Condor Tool & Knife Kephart Knife 4 1/2 Inch W/Leather Sheath - 1075 High-Carbon Steel Blade - Ergonomic Walnut Handle for Precise Control - Ideal for Survival, Camping, and Outdoor Adventures

haven't had a chance to use it yet, but first impression is good. It needed sharpening, the black coating on the blade was terrible, and the sheath didn't fit the knife very well... but I don't really mind. I pretty much expected it, after reading other reviews. I just sharpened it, sanded the black finish off the blade, and wet formed the sheath to fit the knife. I had to boil the sheath to get the leather soft, because the leather is really thick... after all is said and done, it is a perfect camping knife. I don't think it could have been designed any better. The handle is very comfortable, the blade is perfect size and shape for bushcraft and food prep, the steel seems very solid, and the sheath is good quality. Very happy with it, so far. Exatly what I was looking for, at a reasonable price.

The blade out of the box is rough- it may feel sharp because it's like mini-serrated. I had to spend some time with a course stone before using a finer stone to get a nice edge- almost an hour (I don't have the machines for a knife). See the pics for the out-of-box edge. Too soon to see how the edge holds. Otherwise, I have no complaints about the sheath, the quality seems fine other than above.

UPDATEUsed the knife over Memorial Day Weekend and was really satisfied with the performance. I carved wooden toggles, made feather sticks, used it to baton kindling, cut rope and many other tasks. Washed it up and then used it for food prep cutting potatoes and onions. After all that it still sliced tomatoes and raw chicken with little effort and still had a great edge. After touching it up on leather it was back to shaving sharp. The knife is more than worth the price.Gotta say I really like this knife. It would be very hard to find a better knife at this price. The form and function of this knife is spot on.Blade- Was not hair popping sharp on arrival but it would shave. The blade is blued to help prevent rust and should help if you are in the field for a prolonged time without any type of oil. A few minutes on the work sharp field sharpener and the knife is scary sharp.Handle- The hardwood handle slabs feel great in the hand. Holding the knife just feels right. The color of these handles can vary but I am very pleased with mine. They look much better in person than in pictures.Sheath- The sheath is worth the price of the knife. It is of the same if not better quality as most custom sheaths I have seen. Some people say their knife fit loose in the sheath. That isn't the case with the one I received.Function- Man this thing really cuts!!! Feather sticks are a breeze with this knife. I didn't think it would feather as well as my mora knives but I was WAY wrong. Slices very well also. Some people my complain about the blade thickness saying it bends and you can't pry with it.... it's a knife not a pry bar!!! This thing cuts better than many of my more expensive knives.I would definitely recommend this knife to friends and family.

This knife is WAY over priced at $55!!!!1075 steel with wood handles, very poor fit and finish.It is a project knife.Great Leather sheath.Should be $30-$35The BPS Knives BS2FTS is very similar ~$30Blade length - same. Does not have sharpened spine.High polished 1066 carbon steel, full tang.Longer handle with wood scales.Better sheath. Condor sheaths are really good. This is WAY better. Also, offers belt carry AND dangler.Fit and finish is substantially superior.If you want this style knife. There is none better on the market at this price!BPS are made in Croatia.

I own a Bushlore and was looking for a smaller blade for my wife to use. I like and trust Condor knives (and machetes). But the Kephart was a little disappointing. It's still a good knife, but it's not a GREAT knife and it's not up to the high standard the Bushlore set for me. Here's why...The good:- The knife handle is great. The scales are easy on the hands, rounded, sanded smooth and comfortable for a medium-small hand.- The blade shape and feel is good. Maybe not great, but good. It's a tiny bit thin, but it handles and feels like your favorite kitchen knife. That's NOT an insult. It's the ultimate compliment. In short, this is a knife that, in addition to the handle that feels terrific, handles like a precision instrument, like an extension of your hand.- It's a full tang knife. You knew that already, and while I am not a full tang snob (Morakniv convinced me there's more to a great knife than tang length), I certainly would prefer a full tang, all things being equal.- Utilitarian instrument. It's useful for many things, but not perfect for many. That's OK. As a backpack or survival knife, a knife that does lots of things OK beats the heck out of a knife that does only one or two things well and fails at the rest. Knives are made with compromises in mind, hence the sheer number, shape, cost and more. Nothing is great for everything, but the Kephart is good enough at a number of useful tasks. Length, blade shape, etc., are all useful.The bad:- There is a painted coating on the blade. It chips off rather easily. I have no idea why it's there. This is a carbon steel knife and, as such, needs oil. True, the paint can save you a few drops of oil on the blade, but at the grind, where the paint is worn away, you need oil anyway. The paint on the rest of it feels cheap.- The blade thickness is... thin. It's not as thin as a kitchen knife, but I'd love to see it 1-2mm thicker. It's too thin for a survival knife. I wouldn't baton wood with it (to be honest, I wouldn't baton wood with any knife because I don't freaking baton wood, but if you like beating the crap out of your knives -- I don't -- then this isn't the right one for you).- The sheath, while high quality leather, won't hold this knife effectively. It's a great sheath -- the same one as my Bushlore -- but it's not right for this knife. The knife fits loosely within it and it's not what I'll end up with. I plan on either making a kydex or having someone make one.So there it is... a useful, functional knife, but not up to "survival standards" in my book. I'll keep it as a backup knife, like a Mora. But let's be honest... it costs more than a Mora Companion and it's not a bit more useful than one. The only exception would be if you're hung up on the full/partial tang thing. And if you are, maybe it's worth $20 more than a Companion. I'd rather have the Companion at the same price, plastic sheath and all. For $20 less? No contest.