The Condor Bushlore is one of the most popular fixed blade survival/bushcraft knives on the market, and after owning it for about 6 months or so, I have to admit, I really do understand why. Before I get into the nitty gritty of the specifics of this knife, I preemptively want to state that the Condor Bushlore is actually one of the best bang-for-buck bona fide bushcraft blades you could get for under 50-bucks.
I wanted to address the pricing of the Bushlore before I got fully into the review particularly because I feel this low price point is such an integral reference point, especially once all the aspects of the knife are considered. It’s astonishing how much you get from this blade for a mere $40! Now that this acknowledgement is out of the way, on with the review!
Condor Bushlore Walnut Handle Bushcraft Knife – Amazon / Blade HQ
Bushcraft-centric blades, for me, are always interesting to review. More overbuilt than a slicer, but without the reach of a chopper like the Ontario Marine Raider Bowie or a parang like the Gerber Bear Grylls Parang, the Condor Bushlore falls in an odd quagmire. It’s able to be utilized for pretty much any outdoor task, though of course its performance varies from task to task.
The caveat may seem obvious, but for the sake of redundancy – no it won’t chop like a chopper or slice like a slicer, but it will be okay at everything, and that’s really the value and purpose of a tool like this. The Condor Bushlore is a perfectly functional woodsman/explorer/bushcrafter blade with around 4.5 inches (11.43 cm) of cutting power in a 9.5 inch (24.13 cm) package, and frankly, that’s good enough for most outdoor use!
I will mention that whilst the Condor Bushlore is relatively neutral in terms of balance, you can choke back onto the butt of the knife if you want, as you can see in the picture below. This will deliver pretty decent (for its size!) chopping ability. I recommend using a lanyard in the brass ring reinforced lanyard hole provided so that you can better secure your grip. You don’t want this knife to fly out of your hand for reasons that are pretty obvious (it’s sharp; really sharp).
The Condor Bushlore is perfectly usable for light (and maybe even medium) chopping. Just be careful – make sure you have a firm grip. The scandi grind in 1075 carbon steel is very tough and I don’t foresee any issues with edge damage. Worst case scenario is some light rolling, but in my experience, this has yet to happen.
In terms of cutting and whittling, the Condor Bushlore’s performance is wedged perfectly between the Mora Classic and L.T. Wright Genesis. At 0.125 inches (3 mm) thick, it slices keenly, and using it for carving was a pleasure. I would say it’s one of the better bushcraft blades I’ve handled thus far, and the extra weight (it comes in at 0.77 pounds/12 ounces) made controlled cuts easier compared to the Mora Classic, which can sometimes feel a little bit too light in the hand.
Obviously, these are just my own impressions and your mileage may vary. Everyone has different taste when it comes to bushcraft blades, but a 1/8th inch thick carbon steel scandi is my personal sweet spot.
Out of the box, the Condor Bushlore came very sharp (not quite Spyderco sharp but sharp enough). The 1075 steel is very easy to touch up, and after 30 seconds of stropping, it cleanly shaved hair. Very impressive – especially at this price point. The edge geometry is surprisingly acute and as you can see it features a very gentle curvature which aids in slicing. Extra belly is always appreciated, especially when it’s done as nicely as in this Condor.
Joe Flowers, the designer of the Condor Bushlore, did a great job and I think the amount of performance relative to its size tells you how much serious thought went into designing the knife. Definitely designed by a real outdoorsman and not just a desk jockey trying to capitalize on the bushcraft trend!
Notching and other “standard” bushcraft tasks were effortless. I will say that the handle is very nicely contoured with no evident hot spots, but even if it doesn’t match your hand perfectly, I wouldn’t write this one off. Simply sand the scales to a more pleasing shape, and you should be good to go in no time. That’s one of the major advantages of inexpensive wood-handled knives – you can mod them without incurring a significant loss of value should you one day want to resell your knife.
The Condor Bushlore is manufactured in El Salvador. I judge a product based on its own merits as opposed to judging it based on its place of origin, so the fact that it’s manufactured in El Salvador matters not to me. Actually, I think El Salvadorians can feel a great deal of pride with what Condor has managed to accomplish with the Bushlore, especially for the price.
The tip of the knife is quite perfect, and I find myself preferring it to the less acute L.T. Wright Genesis. It retains the perfect amount of toughness, while still being able to score and drill into wood effortlessly – an important consideration when choosing a bushcraft blade, in my opinion.
The spine of the Condor Bushlore is a dead flat 90 degree, so using it with a firesteel is trivial. Mucho sparks were spat out, and lighting a tinder bundle is easy as pie with the Bushlore.
I will mention that the flat of the blade appears to have some kind of coating. Advertising does not mention this, and only states that the knife is bead blasted, so I could be wrong. With that said, aesthetically it’s not my thing, but it doesn’t affect performance in any way. If it is coated, then it aids in corrosion resistance, so good job. I would imagine some light sanding would remove the coating and significantly “prettify” the knife. In the future, I can see myself adding a nice satin finish to the flats.
Batoning ability is excellent taking into account stock thickness and size. Obviously inferior to the L.T. Wright Genesis, but I think its superior slicing ability makes up for that. The tip received zero damage and the pinned (and epoxied) hardwood scales did not generate any looseness or play, so as far as I am concerned, it passed with flying colours.
I don’t think you could damage this knife even if you wanted to, to be honest.
I didn’t notice any discomfort or unexpected vibrations. I wouldn’t want to spend the whole day batoning with it without gloves on, but it’s definitely ergonomic enough. Condor did a bang up job contouring the hardwood scales.
The sheath is fantastic and I would be happy to have it with a $300 custom knife. Very thick welted leather with two reinforced rivets and solid stitching. Much better than the standard plastic fare a Mora provides.
The belt loop is very securely stitched onto the leather sheath. Its size will fit all belts, including the 2 inch “tactical” ones. The Bushlore stayed in the sheath securely, even when upside down. I wouldn’t parachute with this knife, but it was never intended for tactical applications, so for its given purpose I think it’s a home run.
I wouldn’t change anything except maybe add a drainage hole. But then again, the fit is so nice that I don’t see water being able to get in anyway, so a drainage hole might prove redundant!
I didn’t bother demonstrating all grip styles, as I think it’s fairly evident with this type of knife what its intended applications are. Yes, you can choke up slightly at the guard (there is a slight mini choil), but just by looking at the sculpted handles it’s clearly biased towards more traditional grip and that’s fine by me!
Reviewing a knife that offers as much as the Condor Bushlore at the 40 buck price point is always a little tricky for me because I often find myself able to gloss over a lot of little faults due to the staggeringly low price.
You really do have to take price into consideration when discussing the fit and finish of knives, and while no, the fit and finish isn’t 100% perfect (there are a few grind marks on the spine and maybe the scales are 99.9% flush instead of 100%), to me that’s all very easily forgiven. Any defect is purely aesthetic in nature and can be worked out with a few sheets of sandpaper and about half an hour of your time.
For the money, this knife is a no-brainer. Its excellent performance and best-in-its-class sheath set it apart from pretty much any other knife in its price point. I would pick it over the Mora Classic for general bushcrafting, and realistically, I would be quite happy to have this as my only fixed blade. Judging by the sheer quantity of the knives I own, I think that statement speaks volumes!
I have had my Condor Bushlore for several years now. It has held up well but I do wish they had offered it in 1095. The 1075 is easy to sharpen and is tough but it does not hold an edge very well. I tend to carry it when I anticipate having to baton a lot of firewood, saving my other knife for knife specific tasks.
Aye, I have mixed feeling on the matter. I used to turn my nose up at 1075 but the Condor has sorta changed my mind on its performance and viability. I will say that the cost is likely to increase substantially if moving to 1095- maybe something to do with machining it- harder steel = more wear on the belts, perhaps?
Quite a few of their new blades are 1095 so clearly they listened and you were not the only one!
that was a champion review mate. very thought out and thorough. in fact, you rather touched on things i’ve never seen in any video or article review on condor’s knives and didn’t get all snobbish like over the blemishes.
i’m looking at getting the basic bushcraft 5 though, just because i like the handle shape better and the 4 inch model is too short for my taste. if i wanted a 4 inch knife, i’d stick to my cold steel large voyager. thing with the handle is i’ve had many knives in hand and figured out what fits my grip best and the handle profile on the bushlore would be rather awkward. just like with the voyager, my middle finger would want to sit in the forward dip automatic like, which could be a bit problematic under less than ideal circumstances and you know how cuts out in the scrub can be. i can’t say i fancy the leuku style blade though, so i’d turn it into more of a drop point. it would decrease the blade length some, leaving it a bit longer than the bushlore, but shorter than out of the box; which is very acceptable to me. it would also make boring holes easier with the tip closer to the centre line of the blade.
The 5 does look awesome, I broadly speaking have always loved Condor products. They just seem to work damn well and as for blemishes- if you use your blades, they will get dinged up. Circle of life and all that. ;) Thanks for dropping by mate. I do see your point concerning the ergonomics but I think we have different size hands so I can’t offer much advice there!
Very nice review. Love the photos too. Keep up the great blog.
Thank you my friend! We like your blog too!
Excellent review, ive just ordered one with the micarta scales. Im hoping the 1075 carbon steel scandi edge holds up better than my experience with stainless edges lately. Cold steel Finn Wolf, total Fail. Even my Mora bushcraft force and SS Opinels (Carbon Opinels are excellent) have suffered some minor edge rolling from extensive Whittling. So now Im looking for a knife with a Scandi edge that holds its shape against harder woods when bushcrafting. I havent tried this steel yet. If The Bushlore edge can take Batoning without deformation than itll certainly be tough enough for whittling.
I hope it works out for you- a convex edge will resist edge rolling, something to think about when it comes to softer steels.
Great review! I have been looking at this knife for awhile,…now I will have to get one and put it to the test. Thanks!
Glad to hear it! Its an awesome knife- let me know what you think of it.
I agree with the comments about condor.I just purchased the moonshiner.Nine inch blade like 16 inches over all huge knife .Really I bought it just for fun who dissent love a huge crocodile Dundee esq blade!Even though I wouldn’t be using it hiking or anything I still bought it and I was very impressed super sharp and fit and finish while not perfect way above what I expected!! Excellent chopper blade if you in the market for one.
I can’t wait to try out the Moonshiner- I am really digging what Condor is doing these days!
I enjoyed this review so much, I really want one now! Off to find a good price on one. Thanks!
Really happy you like it! Let me know what you think once you have it in hand!
After reading your review of the Condor Bushlore I ordered one. Already an owner of the Condor Heavy Duty Kukri and finding it to be of above average quality for the price, I figured the Bushlore would be a nice addition to my collection. My first test was to chop on a hardwood log. After about a minute I managed to roll the edge in several places. It resembles a small bread knife now. Like you, I own a lot of knives. I appreciate your reviews and find them to be pretty spot on. I hope my knife is just a fluke. I just wanted to make you aware there may be some quality control issues with this knife.
Sounds like a lemon to me, possibly a bad heat treat OR the edge was over buffed causing brittleness. In any case, Condor will take care of you if you contact them. Have you considered testing the edge after sharpening once? If the issue is just overbuffing then that could solve it (removing the first, burnt edge).
Thank you so much for dropping by and sharing your feedback. I really appreciate getting reports from other people- the more information we have the better our choices end up being when we have to purchase gear!
Since my initial comments I have used the Buslore pretty extensively. I did have to do some serious work on the blade to get the edege cleaned up. It did have some really large rolls. But since then, the blade has performed very well. Initial problem aside, for the price I can not complain. I do wish it would hold an edge a little better. The Bushlore is very easy to sharpen though. On the plus side, I could sharpen the blade on just about any hard surface should I find myself without a proper sharpener.
Aye, edge retention is the downside of 1075 steel, however its tensile strength is very good so I imagine it could really take a pounding which for a bushcraft blade, I tend to prefer.
I keep coming back for your knife reviews, with 2 purchased based on them already. Looks like this will be the third, because you’re spot on. You strike a great balance with subjective objectivityand that resonates with me. Thank you.
Thank you so much, one of the nicest comments I have read!
wow very nice knife ,im going to buy one .
Let me know how you find it!
That’s a knife I’d love to own. Really nice looking and something I’m not worried about losing
If you do purchase it, I can pretty much guarantee you wont regret it!
I always enjoy your very thorough reviews, keep up the good work.
Thanks Matt, glad you appreciate them & I shall endeavor to keep up the same standard you have become accustomed to!