to be ubiquitous in ‘bush craft’ knives made by other companies. I purchased this knife to replace a Helle ‘Symphoni’ which was a pretty darn good woods knife, but just not thick enough for my taste. My wife had been eyeballing the Helle because of its curly birch handle anyway, so I saw my chance and she happily approved the purchase. The blade length is 4 5/16” with a thickness of 1/8”. It has a Rockwell Hardness of 56-58, a blasted satin finish and an overall length of 9 5/16”. One side of the blade is stamped “El Salvador” and the other with the company name. Both stampings are modest in size. The grind resembles the much vaunted ‘Scandi’ or Scandinavian type and runs about 3/8” wide. The grind goes nearly all the way from the tip to the handle where it leaves a ricasso of about 3/16”. It has a drop point profile that very nearly resembles a spear point so the point is at the center of the blade. The knife has a full tang, which is a must for me. The very dense and dark colored wood used for the scales is simply described as, “hardwood” in the catalogue. The scales are attached with two 3/16” brass pins and the handle has a brass lined lanyard hole 1/4” from the end. The sheath was a disappointment though, but not because of any defect. I was a little let down that there was absolutely no reason to make a new one, which I often do when I acquire a knife. The leather on the sheath is heavy and the welt is thick enough to more than accommodate the blade and protect the stitching, which is tight and runs between 4 and 5 stitches per inch. The coffee colored leather is riveted top and bottom with good quality, silver colored rivets, not the cheap ones with the hole in the back. The sheath is stamped with a Condor logo about the size of a thumbprint and holds the knife in a solid grip by friction. This last feature is important to me because I prefer not to have a retaining strap on what I call my “handy” knives. I like being able to simply reach for it and pull it out. For that reason I prefer to have a sheath that is form fitted, tight, and deep enough to hold at least the lower third of the handle, that ensures the knife won’t fall out on its own, the Bushlore’s sheath goes up the handle about half way. The Condor Bushlore knife is made of 1075 carbon steel, which seems to be a standard offering in the Condor line and came out of the box, literally, shaving sharp. That’s no real feat nowadays since I’ve seen $8.00 Pakistani “survival” knives do the same. This one though, unlike the Pakistani and Chinese offerings, held an edge. After carving out a spoon, a figure four trapping trigger, half a dozen fuzz sticks and batoning several pieces of 3” ash the edge was still sharp enough to do more. It only took a few strokes on an Arkansas fine stone to return it to shaving sharp. The edge, after examination with a 20X magnifying lens, appeared to take the use and abuse without bending, chipping, or cracking. All in all, I’ve got to say that I’m very pleased with this knife. It’s a solid tool and I’d be comfortable with it anywhere. While this knife is a straightforward affair without any fancy embellishments, I’d gladly take it, over some other knives that I’ve owned and used that cost four and five times as much. As far as the company is concerned, there are posts in forums elsewhere, describing its location, history &c. An item of great interest to me with any company I do business with is consumer relations and from my experience, CTK is very responsive. For example, I had a concern about their Claw Shovel that I purchased and was contacted within hours, via an email from Condor’s National Sales Manager, Richard Jones, who requested my shipping address so they could ship me a replacement. The improvements that Condor has made over the years to this specific knife are in direct response to concerns expressed by the “Bushcrafting community” ( boy I hate that word ‘community’ but it’s so useful), such as fit and finish of the scales. More impressive to me though, they changed both the grind of the blade and its thickness, in response to customer input. Just a final note, this company is not going to stay in the bush-leagues, if you’ll pardon the pun. I suspect that as word travels, they will gain a well-deserved reputation for quality products, then prices will go up with demand, just like a lot of other companies have done. I intend to keep them on my buy-from list and avoid the price hikes.

I've had this knife about 9 years. It's a great knife. I paid $35 back then. I've used it extensively doing a variety of bushcrafting tasks. It holds an edge decently long. Easy to sharpen. I put a small secondary bevel on the scandi which helps to keep it from chipping. A quick strop brings the edge right back to sharp. There's a lot of choices at the current $62 dollar price tag, but it's a dependable, tough knife that's worth looking into.

I’ve seldom been without a knife of some sort on me ever since my days in the Boy Scouts, whether it’s a slim pocket folder, a fishing knife, a garden knife, or some other variety. I’m also an inveterate accumulator- note I didn’t say “collectors- of knives. Whenever I see something tha looks like it might be a tad better than what I’m using I find myself buying one, especially when it’s as inexpensive as this Condor. My go-to field knife for hiking and camping has been a Morakniv for some time, and while Moras have great blades, most are weak in the handle. Even those with a full length tang tend to have plastic and wood handles that aren’t all that tough. With a blade that extends the full length of the knife, this Condor is unlikely to break in use, assuming the steel is well tempered. One of the most impressive features of this knife, given the price, is the sheath. It’s made of thick oiled top grain leather, and it better than sheathes I’ve seen on knives costing twice as much. I would have really like a snap-over flap or other rendition device to insure against losing it, but the brass lanyard bushing- another unexpected feature- allows you to use a piece of parachute cord for that function. The back of the blade is square and provides a good striking surface for the ubiquitous fire starter stick. Knife and sheath together are a very practical package, good enough to take into the field, and cheap enough tha you won’t be heartbroken if you do happen to lose it. It’s classified by the seller as a “bush knife,” a relatively new but incredibly popular classification, judging from all the videos and web sites promising to teach “bushcraft” skills, like building shelters, deadfalls, and campfires. And “batoning” with your knife appears to be extremely popular. Unless you can use it like a splitting wedge, well, it’s just not a real bushcraft knife. Personally, I don’t care about that, as I have a perfectly good pack hatchet that’s designed for chopping and splitting wood. This blade is too thin for chopping, and the grind angle is too shallow for the edge to hold up to tha kind of abuse, but used as a knife I think it should last a long time and give good service. In fact, if you’re thinking about buying one, I’d suggest spending another $20 and getting the Micarta handled version, which should hold up better to moisture in the long run.