Condor knife disappointment...

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woodyman1390

Joined
Jul 28, 2008
Messages
23
Recently ordered a Condor Sapien off of Ebay for $32.00 shipped. I was all excited to get it- i had heard such good things about Condor being durable and a real, "bang for the buck."

When i finally got the knife i found it to be very dull, had no tip (it was almost completely rounded), and the angle on the blade was way off. The blade angle was so bad that it was 17degrees on one side and 25 on the other. I dont know that its even worth trying to regrind and correct the blade, i dont think there will be much left when i finally get finished as it is a small blade already.

The only possitive thing i can say about the knife is the sheath, which is actually really high quality, and the ergonomics of the handle. I got the wood handled one and it is very comfortable and easy to use in multiple positions.

I think this will be my last blade from Condor. I can get 3 Mora Classics at $32.00; which come razor sharp, and use the Condor Sapien's sheath instead of the plastic Mora sheaths. The Mora Classic 1 fits nicely into the Sapien sheath!

Im just curious if anyone else has experienced this piss poor blade quality with Condor?
 
We buy machetes from them all the time and the edges are hit and miss. But that is typical for any Latin American machete and also most of the smaller knives that I've seen from there. So, when I buy a Condor, Tramontina, Gavilan, etc. then I buy it knowing that the edge is most likely going to need work. I don't think that will ever change either. I've been doing business down there for 15 years now.
 
Eh, the golok had what looked to be a very refined mirror polished edge, but in reality, the edge was completely rounded over, could not cut skin if you sawed at it, but the edge sure did look sharp. You get what you pay for though.
 
You probably got one from one of the first batches. Write Condor and they'll send you a new one free. The guy you want is Rick Jones: rtj2@att.net or Phone# 407 354 3488

They have a 100% satisfaction guarantee so if you don't want a replacement (hey--lemons happen) they'll personally refund your purchase price if you send it back with a copy of your receipt (you could print one from PayPal or something).

I got a new sheath for my Rodan from them for free after I wrote asking if I could BUY a newer style one (mine was a first-gen). Great customer service. :thumbup:
 
I'll second FortyTwoBlades on that. Condor (Imacasa) has great customer service. Rick Jones is a great guy and takes care of folks.
 
Personally I'm looking forward to the hatchets when they come out. I don't care if the edge is not shaving sharp since I can make it that way. If they get the HT and shape right on the head, then I'm good to go.
 
With all Condor models I've handled, the edge was at least sharp enough. Some were not as sharp as others, but were still pretty sharp. I'd say you just got an early one as said, and I'd contact Condor and let them take care of it. Their CS, as said, is top notch. :thumbup:
 
Trust me Condor wants to make it right they're constantly trying to improve quality control my Hudson Bay knife came with a crazy sharp edge.
 
I have two Condors so far. The Rodan which other than the edge being rather obtuse is great (I just put a secondary bevel on and it's great.) My second was the 2" bushcraft. This one was a bit ruff but again a little bit of elbow grease and so far its turning out real nice. I plan on getting a Golok and an axe or two here in the near future.
 
Thanks for the imput guys.

Its good to here that Condor has good customer service. There is nothing better than a company who takes care of its customers (ESEE!!!).

This is my first Latin American blade, im used to the American and Swedish stuff mostly (and paying for it). Its my day off and ive been working diligently to get a proper edge on this knife. It starting to come around, although ive taken quite a bit of metal off of it. I think it will still be serviceable enough, i mean, i was just looking for a beater blade. Something similar to my Mora Classic 1, but a little more stout. I think in the end, this may fit the bill.

I think i will email Mr. Jones and at least ask if there sharpening process has changed. I saw something about it on youtube from an interview at the ShotShow by Equip2Endure. Im not going to ask for a new one though, it would seem like a waste to have put all that work into a blade and then send it off and get a new one.
 
Five minutes with a file should fix the edge. Imacasa blades are widely used in Costa Rica, but they rarely come sharp.
 
Yea, i dont have a file, and i didnt want to drive all the way into town to buy one, especially with the crazy diesel prices up here in WI. Ive just been using my Arkansas stones and my Diafold. Its taken FOREVER but its finally got a good serviceable edge on it. Took a bunch of steel off of it to get the angle to where it was even.
 
i got a condor eco-survivor 18" machete the other day. im happy with the quality/finish and the blade came pretty sharp. i'll probably have to give one of their bushcraft knifes a try.
 
woodyman1390 said:
Yea, i dont have a file, and i didnt want to drive all the way into town to buy one, especially with the crazy diesel prices up here in WI. Ive just been using my Arkansas stones and my Diafold. Its taken FOREVER but its finally got a good serviceable edge on it. Took a bunch of steel off of it to get the angle to where it was even.
Click to expand...

Yikes! That WILL take you forever! If you don't have any files then try coarse sandpaper on a flat surface (around 220 grit) then move up to progressively finer grits.
 
When were the bad golok batches out?, cause i bought one awhile ago and the handle was really bad and the edge pretty obtuse aswell, i honestly have it just sitting in a shed cause i can't really do much with it unless i buy a belt sander to regrind it.
 
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