My Condor Kephart

I received the Condor Knife and Tool Kephart for Father's Day.  This knife has ridden on my hip for most days since opening the box.   Four plus months is a fair length of time to give an honest evaluation of the blade.

Kephart by Condor Knife & Tool

Specifications:

• Blade Length:  4 1/2 inches
• Blade Thickness: 3 mm
• Overall Length:  9 inches
• Width: 1 inch
• Grind: Flat
• Steel: 1075 High Carbon Steel
• Hardness: 56 - 58 Rockwell 

     I have a standard that all new Bushcraft Knives are judged against.  It's a rigid scale that shows no mercy.  This measuring stick is the Mora Heavy Duty.  I cherish my Mora Knives,  owning five of my own and given out four others as gifts.  There is no other brand of knives that I have found to match the performance, durability, and overall quality for the price point.   In my opinion,  Mora knives value exceeds the price by several orders of magnitude.   I can't speak for the custom knives that are available,  as I don't own any.   My comparison of the Kephart to Mora HD is just to give some perspective to the reader on my thought process and maybe prejudices.

My favorite Mora HD

Mora HD MG Specifications:

• Blade Length: 4 1/8 inches
• Blade Thickness: 3.2 mm
• Overall Length: 8.8 inches
• Width: just shy of 7/8 inches (my measurement)
• Grind: Scandinavian
• Steel:  High Carbon Steel
• Hardness: 59 -60 Rockwell

The Kephart and the HD are very close to each other by specifications.  However,  that is really where the similarities stop.  

Blade Thickness:

Blade Thickness Comparison

The HD is advertised at 3.2 mm and the Kephart is listed at 3.0mm.  As seen in the photo,  the Mora is slightly thicker and the Kephart tapers from the scales to the tip.  The taper doesn't bother me at all.

Blade Length and Width:

Profile

Ignoring the grind,  the width and length of each blade is very close.   Holding with Mors Kochanski's writings,  the Kephart fits form and size perfectly for bushcrafting.  The above picture also illustrates the major differences in handle, grind, point and proportions in this comparison.

Handle Profile

The handle of the Kephart is actually very ergonomic.  It develops a swell as the scales move towards the hilt of the knife.  Again,  when compared to the HD there is obviously less handle to grip.  I have XL hands and still find the handle comfortable.   

I have one complaint about the handle.   When using for long periods of time,  like making feather sticks,  The handle becomes too "skinny" for comfort.   I don't hot spots,   just hand fatigue.

Kephart Hand Hold

Mora HD Hand Hold

I think this is caused by the location of my first two fingers when holding a knife.  So if I'm going to make a big pile of shavings for fires,   the Kephart probably won't be my choice.   This really isn't a major ding on the Kephart,  I have not found a knife yet that matches the Mora for hand comfort...yet.

Final Thoughts and Opinions:

 I like the Condor Kephart,  a lot!   It feels good in the hand,  good steel,  and classic lines.   You won't find a better knife sheath combination either.   The leather sheath is the same high quality as my previously purchased Condor products.  The spine is squared off enough to throw nice sparks from my fire steel.  I find myself liking the flat grind more and more,  especially after I worked on the edge enough to get a good slicing angle for feathering.   Reasonable batoning would be OK,  but I'm not big on that with a knife this size.   You have to get rid of the factory coating quickly.   This thing kept getting rust spots over night,  until I stripped the blade and soaked it some vinegar.  Not a lick of rust since!

The Condor Knife and Tool Kephart Knife is a great knife and I would not hesitate recommending it to others.