We’ll be taking a look at the Condor Bushlore knife to see if it measures up to bushcraft in the wilds. First, let’s see the particulars about the knife so we know what we’re working with here.

The Condor Bushlore just looks at home in the woods! Check out Condor Tool & Knives on Amazon. 

Condor Bushlore

Technical Specs:

–Blade 4.3 inches long.

–Overall length 9.3 inches.

–Thickness .1 inches.

–Weight 6.1 ounces.

–1075 High Carbon Steel.

–Grind – Scandi.

–Handle – Walnut.

–Sheath – Leather, Pouch Type.

The Attraction

There a many bushcraft type knives on the market, so what made this one stand out to me? Two things: A recommendation from my friend and the price. Normally, I’ll discuss the price toward the end of the article, but considering it was one of the reasons that attracted me to the knife, I figured I’d throw it in here, early on.  I think the price is pretty amazing; I paid $59.65. Was that a bargain? Let’s see.

That walnut handle just looks great! It gives the knife a good look and feel.

Weight

The first thing that struck me about this knife is the weight. Rather, the lack of weight. It’s a very light knife that’s nimble in the hand. It’s a full tang knife, which indicates lots of strength. And it’s not especially thin, which points to more strength. I’m not sure why it’s so light, it has an almost magical quality in this department, and is a pleasant surprise, especially for those who are concerned about shaving off excess ounces for backpacking and similar activities.

For time in the woods, the Bushlore paired nicely with the S&W CSX Micro-9mm pistol.

The next thing that I found surprising is how sharp this knife is! This is my first Scandi grind, and I have to say I’m seriously impressed with how sharp it came from the factory.

Finish

As I looked the knife over, I noticed that it is made in El Salvador (I knew it before I ordered the knife, but it’s marked on the blade as well). At first, I thought to myself that the finish of the knife was almost…I hate to use the word…. slightly crude. But as I looked the knife over, the appropriate word hit me: It’s Rustic. This is not a dig at the knife in any way. Rather, I’d sum it up as the knife is perfectly equipped to do the job it’s intended for while not exhibiting unnecessary polish. This is not to say that the knife is not attractive.

Aside from performing well, the knife just looks good. It’s not shiny and polished, but is rather on the rustic side. It’s not so pretty that you’ll cringe when you scratch it. The Walnut handle makes it look at home in the woods.

Grip

The Walnut grip is something that I find attractive; the color and feel are both great. In fact, the comfort of the handle is outstanding, with a palm swell in the middle of the grip. One thing that I really like is a subtle, slight bird’s beak handle; it’s not overly pronounced, but it’s there and helps to lock the knife into your grip. The Walnut wood provides good purchase and yet does not exhibit hot spots when using the knife or chopping and gives a “warm” grip. The butt of the grip has a lanyard hole. The wood stocks of the grip are pinned with what appears to be brass pins.

The Walnut handle proved to be comfortable while whittling and chopping with the Bushlore.

The bird’s beak at the base of the handle adds to the comfort and makes it easier to hang onto the knife when chopping.

If you’re going to chop with it, choking back on the handle is the way to go, and that bird’s beak on the handle really helps the user to be able to hang onto the knife while doing so. One might also desire to install a lanyard in the hole at the butt of the handle for chopping tasks, which will help the user hang onto the knife a little better. Still, I did some chopping without a lanyard and it turned out fine.

The results of a few seconds of chopping with the Condor Bushlore. This thick stick was sharpened and could be used as a spear or tent peg. Although light, the knife does possess a nice chopping ability.

The sides of the blade wear a bead blast finish that is pleasing to the eye, while the area with the Scandi grind is not finished.

Performance

Some light chopping went very well with the blade. Whittling and cutting fuzz sticks for fire starting were very easy tasks for the Bushlore, with the blade biting into the wood very easily and efficiently. One thing I noticed early on is that there is a gradual curvature of the blade, giving this knife lots of belly. This is a real advantage for slicing tasks.

Whittling fuzz sticks for fire making was no problem at all; the blade bit into the wood perfectly.

Here we see some of the results of whittling a fuzz stick, which was accomplished in mere seconds.

The tip of the blade is not overly pointy, so it proves to be very durable and strong. However, it will readily drill holes into wood, which is a nice thing to be able to do for Bushcraft.

The spine of the Condor Bushlore is a sharp 90 degrees, which works perfectly with fire steels to create lots of sparks, which is paramount for fire building. When used with a ferocium rod, lots of sparks were produced.

Given the thickness of the blade and overall robust construction of the knife, it works well for batoning, which is useful for splitting wood for feeding a fire.

There is also a smaller Condor Bushlore fixed blade knife with a 3″ blade.

Sheath

The sheath deserves special mention here too. It’s a pouch sheath, which I’m not normally a huge fan of. This one, however, is so nicely done, being made from very thick leather. The stitching is heavy and the sheath is also held together with a few rivets. On the back is a belt loop  that works really well, accommodating belts up to two inches. The Condor fits very tightly into the sheath, which holds it securely.

The sheath holds the knife securely so there’s no worry that it will ever be lost.

Uses

Aside from the bushcraft aspect, which the knife is obviously designed for, it seems to be a good general-use knife for any task that you’d conceivably need a fixed blade for. I’d wager that it would even serve to process game in the hunting role. I bet ranchers and farmers could also find a million uses for this knife as well.

The Condor Bushlore would be great paired with another classic, the Buck 112 Ranger. Two knives constructed from traditional materials.

The Bushlore gives you everything you need in a perfectly functional knife that has a rustic charm and will perform in a huge way. It should last for at least a couple generations and give good service throughout. And at the price point offered, users can afford to buy a couple of them should they want to equip various packs or family members with this knife. All in all, the bang for the buck on the Bushlore is outstanding.