Joe
Indiana

Dec 07, 2025

Pros: Blade Material, Blade Sharpness, Handle Material, Materials, Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard

Cons: Finish, Weight

What a beast

I bought one of these for my son for his birthday. I really liked it, and agreed he had good things to say I bought one myself. I do a lot of wilderness trips where I go out for several days with minimum provision. I've always carried a seven saw in my pack, and a pocket knife. Never have carried a duty purpose tool for general work and chopping. What I found is this thing is a beast. It will take what is thrown at it. My svenn saw did the bulk of cutting wood to length, but the Condor spot it down to all sizes, from long burning thick, down to the smallest kindling. You can Baton this thing until the sun sets and you would swear it's smiling at you. I've also had the same experience in Deam National, and Glacier National. The weight of the knife is pretty heavy when compared to general purpose knives, but it needs to be for what it's intended purpose is. The blade metal is tough. No flex, and a strong spine. It's soft enough to make sharpening to a chopping edge decently easy, strong enough to hold it for a couple days of work before needing touched up. The micarta handle is well shaped and designed to make batoning easy on the hand. What's more, though I was a little nervous about the handles very smooth, seemingly slick surface I found it actually got more grippy than and natural, or g10 I've had. This was my first time with a micarta handle and I really like the material more than others. This knife has became a permanent fixture in my pack for wilderness tripping. Well worth the money.

Brad 101
Maine

Oct 17, 2014

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Finish

Cons: None

custom quality

I don't know about the other reviews, but I basically got a perfect hand made knife for $60. Did the other guys know about their satisfaction warranty?

Luffy
Virginia

Aug 03, 2015

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Finish

Good knife but not perfect

Overall this is a good knife. Good material, light weight, sharp, thick and strong, comfortable handle with palm swell and good micata. However, the grid is not very even, but workable. The knife is straight, but just the little cut on the spine where it is raised for the thumb ramp and bend down to the tip was not cut straight. As for the sheath, it rattles a lot, does not hold the knife securely without the strap. Also the two holes at the tip of the sheath do not align with the holes above it, so the kydex is crooked when tightly tie to the nylon. It could have been better. The sheath has good material, but why the holes do not align? If there is 10 stars, I will give it a 9, but with 5 stars, I gave it a 5.

Phil
Mostly New Mexico Sometimes Ohio

Mar 14, 2015

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Addendum Review

I would like to provide an addendum review to the Crotalus. After much use in the desert this knife just keeps coming back for more. I found that the sheath issues are easily remedied via many options of advice on You Tube and elsewhere on the internet, The coating does come off after use but I have always considered that a testament and a badge of honor to any knife that finds such favor by its owner to be in continual use. So once again I say, GET ONE!!!! You will not be sorry you did.

Mike Nh
new hampshire

Dec 01, 2014

Pros: Overall Quality, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Nice Blade!!

Had to wait quite a while for delivery. Well worth the wait! Hard to beat this knife in its price range. Received razor sharp out of the box. Large knife but handles like a smaller unit. Well done Joe Flowers.

M.A.J
Hiram , Ohio

Jan 25, 2020

Pros: Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Wow ! Amazing knife at amazing price how color makes these knives so coast worthy , fit and finish is excellent this knife blows the competition out of the water , over Essee 5, over Rat 5 , even better than a BK 2 yes that's right I own all three of these knives and this replaced them all they will be air looms handed down, you literally get a custom 200 knife for roughly 66.00 dollars are you kidding I wish I got this knife first wouldn't of blown140.00 on Essee 5 , the sheath I got was perfect I saw some reviews that dissed the sheath mine came perfectly molded to the knife at the mouth of the sheath doesn't need the strap to stay in however the strap is really hard to fasten . Condor keep up the great work and thank you knife cantor always a pleaser !!

Andrew D.
washington

Sep 19, 2014

Pros: Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Destroyer of a a niche

I opened up this box and asked "this is a condor?" out loud. It looks like a custom knife. The coating is perfect and the handle is shaped perfectly on both sides. I saw the other review here and it must have been a mistake, but as I understand it, you can contact them with pictures and they'll send you a replacement. I was thinking that the sheath would rattle but it holds the knife flawlessly

Brett B
USA

Jan 24, 2015

Pros: None

Cons: None

Excellent Camping Knife

I saw this knife reviewed on youtube and thought I would like it so I ordered one. I am very impressed with the how light this knife feels in my hand for it's size and blade thickness. The micarta handle scales are very comfortable and the fit and finish is excellent. I usually stay away from powder coating because they tend to look like crap after heavy use, but this coating seems to be smoother and less aggressive than others. In my opinion the Crotalus may be a better option than the BK2. For one thing the Crotalus has a more comfortable and grippy handle, also the BK2 feels much heavier and bulky in comparison. The edge came surprisingly sharp out of the box, this convex edge is new to me but should be easy to keep sharp. The sheath is excellent, the most sturdy and durable sheath I've every had that came with a knife. Pros: Light weight - good balance 1075 high carbon steel will hold a good edge Comfortable and durable handle - fills the hand nicely Solid construction and well designed Great fit and finish - no hot spots detected Very rugged and durable sheath Great value for the money Cons: Lack of gimping - which some may not mind, but I would have liked to see a little on the spine for better grip. I put this under cons although it is very minor. I wish the handle had some grooves to increase traction. Recommendations: This knife would be outstanding as an all around camp knife doing medium use tasks such as food preparation, chopping small pieces of wood and other utility tasks. I do not believe the Crotalus is your best option for hard use survival type tasks. That being said, it can fill many other roles in the camp.

Axle
Walnut Creek, CA

Jan 06, 2015

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Sheath/Scabbard, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

Did I just buy a $400 custom?

I feel like I got a custom knife. This is a fantastic blade. Kicks the snot out of my Rat-5

Phil
Sometimes Ohio Sometimes New Mexico

Dec 19, 2014

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Great Condor ! Whatta Knife !

I checked and checked and checked Knife Center's website again. And then one day Viola ! Crotalus was in stock ! Great customer service as always! Now to the Crotalus. Man! I wanted one ever since I saw the 2014 line up. I listened to and read a lot of reviews. Well worth the wait. I love the feel of the grip and the edge is close to razor sharp. I love Condor knives and believe the Crotalus will be one of many signature knives. Worth the money and worth the wait. Hefty blade lends itself to many big knife uses yet it's size handles a lot of smaller knife tasks. Perfect for the deserts of New Mexico. The sheath needs a little work but that has been covered in earlier reviews. GET ONE! You won't be sorry.

Kdl
Michigan

Dec 24, 2014

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality

Cons: None

good knife to own

it needed a little sharpening as there were places that were missed in the final sharpening from the factory. Handle feels good in the hand, blade seems balanced well.

Rob
Edmonton, Alberta

Oct 26, 2016

Pros: Handle Material, Overall Quality, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

wow!

What a great fixed blade camp knife! The handle is a perfect fit and very well made for larger hands,the blade has a17 degree edge grind and it is one of the largest and sharpest belt knives i have ever owned. the sheath is thin kydex and that's just fine but i toke off one star for that because i had to reheat and form it for a perfect fit.I removed the nylon loop and used paracord in the holes for a multi position belt carry. for this price buy two and give a friend the best gift ever!

Grftnrd
Little Rock, Ar

Jan 12, 2015

Pros: Overall Quality

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Great for the price!

Out of the box its exactly what I expected. Handle, weight, and balance are all very good. I'll know more, of course, when I get a chance to put it to use but for now I'm happy with the purchase. The rating of 4 is simply the sheath. Its a good sheath but not great as mentioned in other reviews. Definitely worth the wait and Knifecenter customer service was great!

William R
Texas, USA

Jan 23, 2015

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Materials, Finish, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Awesome knife...

Picked up the Crotalus as my main survival/bushcrafting knife. Let me start by saying that I am absolutely blown away by the knife itself. It performs every task I put it to with ease. The blade itself is a little thick, so a little extra care is needed when performing fine work as this knife will bite very deep, very quickly. However, you are not likely to break it during routine work, so it can be used with confidence :). The Scandi grind make this blade a cinch to keep sharp at home or in the field without much effort. My only complaint is with the sheath. I'm not a fan of kydex to begin with, but this sheath has some glaring issues. The sheath is fomed, EXACTLY to the shape of the blade, meaning if you do not replace the knife at the EXACT angle it left is sheath in it is simply not going to fit. It will instead wedge itself fairly deeply into the kydex. It not only removes kydex when sheathing/unsheathing but dulls the blade over time, which means continual maintenance. On a positive the sheaths retention is amazing. You are NOT going to lose this knife. Will probably be slapping together some leather in the near future and replacing the sheath altogether From my understanding the blades that are out there are Condor's first run of this model. So I would expect this iasue to be addressed in future incarnations of this knife as it is very obviously a design flaw and not just an isolated issue. Overall, a fantastic knife. Would buy again.

Brett
Richwood Texas

Oct 16, 2014

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Overall Quality, Blade Material, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

Great strong working knife

Great knife strong takes a silly sharp edge, love the knfe feels great in the hand with little to no fatigue.... The sheath is poor you will need to take a heat gun to the back side of the sheath so it will quit cutting into the shealth and dulling the edge up

Toby L
Williamsburg, In

Feb 09, 2015

Pros: Handle Material, Overall Quality

Cons: Sheath/Scabbard

beast

Don't like reviewing before really testing but ,,,, knife seems to be a beast . BUT , the sheath while having many good points , has 1 very bad one . It just doesn't fit in proper , if not turned just exactly right it catches & and kind of lodges into the wrong place , if in taking out the knife it has sheath material on it then it is cutting therefor dulling. I`ve heard heat & reform the sheath but just feel like with money spent it should be right , in and out without making sure my twist is just right , at times it hangs up completely & has 1/2 an inch that doesn't seat . My other knifes fit proper , just feel this should too.

Shaving Sharp
Ohio

Jul 09, 2015

Pros: Handle Material, Overall Quality, Sheath/Scabbard, Blade Sharpness

Cons: None

A good stout camp knife

This is an excellent low cost camp knife. Well built,nice sheath,amd heavy duty enough to handle all your camp chores. Razor sharp out of the box!

Kevin
Fullerton, California

Sep 14, 2014

Pros: Weight, Blade Sharpness

Cons: Overall Quality, Finish

Disappointed! :(

I want so much to write a positive review of this knife that I have received, but I just can't get past the fact that the handle has been shaped extremely out of symmetry. I mean, it looks like someone accidentally slipped and ground one side of the upper handle flat at a 45 degree angle, while on the other side the handle "shoulder" goes straight out. I have photos, and would like to attach them here, if I could. Now to be fair, this probably wouldn't affect the function of the knife, except that the spot that's ground away is where I place my thumb and push against. It may be me, but it bothers me a lot. I'm sad to say that I'm going to return the knife. On a positive note, this knife is a great design. This would be my favorite Condor knife (if not for the defect) The balance is perfect. The blade grind geometry is amazing, with the full flat grind starting from the .20" spine, and a wide scandi bevel takes it to the edge.

Uncle K
High Sierras, CA

Sep 22, 2014

Pros: Weight, Handle Material, Blade Material, Materials

Cons: Overall Quality, Finish

I like Condor Knives & KnifeCenter, but I got a dud!

I want to focus on all of the good things about this knife, but I'm disappointed in the shaping of the handle.. (not the design/shape of the handle) The craftsmanship of 'grinding' or shaping is difficult, I know, but this one's very asymmetrical. I'd like to upload photos so you can see what I mean. It looks like one side of the knife handle got 'bit' by the belt sander and removed a 45 degree swedge on one side, and the spot on the handle near the thumb ramp is also shaved off in a flat way that looks like an accident. Maybe I was expecting better quality from Condor, and it's just me, but this product shouldn't have passed quality-control in my opinion. I'm sad to say that I will return this knife.. Now, on a positive note: If these 'defects' weren't there, this knife would be one of my favorites. Joe Flowers has a hit here. The balance is perfect, 5.5" blade, 5mm spine, full-flat grind to the scandi bevel is the BEST !! I like the handle material, and the steel.