The Condor Bushlore
The Condor Bushlore has been around for a while and is very popular among bushcrafters. Its low cost and solid features make this knife worth taking a look at if you haven’t already.
In this knife review article, I’ll go over the basic specs of the Bushlore knife, and then I’ll get into the finer details of this knife’s design. I’ll also discuss some of my personal experiences with using this knife.
Condor Bushlore Knife Specs
Blade Length: 4.3″
Blade Thickness: 3mm
Overall Length: 9.3″
Grind: Scandi
Steel: 1075 High Carbon Steel
Handle Material: walnut
Sheath: Hand-crafted welted leather
The Blade
1075 High Carbon Steel
The blade of the Condor Bushlore is made from 1075 high carbon steel. With all the hype about “super steels,” it’s easy to get the impression that steel like 1075 is nothing more than a sharpened piece of garbage—but I disagree.
It’s true that there are some amazing types of steel out there. Edge retention, toughness, and even corrosion resistance with steel like CPM 3V, for example, is really impressive. But that doesn’t mean a more simple steel like 1075 can’t get the job. In fact, 1075 high carbon steel actually has some benefits over powder steel
and other types of steel that end up earning the “super” label.
The most noticeable benefit of 1075 for most people is going to be the cost. The price difference between a knife made of CPM 3V, Elmax, or even A2 is always going to be much higher than a knife made from 1075. Again, this isn’t because 1075 is worthless, it’s just a less complicated steel and therefore doesn’t cost as much to work with. This is what makes it a popular steel among beginner knife-makers.
Another benefit of 1075 is that it’s a relatively softer steel, making it very easy to sharpen. There are two sides to this benefit, of course. Whenever you have a steel that’s easy to sharpen, it also means it will require sharpening more often. In other words, edge retention isn’t the best. You’ll still be able to get a good amount of work done with a 1075 steel blade before needing to strop or sharpen the edge, but if maximum edge retention is your primary need, you’ll want to look at a different type of steel.
Find exactly what level of edge retention you prefer might take some trial and error with different types of steel, but one reason that steel like 1075 is good for bushcraft and survival purposes is that you have the option of maintaining your edge with something as simple as a smooth river stone (instead of depending on diamond bench stones or expensive Japanese water stones).
Personally, among the 10XX high carbon steels, I prefer 1095 over 1075 (higher carbon content), as it strikes a nice balance between being easy to sharpen, soft enough to usually avoid chipping and still holding an edge reasonably well. 1095 steel will usually bring the price up a little, but there are a few 1095 knives out there that still fall within the price range of the Bushlore—the Condor Terrasaur (see my review of the Terrasaur here) is one of these knives.
The 1075 of the Bushlore will need to be stropped or sharpened regularly to maintain a good sharp edge, but it allows the price to stay low and it will still serve you well for bushcraft and camping tasks.
Scandi Grind
The Condor Bushlore features a Scandi grind. This grind is well-suited for bushcraft tasks, especially those that involve wood. This isn’t the only grind capable of performing well for bushcrafting, but it does make fast work of tasks that involve removing large amounts of material or making precise cuts like notches and hooks.
Blade Profile
The basic blade profile of this knife resembles a Kephart-style knife in that the spine of the knife drops down to meet with the edge near centerline (appearing almost like a spear point). This is a blade profile shared by many popular wilderness and bushcraft knives including the ESEE PR4 and the Lt Wright Genesis. This type of blade profile yields itself well to drilling tasks and also gives you a good awareness of where the tip of your knife is.
Also, since the tip of the knife is near centerline, that means the edge of the blade doesn’t have as much belly to it. This might be good or bad for you depending on how much curve you need in your knife blade. A more pronounced belly is great for skinning and cleaning game, but less belly and more straight edge often becomes more beneficial to woodworking tasks.
One interesting, and subtle, feature of this knife’s profile is while the edge of the knife appears to run in a straight line from the hand until it reaches the belly of the blade, a closer look reveals that’s not exactly the case. There’s actually a slight curve to the blade from handle to tip. The curve becomes much more pronounced near the tip, of course, but there isn’t actually any portion of the Bushlore’s edge that is perfectly straight.
This subtle curve of the blade functions as if it were a straight edge. In other words, it doesn’t make it a specialized blade like certain hunting knives (a traditional Alaskan Ulu, for example). One thing I did notice, however, is that when making long cuts (removing the bark on a long piece of wood, for example) that subtle curve followed the natural arc of my cut and made the cut just a little more efficient. As I mentioned, this is a very subtle—almost unnoticeable—feature, but I found that it added to what makes the Condor Bushlore a great bushcraft knife.
90-degree spine
The spine of the Condor Bushlore is ground to a 90-degree edge. This is a very basic feature to have on a knife, but it really increases its versatility. A 90-degree spine on a knife allows you to use it as your striker on a ferrocerium rod, scrape tinder into fine shavings, scrape scales from fish, and even prepare cactus pads for eating. Along with all of that, it preserves your knife-edge since the spine can perform at least some of the tasks related to bushcraft and wilderness living.
I’ve worked with a lot of different knives that feature a 90-degree spine, and they are all a little different. Depending on how they are ground and finished, some will be sharper than others. The spine of my LT Wright Genesis, for example, is one of the sharpest knife spines I’ve ever used. It throws tons of sparks from my ferro rod because of how sharp it is, and it’s my preferred knife to have on hand when scraping away the spines and glochids on a cactus pad prior to cooking them, but it’s also sharp enough that I’ve cut my thumb just by applying a little pressure against the spine. So there are pros and cons to having a super sharp 90-degree spine on a knife. The spine on the Condor Bushlore is sharp and effective, but not so sharp that I’ve sliced my thumb. It’s a level of sharpness that I think will strike a good balance for the uses of most individuals.
The Handle
Handle Material
The handle on the Condor Bushlore is made from walnut and fastened to the full tang of the knife with brass rivets. The handle, like most wooden handles, is comfortable in hand. My only issue with this handle material is not really anything against the Condor 
Bushlore specifically, but more to do with wooden handles in general, and that’s the simple fact that they require a little more maintenance than plastics or micarta. A little mineral oil spread over the handle from time to time will help ensure it lasts a long time, even if it’s frequently exposed to water.
I’ve yet to see any signs of wear on the handle, so my concerns with it are more of a personal matter. I tend to like handles that are nearly indestructible and require little to no maintenance. Wood, by nature, can also be prone to absorbing bacteria from blood, dirt, sweat, and whatever else your knife handle picks up. The same is true for many other materials as well, but most other materials are a little easier to clean and don’t absorb as much as wood.
Again, basic knife maintenance will make most of these things become non-issues. Oil the handle once in a while, clean it regularly, and let it dry out if it ever gets really wet—it’s really as simple as that.
Wood handles also don’t have the “cold” lifeless feel in the hand that certain plastics and even G10 seem to have. Wood is also a traditional handle material, so if you’re into staying old school with your approach to bushcraft—the walnut handle of the Condor Bushcraft might be your thing.
Handle Shape
The handle shape of the Bushlore is amazing. It’s incredibly comfortable. Some of this has to do with the wood material of the handle, but a lot of it has to do with its shape.
The underside of the handle has a palm swell and it curves upward near the index finger and little finger (when in a regular forward grip). The butt of the knife continues that curve to not only give space for the little finger but also to enhance the grip if you are choking back on the knife for light chopping tasks.
The top of the knife handle runs flat all the way to the butt of the knife before curving. A lot of knife handles curve toward the butt of the knife (look at the Mora Companion, for example). And while knives that curve the way the Mora Companion curves are comfortable to use, I actually really appreciate the flat portion of the Condor Bushlore and how it extends all the way to the butt of the knife. I found that it allowed me to more efficiently make the deeper and longer cuts. The flat portion becomes part of the lever that you’re hand is creating during these kinds of cuts and it translates the energy well. The isn’t a subtle feature, but noticeable enough to appreciate as yet another simple detail that makes the Bushlore a worthy bushcraft knife.
Finally, with regard to the handle shape, I was impressed by the overall fit and finish. The exposed tang that the handle is fitted to, doesn’t protrude out in any extreme way, and the brass rivets are properly ground down flush against the handle material. I’ve used knives before that cost me a lot more than the Bushlore did and even those didn’t feature this tight of a fit.
The Sheath
The sheath of the Condor Bushlore is handcrafted from leather. It’s a basic drop sheath with no straps or any other devices to retain the knife. The leather is thick and appears to be of high quality. It’s stiff enough to hold its shape (not one of those thin floppy sheaths), and it features a
belt loop secured by two rivets. There are two additional rivets holding the sheath together along with a line of stitching.
So far, the sheath has held up fine. It holds the knife fairly securely even without wet-molding the sheath, although that fit has loosened over time so I’ll most likely be wet-molding it soon.
As far as leather drop sheaths go, I would say that this is a high-quality, solid sheath. But that being said, I usually prefer Kydex or plastic-molded sheaths because they provide a higher level of retention and are more durable against various types of weather. Rain and snow can both wet out a leather sheath, and that will loosen up the fit and you risk losing your knife. Oil or wax can be used to help prevent this, but like with handle material discussed earlier, it becomes one more thing that requires maintenance and potentially compromises the long-term durability of your bushcraft knife.
Final Thoughts About the Condor Bushlore
The Condor Bushlore is a well-known bushcraft knife for a reason. Not only does it make a good budget bushcraft knife, but it is packed with features that make it a solid performer as well. Traditional materials like the wooden handle and the leather sheath will appeal to some users but may present durability issues for others.
This Bushlore is insanely comfortable to work even for long periods of time, and that alone makes this knife worth considering for bushcraft. And finally, the 1075 steel that this knife is made of keeps the cost down, makes it easy to sharpen (even in the field), but has the disadvantage of not being able to maintain an edge as well as some other types of steel. Overall, I think there’s a lot to like about this knife and it’s certainly one of those knives that’s just nice to work with.
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