Condor Golok or Ontario 12"?

solphilos

solphilos

Joined
Oct 17, 2009
Messages
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Right now, these are the two options I've narrowed myself down to, and I'm looking for a bit of input from you guys before I make my final decision.

What I'm mainly looking for in these machetes is wood chopping, splitting and batoning ability. I've used the Ontario 12" traditional machete in the past, and it worked fairly well for this. Now I would like to see how the Condor compares.

Can anyone compare the two, or at least comment on the Condor? The Ontario works well, but they never come with a useable edge; and I'm no good at putting edges on.
 
I dont own an Ontario Machete, so I cant compare the two, but I do own a Condor Golok.

In terms of thickness, the Condor is more of a survival knife than a machete. It is really thick at its base and it tapers towards the tip. Even at its thinnest point it is still kind of thick for a machete. This is just something to be aware of. The edge is a little obtuse out of the box, but still sharp for a new machete.

I have not batoned with mine, but I am sure it would handle it. It can definitely chop. After using mine, I have found that I don't really like the handle shape. I prefer the more generic shape like the Ontario machetes have.

It is a great piece of steal for the money, but If I wanted a generic/ traditional machete I would look for something else. The Golok is sort of in a category all its own.
 
Thanks for response.
As for the handle, do you think removing the 'ball' would make it more functional? I thought it looked a bit awkward as well.

And one last question; since the blade is much thicker closer to the handle and thinner towards the tip, about where is the balance centered on this thing?
 
The balance point is about 2-3 inches above the handle.

I am still warming up to the handle, so I cant say much about modifying it at this point. The shape is completely new to me.
 
My problem with the Golok handle was the thickness. I thinned mine with a belt sander and now it's comfortable. Unfortunately the bevel also needed quite a bit of thinning. I did it by hand with an XX coarse DMT diamond stone. So after those mods I think I have a winner. Need to use it more though before making a final determination.
My Ontario came with a thin bevel that only needed a little work on the edge. It's a good cutter.
 
Both those machetes are rare in OZ , so I havent tried either. Machetes generally lack much of an edge when you buy em.
Just use a file to put an edge on your machete. I got a nicholson mill bastard file , works perfectly. your gonna need to know how sooner or later , might as well do it now ?
 
Thanks for the helpful responses, I'll make my decision tomorrow, but I'm sure I'm going to go with the golok.

bigbadboom said:
Both those machetes are rare in OZ , so I havent tried either. Machetes generally lack much of an edge when you buy em.
Just use a file to put an edge on your machete. I got a nicholson mill bastard file , works perfectly. your gonna need to know how sooner or later , might as well do it now ?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I can get a good edge on a blade that has already been mostly established, but I have a hard time getting good symmetry on blades that come very crude, such as Tramontinas. I think it's time to invest in a good belt sander.
 
I have a 12 inch Ontario economy machete and it sharpened up quite well and does a great job. It has a comfortable and solid handle and is light but cuts with the heft of a heavier blade.

I definitely prefer it over a Marble's bolo machete that my son got last week.

I don't have experience with any Condor product other than the Rodan but I would recommend the Ontario to anyone looking for a machete.

In fact it is one of my favorite blades, period.
 
I actually like the ball on the end of the handle, it helps keep a grip when chopping, and slipping forward in hand I think. I really like my Golok, no experience with the ontario.
 
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