Condor Bushlore vs Condor Sapien and Basic Bushcraft

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ocnLogan

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Jul 31, 2011
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I've been thinking of picking up a Condor Bushlore for a while now. I understand that the FF may be a bit spotty, but that the value of the blade is undeniable and that is what appeals to me about it. Also, the size seems to be just about perfect for a belt knife that will be paired with some larger blades when I'm out and about.

The Bushlore was the one that I first heard about and really started looking into. However, after doing some more research, it became apparent that its not the only knife in that size category made by Condor. The Sapien and the Bushcraft Basic are also very similar in size and thickness, etc.

So if you were going to choose one of these three knives for a basic belt knife to wear hiking/camping which one would you go with and why? I do not expect to be really hard on the knife, the hardest being some small batoning (for crazy stuff I have Beckers :)).

Thanks for the help guys :D.
 
Between those three I'd choose the Bushlore first, followed by the Sapien, followed by the Basic. All great knives but the Bushlore is the most general-purpose of the three. Any specific tasks you were planning on using it for? That might change the answer.
 
I have the bushlore, and its great. I convexed it and it is crazzy sharp. And if I lose it or brake it, oh well.
 
Thanks for the quick response. I saw your thread go up at the same time and thought to myself "sweet, 42blades will answer mine right away". I was right :D.

In terms of use, nothing really specific. It will probably be paired with a Becker BK9 and a folding saw for wood processing, as well as a BK11 or small folder (SAK Farmer most likely) for little tiny use. So the Bushlore will be the knife that is "always" on me, and that will likely be the one making fuzz sticks, carving/whittling traps and or whatever else I might idly do by the campfire. It might do some food prep, but it for sure is NOT going to be a hunting knife (I'm no hunter :() so I'm not planning on skinning anything with it.

Because it will be with me all of the time, I want it to be sturdy enough to do pretty much anything if it needed to (like I was somehow lost and only had this with me).

That help at all?
 
ocnLogan said:
Thanks for the quick response. I saw your thread go up at the same time and thought to myself "sweet, 42blades will answer mine right away". I was right :D.

In terms of use, nothing really specific. It will probably be paired with a Becker BK9 and a folding saw for wood processing, as well as a BK11 or small folder (SAK Farmer most likely) for little tiny use. So the Bushlore will be the knife that is "always" on me, and that will likely be the one making fuzz sticks, carving/whittling traps and or whatever else I might idly do by the campfire. It might do some food prep, but it for sure is NOT going to be a hunting knife (I'm no hunter :() so I'm not planning on skinning anything with it.

Because it will be with me all of the time, I want it to be sturdy enough to do pretty much anything if it needed to (like I was somehow lost and only had this with me).

That help at all?
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Yeah if you're looking for a "do all just-in-case" knife then the Bushlore would be the one to go for. If you're not averse to the idea you might give the Rodan a look, too. It's my main woods knife, out of everything I own.

If looking for a piece with batoning and big game processing in mind (especially for cold weather use) I'd go with the Bushcraft Basic due to the broad blade (great rigidity and longer blade length in the 5" version) and the deep belly of the tip for skinning.

If looking for a precision cutter for drilling and small game processing, or making cuts in tight places, the Sapien would excel. Think of it as a bushcrafter's paring knife.

The Bushlore is a nice balance between the two.
 
Just took delivery of my Bushlore, and as of right now I have partially mixed feelings about how the knife comes from the factory.

I like the sheath (VERY tight), the handle fit and finish was actually better than what I was expecting based on the other reviews (everything was flush, including the pins). The blade grind however was quite off. It actually has a bit of a recurve to it because the first 1.5 - 2 in of the blade was ground too aggressively. Because of that, the edge is SUPER obtuse and blunt. The very tip is also a bit off (ground evenly on each side, but the point is dropped more than in the photos I see of it online). The rest of the blade is fine though.

I spent an hr or two trying to narrow down the grind a bit without much success, but I'm sure that "problem" will work itself out over time. The portion that was recurved is still having trouble cutting paper (at least its not folding and bending it like it was before), while the rest of the blade is shredding newspaper quite well now.

Other than those issues, I like the design of the knife. The size is great, it is very light and it fits my hand pretty well. It is very non-intimidating knife, and I actually like the fact that it is coated, but not in black.

And so far I haven't had much chance to actually use this, so I'll update this with a link to my review that I'll eventually do for this, as well as a "first impressions" that I might post here.
 
The obtuse edge is a problem that has nothing to do with the dip at the base of the blade. In fact, if anything, it should be SHARPER there since it's been ground extra deep. Sounds like whoever did the final sharpening flubbed it a little. The dropped point is likely a little rounded, isn't it? That would be another sign that they flubbed the sharpening, as tip rounding occurs when you move the point past the centerline of the slack belt. You can restore the point in one of two ways. Either you can file directly into the edge to bring the point up, then file the grind back to match so it's sharp again, or you can file from the spine, which is easier but drops the point more. Or if the issues bother you enough you can contact Condor for replacement, though it sounds like it's not that bad of an issue for you. :)
 
I agree, its a good product
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FortyTwoBlades said:
The obtuse edge is a problem that has nothing to do with the dip at the base of the blade. In fact, if anything, it should be SHARPER there since it's been ground extra deep. Sounds like whoever did the final sharpening flubbed it a little. The dropped point is likely a little rounded, isn't it? That would be another sign that they flubbed the sharpening, as tip rounding occurs when you move the point past the centerline of the slack belt. You can restore the point in one of two ways. Either you can file directly into the edge to bring the point up, then file the grind back to match so it's sharp again, or you can file from the spine, which is easier but drops the point more. Or if the issues bother you enough you can contact Condor for replacement, though it sounds like it's not that bad of an issue for you. :)
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Thanks for the response, and yes, yes the tip is a bit more rounded. I'll have to see if I can get my hands on a file so I can give your suggestions a try. As of right now I don't have a file, and have actually been trying to change the edge with just some 150 grit sandpaper and some worn sheets of 600 and 2000. Yes I know I need to get some different tools for re profiling, but I've been busy enough lately with school that just getting to the grocery store has been hard enough once a week.

I don't think it would be worth sending back to Condor over something this small, and in retrospect I probably should have gotten it from you (you inspect for this kind of stuff right?) but I really wanted to see how condors quality was because I'm interested in some of their new designs. I still think it is solid value, but the initial impression wasn't as great as I could have hoped, thats all.

The knife is going to be a gift to my father as his first "outdoors" knife (parents just got a cabin, so I think it is fitting). So I'll spend some more time getting the edge on it right, and then maybe sand down the handles a bit and hand it over to him in a month or so. Its not mean to be fancy, but just to work well for when he needs it, and I think it will still do this just fine :). I'm also going to be using it to compare it to a preproduction BK17 that I am lucky enough to be sent here in a few weeks. Since they're the same size, I thought I would buy my fathers gift early and do a comparison review :).

And yes, I'll link people to that thread as well.
 
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