Condor Eco-Survivor handle question

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foofie

Joined
Sep 25, 2011
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Love my 18in Eco-Survivor - I just wish the handles were a bit thinner. Not so much tall as too fat. Gloves make them worse.

Does anyone know:

Can I just sand then down? Are they solid plastic, or are there any voids?
Anyone else done this?
Any suggestions on shape? keep it the same or a slight taper (wider base)?
Am I the only one with baby hands?

thanks.
 
I cut mine. Sanding is ok, but it might take a while even with a belt and you'll still have to cut/burn it to smooth it out. I wrapped it with a strip of bike inner tube after I got it thinned and smoothed out. A fatter handle is a good thing, but at some point it is too much to properly grip.
 
Thanks RK. Cutting (shaving?) seems like a much faster way to contour. I was planning on over-thinning it a touch, and then adding the inner tube like you did.
 
I started to use a razor, but ended up using a longer knife (bk16) to get even strokes. Check it every so often; if you make it too thin it will aftually cause hotspots and blisters when you use it for long periods. I got mine about even with the top and bottom without taking any off the front and back of the handle and it turned out awesome, especially for snap cuts. Another idea would be to layer the inner tube thicker right below where your index finger would be to create a sort of sub-hilt for more control.
 
I have small hands--I take a size 8 glove--but I find the Eco Survivor handle to be pretty much perfect. If you really want to sand it down you totally can. Use a fine belt and it'll go fast but leave a decent finish. You'll be using the friction of the belt to pretty much melt the plastic off the handle. Finish sanding by hand from 400-1200 grit and then hit it lightly with a torch (optional) to re-glaze the surface.
 
Yup, exactly my problem with it too, it feels like a ball, hard to aim compared to my Lashers
I wish i had some dough for a micarta handle machete or nine
I like how those Bellotto machetes look, but those are fathandles too
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I have small hands--I take a size 8 glove--but I find the Eco Survivor handle to be pretty much perfect. If you really want to sand it down you totally can. Use a fine belt and it'll go fast but leave a decent finish. You'll be using the friction of the belt to pretty much melt the plastic off the handle. Finish sanding by hand from 400-1200 grit and then hit it lightly with a torch (optional) to re-glaze the surface.
Click to expand...

Thanks 42. I wear 7.5 gloves so if you have small hands I guess I do have baby hands after all. Sounds like a great way to finish it- I was worried about the texture after sanding so I was going to side step the issue with the inner tube. Torch sounds perfect. If I go crazy I can call the melted spot a custom choil.
 
Vicarious Reality said:
Yup, exactly my problem with it too, it feels like a ball, hard to aim compared to my Lashers
I wish i had some dough for a micarta handle machete or nine
I like how those Bellotto machetes look, but those are fathandles too
Click to expand...

Why micarta? Tramontina is the king, with extremely comfortable wooden handles.
 
RemyKaze said:
Why micarta? Tramontina is the king, with extremely comfortable wooden handles.
Click to expand...

I'd personally argue that Imacasa is king of the pure-bred machete but that's just my opinion on the matter. :)
 
Just a quick followup. I worked on the handles yesterday. I don't have a belt sander, but used my dremel.
It was seriously fun!!!

Even at low speed, the 80grit drum would melt the handle more than sand it down. Every pass of the sander would leave a heap of melted plastic that quickly hardened again. Easy to knock off, and I could even fill in divots with the melted plastic. It was close to impossible to make a mistake. I tried deep and shallow contours - and could undo them!

I finished with 220 grit sand paper - gave a warm and soft feel to the handle rather than the harder/shiny/cold texture. Don't even want to add the inner tube now. If it is too rough in hand, I will torch it a bit.

PS - I did start with a knife to whittle away the handle. I would skip this step next time - inefficient as the plastic is surprisingly hard, but also because the dremel was so much fun. Odd, I know.
 
RemyKaze said:
Why micarta? Tramontina is the king, with extremely comfortable wooden handles.
Click to expand...

Because micarta. No srsly, it is better than wood in every practical way
I just got a tramontina, and while it is very good for a 19 dollar machete, the handle is too large for the tang, which makes sharp edges on the back of the handle, not much, but enough to irritate

Also they forgot to grind it all the way to the tip
 
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