Condor Kephart Knife

One of the many knife ranges that Heinnie Haynes retail is the “Condor Tool and Knife” brand.

Although now based in El Salvador, “Condor” trace their history back to Solingen, German, in 1787 and produce a wide range of knives and other hand tools for field use, including a very useful take on the “Kephart Knife” design.

The Kephart Knife is one of the earliest examples that I know of (along with the “Nessmuk”), of “celebrity designed” knives and one that stands up well alongside more modern “celebrity” knives from folk such as Bear Grylls, Ray Mears etc.

Horace Kephart was a travel writer and outdoorsman in the late 1800s and early 1900s and his books “Camping and Woodcraft” are still available today (in a facsimile edition).

One of the many items that Kephart designed for use by “sportsmen” was a fixed blade belt knife that was simple, affordable and very functional and practical.  This was made by the Colclester Brothers in Blair County, Pennsylvania, at a price of $1.75 for a 4” bladed version and $2 for a 5” bladed model.

Over the years Kephart’s knife design has inspired many makers to produce their own take and recently I have been testing the Condor Tool and Knife version. 
Functional

The Condor “Kephart” maintains the idea of being simple, functional, practical and affordable and I have been impressed with its value for money.

Following Kephart’s original design quite closely, the Condor “Kephart Knife” has proved a very good all-rounder, performing well in all my normal outdoor tasks, save for slashing, chopping and splitting heavier wood.

Made from 3mm thick 1075 high carbon spring steel, the 4.25” flat ground blade is 1” wide with a fairly short ‘spear’ point, a 4mm ricasso and a well-ground edge bevel.  The “Condor” name is stamped on one side of the blade and “El Salvador” on the other.  The blade has a black anti-rust coating.

The 4.5” full tang construction handle has South American hardwood scales with 3 brass pins, and incorporates a swell towards the butt and a finger guard.

In Use

The fit and finish is of a pretty good standard, but some scratches on the metalwork have not been polished out, the handle scales are not 100% symmetrical and the edge was not shaving sharp on delivery.  The edge was easy to bring up to standard with my normal sharpening kit and holds a hair popping edge very well over a range of tasks.

I have been using the Condor Kephart for quite a while and the blade coating is barely showing any wear, the handle has proved very comfortable and, overall, the knife has become one of my favourite general use, outdoor knives – not showy or flash, just an excellent all-round working field knife!

Kephart’s design has proved its worth over the years and Condor have made a very good version of it.

The sheath supplied with the knife is a simple, but strong model made from 3mm leather with a riveted and sewn, welted edge that has a sewn-on belt loop that takes belts up to 2.5” wide.  This is not the same design as the original Kephart Knife sheath and I find it carries a bit high for my taste.

Affordable

All up, the Condor Kephart Knife and sheath together weigh about 6oz and still perform well for the tasks Kephart designed the knife for, while the £42.95 RRP from Heinnie Haynes means that it is still a very affordable field knife.

Handsome, comfortable to use, practical, functional and affordable, the Condor Kephart Knife is a real classic, as at home in the field today as when it was first designed.