Condor machetes: Pics and Impressions

Ok--finally got a good pic of my Kumunga. :D

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FortyTwoBlades said:
...Not sure if they're doing that with the Hudson Bay (I got to play with one but can't remember if it did or not)...
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Hudson Bay.

EDIT: I just tried to scratch the exposed steel with a penny to see if it was coated; there is no laquer on it.

Spine side...
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Guard side...
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Note that the entire spine is also uncoated (coated in a laquer like FortyTwoBlades said?)...
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The butt...
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They're so good, I had to get two...
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In-hand...
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My Golok came like this as well. While I don't have photos, it's just like your (FortyTwoBlades') photo of your Golok.
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Again, I'm not bashing Condor - they put out some great products and I find myself buying more and more of them - I just wonder why the rust-prone carbon steel was left uncoated on the handle.
 
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As per Carolina River Rat's recommendation, I've got a Parang escorting a Kershaw Cyclone, a Condor Bushlore, an Ontario Jungle Machete, and a Pelican 2360 flashlight to my doorstep in a couple of days.
 
Carolina River Rat said:
Isn't that a Kumunga? Thought the Rodan was smaller.
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Typo. Fixed it. :foot:

I also have the Rodan, and have had it for much longer, so I occasionally slip on the name since they're brothers and all. :p

For the record, both are AWESOME. :cool::thumbup:
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
The blade length is...the length of the blade. :p

They don't bring the edge all the way down on most machete models because many folks like choking up on the base of the blade for detail work. It's kind of traditional. When it comes to the knives it's usually because that's what the craftsman are used to doing. Kind of hard to unlearn all that muscle memory!
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Sorry, it's just that the picture of the 12inch bolo some how didn't look right to me.
 
JNieporte said:
Again, I'm not bashing Condor - they put out some great products and I find myself buying more and more of them - I just wonder why the rust-prone carbon steel was left uncoated on the handle.
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There should be a light coating of clear laquer on the exposed metal. Try scraping with an exacto blade and let me know!
 
Joezilla said:
There should be a light coating of clear laquer on the exposed metal. Try scraping with an exacto blade and let me know!
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Just tried. There's a layer of laquer on the newest Golok (I have five now), Kukri, and Parang, but neither of the Hudson Bays. I fixed it with the clear nail polish as FortyTwoBlades mentioned before it rusted, so no big deal.

BarberFobic1992 said:
JNieporte, where'd you get your Hudson bays? I can't find them on most of the knife sites.
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E-mail sent.
 
JNieporte said:
Hudson Bay.
I just wonder why the rust-prone carbon steel was left uncoated on the handle.
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Might be because Condor's target audience mostly buys their stuff to use as tools(?) I've never put a drop of preservative oil on any of my bare steel garden implements; Just toss 'em in the shed. If they rust a little, oh well...
 
Oh yeah man, I'm late to post to this thread, but that golok is a super tool. I got rid of an expensive chopper because that $40 Golok ran circles around it. I personally think the ground spine had something to do with maybe QC or separating stock for some reason. The one i have now is like yours and it's a workhorse, the one before was not ground on the spine, and had to be returned for warranty. But that is pure speculation on my part as a potential possibility.

I am currently voiding the warranty and doing a tang reduction and proper Barong handle on a Condor Barong right now, along with a possible blade bluing, and a blade reprofile that already dropped the point a bit. I love the steel and the heat treat, its a tough blade with good edge retention. Very fast and natural in the hand, but i guess thats the barong character and not the brand :D I think I will look into more of the Condor line as I continue to try new patterns of blades near machete and chopper size. You get a nice reasonably guaranteed piece of steel that will perform, at a very reasonable price, that is my impression of the condor blades i have tried.
 
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A few comparison shots, as requested in E-mail.

Golok and Kukri...
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Golok and Parang...
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Kukri and Parang...
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Parang in hand...
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Kukri, Golok, Parang, Hudson Bay, Bushlore, Nessmuk...
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They seem to use two kinds of wood--one that's dark brown and more prone towards chipping when working it (almost like teak does) and one that's more reddish that takes a high gloss when sanded and polished. I like the reddish one better, but both are still a lot better than most of the wood you see on machete handles!
 
JNieporte said:
By the way, FortyTwoBlades, you made me buy this Condor...

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Very much appreciated :thumbup:
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And..... Whaddaya think? :) I could only find a couple reviews on this one (at vendor sites) and people were complaining that it was too light and flexible, and couldn't really chop. My thought when I read that was, "My God, you mean they actually made a real sword and not just a sword-shaped object?!"
 
t1mpani said:
And..... Whaddaya think? :) I could only find a couple reviews on this one (at vendor sites) and people were complaining that it was too light and flexible, and couldn't really chop. My thought when I read that was, "My God, you mean they actually made a real sword and not just a sword-shaped object?!"
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I haven't used mine yet, but here are two reviews (on other forums) by FortyTwoBlades. He says better than I could...
http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=102101

http://forums.swordforum.com/showthread.php?t=99557
 
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