Condor Golok

RemyKaze

RemyKaze

Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
2,177
Just picked one of these up from FortyTwoBlades, and while he did an awesome job of aftermarket QC and sharpening, I felt like the golok fell kinda flat. I guess the question here is, why all the hype about this thing? I was looking for something slightly longer than my Junglas and wanted to try something new, so I went with the golok as it was highly lauded by many people on here. However, its performance is sub par, what with it having the thickness of an axe without the weight/geometry. I'm guessing it's only really useful for dense hardwood areas? I live in SC and a nice thin, wide machete has always served me with ease. The Junglas too, turned out to be a powerful chopper without giving up cutting ability. This golok, though, feels like a sharpened crowbar....with all the weight included. I'm not complaining so much as offering my perspective. I would like to hear how others have fared with this tool, especially compared to other things they own.:thumbup:
 
Unfortunately, that's exactly my experience with the Condor Golok. My Junglas, as well as many others, chop and handle much better. You've hit upon the real advantage of the Junglas. It chops wood and slices thin, wispy foilage equally well. You wouldn't want to cut firewood for a cabin in Canada with one, but it's great for casual outdoor work and play. Take care.
 
Thanks for the input. Seems like I should have just kept it clean within the lines of chopper, machete, and axe. :p
 
Nothing beats those tools designed for their specific purposes. Sound like you would have been better off with one of their Central American-style, conventional machetes...as an adjunct to you Junglas. Not wishing to pile on as I am sure that the Golok was in fact a good choice in terms of a tool...and I am sure you have a fine tool on your hands there.

Good luck.
 
You'll find that the Golok is mostly a chopper on woody targets. It'll deal with things like saplings nicely and will baton reasonably well, but a standard machete is going to fair much better on lighter targets than the Golok will. It's sort of an overgrown camp knife in a lot of ways rather than a true machete. I think it's a fine tool for shelter building, fire prep, and tasks of like kind as an inexpensive and quality alternative to a lot of the other thick chopping knives on the market, but I much prefer a more "pure-bred" machete for most of my purposes. You may have a better time on many targets if you use a draw cut to "pull through" them during your swing. I do agree that folks gush over it a little more than makes sense--it's a nice chopper but I think that the overly glowing reviews inflate expectations somewhat.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
You'll find that the Golok is mostly a chopper on woody targets. It'll deal with things like saplings nicely and will baton reasonably well, but a standard machete is going to fair much better on lighter targets than the Golok will. It's sort of an overgrown camp knife in a lot of ways rather than a true machete. I think it's a fine tool for shelter building, fire prep, and tasks of like kind as an inexpensive and quality alternative to a lot of the other thick chopping knives on the market, but I much prefer a more "pure-bred" machete for most of my purposes. You may have a better time on many targets if you use a draw cut to "pull through" them during your swing. I do agree that folks gush over it a little more than makes sense--it's a nice chopper but I think that the overly glowing reviews inflate expectations somewhat.
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I'm the same way. It's just what I know. By the way I refuse to buy from anyone else unless you don't carry it, your extra special touches are pretty great. Alas, I already knew that a thin Tramontina would outperform anything up to "axe level". I just thought the golok would be a pretty sweet addition. I'm not counting it out yet though!
 
I have the Parang, and IMO the length is a great improvement for tip speed and inertia.
I personally think the extra 4 inches is worth carrying.

Regarding the comparison to the Junglas, they are both very thick blades. It's just a matter of how the edge gets profiled for cutting the way you want. You can make the Golok cut just the same as the Junglas does, if you want. Personally, I prefer the "axe-like" edge for what I use the Parang for.
But, my Parang will draw-cut single phone book pages, too. And I just did one right now, just to make sure that I wasn't exaggerating!
 
RemyKaze said:
I'm the same way. It's just what I know. By the way I refuse to buy from anyone else unless you don't carry it, your extra special touches are pretty great. Alas, I already knew that a thin Tramontina would outperform anything up to "axe level". I just thought the golok would be a pretty sweet addition. I'm not counting it out yet though!
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I'd like to see them do a "Lite" rendition of it using flat typical machete stock in 1/8" and the handle of the Speed Bowie. :cool:

Thanks for the kind words! The business is a labor of love--I knew getting into it I'd never make a fortune, but it's another way for me to provide a service for the community, and that's what matters most to me. :)
 
I have always liked mine as a camp tool. It is amazing for battoning, chopping, and you can choke up on it for finer work. As a bush craft machete it is awesome.

For clearing I would have to go with the Condor 18-Inch El Salvador machete. The right beast for the job.
 
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