Another Condor Disappointment...

Hammer67

Hammer67

Gold Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2012
Messages
10,055
[rant]

I decided to give Condor a second chance, after a bad experience with one of their parangs a while back (the edge and grind were horrible).

Despite already being somewhat turned off to Condor quality, I had high hopes for their Michigan Double Bit axe. It was the perfect size and head style I've been looking for, for a decent price, and the reviews seemed pretty favorable.

It arrived, and right out of the box, the head was loose. This is ridiculous. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect that an axe that costs $60 should arrive with a well-fitted, serviceable head. In fact, that's a bare-minimum expectation, in my book. For some silly reason, I thought I was buying a ready-to-use tool, not an "axe kit" that would need work before I could even start to use it. What a POS.

I sent it back and I won't be buying anything made by Condor again. Sorry for the rant, but I hope this at least helps someone else from making the same mistake. :mad:

[/rant off]
 
I've got one of their Hudson Bays, and it is a great knife, especially for the money. Scott Gossman recently put a convex edge on it. Great user.
 
mossyhorn said:
I guess you won't be buying anymore Condor products.
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Keen sense of the obvious. :rolleyes:

But what amazes me is the the ridiculously poor level of QC. There are plenty of other similar products, at similar price points, that somehow manage to be far more consistent in their offerings. For $9 more, I can buy a Swedish-made Husqvarna axe that is infinitely better quality (and that is ready for hard use, right out of the box...), and that's exactly what I did. Hell, I can buy a Buck knife for the same price, or less, than a typical Condor knife and be reasonably certain it will be very sharp, with a consistent grind, right out of the box. I really don't understand why people are so enamored with this junk.
 
Smithhammer said:
Keen sense of the obvious. :rolleyes:

But what amazes me is the the ridiculously poor level of QC. There are plenty of other similar products, at similar price points, that somehow manage to be far more consistent in their offerings. For $9 more, I can buy a Swedish-made Husqvarna axe that is infinitely better quality (and that is ready for hard use, right out of the box...), and that's exactly what I did. Hell, I can buy a Buck knife for the same price, or less, than a typical Condor knife and be reasonably certain it will be very sharp, with a consistent grind, right out of the box. I really don't understand why people are so enamored with this junk.
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Yes sir, I've always had astute command of the obvious. Fortunately I also know quality.
 
The hudson bay knife I have is ok quality. The steel will roll quite easily compared to other knives
 
Well, you had to pay 9 dollars more to get something of acceptably quality. I wouldn't say that's the same as saying there are other of similarly priced products which meet those same expectations.

I agree with you though. Everything I've ever seen from Condor looks pretty bad. And soft. I don't buy it? :thumbup:
 
A shame about your Condor experience. I've seen a mixed bag of reviews.

For axes, Council tool seems a much better bet at that price point. The Husqvarna is promising too - which is what I have ordered (though it's on backorder).
 
I've had 3 condors. 2 small belt knives which were decent for their price but I no longer own them. I find mora's to be better quality. The 3rd one I ordered was a thai enep and it was a scandi vex with 1/4" thick stock. I tried splitting a piece of pine with it and the grind was so bad that it went in about an inch and then shot out the side. It was THE worst knife I've ever owned. I junked it. Wasn't even worth giving away IMO.

I'd still buy a machete from them but I steer clear of all of their other products.
 
I'd say that +- $10 is still in the same price point.

And yeah, somehow Council seems to be able to make a consistently better product, in the US, for less. You don't/shouldn't need to spend over $100 for a good axe, unless you just really want to.

I have the Husqvarna hatchet (made by Hults Bruks), and it's the nicest hatchet I've ever seen for the price. Head fit is great, handle grain is quite good and it's a good steel. I was able to find their traditional axe locally after looking around. I know that most places seemed to be out of stock on them for a while, but a search right now should turn up an online dealer of logging supplies that has them in stock...:thumbup:
 
Sorry about your bad experience. I have found Condor products to be hit & miss, which is exactly what all the reviews I read before buying one prepared me to expect. Of the 2 knives, one was a catch & release and the other became a decent and cheap beater after performing edge corrections. When I was looking for a small axe to keep in my truck I wanted something cheap as my truck was broken into and some gear stolen not long before. I went with a Condor Greenland pattern axe for $29.95 shipped which was far less than anything comparable in size and pattern. I told the seller I was going to send it back if it had any flaws other than a poor edge and the one I received had a good handle & grain, a tight secure head, symmetrical and a poor edge that a few minutes on my belt sander corrected.

Would I buy another Condor axe and hope that I received a good one? Probably not mostly because it does not measure up in performance to my favorite Wetterlings, but my Wetterlings (purchased from a BF member) was the pick of its litter and reprofiled. The closest size Husqvarna at the time I bought mine was about $25 more and Wetterlings and Gransfor Bruks much higher than that, but currently the price difference between the Husqvarna is only about $15 and my hunch is that would be money well spent. (It appears the OP's 9 dollar difference is comparing the price of a double bit axe to a smaller single bit axe.)
 
Brisket said:
The closest size Husqvarna at the time I bought mine was about $25 more and Wetterlings and Gransfor Bruks much higher than that, but currently the price difference between the Husqvarna is only about $15 and my hunch is that would be money well spent. (It appears the OP's 9 dollar difference is comparing the price of a double bit axe to a smaller single bit axe.)
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Actually, I'm comparing the $9 difference between the Condor Michigan (which is 20") and the Husky Traditional, which is bigger, @ 26". And yeah, its comparing a double-bit vs. a single. They're fairly different axes, but when it comes down to it, I'll take a good-quality single bit over a double-bit toy any day. The latter is just dangerous.
 
Hmmm...questions:

1) What was the date of manufacture? It should have given the month and year on the sticker under the lid of the box.

2) The problem sounds like it was caused by a change in moisture between El Salvador where it was hung and wherever the vendor you purchased it from is at. I bet ya' it was nice and tight at the factory.

By the way, I know a guy who weeds out the lemons. Maybe you've heard of him. ;) At any rate Condor's quality control has continued to make gains by leaps and bounds over the past year and they're spending 2013 focusing on raising the bar to industry standard.

In terms of hardness, Condors tools are on the softer side, but well within the ideal range (in my opinion) for a hard-use working tool. The same people who write off Condors for their hardness rating are likely not bringing the same charges against Opinel, Svord, Mora, Victorinox...etc. and yet those well-respected brands all offer most of their tools in what would be considered medium hardness just like Condor.

They're not a brand for everyone, but they provide tremendous bang for your buck. Expectations merely need to be adjusted accordingly and realize that if purchasing from a vendor that doesn't inspect their wares before sending them out you do run a higher risk of getting a lemon than you would from other major brands. Fortunately their warranty and customer service are very good.

Condor/Imacasa remains my favorite brand bar none, in spite of their shortcomings. They're a little rough, but they're excellent, if humble, tools. :)
 
Thanks, 42 - I figured you'd have good input to add. :D

And I mean that seriously. The possibility of handle shrinkage is a good thought, and its certainly not an unheard of issue. But it also wasn't the only issue. I sent the axe back today, so I don't know what the date of manufacture was.

But I would respectfully have to differ on them being "tremendous bang for the buck," at least in my experience with two different Condor products. I don't think my expectations are unreasonably high for an axe in the $60 range, and I wasn't expecting a work of art. But I also wasn't expecting having to work on something that I paid good money for, just to be able to use it for its intended usage.

I'm glad to hear that they are "focusing on raising the bar to industry standard" (though I have to chuckle a little when I hear that...), but there really isn't anything that would cause me to buy from them again. Not when there are other brands that I've had much more consistently positive experiences with. That said, I think it's great that someone such as yourself is weeding out the lemons to ensure a more consistent product is available. And I'm guessing that if I had purchased it from you, my experience would have been different. But doesn't it say something that that's what it takes?

I also find it hard to reconcile the suggestion that Condor makes "excellent tools" with the statement that they are, after this many years in business, "spending 2013 focusing on raising the bar to industry standard." Doesn't really seem that both of these things can be true simultaneously, imo...
 
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Part of what needs to be taken into account is that they're a company that up until 2005 was only producing agricultural tools to the Central/South American quality standard, which is MUCH lower than what North Americans are used to. Their market is purely economical but high quality field-worker-grade. Down there a "premium" machete like an Imacasa, while dirt cheap for us, could represent a week's wages for a field worker.

When they launched the Condor brand in 2005 their line was largely upgraded versions of their standard items, as expense of retooling their production facilities was minimized to investments in sharpening equipment, new plastics molds, and sheath making materials and tools as well as the extensive training involved to get workers familiar with these changes, as well as plenty of other expenses and challenges. What seems like a small step on the surface was really quite a leap, and they were putting out a product that was WELL above Central/South American standard. However, this fact is exactly what the problem has been with getting their QC up. The workers are much more accustomed to their culturally ingrained perceptions of an acceptable tool. The management knows what they're shooting for, but the workers and QC inspectors are naturally inclined out of habit to produce a product that still exceeds their own expectations but fails to meet ours. This push/pull dynamic between production workers and management has continued up until recently although workers have been getting better and better at meeting expectation.

In the years following the launch of the Condor brand, the company took rapid leaps in the complexity of the designs they were producing, which meant that even though their QC/production skill was increasing it was still behind the curve. Adding THICK tapered blades like the Golok, full flat grinds like the Rodan, and (intended to be, but only just recently attained) scandi/near-scandi grinds like the Bushlore. So this year they're scaling back a little on the added product complexity (though still adding some) to let QC finally catch up.

Hope that puts it all in perspective a little! :)
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
...Hope that puts it all in perspective a little! :)
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beerchug.gif
 
Condor Tool & Knife make a good knife for the money spent. IF you can hand pick your tool before you purchase the better you are unless you order from this one guy I know :rolleyes: who weeds out all the junk & will touch up the edge if you want ! I have several Condors, the one I ordered was a decent kife but dull as a filler guage, the rest were good to go ! YES I will be purchasing more Condor ! Sorry to hear your bad experience with Condor ....
 
I have only one, (golok) and I like it, but they do seem to charge almost premium prices for their stuff, and some of their designs look just like they came from a 12 yo kids notebook. I mean, look at this one, it's an abomination in my eyes.
yhst-29358752693524_2255_7019524

But some of their stuff is pretty cool. They really seem to be big into trying new things, and I like that about them.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
.................
They're not a brand for everyone, but they provide tremendous bang for your buck.
Expectations merely need to be adjusted accordingly and realize that if purchasing from a vendor that doesn't inspect their wares before sending them out you do run a higher risk of getting a lemon than you would from other major brands. Fortunately their warranty and customer service are very good.
Condor/Imacasa remains my favorite brand bar none, in spite of their shortcomings.
They're a little rough, but they're excellent, if humble, tools. :)
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As long as they stay cheap

As the price increases, Svord becomes a very close competitor at a better quality but less choice
 
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