This is the knife I took out for ALONE season 4! Just what do I think of the Condor Hudson Bay Knife after 49 days of hard use in the bush? Watch and Find out. Dave Whipple
Holy Crap! A real knife review! Thank you! Most knife reviews I can find places tremendous value on how sharp a knife is from the factory and has a dedicated section on it's paper cutting ability. Then they abuse it and then test on cutting the paper again, then more abuse, then more paper... WHO GIVES A SHIT?! It's a knife! It's going to get dull and need to be re-sharpened! Now when I watch a knife review, as soon as I see them with a piece of paper I immediately close it out and go find something else to watch. A knife review needs to focus on the quality of the construction and materials, and the usefulness of the shape and the functionality of it's features. INITIAL SHARPNESS DOES NOT MATTER. I also have the same opinion about astronomically overpriced pieces of sharpened metal with a handle. The beautifully handcrafted ones are NOT TOOLS. They are one of a kind pieces of art and should be displayed as such. Armchair bushcrafters think that an expensive knife will magically turn them into a skilled bushcrafter. When in fact it's experience that makes a skilled bushcrafter. A skilled bushcrafter can perform miracles with a bad knife because he has experience. Becoming proficient with your tools is what matters, not how much they cost. Personally I get alot of performance out of my Old Hickory butcher knife. Frontiersman used knives not much different than an Old Hickory or Green River knives anyway and look what they were capable of. You've convinced me that this Hudson Bay knife just might be the heavier duty step up I could get some use out of. I LOVE your no nonsense review. Thanks again! SUBSCRIBED!
Yeah, I think you'll like this knife if you decide to pick one up. Easy to sharpen, feels very solid, its simple, its cheap....whats not to like. I have a lot of Axe videos shot, and ill start putting them up soon, I think you'll enjoy those too. Cheers!
I use a canon vixia hf g20 ( about $500) and a manfroto tripod. The editing program I use is iMovie ( which is super easy to use). The camera has 2 slots for sd cards but I just use the built in memory, and when I have a video successfully uploaded I just delete all the old stuff and make room for the new. I hope you do get into it, Im sure you'll do good stuff! Thanks
This is an eminently sensible review of an eminently sensible knife. I agree wholeheartedly about the insanity of paying big bucks for a chopper that will almost inevitably get nicked. I was at a state camp ground where they wanted you to buy their wood which were plastic wrapped bundles of huge pieces of dried hard maple. I was able to use the Hudson's Bay knife to baton them into more usable pieces. It was hard work for me but the knife handled it beautifully. This knife works wonderfully in the woods and coupled with a decent small belt knife like a puukko will handle all the cutting and chopping chores you're likely to need for a one or two person camp out in the woods.
Good review, I got this knife after seeing your review and love the knife. You are so right that grinding the blade just forward of the grip makes all the difference in the world. This knife stays in my Jeep as my do everything work horse. I only wish I found it earlier when they were actually still cheap.
One of the most down to earth knife reviews. A person that is not afraid to beat the dog crap of of his equipment and push it beyond its limit. Thanks for this review.
Thanks Mike. I also took this knife out to Vancouver island for season 4 of Alone on the History channel....it worked great. It was actually before I shot this review ( but I couldn't talk about it at the time) so I actually had this knife on my belt 24/7 for 49 days straight in the bush.
Hey again. I now have the Mini Hudson Bay knife, and she's a gem. Bit rough but as you say, its your knife. So I sanded and handle scaled and oiled them with boiled Linseed oil, looks great. Oiled the sheath with same oil. Now the knife fits great and the leather is water proofed. I will take this knife fishing this summer. Great little blade..
Flippin awesome, albeit manic, description of this knife! I own a few Condors of various sizes (Parang and bushlore), and was looking for something to add to the herd. Thank you for not chopping with it or batoning it through pine for 10 minutes. I GET IT. STOP BEATING ALL THE DEAD HORSES! I also tweak my knives to suit my hand (which is, I'm sad to say, smaller than yours), and I appreciated making a $50 knife feel like a $200 knife. Solid review.
Thanks Shane. And thanks for "getting" the review. Your spot on about the same info over and over. By the way............( I finally get to say this in public) ........This is the knife I took to Vancouver island for season 4 of ALONE on the History Channel. So this review is a "thoroughly tested review" . Don't forget to watch the show , Thursday nights at 10pm ET, 9 pm CT.
Happy to report that this knife was sitting in my cart until I watched this review. After the fact I double clicked and am extremely happy with its first usage. Like you say we already know it can baton and chop due to its size and weight so I haven't bothered with that yet. To justify the purchase with the wife I handed it to her and let her cut carrots, broccoli and a tomato with it which is it's true test. The blade shined with little effort. When I told my wife it was going to be my new truck knife she looked like she was going to miss having it around the house. I do a lot of trail work so it will be utilized to make quick work of the occasional branch and of course impromptu camping chores. I should have subscribed to your channel long ago.
Thanks Mike! I'm glad you're here now.....and I'm glad you like your Hudson Bay knife. This review was the first video I ever did on this channel and people still comment on it. In case you didn't know....the Condor Hudson Bay is the knife I took with me out to Vancouver island on the 4th Season of ALONE on the History Channel. That knife was on my hip for 49 straight days.......2 months later I shot this review.
Excellent down to Earth practical review. Nice to see someone who comments on the positive side of a tool. I have one of these and love it. I could survive well with Condor Hudson Bay Knife.
1075 High Carbon. Flat grind. Distal taper. Great blade as expected from Condor. Classic historical woods knife. Handle a bit small for my large hands. Recommend it.
Best big knife I ever had’ I have one of the originals, pre hammer forge stock’ and loved it so much I bought 2 more when they switched to the hammer forged look’ I rehandled the first in Osage Orange and also reshaped the choil as you did’ the first edition is a tad thinner in blade stock but just as robust’ I also have a few other blades from condor and there all solid designs’ they are a modders dream’ very well priced for what you get’ Joe flowers is genius’ simple design that’s tried and true’ hard to beat something that was proven to work 200yrs ago in the fur trade’ best camp/butcher knife out there’ Pair this with a decent old hickory or maybe a Kephart/Nessmuk/green river or whatever flavor thin blade belt knife and you are in Buisness’ pair the above with a decent Axe and a little skill and there is nothing stopping anyone from building and thriving in the bush.
Great review. I like the way you didn't just re-hash the specs. I bought a Condor Hudson Bay about four years ago. Like you, I have XL hands. I ground the scales off and lengthened the grip right up to the choil. I replaced the scales with home-made micarta adding a lanyard hole. I reground the edge to a high convex and sharpened the spine. I have had no issue with the sheath but do worry some about the belt loop as it does not appear well attached. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Mark. By the way...I did a lot of very rough bushwhacking once with that knife (inside a set of rain bibs) and all the pulling and yanking on the belt loop never bothered it. It held tight. However , the brass cap did pop of that rivet. But the rivet held. Zoom in on the video and you see what I mean. That single rivet dangler does make you worry.....but so far so good ...
the patten was established about the late 1720's by Hudson Bay Company trading throughout North America, and eventually Hawaii, Fiji, even Russian Alaska. Everywhere HBC went they took their trade knives, this is the one EVERYONE wanted. My brother has skinned and dressed whole moose, deer, elk. Inuit in Arctic Canada used them to assist butchering whales. Condor HB knife is a woods cleaver. And yeah: i'm gonna pay $200 to $500 for a friggin knife I may lose? No. I'll buy Mora and Condor. Good interview!
Thanks !! I didnt mention this in this video but I carried this knife on my hip for 49 straight days on vancouver island BC on the show ALONE ( on the History channel). Fantastic knife
I just received it a few days ago. It would be difficult to shake it from the new sheath. It makes good curls easily, but not very good with shavings on phat wood.
This is my first Bushradical video. I wrote my comments, and by the time I entered them, it was entered on your next video about the Condor Outlaw. Oops !! Great content !
I have watched a lot of knife reviews recently but basically no Condor knife reviews until now, so cool! I like how you used the knife in the video instead of just talking about what it can do. I also like the extra grind detail included. Most knife review videos I've seen seem to primarily target a male demographic as potential buyers and not talk about handle size, i.e., would this knife make a good choice for someone with a smaller grip/female user. So hearing something about the size of the grip was appreciated. Thanks for the review!
Actually , this knife comes stock with a rather short handle. It's a little bit thick ( top to bottom) , but you can grind it however you'd like it. The handle Being short to start with You should be able to make the handle what you want.
I've had my Hudson Bay knife for two years now and your right its a beater, but a very good knife. I was lucky and the sheath that came with mine was a nice tight fit. The handle came unfinished but that was easy to fix. As for the design of this knife, it dates back to the 1800s and the era of the fur trapper and the Hudson Bay Fur Company. So this type of knife has a long history.
Absolutely. Its such an "old school" pattern, I love it too. Its got the history, it's proven, and it works. I don't plan to do any reviews of knives I haven't had a lot of use out of....this knife has done everything I wanted it to do....no wonder..... it's a 200+ year old pattern and its still awesome. Thanks for the comment!
Honestly I love this knife. I'm on #2. #1 broke in half while I tried to beat the Living Pudding into it. Condor sent me a factory fresh one no questions asked. I think they added extra Pudding because it doesn't break lol. This was a real good review!
I've owned one for a while and can't imagine breaking one. I've never heard of one of these breaking before. Either that knife was faulty or you were doing some extreme work. That's pretty cool
Just got this knife in the mail today. Couldn't find a decent review on it. This was a good review. I like the points on making the blade your own. Good job man!
i enjoyed youre review very much! i purchased this knife about 4 months ago and i have not been able to do to much with it for lack of time. i cannot wait to get out there and do some serious stuff with it! tha ks man ATB -migrating moose
Brilliant review buddy. I have one of those and your dead accurate with this review. Its a beast. Your definitely right when you said you wont break it, its a work horse of a knife, and your right the steel does tend to roll a bit when chopping with it. I carry a sharpening puck with me so thats not a problem. Love the traditional feel to it. Thanks for the review bud.
I agree with most of the guys here. This is an excellent camp knife intended for heavy work like chopping, splitting and hammering. Most poor reviews come from folks using it for what it was not intended. Use a bushcraft knife for fine work and food prep and this one for handling chopping wood, building shelters, quartering game for transport etc.
Thanks BP! I hope you like the other videos too.....Oh and by the way , check out me and my wife on this season of ALONE on the history channel. Cheers!
I do agree with everything you said about this knife, its a serious heavy duty knife! I've had mine for quite a while but haven't been able to get out in the woods nearly as much as I like due to a new job. I do look forward to taking it back out this summer though, it just feels good in the hand and chops like no other knife I own other than my kukri's. I do like that you compared it to a cleaver, that's very much the first impression I had when I got mine, I did work over the edge, drawing the bevel back a bit to give a slightly finer cutting edge.
Nice have been filing mine for a while now and its made itself out as a very useful tool as it bridges the gap of a heavy machete and a more bushcraft/woodcraft type blade.
Holy shit dude, dunno how I've missed your channel for so long but I definitely subscribed! Made my duty day go by much quicker, I love your presentation style and I'm stoked to hear what else you have to say. Keep it up bro, much love from my fam to yours!
Thanks Timothy. I'm glad you found the site. Lots of cool people here. Hope you enjoy the vids and if you have any questions , just let me know. Cheers!
You can baton wood with a leaf spring, I just subscribed to your channel I love the way you think we are totally on the same page. Thank you for a no BS review.
E.A. I agree with your response concerning knife reviews for the most part . I get a laugh out of the shaving and paper cutting and especially like the the sheath rattle test some seem to take into consideration . But i digress , i remember that time i had to sneak up on that tree lol . But in all seriousness i think this young man has the right idea keep it simple . Sure there are many great technological advances in metallurgy and a lot of other aspects that drive prices of simple equipment/tools through the roof , but is it necessary ? I think not , leather vs. plastic for example . I have a rather expensive plastic sheath with a moderately priced knife in it , guess what the knife still rust in its expensive sheath that cost me a fair bit more . I went through the same steel wool rust removal on that knife as i have on my Old Hickory and my Mora and most other knives that i feel so inclined to need to remove rust from after a wet outing . But like anything else in life to each their own .
i have annealed, reshaped, differentially heat treated and rehandled several condor hudson bay knives in years past. i usually give them away as gifts...though i still have and use the first one i purchased, that was before they put that strange dappling on the blade...it is rather unique and makes a great camp knife, also as you say is recreated into a personalized, yet inexpensive semi custom, i show that knife in a couple of my vids...atb...woods
I think this knife ...and most condors.... are great platforms for modding. Just find one thats close to what you want and dial it in. The thing I really love about these knives is they are made to work. The're simple, rugged and affordable.
I've been watching you're videos and enjoyed every single one . You keep it simple , i own an old Defiant ? (Stanley Tools) roofers/shingling hatchet that i once again like you re- purposed . I went a step further on mine , on the bottom of the bit where the all but useless nail puller is i took it to my belt sander and reshaped/removed that section from the eye out and came down with a curve towards the bit and i can now grip right up under the head and do fine task . I also curved the bit inwards slightly at the the heel along the cutting edge , lots of hardened metal in the bit on this one , as well as making the actual pole itself shorter and the handle to i believe 13" from the 17" of the replacement handle . Keep up the good work .
Watching another of your videos on this knife. I love my Condor Kephart that I carry with a gransfors Bruk belt hachet and a farmer folder. When I lived in central Texas where there were trees it was a good combo. I'm in El Paso now and not really using the hachet. This might work in place of the Kephart and the hatchet so I can carry less cutting tool and more water weight on shorter trips. Nights are cool at 4K ft elevation but you burn brush mesquite and not trees.
It feels great to chop with. Very weight forward and SIMPLE. There're like $50 now. I bet you'd love it. Its very old school. Just a sharp hunk o' metal with a handle.
Very good comments Dave. Make the knife work for you and don't pick apart every little detail of a good but inexpensive knife. I have a discontinued 8" Condor Varan (13+ inches OAL). My Varan has the exact same sheath. I also had to tighten my sheath which I did with a single rivet (Chicago Screw) at the opening to squeeze it closed a bit. Being 1075 Carbon steel It's a good heavy knife and a good chopper but... the Varan has a broomstick plastic handle which I really don't like. Seeing your wood handled Hudson Bay, I think I'll grind off the plastic handle and replace it with some Walnut scales. I have several Walnut handles knives, I like them and I really prefer wood over synthetic materials.
wow great looking knife and really like your review on it !! nice to see a real person showing s knife and giving a honest review. I just subscribed 😇 thanks again sir 😇
Excellent review Dave. I'm modding my knife right now with some of the same mods you did. Going to send the sheath to my leather buddy who will put a strap and snap on it.
Yeah it took a while to figure out what rusty tetnis stick you had in your hand on Vancouver Island:) But I guessed it was this one:) You guys are doing great on there. I guessed right off you'd win and I have been teasing Brooke about it. I've complimented her a bunch too on her fantastic skill set and drove. But I think I made her nervous and she has went radio silent. I imagine History has threatened you with your souls if you spill anything lol. But tell her as soon as the seasons over I expect replies:) It's fun watching the base family dynamics at play on the show. A husband and wife naturally serve each other. A father and son, naturally serve each other. Brothers are at their base, rivals somewhat. Even if they love each other they don't go out of their way or spontaneously spot ways to serve each other like you and Brooke do with each other. Even if you guys don't win I still want to thank you for going through that and sharing it!
Heck yeah brother Iv had mine about that long allso& paired it up with the smaller one strapped to the sheath put a faro Rod holeder on the side purdy hardly kit it does make
Great video. My sheath came tight. Knife want fall out even if I shake it upside down. But it is also up there with my heirlooms quality knives. 1075 is decent stuff.
if I lost an expensive knife on an outing my head would be hanging pretty low, if I lose an inexpensive knife I'll come home and order another one, maybe two, good video I like your channel, good common sense stuff , thanks.
What do you think about a bushcrafting set of the Hudson Bay knife for heavy work (chopping, batoning) and perhaps slicing larger pieces of meat & a Victorinox Forester M (one-hand, non-serrated) for lighter stuff (carving, general foot prep), pls?
I like the Hudson bay for a big knife, but I don't see any reason anyone should limit themselves to just one knife. I'm not familiar with the one you mentioned but it would be a huge improvement to the Hudson bay, if you were to have a nice small knife too. Thanks for the comment!
Like we agreed earlier, condor is great. As far as passing it down to your kids, they are so affordable that you can buy two save one destroy the other then pass the saved one on. Hell you could honestly buy 3 or 4 before you hit bark River price range. I own one bark River and that will be it. I own two Lt wright and want only two more. As far as condor I would like to have all if I could. I like collecting and using what I collect. Nothing sits for long without being used. I do an initial review on my knives then my thoughts will be doing a year after review.
Totally agree. Not to mention if you keep your eye open on eBay you can get smoking' deals on a lot of these knives new when dealers feel like they need to move them. I paid $39 for my Hudson Bay, new.
Bushradical see that is an awesome deal. eBay....the best way to kill a man's wallet lol. Find a bunch of awesome deals, like such, then boom your are broke.
lol! I sell a bunch of stuff on eBay......and then I have a paypal balance and its just like Christmas everyday......you just scroll through cool stuff and when you find something you want -you just buy it! AAAAnd then your broke!! So true
You know i did the same grinding on the under side of mine years ago and it does add much needed length to the handle , and ultimately rounded that hump on the top near the tip mildly . And as you stated that's the beauty of a knife like this you can change things . I thinned the edge geometry as well , i have many knives and this is one of the least expensive . like you i also have beaten mine like it belonged to someone else that i had no regard for . you watch videos and people talk about saber this and flat that and its all well and fine but ill put mine against all in basic large knife task . so what if i have to hit it a few more times to get through because it's not saber ground , iv'e never had to have my shavings translucent to take a spark or any of that other stuff that makes other knives great ? just a good solid tool that has not quit !
Man I think we share the same brain! I was thinking of taking that hump down a bit too. Yeah, I love that knife. Its actually on my belt right now, as I was just shooting some stuff and needed a knife. Its solid, cheap, easy to sharpen, and tough. Gotta love a no BS tool like that!
Follow-up to my comments below. Only change I made was to wrap the knife in friction tape to improve the grip. I really like the knife as is otherwise. I only use it for clobbering and don't like the fact that the knife is loose in the sheath so until I mod the sheath I'm going to keep it in a "custom" sheath of cardboard and duct tape. Note - I never wear a knife this large on my belt. I like my modded butchers and Moras for belt knives.
Thats hillarious.....I too have friction tape on mine now. That handle just gets polished because its a big heavy knife.. The hockey stick tape makes it way better
Thank you. I try to do reviews the way I wish all reviews were. The straight dope without fluff. And I never review anything that I just got in the mail and haven't used. I had this knife on my hip for 49 straight days on Vancouver island BC.
Thats good to know. Lots of people really like those Beckers, but I have never seen one for sale anywhere or held one. They look great but I guess I'll have to order one online to ever get to see one,LOL. Thanks for the comment.
Hey Duke. You need a fairly long seemed rivet and you put your hole just inside of the welt of the sheath. The rivet should pinch down the extra space enough to tighten up the fit. Cheers!
im looking for a lite weight mechete for saplings small trees. I dont like the long mechetes. I was looking at the mini condor parang but then i saw this. Do you think this would work in the role.
![Condor Hudson Bay: Woods Cleaver! [Full Review]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZotA-VTamrY/mqdefault.jpg)
![Condor Hudson Bay: Woods Cleaver! [Full Review]](/img/tr.png)
Holy Crap! A real knife review! Thank you!
Most knife reviews I can find places tremendous value on how sharp a knife is from the factory and has a dedicated section on it's paper cutting ability. Then they abuse it and then test on cutting the paper again, then more abuse, then more paper... WHO GIVES A SHIT?! It's a knife! It's going to get dull and need to be re-sharpened! Now when I watch a knife review, as soon as I see them with a piece of paper I immediately close it out and go find something else to watch.
A knife review needs to focus on the quality of the construction and materials, and the usefulness of the shape and the functionality of it's features. INITIAL SHARPNESS DOES NOT MATTER.
I also have the same opinion about astronomically overpriced pieces of sharpened metal with a handle. The beautifully handcrafted ones are NOT TOOLS. They are one of a kind pieces of art and should be displayed as such. Armchair bushcrafters think that an expensive knife will magically turn them into a skilled bushcrafter. When in fact it's experience that makes a skilled bushcrafter. A skilled bushcrafter can perform miracles with a bad knife because he has experience. Becoming proficient with your tools is what matters, not how much they cost. Personally I get alot of performance out of my Old Hickory butcher knife. Frontiersman used knives not much different than an Old Hickory or Green River knives anyway and look what they were capable of.
You've convinced me that this Hudson Bay knife just might be the heavier duty step up I could get some use out of. I LOVE your no nonsense review. Thanks again!
SUBSCRIBED!
Wow! your reply was better than my review! Do you have a channel to subscribe too.....because I think we feel exactly the same about reviews!!
Yeah, I think you'll like this knife if you decide to pick one up. Easy to sharpen, feels very solid, its simple, its cheap....whats not to like. I have a lot of Axe videos shot, and ill start putting them up soon, I think you'll enjoy those too. Cheers!
Nope. No channel. I wouldn't mind learning how to do some videography though. What kind of equipment do you use for your videos?
I use a canon vixia hf g20 ( about $500) and a manfroto tripod. The editing program I use is iMovie ( which is super easy to use). The camera has 2 slots for sd cards but I just use the built in memory, and when I have a video successfully uploaded I just delete all the old stuff and make room for the new. I hope you do get into it, Im sure you'll do good stuff! Thanks
I've broken or chipped some 500$+ custom hand forged knives. But not my Condor Hudson Bay...
Thanks for watching!
This might be the most sensible knife review I've ever seen. "Don't be afraid to make it your own" (after any warranty has expired)
This is an eminently sensible review of an eminently sensible knife. I agree wholeheartedly about the insanity of paying big bucks for a chopper that will almost inevitably get nicked. I was at a state camp ground where they wanted you to buy their wood which were plastic wrapped bundles of huge pieces of dried hard maple. I was able to use the Hudson's Bay knife to baton them into more usable pieces. It was hard work for me but the knife handled it beautifully. This knife works wonderfully in the woods and coupled with a decent small belt knife like a puukko will handle all the cutting and chopping chores you're likely to need for a one or two person camp out in the woods.
I feel the same way. I'm not a one tool guy. If you had this knife and something small and thin for finer things, you would be just fine.
Joker Camparo ! 😁👍🇦🇺
@@BushradicalJoker Camparo! 😁👍🇦🇺
Bought one because of this video. Greetings from Britain.
Good review, I got this knife after seeing your review and love the knife. You are so right that grinding the blade just forward of the grip makes all the difference in the world. This knife stays in my Jeep as my do everything work horse. I only wish I found it earlier when they were actually still cheap.
One of the most down to earth knife reviews. A person that is not afraid to beat the dog crap of of his equipment and push it beyond its limit. Thanks for this review.
Thanks Mike. I also took this knife out to Vancouver island for season 4 of Alone on the History channel....it worked great. It was actually before I shot this review ( but I couldn't talk about it at the time) so I actually had this knife on my belt 24/7 for 49 days straight in the bush.
Honest review folks. Gotta love it.
Hey again. I now have the Mini Hudson Bay knife, and she's a gem. Bit rough but as you say, its your knife. So I sanded and handle scaled and oiled them with boiled Linseed oil, looks great. Oiled the sheath with same oil. Now the knife fits great and the leather is water proofed. I will take this knife fishing this summer. Great little blade..
Flippin awesome, albeit manic, description of this knife! I own a few Condors of various sizes (Parang and bushlore), and was looking for something to add to the herd. Thank you for not chopping with it or batoning it through pine for 10 minutes. I GET IT. STOP BEATING ALL THE DEAD HORSES!
I also tweak my knives to suit my hand (which is, I'm sad to say, smaller than yours), and I appreciated making a $50 knife feel like a $200 knife. Solid review.
Thanks Shane. And thanks for "getting" the review. Your spot on about the same info over and over. By the way............( I finally get to say this in public) ........This is the knife I took to Vancouver island for season 4 of ALONE on the History Channel. So this review is a "thoroughly tested review" . Don't forget to watch the show , Thursday nights at 10pm ET, 9 pm CT.
Happy to report that this knife was sitting in my cart until I watched this review. After the fact I double clicked and am extremely happy with its first usage. Like you say we already know it can baton and chop due to its size and weight so I haven't bothered with that yet. To justify the purchase with the wife I handed it to her and let her cut carrots, broccoli and a tomato with it which is it's true test. The blade shined with little effort. When I told my wife it was going to be my new truck knife she looked like she was going to miss having it around the house. I do a lot of trail work so it will be utilized to make quick work of the occasional branch and of course impromptu camping chores. I should have subscribed to your channel long ago.
Thanks Mike! I'm glad you're here now.....and I'm glad you like your Hudson Bay knife. This review was the first video I ever did on this channel and people still comment on it. In case you didn't know....the Condor Hudson Bay is the knife I took with me out to Vancouver island on the 4th Season of ALONE on the History Channel. That knife was on my hip for 49 straight days.......2 months later I shot this review.
Love that he went straight to the point with no fluff or intros.
Thanks
Excellent down to Earth practical review.
Nice to see someone who comments on the positive side of a tool. I have one of these and love it. I could survive well with Condor Hudson Bay Knife.
Right on. Thanks.
1075 High Carbon. Flat grind. Distal taper. Great blade as expected from Condor. Classic historical woods knife. Handle a bit small for my large hands. Recommend it.
Best big knife I ever had’ I have one of the originals, pre hammer forge stock’ and loved it so much I bought 2 more when they switched to the hammer forged look’ I rehandled the first in Osage Orange and also reshaped the choil as you did’ the first edition is a tad thinner in blade stock but just as robust’ I also have a few other blades from condor and there all solid designs’ they are a modders dream’ very well priced for what you get’ Joe flowers is genius’ simple design that’s tried and true’ hard to beat something that was proven to work 200yrs ago in the fur trade’ best camp/butcher knife out there’
Pair this with a decent old hickory or maybe a Kephart/Nessmuk/green river or whatever flavor thin blade belt knife and you are in Buisness’ pair the above with a decent Axe and a little skill and there is nothing stopping anyone from building and thriving in the bush.
They're. They are all a modder's dream 😁👍🇦🇺
@ lmao’ yes sir! All good pal’ Cheers to you and a Merry Christmas!
@@chrismayo4902just bought! Merry Xmas 😁👍🇦🇺
Great review. I like the way you didn't just re-hash the specs. I bought a Condor Hudson Bay about four years ago. Like you, I have XL hands. I ground the scales off and lengthened the grip right up to the choil. I replaced the scales with home-made micarta adding a lanyard hole. I reground the edge to a high convex and sharpened the spine. I have had no issue with the sheath but do worry some about the belt loop as it does not appear well attached. Thanks for sharing
Thanks Mark. By the way...I did a lot of very rough bushwhacking once with that knife (inside a set of rain bibs) and all the pulling and yanking on the belt loop never bothered it. It held tight. However , the brass cap did pop of that rivet. But the rivet held. Zoom in on the video and you see what I mean. That single rivet dangler does make you worry.....but so far so good ...
the patten was established about the late 1720's by Hudson Bay Company trading throughout North America, and eventually Hawaii, Fiji, even Russian Alaska. Everywhere HBC went they took their trade knives, this is the one EVERYONE wanted. My brother has skinned and dressed whole moose, deer, elk. Inuit in Arctic Canada used them to assist butchering whales.
Condor HB knife is a woods cleaver. And yeah: i'm gonna pay $200 to $500 for a friggin knife I may lose? No. I'll buy Mora and Condor. Good interview!
Thanks !! I didnt mention this in this video but I carried this knife on my hip for 49 straight days on vancouver island BC on the show ALONE ( on the History channel). Fantastic knife
Making my way through all your videos, you have quite a few. I like this style of review, and that looks like a good knife for the woods.
Good points and I agree, a Knife is a tool. If a tool doesn't work it's not worth having regardless of the price.
Amen brother. Value and utility...thats really the ticket, to me.
Great Knife with a bloody history of the Hudson Bay Company
Thanks Eric.
Had to come watch this one again for obvious reasons... Good idea with the sheath too! Thumbs up Rabbit!
does your fall out of the sheath too?
I just received it a few days ago. It would be difficult to shake it from the new sheath. It makes good curls easily, but not very good with shavings on phat wood.
This is my first Bushradical video. I wrote my comments, and by the time I entered them, it was entered on your next video about the Condor Outlaw. Oops !! Great content !
I have watched a lot of knife reviews recently but basically no Condor knife reviews until now, so cool! I like how you used the knife in the video instead of just talking about what it can do. I also like the extra grind detail included. Most knife review videos I've seen seem to primarily target a male demographic as potential buyers and not talk about handle size, i.e., would this knife make a good choice for someone with a smaller grip/female user. So hearing something about the size of the grip was appreciated. Thanks for the review!
Actually , this knife comes stock with a rather short handle. It's a little bit thick ( top to bottom) , but you can grind it however you'd like it. The handle Being short to start with You should be able to make the handle what you want.
I've had my Hudson Bay knife for two years now and your right its a beater, but a very good knife. I was lucky and the sheath that came with mine was a nice tight fit. The handle came unfinished but that was easy to fix. As for the design of this knife, it dates back to the 1800s and the era of the fur trapper and the Hudson Bay Fur Company. So this type of knife has a long history.
Absolutely. Its such an "old school" pattern, I love it too. Its got the history, it's proven, and it works. I don't plan to do any reviews of knives I haven't had a lot of use out of....this knife has done everything I wanted it to do....no wonder..... it's a 200+ year old pattern and its still awesome. Thanks for the comment!
no bs content, you got a new subscriber
Thanks FEARTHESPEAR. I appreciate the sub.
Great Review! Awesome detail of use. I utilize the Condor Bushlore and mini Bushlore..... I agree....use it till it fails! Long knife life!
Those knives are great. Simple an cheap...and made of good stuff!
You rocked that review. I've been thinking about getting one of these and now I will. Thanks
Thanks MR! Let me know if you like the handle or not when you get it. I love mine now but i did a bit of grinding to make it fit my hand.
great review, simple, honest, and to the point!!!!
Thanks john, I appreciate it.
Great review I have owned this knife for a few years and I love it
Its a good , rugged, knife for sure.
Honestly I love this knife. I'm on #2. #1 broke in half while I tried to beat the Living Pudding into it. Condor sent me a factory fresh one no questions asked. I think they added extra Pudding because it doesn't break lol. This was a real good review!
You broke one! Good on ya!
I've owned one for a while and can't imagine breaking one. I've never heard of one of these breaking before. Either that knife was faulty or you were doing some extreme work. That's pretty cool
Just got this knife in the mail today. Couldn't find a decent review on it. This was a good review. I like the points on making the blade your own. Good job man!
Thanks Adventure Time Outdoors! I sure appreciate the comment. I hope you enjoy your knife brother!
i enjoyed youre review very much! i purchased this knife about 4 months ago and i have not been able to do to much with it for lack of time. i cannot wait to get out there and do some serious stuff with it! tha ks man ATB -migrating moose
100% AGREE ! LEAVE THE KIDS THE HANDLE OF THE KNIFE THAT YOU USED FOR MEMORIES OF YOU & BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YOUR KNIVES ! GREAT REVIEW. THANK YOU.
Thanks MrEdium.
Honest, straightforward, no BS
Brilliant review buddy. I have one of those and your dead accurate with this review. Its a beast. Your definitely right when you said you wont break it, its a work horse of a knife, and your right the steel does tend to roll a bit when chopping with it. I carry a sharpening puck with me so thats not a problem. Love the traditional feel to it. Thanks for the review bud.
Thanks Pete, I appreciate the comment.
I agree with most of the guys here. This is an excellent camp knife intended for heavy work like chopping, splitting and hammering. Most poor reviews come from folks using it for what it was not intended. Use a bushcraft knife for fine work and food prep and this one for handling chopping wood, building shelters, quartering game for transport etc.
right
Love your style. I have the Hudson Bay and you covered it all with a certain sense of no BS , let me tell you about the knife. Keep it up!
Thanks Mick. By the way, my son's name is Mick.
No B.S!
I love the honesty, and we agree on a lot. Subscribed!
Thanks Sam for the sub!
This was my first time seeing one of your videos and I have to say you do an excellent job!
Thanks BP! I hope you like the other videos too.....Oh and by the way , check out me and my wife on this season of ALONE on the history channel. Cheers!
I do agree with everything you said about this knife, its a serious heavy duty knife! I've had mine for quite a while but haven't been able to get out in the woods nearly as much as I like due to a new job. I do look forward to taking it back out this summer though, it just feels good in the hand and chops like no other knife I own other than my kukri's. I do like that you compared it to a cleaver, that's very much the first impression I had when I got mine, I did work over the edge, drawing the bevel back a bit to give a slightly finer cutting edge.
Thanks for the comment. Its a good knife for sure. Especially for the money
Summary: ‘Doesn’t really matter what the knife or sheath looks like - grind it to make a new knife out of it’
Nice have been filing mine for a while now and its made itself out as a very useful tool as it bridges the gap of a heavy machete and a more bushcraft/woodcraft type blade.
I totally agree. Great in-between knife that can do a TON of useful work.
I totally agree. Thanks for sharing.
Holy shit dude, dunno how I've missed your channel for so long but I definitely subscribed! Made my duty day go by much quicker, I love your presentation style and I'm stoked to hear what else you have to say. Keep it up bro, much love from my fam to yours!
Thanks Matthew! Glad you found the channel! Good to have you here.
i was looking to have a review before purchasing one,, you convinced me !! im getting one man !
Thanks CJV. Let me know what you think when you get your knife.
They have made a lot of improvements since then.
Also improvements in the price. Twice as much now.
lol
Nice knife, thanks for sharing. Take care.
Good Lawrt..... I love the way you think! Keep up the good work brother!
Thanks Timothy. I'm glad you found the site. Lots of cool people here. Hope you enjoy the vids and if you have any questions , just let me know. Cheers!
Most Condors - like the HB - are 1075 C steel.
You can baton wood with a leaf spring, I just subscribed to your channel I love the way you think we are totally on the same page. Thank you for a no BS review.
Thanks for subbing! That was my first video on this channel!
Love your philosophy about your knives, hehe.
Thanks for the review !
Thanks !
E.A. I agree with your response concerning knife reviews for the most part . I get a laugh out of the shaving and paper cutting and especially like the the sheath rattle test some seem to take into consideration . But i digress , i remember that time i had to sneak up on that tree lol . But in all seriousness i think this young man has the right idea keep it simple . Sure there are many great technological advances in metallurgy and a lot of other aspects that drive prices of simple equipment/tools through the roof , but is it necessary ? I think not , leather vs. plastic for example . I have a rather expensive plastic sheath with a moderately priced knife in it , guess what the knife still rust in its expensive sheath that cost me a fair bit more . I went through the same steel wool rust removal on that knife as i have on my Old Hickory and my Mora and most other knives that i feel so inclined to need to remove rust from after a wet outing . But like anything else in life to each their own .
Great video Dave! Happy to see you uploading! - Josh & Brad
what can I say you guys inspired me!
I’m surprized that your sheath drops the knife. Mine is super tight so far.
i have annealed, reshaped, differentially heat treated and rehandled several condor hudson bay knives in years past.
i usually give them away as gifts...though i still have and use the first one i purchased, that was before they put that strange dappling on the blade...it is rather unique and makes a great camp knife, also as you say is recreated into a personalized, yet inexpensive semi custom, i show that knife in a couple of my vids...atb...woods
I'll check your videos out!
I think this knife ...and most condors.... are great platforms for modding. Just find one thats close to what you want and dial it in. The thing I really love about these knives is they are made to work. The're simple, rugged and affordable.
I've been watching you're videos and enjoyed every single one . You keep it simple , i own an old Defiant ? (Stanley Tools) roofers/shingling hatchet that i once again like you re- purposed . I went a step further on mine , on the bottom of the bit where the all but useless nail puller is i took it to my belt sander and reshaped/removed that section from the eye out and came down with a curve towards the bit and i can now grip right up under the head and do fine task . I also curved the bit inwards slightly at the the heel along the cutting edge , lots of hardened metal in the bit on this one , as well as making the actual pole itself shorter and the handle to i believe 13" from the 17" of the replacement handle . Keep up the good work .
Thanks Chris! Did you do a video on your hatchet? I'd like to check that one out. Sounds like some useful mods!
I wish i knew how i would send pics to you , i would love to share with everyone .'
I wish I could tell you but i'm pretty new at this and don't know how to use the tech very well.
Best damn knife review I’ve ever seen! Got yourself a sub my friend!
Thanks Dan!
Watching another of your videos on this knife. I love my Condor Kephart that I carry with a gransfors Bruk belt hachet and a farmer folder. When I lived in central Texas where there were trees it was a good combo. I'm in El Paso now and not really using the hachet. This might work in place of the Kephart and the hatchet so I can carry less cutting tool and more water weight on shorter trips. Nights are cool at 4K ft elevation but you burn brush mesquite and not trees.
It feels great to chop with. Very weight forward and SIMPLE. There're like $50 now. I bet you'd love it. Its very old school. Just a sharp hunk o' metal with a handle.
Great take on the topics!!
Hello just subscribed. Great review, very straight forward. I have been thinking about buying this knife. Thanks.
Its a great knife , I recommend it for sure.
Bought! Liked and subscribed too 😁👍🇦🇺
Another nice video. Thank you Dave. -Stephen, Ohio
Thanks BBL!
Very good comments Dave. Make the knife work for you and don't pick apart every little detail of a good but inexpensive knife. I have a discontinued 8" Condor Varan (13+ inches OAL). My Varan has the exact same sheath. I also had to tighten my sheath which I did with a single rivet (Chicago Screw) at the opening to squeeze it closed a bit. Being 1075 Carbon steel It's a good heavy knife and a good chopper but... the Varan has a broomstick plastic handle which I really don't like. Seeing your wood handled Hudson Bay, I think I'll grind off the plastic handle and replace it with some Walnut scales. I have several Walnut handles knives, I like them and I really prefer wood over synthetic materials.
I'll have to check out some pics of the Varan. Sounds like a great project.
wow great looking knife and really like your review on it !! nice to see a real person showing s knife and giving a honest review. I just subscribed 😇 thanks again sir 😇
You bet brothers. Thanks for the comment.
Excellent review Dave. I'm modding my knife right now with some of the same mods you did. Going to send the sheath to my leather buddy who will put a strap and snap on it.
Please, let me know what you decide to change and your thoughts on it when you're done. When you're done, fill me in!
Will do
Could you show us how you put the extra rivets in?
I agree with your philosophy. Good review on a classic.
Thanks Kurt!
Yeah it took a while to figure out what rusty tetnis stick you had in your hand on Vancouver Island:) But I guessed it was this one:)
You guys are doing great on there. I guessed right off you'd win and I have been teasing Brooke about it. I've complimented her a bunch too on her fantastic skill set and drove.
But I think I made her nervous and she has went radio silent. I imagine History has threatened you with your souls if you spill anything lol.
But tell her as soon as the seasons over I expect replies:)
It's fun watching the base family dynamics at play on the show. A husband and wife naturally serve each other. A father and son, naturally serve each other.
Brothers are at their base, rivals somewhat. Even if they love each other they don't go out of their way or spontaneously spot ways to serve each other like you and Brooke do with each other.
Even if you guys don't win I still want to thank you for going through that and sharing it!
Thanks for rooting for us!
Great work on video mate greetings from spain
Hello Spain!!
An excellent and pragmatic review. Just subbed!
Thanks Steve. I appreciate the comment.
Heck yeah brother
Iv had mine about that long allso& paired it up with the smaller one strapped to the sheath put a faro Rod holeder on the side purdy hardly kit it does make
I think its a fantastic knife for sure. I wish it CAME with a ferro rod holder...
Good stuff, totally right about it being a pared down cleaver.
Thanks.
I own several Condor knives, my favorite is the HD kukri.
I know a lot of folks who like the Kukri. Ive personally never had one...its going on my list! Thanks for the comment Red Masque.
Great video. My sheath came tight. Knife want fall out even if I shake it upside down. But it is also up there with my heirlooms quality knives. 1075 is decent stuff.
Right on. I'm glad you got a tighter sheath than I did. Thanks for the comment.
A Refreshing knife review.
I like your spirit, Dave! :-)
Thanks Jorge.
Great job I thinking about buying one thanks
I bet you'll like it.
if I lost an expensive knife on an outing my head would be hanging pretty low, if I lose an inexpensive knife I'll come home and order another one, maybe two, good video I like your channel, good common sense stuff , thanks.
Thanks Peter, Im glad you like the channel. Are you related to a Ryan McPherson?
Bushradical , I am related to a Ryan he's my cousin, but probably not the same guy your speaking of.
I know a Ryan McPherson who runs camera on the "Deadliest Catch" .
What do you think about a bushcrafting set of the Hudson Bay knife for heavy work (chopping, batoning) and perhaps slicing larger pieces of meat & a Victorinox Forester M (one-hand, non-serrated) for lighter stuff (carving, general foot prep), pls?
I like the Hudson bay for a big knife, but I don't see any reason anyone should limit themselves to just one knife. I'm not familiar with the one you mentioned but it would be a huge improvement to the Hudson bay, if you were to have a nice small knife too. Thanks for the comment!
Like we agreed earlier, condor is great. As far as passing it down to your kids, they are so affordable that you can buy two save one destroy the other then pass the saved one on. Hell you could honestly buy 3 or 4 before you hit bark River price range. I own one bark River and that will be it. I own two Lt wright and want only two more. As far as condor I would like to have all if I could. I like collecting and using what I collect. Nothing sits for long without being used. I do an initial review on my knives then my thoughts will be doing a year after review.
Totally agree. Not to mention if you keep your eye open on eBay you can get smoking' deals on a lot of these knives new when dealers feel like they need to move them. I paid $39 for my Hudson Bay, new.
Bushradical see that is an awesome deal. eBay....the best way to kill a man's wallet lol. Find a bunch of awesome deals, like such, then boom your are broke.
lol! I sell a bunch of stuff on eBay......and then I have a paypal balance and its just like Christmas everyday......you just scroll through cool stuff and when you find something you want -you just buy it! AAAAnd then your broke!! So true
Bushradical exactly, it's great but also..... depressing lol
You know i did the same grinding on the under side of mine years ago and it does add much needed length to the handle , and ultimately rounded that hump on the top near the tip mildly . And as you stated that's the beauty of a knife like this you can change things . I thinned the edge geometry as well , i have many knives and this is one of the least expensive . like you i also have beaten mine like it belonged to someone else that i had no regard for . you watch videos and people talk about saber this and flat that and its all well and fine but ill put mine against all in basic large knife task . so what if i have to hit it a few more times to get through because it's not saber ground , iv'e never had to have my shavings translucent to take a spark or any of that other stuff that makes other knives great ? just a good solid tool that has not quit !
Man I think we share the same brain! I was thinking of taking that hump down a bit too. Yeah, I love that knife. Its actually on my belt right now, as I was just shooting some stuff and needed a knife. Its solid, cheap, easy to sharpen, and tough. Gotta love a no BS tool like that!
Follow-up to my comments below. Only change I made was to wrap the knife in friction tape to improve the grip. I really like the knife as is otherwise. I only use it for clobbering and don't like the fact that the knife is loose in the sheath so until I mod the sheath I'm going to keep it in a "custom" sheath of cardboard and duct tape. Note - I never wear a knife this large on my belt. I like my modded butchers and Moras for belt knives.
Forgot to mention, I got this knife a few years ago for around $30. What a bargain! They are around $70 which to me is still good value.
Thats hillarious.....I too have friction tape on mine now. That handle just gets polished because its a big heavy knife.. The hockey stick tape makes it way better
Great review of a workhorse kinve
I use a rare earth magnet fixed to sheath to hold blade from slipping out,
nice tip
good video straight to the point no bulshitin.
Thank you. I try to do reviews the way I wish all reviews were. The straight dope without fluff. And I never review anything that I just got in the mail and haven't used. I had this knife on my hip for 49 straight days on Vancouver island BC.
Nice review ! Maybe a Bushradical condor knife will be manufactured one day!
It would be a knife with a footlong square blade and a 8" square handle and you just grind it down to where its perfect for you! LOL
i have this knife and love it ps this sheath works great with the bk9
Thats good to know. Lots of people really like those Beckers, but I have never seen one for sale anywhere or held one. They look great but I guess I'll have to order one online to ever get to see one,LOL. Thanks for the comment.
awesome review man!!!
Thanks AJ.
Well played brother
how do you add the rivets I've never do e that before but mine did fall out luckily I was paying attention.
Hey Duke. You need a fairly long seemed rivet and you put your hole just inside of the welt of the sheath. The rivet should pinch down the extra space enough to tighten up the fit. Cheers!
Great knife.
Great review got a Condor basic . when you wanna prise the the lid of an old tin o paint what else you gonna use?
Thanks Drew. Its good for lots of stuff like that.
Great review
Thanks Tom
im looking for a lite weight mechete for saplings small trees. I dont like the long mechetes. I was looking at the mini condor parang but then i saw this. Do you think this would work in the role.
It 'might', but its real thick and heavy. Not much like a machete. but it makes a nice hatchet substitute.
loved the content. quality vid. thanks! and, subbed.
Thanks
how did you make the holes through the welt for the rivets ? did you drill with 1/8 bit or drive a punch through ?
Good question....I think I probably drilled.
Just curious, why didn't you wet form the sheath? Really cool insight though thanks!
Hey Tristan. I didn't wet form the sheath. But I did wear the knife daily for a long time in a wet climate.
Lol,really enjoyed your video.
I just realized you guys are on season 4 Alone/Together... hope you guys won!
Thanks!