Condor Bushlore Variations

[GaryXD]

I bought a Condor Bushlore several months ago. It is the 2010 old style. Blade thickness is 3/16" and it has an unsharpened ricasso.

I read on this forum that Condor had upgraded the Bushlore for 2011. Sharpened ricasso and 1/8" blade thickness.

Last week I stopped at Smokey Mountain Knife Works to get one of the new style Bushlores. When I was checking them out I noticed several different variations. I found four different blade variations, all four available in both the wood handled and the micarta handled versions.

Here's what I found:
Variation One: 3/16" thickness and unsharpened ricasso.
Variation Two: 3/16" thickness and sharpened ricasso.
Variation Three: 1/8" thickness and sharpened ricasso.
Variation Four: Noticeably LESS than 1/8" thickness and sharpened ricasso.

The sales lady showed me all the Bushlores they had on the sales floor and there was at least two or three samples of each of the four variations.

So I'm wondering if the variation changes have been chronological or what? I assume that Variation One was the original version and suppose that Variation Two was made after that. But what about Variation Three and Variation Four? Do they keep making them thinner as time passes or what?

I'm thinking it would be tough to buy one online without seeing it. You wouldn't know what you were getting.

Condor experts please enlighten me!

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

It's been chronological to the best of my knowledge. In my opening order of merchandise from Condor only one of the dozen wooden-handled Bushlores was the present 2011 model (I had specified 2011 stock ONLY, so back they went) Of the 11 that were old stock, two were of the "first-gen" type, while the others were all of what I'll dub a "transitional form," exhibiting the improved fit/finish of the 2011's, including having the grind thinned out a little (it was still too thick, but better than the first-gen's infamous "axe grind.") It was still in the original thickness, and still had the unsharpened ricasso, though.

I haven't seen the variations you call 2 and 4 though. The micarta-handled models I received fit your description for variation 3, which is the present model, and the replacement wooden ones (shown below) should all be the same. I can confirm when they arrive tomorrow.

Hope that helps.

 

[GaryXD]

"Unsharpened ricasso" was the term I was looking for. Thanks. I'll edit my post so others can understand it.