Joker Ember 14C28N Steel Curly Birch Handle Compared to Condor Bushlore

[@urbanknifeguy]

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[@wasatchdan]

I ordered the micarta Ember with the full flat grind. Looks like a very nice value for the money. Thanks for the heads up, UKG.

[@urbanknifeguy]

Nice! Hope you enjoy it! Thanks.

[@gearnmore91]

I have that exact same ember and the condor Bushlore and pick the ember every time. It is my main bushcraft knife and I have beat and abused the crap out of that knife and it always keeps coming back for more.

[@urbanknifeguy]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[@nomia-ez1nm]

The Ember is an excellent bushcraft knife at an exceptional value. I've been neglecting it too much though ever since I got my Nomad 6.5

[@gearnmore91]

I like the look of the nomad is it pretty user friendly ?

[@rikidozan553]

Nice review. Curly birch is a very beautiful handle wood. I wonder, what it looks like when it gets dirty; f.ex. by coal dust from the campfire. Is it cleanable?

[@urbanknifeguy]

It will stain over time with dirt, grub and mud soak into the wood. But it adds to the character. You can try to seal it will linseed oil first to reduce staining.

[@eriktaylor5704]

I own a curly birch handled ember. I decided to lightly sand the birch scales and treat them with three coats of boiled Lin seed oil. It make the scales slightly darker and allowed the details of the birch to stand out.

[@urbanknifeguy]

Thanks for sharing! I'll do that too soon!

[@nomia-ez1nm]

Actually 14C28N has lower than average edge retention but is very tough. So it is the other way around

[@urbanknifeguy]

I know it is tougher than some stainless due to its composition but still not as tough as carbon steel right?

[@nomia-ez1nm]

@@urbanknifeguy There is a whole spectrum out there of carbon steels. Some are tougher, some not. Knifesteelnerds has a treasure trove of info

[@urbanknifeguy]

@nomia-ez1nm yes I am aware of that. Thank you.

[@TwitchRadio]

I think you got that a little backwards when talking about 14C28N... The Edge retention Is Not Great and the toughness and stainless properties are the top qualities...

[@urbanknifeguy]

I could be wrong. But, from what I understand based on all the independent info available, 14C28N no doubt is tough and has corrosion resistance but is considered to have good edge retention. Almost every source I have seen praises the balance of all 3 propertries. Of course, this is in the context of comparing it to the 1075 steel in the Bushlore and not 3V or Magnacut.

[@TwitchRadio]

@@urbanknifeguy check out the data sheets from I believe it's called knife nerds... I'm not saying the edge retention isn't there, but out of the three mentioned here Edge retention is at its lowest... plus budget-minded people like myself don't see the purpose of upgrading to one of these higher-end steals when this middle grade steel as I call it is doing the trick... wish I can afford one of these Superior steals but the way the economy is right now I would even think about it😂.... plus as of right now the only metal I'm concerned about is silver and gold lol... But yeah overall I feel it's a perfect balance between value and functionality and the further up in quality of steals you go you tend to get further away from that value now or days... anyways thanks for the video and the reply have a great day

[@TwitchRadio]

Ps.... if I was to buy one super steel or a steel that is above 14C28N, it would probably be Elmax, but there's also trade-offs with that guy as well

[@urbanknifeguy]

@TwitchRadio thanks for the reply. I agree that the degree of all the properties is relative to one's expectations and usage. Plus, it is hard to stack toughness, corrosion resistance, and edge retention against each other as direct comparisons. So strictly, in the context of this video when compared to the 1075, I believe 14C28N has better edge retention. But as a general passing statement, I agree that is debatable and a bit more subjective to the user. Thanks again.

[@urbanknifeguy]

@TwitchRadio Thanks for sharing! I personally have no experience with Elmax but I am partial to CPM3V for my usage outdoors. But acknowledge it is not corrosion resistant. However that is ok for me with how I maintain my knives in and out of the field.

[@SubUrbanNinja-EDC]

Nice knife!

[@urbanknifeguy]

Thanks!

[@nicholasmarsh4560]

I think you got your steel specs mixed there. 14C28N is one of the toughest steels out there and rivals CPM 3V. If it can be said to have a weakness it’s relatively low edge retention, offset (IMHO) by its ease of sharpening and how sharp that edge can get.

[@urbanknifeguy]

@nicholasmarsh4560 Yes I stand corrected. And 14C28N has fast become my favourite budget steel. Thank you!

[@nicholasmarsh4560]

@@urbanknifeguy it’s my favourite steel too. That or 3V. Seriously looking at the Ember, too. Thanks for the review

[@urbanknifeguy]

@nicholasmarsh4560 I have 3V on my Cold Steel Recon Scout and love it too!

[@AlexanderSamarth]

Are you kidding? 14C28N is pretty much the toughest knife steel, that's it's highest property, much tougher than super steels like Magnacut, Elmax, Vanax, S35VN, S90V, S45VN, CPM154, CPM-CruWear, Nitro-V, and so on and so forth. It's TWICE as tough as 1095.

[@JustinCase-em6ql]

I own The Joker Ember with black micarta. Best small survival/bushcraft knife ever. Tough, razor sharp 14c28n stainless steel with a full skull/nut cracking, window breaking, tent spike hammering pommel and a scandi grind. Its only weakness is food prep, like veggie slicing. That knife with a Joker Nomad have your large and medium knife needs covered. The original Nomad can be an excellent if you can only have one knife kind of knife. Convex grind. Longer/thicker blade. Comparable steel, same excellent pommel. I have that knife with a walnut handle.. I also have the Nordico, but if you own the Ember there is no reason to own the Nordico. The Nordico is the same knife with a hair shorter blade and no pommel.

[@urbanknifeguy]

Thank you for your detailed sharing!

[@JustinCase-em6ql]

@@urbanknifeguy My pleasure. Thank you for your reviews. I enjoy your channel.

[@urbanknifeguy]

@@JustinCase-em6ql thank you!

[@greekveteran2715]

With a bit thiner blade and a carbon steel choice, instead of any stainless, then this would be one of the best bushcrafat knives for the money!! That's the issue usually with Spanish knives. They either come with soft stainless steels, that are also not easy to keep the sharp, or restore if the edge gets damage, as low alloy carbon steels are, or they will come with thickjer than it should scandi grind geometries, like all Jokers do.

[@urbanknifeguy]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. 3mm to 3.5mm for Scandi grinds are ideal for general bushcraft and camp tasks.

[@alicnar3517]

L'assemblage des plaquette en bois sont mal fais du a la qualité de la colle chez Joker knives, avec le temps elle se décolle

[@urbanknifeguy]

Don't the rivets hold it in place?

[@greekveteran2715]

Condor Bushlore/Darklore have way better blade geometry and blade shape/design, they also are 3mm wihch is THE perfect blade thokness for a scandi grind knife and steel. Joker unfortunately, has everything wrong exept the handle. Since a knife is a tool, and it's blade is very imprtaont, I'd choose the DArklore, or even the Terrasaur or the Bushcraft Black, over the Joker.

[@urbanknifeguy]

I like the design of the Bushlore but the metal a bit soft and doesn't have great edge retention. The Terrasaur is great and my pick of Knives in this range. Bushcraft Black is very good too. Thanks for your comment.

[@xrv404]

Condor doesnt stand up to Joker, never. Every Condor knife I have owned was crap. Soft steel, bad craftsmanship, not sharp out the box, just bad quality and attention to details. Joker is a way better knife.

[@greekveteran2715]

With all the respect, you are right on most you said, however,"Not shap out of the box" means you do something wrong. All knives come with fatigued "burnt" steel on their edges (same goes for new axes,that's why all people chip their axes and then blame the tool,instead of their selves, for lack of knowledge) You must and you have to, properly sharpen a knife when new, to establish a proper edge bevel and remove the bad steel. For a knife ,to show it's true potential and be sure, it won't chip/roll, or dull fast with normal use, the edge must have been through at least 3 full sharpening sessions. Another importan tip, to se big, or even huge improve the edge retention,is to properly remove the burr.That takes a good pagnyfing glass, (which is a must tool when sharpening anyway) or anything similar, like a microscope. If the burr isn't removed at all, the knife can dull, even to 100 times faster. Sorry for the big comment, I'm sure it will help people. @@xrv404