Tool & Knife Hudson Bay Camp Knife, 1075 Carbon Steel, Walnut Handle

I’ve been looking for a serious full-tang Bowie knife for a while, and the Condor Tool & Knife Undertaker completely delivered. This thing is built like a tank.The 1075 high carbon steel blade is thick, sharp right out of the box, and holds an edge extremely well. At 10.2 inches, it has that classic intimidating Bowie profile with excellent balance for both chopping and finer work. The weight (24 oz) gives it real authority when you swing it — perfect for processing firewood, clearing brush, or as a serious hunting/survival knife. The walnut handle feels premium in the hand — comfortable, well-contoured, and it has a nice natural grip even when wet. The full tang construction gives me total confidence that this knife won’t fail under heavy use. The hand-crafted welted leather sheath is a standout feature. It’s thick, beautifully stitched, and holds the knife securely without being too tight. It looks and feels like something from a much more expensive custom knife maker. This is not a lightweight every day carry knife — it’s a serious tool designed for real work. If you’re into bushcraft, hunting, camping, or just want a high-quality traditional Bowie that will last a lifetime, the Undertaker is an outstanding value and choice.

For under $40? A real bargain. Condor Tool and Knife makes no frills, heavy use knives. These aren't intended to be safe queens. They are made to be USED! The Hudson Bay is great. I consider this as something of a large camp/kitchen knife. It'll baton wood and such but, it's great for chopping things around the kitchen (not some granite counter top with Sub Zero fridges kitchen mind you). I simply LOVE the rustic finish on this. To me, scratches only add to the character of this knife. The handle is not very large and it's perhaps a bit slick but, this is a minor issue. The sheath, is as good as they come. Thick and heavy duty. Smells great too! Hey, I've seen custom sheaths for sale similar to these going for upwards of $50-$100! That makes this a super deal. The factory edge was so-so but, since I put my own edge on every blade I own, this is never an issue with me. I got it hair shaving sharp easily. As a knife collector, I sometimes find a brand I like and then have to buy every product they make. Fanatical. That's what my wife says of my "issue". This is the case with CT&K products now. I've since purchased 5 more of their products and they all impress me. The people that make these knives seem to know what really works out in the real world. Some people poo-poo these knives because they aren't D2 steel and don't have the fit/finish (and price) of some of the higher end bushcraft type knives/tools. But you know what? When you buy one of these higher end knives with S30V or D2 or m390 steel, you are reluctant to take them out and use them for fear of scratching them up. I've sold off a lot of my higher end knives to buy knives like the ones made by CT&K. In fact, I tend to buy 2 of the same model, one for use and one for the safe. I have over 75 fixed blades and 60 or so folders. Trust me when I say that CT&K makes a great value product. This Hudson Bay knife is something I proudly own and recommend wholeheartedly. For under $40? It's pretty much a no-brainer. You could look at it this way too; The sheath is a bargain at $40 and they also throw in a knife too! Just get one.

So this is basically a functional reproduction of the Hudson Bay knife distributed by the Hudson Bay fur trade company to its trappers in the 18th and 19th century. You might have seen a version in the 2015 film the Revenant used by Tom Hardy’s character. Very likely a precursor to the Bowie knife. Condor did an amazing job on this reproduction. It has a very primitive aesthetic to it. No flashiness, just a no nonsense workhorse. Neither too large or small. It was designed as both a camp and hunting knife. Mine came super sharp and has kept its edge during the last few months of chopping light firewood, chopping meat, and skinning both medium and large game. It has a full tang that fits fully through the wood grip as advertised. Due to the blade being high carbon steel, you want to keep it oiled. Despite having a thick strong heavy blade for hardy jobs it has no problem managing more culinary tasks. A joy to sharpen as well. Not much wear and tear to report. It comes with a very nice leather sheath that is neither too tight or too loose. Even though this knife will be durable to outlast me I will definitely be picking up a spare in the coming months.

I've been excited to write a review on the Moonshiner, but I wanted to make sure it got put to the test before I started rambling about it. Finally, this thing has been used for everything from kitchen prep to firewood, chopping, and carving. Overall, I'm very happy with the purchase. It's not the absolute perfect knife, but it's also less than $100. First, it works wonders in the kitchen for such a large tool. Whether I'm at the fire or cooking in the home, it has butchered chickens, processed all my meat, and handled my veggies very well for such a heavy beast. That's the easy stuff, though. I usually don't baton, but I decided to test this hard. So, I batoned it through various hardwoods to make firewood and a bush baton. It worked like a champ. I don't want to constantly abuse it like that, but it's good to know that it can take it. The blade actually bent a considerable amount around a knot, and when it broke through the wood, it popped itself back to true before I could even see it happen. What really surprises me is how it handled chopping. Obviously, a 9-inch heavy blade will make short work of 1-inch and 2-inch limbs, but I've chopped through 6-inch and 8-inch diameter logs at this point. The handle locked me in, and despite getting blood blisters from swinging an unshaped log around during the baton testing, I didn't feel any hot spots while chopping. It's large and not optimal for very fine carving, but it handles notching, stick sharpening, debarking, and stuff like that perfectly fine. I wouldn't whittle with it, but that's what smaller knives are for. So, let's talk about everyone's complaints. The handle: I love it. Yes, it is large. I have large hands, and there is still a ton of room. However, that works for its purpose. I move my hand down to the bottom while chopping, and it gets locked in by the Condor head "horn" of sorts at the "pommel". I thought I'd put a lanyard with a nice brass eagle head on it, but it's honestly perfect on its own, and I just shortened the lanyard to a small fob for decoration. The middle position with the palm swell is great for general cuts and most cooking tasks, and the top is comfortable for finer carving tasks. No choil: I understand this one. The ricasso doesn't make much sense, but it's not a fine carving knife, and you probably shouldn't be doing any long-term fine carving with it for comfort to matter. You can still use the ricasso to get right up on the cutting edge for fine details and control. While the ricasso is pointless, a choil would be, too. I would have preferred if that last inch was just sharpened. The swedge: I both love and hate the swedge. I love that it gives me a very fine point that has been great for slipping between bones during meat processing, getting under skin, and similar tasks. I don't like that it chews up batons quickly, and it makes it a little harder to control when pulled as a makeshift draw knife. Overall, it's not a problem, though. Finally, the sheath is a pleasure to hold. It was overly stiff, but it broke in with about 20 minutes of messing with the knife. If you want a chopper with a three-position handle, great blade steel, an interesting look, and a traditional vibe with modern capabilities, the Moonshiner is great. Paired with a Mora or similar sized blade, you have most of your cutting needs covered for outdoorsy situations, and you don't have to spend more than $70 to get it. Awesome piece of kit with a few minor drawbacks.

It is what it is! This is a super sturdy, no frills, tool. It comes packaged well and is a beauty right out of the box. It comes plenty sharp but takes a great edge quick. Mine had some sanding lines on the edge, but I have owned this for about 2 hours now and have already put a edge on it that is good enough to slice through anything. It is heavy, but not overly so. The balance is better than expected. The handle fits my hands well, but I don't have a bunch of room left over. The finish is better in real life than in pictures of the classic finish. The "hammer marks" aren't the giant craters like the original finish, and they seem to be smoother than the first series and seem to be really random rather than a set pattern. No two will be alike and it is striking to look at because of it's simplistic value. This knife is thick but it will baton very well because of it. The spine is finished very well and it is straight and practical like the rest of the knife. It almost looks homemade because of the slight taper from tang to tip. The wood slabs are well constructed and pinned by brass, they are tight and rounded off well for my hands. I have seen many reviews that called them too slick for safe operation but to me they are just right. I don't see me flinging this during use any more than using a one handed camp ax. This is a tool that will last for years for so little money you almost have to question how it can be real. But I have owned a Condor machete for years now and have put it through heck and it still looks as good as it cuts. I suspect this Hudson Bay will be of the same stuff. I have combed the web reading reviews on this blade while waiting for it to arrive, and the few bad ones were usually comparing it to a BK2 or some other tacti-cool knife. To each his own and I would rather own the simple stuff, free of plastic and without the kung-fu grip. If you are still on the fence about this knife let me tell you about the sheath. It is every bit as nice as the knife and as real as they come. The belt loop is fastened to the scabbard by a single rivet and can swing to get out of the way of your movement. Some people might find this too much movement and it can be corrected with another rivet, or some leather thread really quick. I plan on making a matching frog for this sheath and attaching it to my gun belt. This isn't a pairing knife, it isn't a tacti-cool knife, it isn't a 300 dollar exotic wood slab with gold and fairy dust sprinkled on it. This is a tool made for chopping and for rough use. The lifetime warranty from Condor is a fantastic bit of comfort but I doubt I will ever need it. UPDATE: I have had this knife for a year now. It has been used almost every single day in one way or the other. I have batoned with it, chopped with it, used it to prepare meals in the field, used it as a flint striker, and used it to whittle with great success. Heck, I even beautified it a little. This knife is the one for me. I haven't even looked at another knife for over a year now. I even bought one for my wife's equipment. If I had to pick only one knife for an extended wilderness adventure, this would be my pick without a doubt. I stripped off the coating on the blade, blued it using mustard and wasabi sauce and spent some time sharpening it (actually a lot of time). This is a knife you can use right out of the box for sure. But if you are handy with steel and know a little here and there you can turn this knife into a companion! I will update this review if anything changes, but after a year I think this knife will belong to one of my family after I kick the bucket, it will outlast me. Add another star to my 5 stars!

I can’t comment on the HB’s long term use because I haven’t had it long, but I will give you my evaluation so far. I got this because I like trade knives of the 19th century and this, while not an exact copy, is pretty close in some ways. It’s also a much bigger knife than anything I have until you get into choppers like kukris. Honestly, when I took it out of the box, I thought “Hmm, maybe this was a mistake,” because it is so heavy, and once again, it is BIG. But mine is finished very nicely, the grind is even, and the handle’s wood is sanded nicely and is flush with the tang so I took it outside and did some chopping and carving - not a ton, but enough to realize that there are really times when a big knife is a joy to work with. I am used to using knives with a 4 inch blade or so in the woods (Moras, that sort of thing), and they are much more precise than this big honker. BUT...the big honker can cut through knots and sprouts like nobody’s business and it does still carve feathersticks if you want to do that with it. I was surprised by how easy it was to use, actually. The grind is what I would call a soft convex. The Moras or other equivalent smaller knives will always outperform a big knife like this for precision work, but that’s not what you get this for. It’s like comparing a Triumph Spitfire to a Dodge Viper, if you’re into sports cars. Heck, maybe even a diesel powered back loader! At any rate, I’d say the HB is certainly the big boy on the block, the one you call when you need some muscle; the knife’s momentum really works for you, and not just in chopping - it helps in cutting, too. A couple of thumbs up for the sheath, too. It’s very well done, with good quality, heavy leather. I would prefer that it had a lower top and some sort of retaining strap than just trusting to the pressure fit it uses. This type of sheath is historically correct (except for the swiveling belt loop, which I don’t think a lot of voyageurs would have had, but they might have appreciated it) but because only about an inch and a half of the handle pokes out it is not the quickest to remove from the sheath, and you do want to push it all the way in so that it stays there. It stays in when turned upside down, but I’d still feel better with a strap on the handle. Still, as I said, the sheath is very well made. This is my only Condor knife so I can’t judge the company’s range of products, but I have decided that I quite like this knife.

This knife is the best knife I have ever purchased. It exceeded my expectations in almost every way. It is very thick the whole length of the blade and it has a satisfying weight in your hand but not enough to make you reach for a smaller blade. The nickname "Woods Cleaver" is a perfect representation of what this knife is. The story I was told about this knife design is that it was developed as a backcountry workhorse for the frontier and it quickly grew in popularity as a trade item with natives and an all around awesome life that people trusted their lives on. The legend goes that Bowie saw someone with one of these and loved it, but they parted ways and he couldn't find a knife like it so he found the closest knife maker and described it to the knife maker who made the legendary bowie knife. Pros: -Very durable, probably the most durable fixed blade I have ever seen. -Easy to sharpen and holds a edge. -Very well balanced to the point where its extra weight is actually a bonus because it does the work for you. -This thing can split wood almost as good as a hatchet and it batons like the wood is butter. You can throw your hatchet away if you get this knife. Cons: This knife can do anything but it isn't as proficient for fine tasks as a small knife like a Mora. -Firesticks are difficult but possible if you have a sharp edge. -This knife does not come sharp, you will have to work it a little. -It is not pretty but it has some charm. -Forget about carving besides the basic shelter making stuff. -Made in El Salvador and Condor has had problems in the past with quality control. However at this price you are paying for good steel and a good design. If these knifes were made in the USA and were perfect they would cost 4 times as much. Every knife I have purchased from condor has been great quality with this being the first one that wasn't razor sharp.

---Original Review--- I have been using this knife around the campsite for a while now and feel like I can give an honest review. I should point out that I wear 2XL gloves and find this handle to be a tiny bit small but what it lacks in that department the handle is smooth enough to transition around and might need some modification if you have smaller hands or a weak grip. The sheath is well made out of leather however the belt hanger has the leather shaved down and glued together before pinned to the main body. I haven't had issues with it yet however I am paranoid about actually hanging it off the belt so I attach it to the outside of my pack. While the blade is a little front heavy and could have been balanced better by taking some metal off through a grove or reshaping the width a little it isn't uncomfortable to use. You can use it baton very well as it is just long enough but no too long to be functional as a camp knife. My wife thought it was a little heavy for a kitchen knife but I think it feels about right for the abuse I give blades. The grind on the blade is functional but could have been better, after a little time with my stone it was perfect for what I use it for, as an all purpose camp knife. The blade has the ability to hack off branches quite well as well as cut up apples or meat. The design of the blade also allows someone with very large hands to choke up on the blade and use it for fine tasks, this just won't be possible for someone with smaller hands. My wife still uses it to cut up squash as no other blade in the kitchen can take the abuse of this large heavy blade. Overall I loved the blade but am waiting to see how the belt loop holds up to abuse, I might be concerned for no reason. I will update if it breaks and adjust the rating, but until then its a 5 star. ---UPDATE--- I recently was processing a deer and used this knife as my normal one was left at home. the entire blade length that came into contact with bone shattered, I uploaded a few pictures in an attempt to capture this. I have seen good blades chip when it was cold, however this was not the case as I have used this knife in the bitter cold many times to baton firewood; while processing the deer we were in a heated garage. Some might feel it unfair that I reduce the stars or used processing a wild animal as the litmus test, however I believe a knife of this type should be used in survival situations and general farm/ranch use AND not become destroyed in the field. I use to recommend this knife to family and friends however I can't any longer. I want to give this a lower star review however I received 6 good years out of this knife around the campsite and only now able to test the edge on bone this way...it just doesn't seem fair to give it 1 or 2 star after that amount of time and for the price point of the knife. I might be harder on my knifes than others so you might not find my review fair and get many more years of use out of this knife with no failures...however I feel if you are looking for serious knife that will survive DON'T get this one; if you want a medium use knife that works well in the kitchen and campsite, get this knife.

Ein großes aber nicht zu großes Messer, ausreichend schwer als Haumesser/Hackmesser aber nicht zu schwer zum bei sich tragen. Von Condor absolut fehlerfrei gefertigt, sehr scharf bei der Lieferung, ohne jeden Fertigungsmangel. Selbst der Anschliff ist perfekt und gerade. Das ist leider nicht selbstverständlich. So sehen sonst sehr viel teurere Messer aus Spitzenproduktionen aus. Vielleicht habe ich Glück gehabt? Geliefert wurde das schönere Messer (Hammerschlageffekt) statt das einfach schwarz beschichtete. von der Abbildung . Das war eine zusätzliche Freude. Im Prinzip fand ich das auch schöner, hatte da aber nur eine „dubiose“ Quelle dafür auf die ich mich nicht einlassen wollte. Die Messerscheide ist sehr hochwertig, unglaublich bei dem Preis, was die für Qualität herstellen. Das man den Teil der an den Gürtel kommt seitlich klappen kann, stört das Messer auch nicht beim Autofahren. Das Messer selbst liegt mit den Hartholzgriffschalen gut und satt in der Hand.Die Kling ist „Full tang“ also aus einem Stück durchgehend, die Hartholzgriffe sind aufgenietet. Habe mal in der Geschichte gestochert: Die Firma Condor aus El Salvador gehört zu den größten Machetenherstellern der Welt und fertigt auch Messer, Äxte und Schaufeln. Die Geschichte der Firma Condor reicht zurück bis ins Jahr 1787. Gegründet wurde die Firma von den Gebrüdern Weyersberg. Diese stellten zu Anfangszeiten Militärmesser, Bestecke und sogar landwirtschaftliche Geräte in Solingen her. 1787 gründeten Peter und Wilhelm Weyersberg die Firma, deren Ursprünge aber sogar bis in die zweite Hälfte des 16. Jahrhunderts zurückgehen. Eine Zeit lang war Gebr. Weyersberg Solingens größter Blankwaffen-Hersteller. Ab 1859 produzierte man an der Hochstraße, in Solingen. Segmente der Produktion wurden 1963 nach El Salvador verlagert, die Schließung in Solingen folgte 1997. Im Jahr 1964 wurde ein Werk in Ana EI in El Salvador mit dem Firmennamen IMACACA gegründet. Mit technischem Knowhow und Maschinen aus Solingen begann die Firma Werkzeuge und Messer herzustellen. Vielleicht daher so gut gearbeitet ? Das Hudson Bay Knife bezieht sich bei dem Namen und der Form auf ein Messer , ein sogenanntes Handelsmesser der HUDSON`S BAY Co. Diese Messer erschienen erstmals um 1850 im Indianerhandel, so massiv ausgeführt, um damit Feuerholz zu schlagen und den stärksten Bisonknochen zu zerschlagen. Messer gegen Felle. Sie wurden schnell auch bei Siedlern und Trappern beliebtes Werkzeug. Fazit : Ein toller Kauf !

Late to do a review on this knife but suffice to say I think it's a great little knife. It is balanced nicely and the sheath is of good quality. The knife itself holds a nice sharp edge. It's my EDC. I've only had to apply a light coat of leather protector to the sheath to keep it looking great. Also the wooden handle looks great and feels great. I would definitely buy it again.

Brutal. El trabajo del acero al alto carbono es muy bueno y créeme que las imágenes no le hacen justicia, es más bonito en persona. El filo es adecuado y el grosor de la hoja es muy grande, definitivamente de uso rudo. El cuchillo de trabajo ideal. Encantado con la marca cóndor y acabo de ordenar 2 modelos más de esta marca. Muy buenos.

Awesome knife, nice sheath. Edge is very fine so it takes an edge very easily, just be careful as its delicate.

Very nice, solid, good looking.