Great review When I got mine I put about 11/2 hours on my water stones The scandi is not flat so it is sort of convexed It is zero and screaming sharp My hands are medium and I find it very comfortable This knife is a keeper for me
How a knife feels in the hand is probably one of the most important considerations, but it is also very personal. I find the terrasaur quite pleasant to use for carving and it is durable enough to do some pretty rough wood processing tasks. Seems to me to be perfectly fine
Totally agree on all points Rob! Nothing in their line has ever turned my head to be honest. Great design and marketing they do but I believe their quality control has always been out to lunch. Of course the price point reflects I guess.
I had wanted one of these for a couple years and, when the orange version was released, finally pulled the trigger. It was $44 and change delivered to me in the States from Amazon and the particular one I received was on the nicer side of typical for Condor; slightly uneven bevels and minor flashing on some parts of the handle. The edge still cut very well and has held up to lots of use, the flashing I nibbed off in a couple minutes with a razor. The spine is sharp but not as sharp as what you'd get on a Mora or an LT Wright. It will throw sparks but won't hurl them. My first condor was a Bushlore purchased sometime in the late 2000's for probably $30, which is much closer to what these knives should cost. Honestly, I've spent $45 on a not-so-great meal trying out a new restaurant or on tickets to a bad movie, so I consider the Terrasaur a win for myself. I've lent it out a few times on camping trips to the young ones in our group and never had a concern they'd destroy it or hurt themselves. It's held up very well and only ever needed a bit of dressing on a DC4 or a ceramic rod to get back to truly sharp. For someone who doesn't have a plethora of knives to choose from, I would advise they spend the same money instead on a Kansbol and a carbon Clipper, as those make a great duo for bushcraft, food prep, and general camp chores. As always, I appreciate the great video and you sharing your dirt time and insight with us.
In Canada where I'm at the carbon Garberg with plain sheath is $107.00 and the Terrasaur is $57.00. The Robust is $26.00. I know where my money would go.
Yep same here BPS B1 Made In Ukraine 🇺🇦 😂 😝 😆 that’s where my money goes,,,Mora is fine but Condor I have personal issues that I don’t want to talk about…BTW Robust is really Robust and TBH you can’t beat Mora Knives, I want to be buried with my Companion MG Carbon,it’s my favourite knife,super simple and no frills about it…
mine came super sharp with no secondary grind on scandi, great knife, shealth is good but knife is small of you like bigger handles. its slow to get out of sheath due to so little handle sticking out of shealth
i love me a true scandi but in the case of my terasaur i had no choice to put a very small micro cos it was so difficult to maintain in the field had to wrap mine cos i found it too awkward due to slipping , great review bro . god bless ... Lee
Very awkward with hand tools, depending on the hardness of the steel you may be able to do it with a fine engineering file or wet and dry paper on a block of wood but this would be very slow, diamond file would do it but the easiest way would be to use a small drum sander on a drill or Dremel type rotary too. Hopefully that helps
Why don't you make a review of the Fox Core fixed scandi in Bekut steel? An excellent economic alternative to M. Garber and Terrasaur ... Hello from Italy...
Great review thank you. The key learnings for me are the steel used and the slippery handle. I personally like slim handles, e.g. the Fällkniven F1, but I hate it when they are too slippery (e.g. many Bark River knives). I also try to avoid carbon steel, since it will rust, where I live (too damp), and I don't have the discipline to oil the regularly. My knife of choice tends to be short, 6-9cm, is stainless and has a flat or convex grind. Examples: Fällkniven WM1, Pendleton Mini, etc. I combine that with an axe and saw, sizes and weights depending on season. What is you preferred wood processing kit (knife, saw, axe) for summer/winter, or do you use the same?
Summer, small ish scandi knife, straight blade silky saw and a hatchet or small forest axe. Winter, bushtool scandi knife, bow saw and a larger axe. Add a muilti tool or folder for cooking.
I agree completely. I have a few Condors and for what they're asking now for some of their models they're kinda expensive and by heat treating the 1075/1095 to about 50-55hrc edge rolling is relatively normal under most circumstances. I mean, give that 1075/1095 a good and consistent ht and the edge will be much more resilient but the overall knife won't be idiot proof anymore. In the end Condor is just a brand of Imacasa which was a German company from Solingen expanding their production into Central America. Just like with Tramontina their agricultural tools (e.g. machetes) are fairly cheap and widely used in Central and South America. It's all about availability, cheap prices and easy maintenance. It always seems like they expanded their brand and line of products with Condor into the outdoor market (after already building the bush machetes for Esee and later even some for Blind Horse Knives) but kept the Imacasa/agricultural tools build quality which isn't that great if I consider some of their prices in 2021. I'm happy with my Condors but I get them 25-50% below retail price and I know that I'll have to put a good amount of elbow grease into some of their products before they perform decently (that Village Parang for example is an embarrassment.. the grind is way too obtuse and even when that's taken care of it can't perform like a Bidor Parang) and I don't expect them to perform like something from a reputable European factory that has a highly evolved production chain where every step is meticulously calculated and where they put a good amount of effort into a decent HT like for example Laurin Metalli, Mora or Victorinox. The "old" Mora Robust/Companion Heavy Duty is the best knife Mora put out, imo. I love the Classic but the old Robust/Companion Heavy Duty is kinda perfect. Especially for the money. So that would be my choice instead of the Terrasaur. But for what Mora are asking for a Carbon Garberg I'd probably go with the Condor.
I always get a great comment from you my friend, your knowledge is greatly appreciated. As for the Condor parangs I'd rather use a crappy Matchette! Had two village parangs, sold the first because it was bouncing off wood then bought another and gave it a full regrind and I still hated it, terrible handle geometry. I've mentioned my mini duk parang before , absolute rubbish and I took that to the jungle, more fool me!!!
@@RobEvansWoodsman thank you for the compliment, I appreciate it. You'll see more of me now. It just took some time for me to get back on track after that hospital stay. And I know what you mean. I (being the idiot I was and sometimes still am) took some shitty no-name stainless steel machete from a hunting store in Germany with me when I visited Vietnam for the first time. I think I was 17 at that time. Ended up getting a $4-6 machete from some local shop and gifted the stainless one to the boat driver that thought it's great for fighting off crocodiles and mangroves (I still hope he was joking) and gifted the other one to a young guide before I left.
Thanks for the review Rob! I keep hearing things about Condor from other reviewers, but I was skeptical. As a mentor told me many years ago "anything is a good product if you wrap it in hundred dollar bills." My wife got a Morakniv Companion Spark as a gift from her sister, looks like I'll be looking at a Robust. I have some good knives, but none are really suitable for Bushcraft. As usual a great video and the bloopers at the end were worth waiting for.
I used one this summer and came to the same conclusions. First, I was looking at the Garberg, but that profile was not my cup of tea. I have a Kansbol, no complaints, but I wanted that finer profile and full tang. So I tried the Trasarus. Blade came dull and uneven, so I sharpened it. The edge hard trouble batonning birch so back to the bench, reprofiled the edge, a bit better, but then the handle issue as I used it more. In the end, a fail. So, back searching for that one keeper. Any suggestions?
Maybe you should try investing in a a high quality knife, if it really is a keeper that you want. After all, five cheap knives that you end up discarding will cost you more than one very good knife you'll keep... I would look at Bark River (gunny scandi/bushcrafter/aurora), Lt Wright ( Gns/Gen3), you could even have a custom made for you, exactly to your liking and with killer steel, by Dulo knives or K knives switzerland for example. My father used to say he was too poor to buy low quality and it makes a lot of sense when you come to knives. Most people don't really want a keeper though, they just want another knife to toy with, but if you really want something you will use till the end of your days, options are there.
@@RobEvansWoodsman I thought it was shite, with you on that one, very uneven grinds on mine, I was gutted after hearing all the great reviews it had. Unfortunately not for me.
Rob you starting to become my go too bushcraft tools advice man. Same love the garberg, got a fallkniven Alx and S1x from your reviews. Even still on the fence about the leatherman P4 from your review. Also on the fence about this knife, do own 1 but lives in the Ute as a backup, backup knife. Keep up the good videos and reviews. 👍👍
If you already have a muilti tool that you like don't bother with the P4, Its not a patch on the charge, wave or surge, wish id never bought it, took it to work and it was just awkward to use.
Well... I like it, Rob. Mine (orange one just like yours) rolled an edge about a half inch from the tip due to a minute burr but ground out easily. And I work with what I got. It is unfortunate you do not like it but that's fine. We can disagree. Good work, Rob.
@@RobEvansWoodsman nice!! I'm a Danner man myself, had two pairs of Acadia, now I'm wearing the Danner ucmc rat boots , love them. I searched a long time for them
I was going to order a Mora Garberg since everyone thinks it's great, and it's hard to find a bad review of it, but after watching too many videos reviewing the Condor Terrasaur, most of which absolutely loved it, I ordered one from Amazon. I watched even more vids and then I came across yours. After watching it, I figured that I needed to get a Garberg to make a fair comparison, so I ordered one from Amazon also, figuring that I'll return the one that I didn't like as well. I received the Garberg first, and really loved it, but I waited to do anything with it until the Terrasaur came, which it did a few days later. With both knives in my hot little hands, I didn't like the Terrasaur much at all, which surprised me. The Garberg felt really comfortable in my hand, and the Terrasaur didn't. It felt too light, the handle was too small and slick, and I didn't like the look of the blade itself. The Garberg weighs an ounce and a half more, and for me, that made a big difference, I liked the weight. It gave the knife a more solid feel, and the larger handle seemed just right. I did some testing, but it didn't take long to confirm my feeling that the Terrasaur was just not for me, so back it goes. The difference in price doesn't bother me one bit. I'm so glad I watched your video. Thanks for the honest review.
I enjoy modding my gear but I don't fancy having to mod a knife just to make it work how it should already work, looks like this one needs substantial work
Don't like thin handles..... great review but think that the stainless Garberg does have one advantage over the carbon is for canoe trips when it is going to get a soaking....👍👍
It's better value but the handle let's it down, id prefer the blade shape to the Garberg but I've never felt the Garberg slip in my hand like the Terrasour and the Garberg is better out of the box.
Basically a shit steel with a good (suitable for the task in hand) will always beat a good steel with an inappropriate grind. That's what I've discovered over 30 years of playing with knives and 16 years making knives. I do prefer carbon to stainless aswel, it has character, I don't know if that makes sense to you my friend, Mora are a prime example, I try to stay away from their stainless but love the carbon.
Lots of comments about rolling edges with them on reviews - I'd say it's in the nature of the 1095 steel rather than a Condor fault. I've made a few 1095 blades and unless you either differentially or really expertly control the heat treat (which would really add to the cost) the edge steel will be prone to rolling...... if they're ground as true scandi. Esee make great 1095 knives - Condor steel isn't nearly as good......all meaningless without a well fitting handle of course.
There's nothing wrong with 1095 properly tempered / differentially tempered . Essee does indeed make great blades in 1095 . Kabar large and small combat knives / 1095 Crovan are still excellent as well .
@@QuantumMechanic_88 If I had to 100% rely on a knife - say I was on the alone TV show or planning a 6 month expedition somewhere remote, 1095 would be right up there. But for my weekend warrior jaunts, I prefer modern steels like RWL34 or Elmax etc.
I feel the same way about the Garberg blade shape, I just don't like that long flat section and tiny belly. The thing that attracted me to the Terrasaur was the nice belly on it, but I was leery of the handle. I have a Condor Bushlore and the handle on that is too thin as well. Good review 👍I think I'll give it a miss.
Maybe it was good knife few years ago if it was for 25 bucks but for the price is not worth it. I have mora robust and it is very good, have cold steel srk for the money of terrasaur and i think it is better.
Good honest review as always 😁👍, I bought a condor woodlaw blade blank years ago and put my own scales on, it only cost £19 for the blank and I used a piece of ash for the scales, it was easy to sharpen and has been a great little knife for light duty tasks, I wouldn't pay full price on a pre build one though. One thing about condor is there customer service is superb. 👍
Sorry but I can only speak from my own experience, it did take a while for them to get back as I believe it's only one man doing the replies but they did exchange a knife I had for many years because of an issue I had. So that's my reasoning for my comment, obviously I can't speak for anyone else. 👍
Prefer the honesty, I just didn't like it when I saw it . Maybe since you invested so much time in bringing the edge to a more serviceable level some one will find it a worthy purchase for the reason of being you modified it and did a review on TH-cam on it which would make it over value of sorts. You think? I have a good knife that I am happy with so I'll pass. Love my Kephart .
How do you find the Kephart? Im guessing they're about 3mm on average and they look nearly flat ground? Any shortcomings? I ask because I'd like to possibly make a tribute version for myself.
@@daemonharper3928 , lol well You asked : I have known about Horace Kephart since I was in scouting in the sixty's. My great uncle had been a camping enthusiast since he and my grandfather had been members of a local group of young men who were called woodsmen adventurers. They later opted to start a Scout Troup . Well Uncle Fred collected adventure stories from every publication he could find. Some of which were the short stories by Horace Kephart. He also had purchased his book. He allowed me to read and learn from those stories. He and my grandfather Elmo would tell of camping hunting and fishing adventures the two of them had. I was enamored. One of the items all three of us longed for was a Kephart style knife as per his description. Both Uncle Fred and My grandfather managed to use modified kitchen knives : IE , the Old Hickory butcher knife . It worked well for what we had to work with. Skipping to a few years ago to the resurgence of interest in Horace Kephart. Something which always stuck with me was what Horace had said about quality of his gear, he said he always kept up with advances and tried to use what he considered useful and timesaving equipment. The BK 62 had just been released and I was hooked again . The knife fever had struck me even stronger than in my youth.. However, that idea of his kept nagging at my brain. So I waited . And waited . Three years ago bark River came up with an excellent idea for a Kephart knife in 3v and then in 4v . I didn't quit like either until the re-release of the knife in CPM3V with a 5 and a bit more blade with a slightly thicker handle. I watched Chris Tanner's review then Captain Airyca's And determined to contact Bark River. I called and found out that they were willing to help me with creating the knife of my dreams and more. Over 6 months of discussion and plans they capitulated and allowed one volunteer to do my knife from start to finish. I even got to talk to him personally and we went thru the specifics of the attention to the details and the small but important changes i wanted made. ( grind ,bevel, spearpoint. Balance and even handle composition and final texture of the finnish.) They must have thought me absolutely f'n nuts but they hung in with me. Yes it cost a little extra, yes it took a while to get it , yes 👍 😀 it was exactly as I dreamed. It processes food like a light saber. It glides thru wood with the greatest of ease. It holds an edge like nothing I've ever used. I always clean it and rub it down with Bore Butter ,a non toxic black powder lubricant I find perfect for all k inds of uses. The first 6 months of use I cut or nicked myself almost every time I used it. It would cut me without me even knowing I'd been cut. Closest to a razorblade I've ever owned. I've batoned it lightly no dings roles or blowouts, if I touch it up I of use a fine ceramic rod and then strop it on a wooden strop with green then white compound . In answer to your question: I love this knife , I carry it every day. It has done everything I could ask of it and more with the ease of perfection. I am sure that the small details in its manufacture that I asked to be done is what most people receive in one off special order hand made knives by craftsmen like in Rob Evens case. It is a dream that came to reality. That is my story and my explanation.
Awesome thanks for such a great contribution to my channel. I love to read stories of other oudoorsmens experiences, especially knife related. I'd love to see this knife, could you please email me some photographs robevs73@googlemail.com 👍👍
@@RobEvansWoodsman I guess I should have asked in the previous comment, but how would you rate Condor's 1095 vs. Mora's UHB20C? Better, worse or about equal? Cheers!
I ALWAYS ENJOY WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS AND YOY MAKE ME LAUGHING ALL THE TIME WITH YOUR AMAZING COMMENTS. YOU HAVE A FANTASTIC SENSE OF HUMOUR. I AM A BIG FUN OF CONDOR KNIVES AND MORA TOO. THE FIRST KNIFE THAT I BOUGHT FROM CONDOR, IT WAS THE TERRASAUR WITH THE GREEN HANDLE. PROBABLY THIS KNIFE IT IS NOT FOR PEOPLE THAT THEY HAVE LARGE AND FAT HANDS. A LOT OF KNIFE COMPANIES HAVE TRIED TO COPY MORA, BUT, MORA IS MORA. THE MORA GARBERG IS FANTASTIC AND THERE IS NO ANY COMPARISON WITH THE TERRASAUR ONE. I HAD BOUGHT THE CONDOR FOR 45€ AND THE GARBERG MULTIMOUNT SS FOR 85€. THE CONDOR HAS BECOME QUITE EXPENSIVE AT THE LAST FEW YEARS. ALSO, I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH THE KNIVES THAT THEY MAKE FROM 440C SS. RECENTLY, I BOUGHT THE CONDOR AQUALORE 14C28N SS FOR 110€, BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE WITH THE SCANDINAVIAN SS. I OWN THE BUSHLORE, THE DARKLORE AND THE AQUALORE, AS WELL. THE CONDOR TERRASAUR IS A LOW BUDGET KNIFE FOR GENERAL PURPOSES. THE MORA ROBUST IS VERY ECONOMICAL AND A VERY STURDY KNIFE. EVERYTHING IN THIS LIFE IS A PERSONAL PREFERENCE. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU, HOW DO YOU MAKE THE BLADES SO SHINY, AFTER SHARPENING THEM? I HAVE BOUGHT A BOKER ERASER AND IT IS QUITE GOOD FOR RUST, INSTEAD OF THE NANIWA RUST ERASER. FOR THE DMT DIAMOND SHARPENERS, I TOTALLY AGREE. THEY ARE VERY GOOD AND ALSO, THE FALLKNIVEN CC4 AND DC4 TOO. EXCELLENT VIDEO, AS ALWAYS.
Sorry but I didn't like the knife, give me a Mora any day. I get the bevels so shiny because I ho through the grits to very fine then polish on a strop, lots of people raving about the BPS knives these days.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE SORRY, IT IS YOUR PERSONAL OPINION. IN GENERAL, THE CONDOR KNIVES ARE NOT USUALLY PERFECT, BUT, THAT IS THE REASON WHY, A LOT OF PEOPLE MODIFY THEM. AS IT CONCERNS, THE BPS AND THE BEAVERCRAFT KNIVES FROM UKRAINE, THERE IS SO MUCH MARKETING AND ADVERTISEMENT ABOUT THEM AND ALSO, THEY ARE A CHEAP COPY PASTE FROM THE MORA KNIVES AND THEY USE A CHEAP 1066 CS IN GENERAL AND IN SOME OF THEM, THE CHINESE 5CR15MOV SS, I THINK. THE WOODCARVING KNIVES FROM THE BEAVERCRAFT ARE QUITE GOOD, BUT, THEY ARE NOT MORA. IN GREECE, THE CONDOR TERRASAUR NOWADAYS COSTS 55€ AND FOR ONE BEAVERCRAFT BUSHCRAFT KNIFE 48,50€. THE MOST OF THE PEOPLE LIKE AND BUY THESE UKRANIAN KNIVES, BECAUSE THEY ARE LOW BUDGET, LOOK LIKE THE MORA DESIGN AND THEY HAVE QUITE NICE LEATHER SHEATHS, BUT, THERE IS NO ANY COMPARISON. THE KNIVES THAT YOU MAKE ARE EXCEPTIONAL, BY THE WAY. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH ME. GREETINGS FROM GREECE. CHECK THE HANDMADE KNIVES FROM THE GREEK KNIFEMAKER JN HANDMADE. HE USES A LOT OF DIFFERENT KIND OF STEEL. ALSO, CHECK FOR THE WOOD JEWEL PUUKOS' FROM FINLAND. THEY ARE QUITE AFFORDABLE AND THEY USE 80CRV2 CS LIKE THE TERAVA ONES. ALSO, I LOVE THE CASSTROM KNIVES AND THE EKA FOLDING KNIVES FROM SWEDEN.
Great review
When I got mine I put about 11/2 hours on my water stones
The scandi is not flat so it is sort of
convexed
It is zero and screaming sharp
My hands are medium and I find it very comfortable
This knife is a keeper for me
How a knife feels in the hand is probably one of the most important considerations, but it is also very personal. I find the terrasaur quite pleasant to use for carving and it is durable enough to do some pretty rough wood processing tasks. Seems to me to be perfectly fine
Totally agree on all points Rob! Nothing in their line has ever turned my head to be honest. Great design and marketing they do but I believe their quality control has always been out to lunch. Of course the price point reflects I guess.
i'm not a condor fan, had a few, all shit!
I had wanted one of these for a couple years and, when the orange version was released, finally pulled the trigger. It was $44 and change delivered to me in the States from Amazon and the particular one I received was on the nicer side of typical for Condor; slightly uneven bevels and minor flashing on some parts of the handle. The edge still cut very well and has held up to lots of use, the flashing I nibbed off in a couple minutes with a razor. The spine is sharp but not as sharp as what you'd get on a Mora or an LT Wright. It will throw sparks but won't hurl them.
My first condor was a Bushlore purchased sometime in the late 2000's for probably $30, which is much closer to what these knives should cost. Honestly, I've spent $45 on a not-so-great meal trying out a new restaurant or on tickets to a bad movie, so I consider the Terrasaur a win for myself.
I've lent it out a few times on camping trips to the young ones in our group and never had a concern they'd destroy it or hurt themselves. It's held up very well and only ever needed a bit of dressing on a DC4 or a ceramic rod to get back to truly sharp.
For someone who doesn't have a plethora of knives to choose from, I would advise they spend the same money instead on a Kansbol and a carbon Clipper, as those make a great duo for bushcraft, food prep, and general camp chores.
As always, I appreciate the great video and you sharing your dirt time and insight with us.
Thanks 👍
I've been wanting to get one but wasn't sure about it. Thank you for saving me 50 dollars.
wish id saved my money!
In Canada where I'm at the carbon Garberg with plain sheath is $107.00 and the Terrasaur is $57.00. The Robust is $26.00. I know where my money would go.
same here my friend.
same here!
Yep same here BPS B1 Made In Ukraine 🇺🇦 😂 😝 😆 that’s where my money goes,,,Mora is fine but Condor I have personal issues that I don’t want to talk about…BTW Robust is really Robust and TBH you can’t beat Mora Knives, I want to be buried with my Companion MG Carbon,it’s my favourite knife,super simple and no frills about it…
I have robust for 10 us dollars, even less, in Poland
always great testing and handing us infos , thank you Rob all the best man
Good Review! Now, what if any modifications could be done (by the Owner) to make that Handle SAFER?
mine came super sharp with no secondary grind on scandi, great knife, shealth is good but knife is small of you like bigger handles. its slow to get out of sheath due to so little handle sticking out of shealth
i love me a true scandi but in the case of my terasaur i had no choice to put a very small micro cos it was so difficult to maintain in the field had to wrap mine cos i found it too awkward due to slipping , great review bro . god bless ... Lee
Hello, have you ever had much to do with Marttiini knives , like the timber jack.
Never had the pleasure.
What do you recomend för the sharpenikg of the spine? Using simple tools?
Very awkward with hand tools, depending on the hardness of the steel you may be able to do it with a fine engineering file or wet and dry paper on a block of wood but this would be very slow, diamond file would do it but the easiest way would be to use a small drum sander on a drill or Dremel type rotary too.
Hopefully that helps
Why don't you make a review of the Fox Core fixed scandi in Bekut steel? An excellent economic alternative to M. Garber and Terrasaur ...
Hello from Italy...
Great review thank you.
The key learnings for me are the steel used and the slippery handle.
I personally like slim handles, e.g. the Fällkniven F1, but I hate it when they are too slippery (e.g. many Bark River knives).
I also try to avoid carbon steel, since it will rust, where I live (too damp), and I don't have the discipline to oil the regularly.
My knife of choice tends to be short, 6-9cm, is stainless and has a flat or convex grind. Examples: Fällkniven WM1, Pendleton Mini, etc.
I combine that with an axe and saw, sizes and weights depending on season.
What is you preferred wood processing kit (knife, saw, axe) for summer/winter, or do you use the same?
Summer, small ish scandi knife, straight blade silky saw and a hatchet or small forest axe.
Winter, bushtool scandi knife, bow saw and a larger axe.
Add a muilti tool or folder for cooking.
I agree completely. I have a few Condors and for what they're asking now for some of their models they're kinda expensive and by heat treating the 1075/1095 to about 50-55hrc edge rolling is relatively normal under most circumstances. I mean, give that 1075/1095 a good and consistent ht and the edge will be much more resilient but the overall knife won't be idiot proof anymore.
In the end Condor is just a brand of Imacasa which was a German company from Solingen expanding their production into Central America.
Just like with Tramontina their agricultural tools (e.g. machetes) are fairly cheap and widely used in Central and South America. It's all about availability, cheap prices and easy maintenance.
It always seems like they expanded their brand and line of products with Condor into the outdoor market (after already building the bush machetes for Esee and later even some for Blind Horse Knives) but kept the Imacasa/agricultural tools build quality which isn't that great if I consider some of their prices in 2021.
I'm happy with my Condors but I get them 25-50% below retail price and I know that I'll have to put a good amount of elbow grease into some of their products before they perform decently (that Village Parang for example is an embarrassment.. the grind is way too obtuse and even when that's taken care of it can't perform like a Bidor Parang) and I don't expect them to perform like something from a reputable European factory that has a highly evolved production chain where every step is meticulously calculated and where they put a good amount of effort into a decent HT like for example Laurin Metalli, Mora or Victorinox.
The "old" Mora Robust/Companion Heavy Duty is the best knife Mora put out, imo. I love the Classic but the old Robust/Companion Heavy Duty is kinda perfect. Especially for the money. So that would be my choice instead of the Terrasaur.
But for what Mora are asking for a Carbon Garberg I'd probably go with the Condor.
I always get a great comment from you my friend, your knowledge is greatly appreciated.
As for the Condor parangs I'd rather use a crappy Matchette!
Had two village parangs, sold the first because it was bouncing off wood then bought another and gave it a full regrind and I still hated it, terrible handle geometry.
I've mentioned my mini duk parang before , absolute rubbish and I took that to the jungle, more fool me!!!
@@RobEvansWoodsman thank you for the compliment, I appreciate it. You'll see more of me now. It just took some time for me to get back on track after that hospital stay.
And I know what you mean. I (being the idiot I was and sometimes still am) took some shitty no-name stainless steel machete from a hunting store in Germany with me when I visited Vietnam for the first time. I think I was 17 at that time. Ended up getting a $4-6 machete from some local shop and gifted the stainless one to the boat driver that thought it's great for fighting off crocodiles and mangroves (I still hope he was joking) and gifted the other one to a young guide before I left.
I would love to purchase it Sir Rob. Let me know if you would entertain the thought.
Long gone, I gave it away, couldn't sell it!
Great, honest review, Rob! This past weekend I came to some of the same conclusions when using my friends Terrasaur.
cheap crap!
Thanks for the review Rob! I keep hearing things about Condor from other reviewers, but I was skeptical. As a mentor told me many years ago "anything is a good product if you wrap it in hundred dollar bills." My wife got a Morakniv Companion Spark as a gift from her sister, looks like I'll be looking at a Robust. I have some good knives, but none are really suitable for Bushcraft.
As usual a great video and the bloopers at the end were worth waiting for.
cant go wrong with a robust, non slip handle too.
Thanks for the review Rob. Been tempted by those for a while, but never pulled the trigger. Maybe for the best
Loved the bloopers and it was great review
I used one this summer and came to the same conclusions. First, I was looking at the Garberg, but that profile was not my cup of tea. I have a Kansbol, no complaints, but I wanted that finer profile and full tang. So I tried the Trasarus. Blade came dull and uneven, so I sharpened it. The edge hard trouble batonning birch so back to the bench, reprofiled the edge, a bit better, but then the handle issue as I used it more. In the end, a fail. So, back searching for that one keeper. Any suggestions?
Maybe you should try investing in a a high quality knife, if it really is a keeper that you want. After all, five cheap knives that you end up discarding will cost you more than one very good knife you'll keep...
I would look at Bark River (gunny scandi/bushcrafter/aurora), Lt Wright ( Gns/Gen3), you could even have a custom made for you, exactly to your liking and with killer steel, by Dulo knives or K knives switzerland for example.
My father used to say he was too poor to buy low quality and it makes a lot of sense when you come to knives.
Most people don't really want a keeper though, they just want another knife to toy with, but if you really want something you will use till the end of your days, options are there.
Everyone loves them , except me!!
I must be odd or spoilt !
@@RobEvansWoodsman I thought it was shite, with you on that one, very uneven grinds on mine, I was gutted after hearing all the great reviews it had. Unfortunately not for me.
Rob you starting to become my go too bushcraft tools advice man. Same love the garberg, got a fallkniven Alx and S1x from your reviews. Even still on the fence about the leatherman P4 from your review. Also on the fence about this knife, do own 1 but lives in the Ute as a backup, backup knife. Keep up the good videos and reviews. 👍👍
If you already have a muilti tool that you like don't bother with the P4, Its not a patch on the charge, wave or surge, wish id never bought it, took it to work and it was just awkward to use.
@@RobEvansWoodsman surge man all the way especially with my big bear paws
Well... I like it, Rob. Mine (orange one just like yours) rolled an edge about a half inch from the tip due to a minute burr but ground out easily. And I work with what I got. It is unfortunate you do not like it but that's fine. We can disagree. Good work, Rob.
Honest Rob. Good review and video. There are some great comments from your followers.
Not one bad one...yet!
are they danner acadia's ?
Yes, had them 21 years, I haven't worn them in about 6 years as I prefer my Danner gtx they are a wider fit.
@@RobEvansWoodsman nice!! I'm a Danner man myself, had two pairs of Acadia, now I'm wearing the Danner ucmc rat boots , love them. I searched a long time for them
Sorry, it's red branch Bushcraft here, this is my other channel
@@WoolysWorld hi mate , I keep forgetting that you have two channels!
@@RobEvansWoodsman lol me to half the time
The bloopers at the end are hilarious 😂❤️
I was going to order a Mora Garberg since everyone thinks it's great, and it's hard to find a bad review of it, but after watching too many videos reviewing the Condor Terrasaur, most of which absolutely loved it, I ordered one from Amazon. I watched even more vids and then I came across yours.
After watching it, I figured that I needed to get a Garberg to make a fair comparison, so I ordered one from Amazon also, figuring that I'll return the one that I didn't like as well. I received the Garberg first, and really loved it, but I waited to do anything with it until the Terrasaur came, which it did a few days later.
With both knives in my hot little hands, I didn't like the Terrasaur much at all, which surprised me. The Garberg felt really comfortable in my hand, and the Terrasaur didn't. It felt too light, the handle was too small and slick, and I didn't like the look of the blade itself. The Garberg weighs an ounce and a half more, and for me, that made a big difference, I liked the weight. It gave the knife a more solid feel, and the larger handle seemed just right. I did some testing, but it didn't take long to confirm my feeling that the Terrasaur was just not for me, so back it goes.
The difference in price doesn't bother me one bit. I'm so glad I watched your video. Thanks for the honest review.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
I gave it away.
Is it a sort of hard plastic handle or is the texture rubberised like a Mora?
Hard plastic.
It's fuckin awful!
@@RobEvansWoodsman so a £7 Hultafor for £40...bargain!
@@daemonharper3928 I think I'd prefer the heavy duty Hultafors.
I enjoy modding my gear but I don't fancy having to mod a knife just to make it work how it should already work, looks like this one needs substantial work
Nice vid Rob. Have a great weekend!
Woods tomorrow, that's the highlight of my weekend!
Don't like thin handles..... great review but think that the stainless Garberg does have one advantage over the carbon is for canoe trips when it is going to get a soaking....👍👍
Dosent float 😜
So, how does this compare to the Garberg in your estimation?
It's better value but the handle let's it down, id prefer the blade shape to the Garberg but I've never felt the Garberg slip in my hand like the Terrasour and the Garberg is better out of the box.
@@RobEvansWoodsman And the Garberg seems to have more carbon in the blade.
Been debating the Terrasaur for a while, won't be bothering now.
I have one for sale, sharper than factory edge!!!!
@@RobEvansWoodsman Hmm! Let me think about that.....
Good knife, good price, does what is supposed to. Oh the cretching !
Im a massive fan of the Garberg 😅
After decades of buying knives & tools, I'm sure we're all dying to know... what is the answer to the riddle of steel?
It's all in the grind !!!!
@@RobEvansWoodsman I thought you might say "cold steel is epic, carbon steel is better than stainless...but I don't know why yet"
Basically a shit steel with a good (suitable for the task in hand) will always beat a good steel with an inappropriate grind.
That's what I've discovered over 30 years of playing with knives and 16 years making knives.
I do prefer carbon to stainless aswel, it has character, I don't know if that makes sense to you my friend, Mora are a prime example, I try to stay away from their stainless but love the carbon.
@@RobEvansWoodsman See? I knew you had the answer to the riddle of steel 😎
Thuls a doom would be proud of me!
good review Bob
Thanks.
Good stuff Rob, as usual
thanks mate
Wilson tape!! I thought the same but,wrapped Wilson tape on it it and its fine!!
👍👍👍
I would like to buy your condor
Long gone sorry.
Bought one when they first came out..he's right..save your $$
Lots of comments about rolling edges with them on reviews - I'd say it's in the nature of the 1095 steel rather than a Condor fault. I've made a few 1095 blades and unless you either differentially or really expertly control the heat treat (which would really add to the cost) the edge steel will be prone to rolling...... if they're ground as true scandi.
Esee make great 1095 knives - Condor steel isn't nearly as good......all meaningless without a well fitting handle of course.
There's nothing wrong with 1095 properly tempered / differentially tempered . Essee does indeed make great blades in 1095 . Kabar large and small combat knives / 1095 Crovan are still excellent as well .
@@QuantumMechanic_88 If I had to 100% rely on a knife - say I was on the alone TV show or planning a 6 month expedition somewhere remote, 1095 would be right up there. But for my weekend warrior jaunts, I prefer modern steels like RWL34 or Elmax etc.
I feel the same way about the Garberg blade shape, I just don't like that long flat section and tiny belly. The thing that attracted me to the Terrasaur was the nice belly on it, but I was leery of the handle. I have a Condor Bushlore and the handle on that is too thin as well. Good review 👍I think I'll give it a miss.
i should have gone with my gut and left it alone.
Maybe it was good knife few years ago if it was for 25 bucks but for the price is not worth it. I have mora robust and it is very good, have cold steel srk for the money of terrasaur and i think it is better.
And if someone wants decent steel there is benchmade puukko with cpm3v i bought second hand for 110 bucks and it steals the show.
I really don't like Condor knives and I don't like this one.
Really nice knife in my opinion
were all different my friend.
Overpriced in my opinion. One can get better deal, for that money, on the other side.
Thanks for good field test Rob. Cheers!
Good honest review as always 😁👍, I bought a condor woodlaw blade blank years ago and put my own scales on, it only cost £19 for the blank and I used a piece of ash for the scales, it was easy to sharpen and has been a great little knife for light duty tasks, I wouldn't pay full price on a pre build one though. One thing about condor is there customer service is superb. 👍
Their customer service never replied to any of my emails. I wouldn't call this superb.
Sorry but I can only speak from my own experience, it did take a while for them to get back as I believe it's only one man doing the replies but they did exchange a knife I had for many years because of an issue I had. So that's my reasoning for my comment, obviously I can't speak for anyone else. 👍
Fat feather sticks…but I’m not gonna get that knife! I keep chipping my garberg:(
How on earth are you chipping the Garberg?
@@RobEvansWoodsman meant the kansbol…. I no have a garberg😳(sorry, I’m old)
61!!!!
The Kansbol has a very fine edge.
If it took someone who has the tools that long to make this knife worthwhile, I would have to say not worth it.
Exactly.
Screw the crappy Handle i don't like the handle now
do you think the green colored handle is better ?
Exactly the same
Prefer the honesty, I just didn't like it when I saw it .
Maybe since you invested so much time in bringing the edge to a more serviceable level some one will find it a worthy purchase for the reason of being you modified it and did a review on TH-cam on it which would make it over value of sorts. You think?
I have a good knife that I am happy with so I'll pass. Love my Kephart .
i couldn't sell it for what i paid plus postage.
How do you find the Kephart?
Im guessing they're about 3mm on average and they look nearly flat ground? Any shortcomings?
I ask because I'd like to possibly make a tribute version for myself.
@@daemonharper3928 , lol well You asked : I have known about Horace Kephart since I was in scouting in the sixty's. My great uncle had been a camping enthusiast since he and my grandfather had been members of a local group of young men who were called woodsmen adventurers. They later opted to start a Scout Troup .
Well Uncle Fred collected adventure stories from every publication he could find. Some of which were the short stories by Horace Kephart. He also had purchased his book.
He allowed me to read and learn from those stories. He and my grandfather Elmo would tell of camping hunting and fishing adventures the two of them had. I was enamored.
One of the items all three of us longed for was a Kephart style knife as per his description.
Both Uncle Fred and My grandfather managed to use modified kitchen knives : IE , the Old Hickory butcher knife .
It worked well for what we had to work with.
Skipping to a few years ago to the resurgence of interest in Horace Kephart.
Something which always stuck with me was what Horace had said about quality of his gear, he said he always kept up with advances and tried to use what he considered useful and timesaving equipment.
The BK 62 had just been released and I was hooked again . The knife fever had struck me even stronger than in my youth..
However, that idea of his kept nagging at my brain.
So I waited .
And waited .
Three years ago bark River came up with an excellent idea for a Kephart knife in 3v and then in 4v . I didn't quit like either until the re-release of the knife in CPM3V with a 5 and a bit more blade with a slightly thicker handle.
I watched Chris Tanner's review then Captain Airyca's
And determined to contact Bark River. I called and found out that they were willing to help me with creating the knife of my dreams and more.
Over 6 months of discussion and plans they capitulated and allowed one volunteer to do my knife from start to finish. I even got to talk to him personally and we went thru the specifics of the attention to the details and the small but important changes i wanted made. ( grind ,bevel, spearpoint. Balance and even handle composition and final texture of the finnish.)
They must have thought me absolutely f'n nuts but they hung in with me.
Yes it cost a little extra, yes it took a while to get it , yes 👍 😀 it was exactly as I dreamed.
It processes food like a light saber. It glides thru wood with the greatest of ease. It holds an edge like nothing I've ever used. I always clean it and rub it down with Bore Butter ,a non toxic black powder lubricant I find perfect for all k inds of uses.
The first 6 months of use I cut or nicked myself almost every time I used it. It would cut me without me even knowing I'd been cut. Closest to a razorblade I've ever owned.
I've batoned it lightly no dings roles or blowouts, if I touch it up I of use a fine ceramic rod and then strop it on a wooden strop with green then white compound .
In answer to your question: I love this knife , I carry it every day. It has done everything I could ask of it and more with the ease of perfection. I am sure that the small details in its manufacture that I asked to be done is what most people receive in one off special order hand made knives by craftsmen like in Rob Evens case.
It is a dream that came to reality. That is my story and my explanation.
Awesome thanks for such a great contribution to my channel.
I love to read stories of other oudoorsmens experiences, especially knife related.
I'd love to see this knife, could you please email me some photographs robevs73@googlemail.com
👍👍
@@RobEvansWoodsman, just sent a few pictures to the address you provided for perusal.
...so why don't you rehandle the damn thing? You paid for it might as well fiddle with it, right? =)
I have too many knives to make, I don't have the time to play about with it but I see where you are coming from.
@@RobEvansWoodsman I guess I should have asked in the previous comment, but how would you rate Condor's 1095 vs. Mora's UHB20C? Better, worse or about equal? Cheers!
I haven't used the 1095 enough to give an opinion but I'd prefer Mora carbon any day ?!
Condor qc is non existent. If the edge is rolling it's not the steel, it's condor. Take that piece of crap back to the store and get a mora.
I ALWAYS ENJOY WATCHING YOUR VIDEOS AND YOY MAKE ME LAUGHING ALL THE TIME WITH YOUR AMAZING COMMENTS. YOU HAVE A FANTASTIC SENSE OF HUMOUR. I AM A BIG FUN OF CONDOR KNIVES AND MORA TOO. THE FIRST KNIFE THAT I BOUGHT FROM CONDOR, IT WAS THE TERRASAUR WITH THE GREEN HANDLE. PROBABLY THIS KNIFE IT IS NOT FOR PEOPLE THAT THEY HAVE LARGE AND FAT HANDS. A LOT OF KNIFE COMPANIES HAVE TRIED TO COPY MORA, BUT, MORA IS MORA. THE MORA GARBERG IS FANTASTIC AND THERE IS NO ANY COMPARISON WITH THE TERRASAUR ONE. I HAD BOUGHT THE CONDOR FOR 45€ AND THE GARBERG MULTIMOUNT SS FOR 85€. THE CONDOR HAS BECOME QUITE EXPENSIVE AT THE LAST FEW YEARS. ALSO, I AM NOT SATISFIED WITH THE KNIVES THAT THEY MAKE FROM 440C SS. RECENTLY, I BOUGHT THE CONDOR AQUALORE 14C28N SS FOR 110€, BECAUSE I WANTED TO SEE WHAT THEY HAVE DONE WITH THE SCANDINAVIAN SS. I OWN THE BUSHLORE, THE DARKLORE AND THE AQUALORE, AS WELL. THE CONDOR TERRASAUR IS A LOW BUDGET KNIFE FOR GENERAL PURPOSES. THE MORA ROBUST IS VERY ECONOMICAL AND A VERY STURDY KNIFE. EVERYTHING IN THIS LIFE IS A PERSONAL PREFERENCE. I WOULD LIKE TO ASK YOU, HOW DO YOU MAKE THE BLADES SO SHINY, AFTER SHARPENING THEM? I HAVE BOUGHT A BOKER ERASER AND IT IS QUITE GOOD FOR RUST, INSTEAD OF THE NANIWA RUST ERASER. FOR THE DMT DIAMOND SHARPENERS, I TOTALLY AGREE. THEY ARE VERY GOOD AND ALSO, THE FALLKNIVEN CC4 AND DC4 TOO. EXCELLENT VIDEO, AS ALWAYS.
Sorry but I didn't like the knife, give me a Mora any day.
I get the bevels so shiny because I ho through the grits to very fine then polish on a strop, lots of people raving about the BPS knives these days.
YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE SORRY, IT IS YOUR PERSONAL OPINION. IN GENERAL, THE CONDOR KNIVES ARE NOT USUALLY PERFECT, BUT, THAT IS THE REASON WHY, A LOT OF PEOPLE MODIFY THEM. AS IT CONCERNS, THE BPS AND THE BEAVERCRAFT KNIVES FROM UKRAINE, THERE IS SO MUCH MARKETING AND ADVERTISEMENT ABOUT THEM AND ALSO, THEY ARE A CHEAP COPY PASTE FROM THE MORA KNIVES AND THEY USE A CHEAP 1066 CS IN GENERAL AND IN SOME OF THEM, THE CHINESE 5CR15MOV SS, I THINK. THE WOODCARVING KNIVES FROM THE BEAVERCRAFT ARE QUITE GOOD, BUT, THEY ARE NOT MORA. IN GREECE, THE CONDOR TERRASAUR NOWADAYS COSTS 55€ AND FOR ONE BEAVERCRAFT BUSHCRAFT KNIFE 48,50€. THE MOST OF THE PEOPLE LIKE AND BUY THESE UKRANIAN KNIVES, BECAUSE THEY ARE LOW BUDGET, LOOK LIKE THE MORA DESIGN AND THEY HAVE QUITE NICE LEATHER SHEATHS, BUT, THERE IS NO ANY COMPARISON. THE KNIVES THAT YOU MAKE ARE EXCEPTIONAL, BY THE WAY. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH ME. GREETINGS FROM GREECE. CHECK THE HANDMADE KNIVES FROM THE GREEK KNIFEMAKER JN HANDMADE. HE USES A LOT OF DIFFERENT KIND OF STEEL. ALSO, CHECK FOR THE WOOD JEWEL PUUKOS' FROM FINLAND. THEY ARE QUITE AFFORDABLE AND THEY USE 80CRV2 CS LIKE THE TERAVA ONES. ALSO, I LOVE THE CASSTROM KNIVES AND THE EKA FOLDING KNIVES FROM SWEDEN.