Condor dull out of box... now 2 for 2

BePrepared

BePrepared

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Aug 26, 2010
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Just got my parang in the mail, and i have to say, it's dull... not a little dull, but butter knife dull

The Boomslang i got last week was just as bad...

looks like it's a general QC issue.
 
meh, i'll have a convexed razor edge on it before bed, but it certainly isn't how i like to see my blades come OOB

just an observation...
 
for blades that typically cost less than $40 I don't see the issue. These blades would be impossible to forge in the US for those prices, so I try to focus on the fact I am buying a inexpensive forged blade.

For what it's worth I could agree with you, if it were not for the price point.
 
I find this a little odd, as all of the Condors I have gotten have been pretty sharp out of the box. Out of all the Condors I've handled, only a couple were dull, but definitely not as dull as a butter knife.
 
could be just the choppers that are coming dull, or i could have just gotten unlucky.

I'm spoiled by beckers and kershaws that come shaving sharp, but i know how to make my knives sharp, so it's not a terrible thing for me... just inconvenient and a bit disappointing
 
Sorry you got a dull one.
Maybe I was lucky to get some sharp ones.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it!
 
As a fellow who has inspected hundreds of Condors I can tell you that dull ones are the exception rather than the rule. About 95% of them come paper slicing sharp, and about 80% are hair shaving. The Boomslang is one of the models that has had a consistent issue with obtuse edges but I've let them know of the problem and they're correcting it at the factory. In the meantime I've just been thinning the edges myself in the shop.

I had noticed "edge creep" occurring with some other models as well, including the ever-popular golok. After pointing out the trend to Rick at Condor he passed the info along to El Salvador. The goloks I most recently received (dated post-conversation) had a noticeably thinner bevel. If looking at the visual "width" of the bevel when looking at the golok in profile it was about a third of an inch wide rather than the previously standard quarter inch.

I have reason to believe, based on the above, the the problem has likely been corrected at this point, but there's plenty of old stock out there. ;):thumbup:
 
well, i reprofiled the edge, and with a nice smooth convex, and a hair shaving edge, i'm much happier with the condor.

this thing is going to be a WICKED chopper
 
That's the good thing--even when you have to put a little elbow grease into 'em you still have a heck of a tool by the time you're done.
 
Fact: most of us are knife enthusiasts & as such, we should be able to, (or at least learn how) to put a good edge on a knife. I wish all mine came hair popping sharp, but the reality is they don't. I get to work & do it myself. I understand that it is nice to get a razors edge OOTB, but it is NOT the norm. I am sure one day, unfortunately prob soon, that they will come unsharpened altogether, for liability reasons. In California first, then NY, then the rest. Anyways, all i do is compare what i paid for it to some of the mega buck ones & i don't feel like it is such a big deal anymore. I mean, it's not like they can cut through anything mine can't. A sharp knife is a sharp knife, some just stay sharp longer than others. I am good with the ratio that my knives possess.
 
Joshua J. said:
Get a Worksharp, it will fix problems like this in no time.
Click to expand...

that's what i have... best tool i've ever seen for turning a spoon into a knife

took me a little over 45 minutes total to reprofile the edge... longer than i've spent on any other blade, but then this is one BIG blade
 
it happened with my boomslang, took it to the belt and sandpaper, no biggie.

90debaaa-orig.jpg


When my hudson bay arrived i was prepared, tho it came sharper than the boom. Took it to the belt and sandpaper too, I actually enjoyed messing with it as i filed notches on the slabs and gave them a rundown from 150 to 1000 grit, then finish with furniture wax, so now it's smooth and kinda grippy:

A7669B46-orig.jpg


had to make a thicker leather washer and secure with a chicago screw after i snapped the swivel rivet

8F4CD6DB-orig.jpg


but yeah, it seems condors need an extra touch-up. Just got a kukri and might be fine tuning that edge some time this week, but i enjoy this ;)
 
ron_m80 said:
for blades that typically cost less than $40 I don't see the issue. These blades would be impossible to forge in the US for those prices, so I try to focus on the fact I am buying a inexpensive forged blade.

For what it's worth I could agree with you, if it were not for the price point.
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Quite true. Besides, after some continued heavy use we have to sharpen anyway....... But I was also initialy surprised with a dull Parang. I touched it up with some help from FortyTwo Blades and now love it.
 
it's such an unusual shape that i'm going to have to learn how to use it

the handle shape makes handling it like a machete a non-starter

i've taken my grinder to the handle already and plan on shaping it even more soon. I never feel really comfortable with a blade that has ZERO guard... something to keep my hand off the blade would have been a nice addition
 
I'm not willing to complain about it but might as well mention since there's a thread going. My Sapien and mini Bushlore were both pretty dull out of the box - no arm hair, no paper slicing. Barely worth a mention, since just about all the knives I get from the factory are similarly dull, including stuff from TOPS (C.A.T.), Becker (BK11), two of three Moras (one, a classic, could just clip some arm hair). The medium Voyager from CS is about the sharpest knife I've gotten since my Al Mar Eagle ultralight, which was so sharp out of the box I ran for my loupe. Even my Bark River Necker2 wasn't sharp enough to shave arm hair at 3-4 times the price of the Condor stuff.
Of course, back when I couldn't sharpen well and had no feel for testing an edge, all of the disappointing edges mentioned above would have seemed quite sharp.
 
received my condor Hudson Bay last week from an online retailer, it was also really dull. I cant complain for what I spent on it but it wouldnt even cut paper. Still a great knife though.
 
cosmophonic12 said:
received my condor Hudson Bay last week from an online retailer, it was also really dull. I cant complain for what I spent on it but it wouldnt even cut paper. Still a great knife though.
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That's really bizarre for that model. I commonly find those pieces to be among the most consistently sharp that Condor makes. I do know they put a thin clear coating on the edge and the exposed tang surfaces to prevent rust during shipping. Could that have been why it wouldn't slice paper? Cutting a heavier material with first, like cardboard, can help knock the clear coat off the very edge so it then won't slip on paper.
 
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