Condor quality

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MAkives

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May 5, 2015
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Wassup guys i just need some advice from you guys on bladeforums. I need to get a medium sized survival/camp knife and wanted something from condor as ive never held 1 of their products but some people say their quality control is bad like edges rolling when trying to carve or feather stick some wood.i was getting the crotalus but now im not so sure so i just wanted to hear your opinions
 
I have a Rodan and a Bushlore. Both are well made and I have no complaint with fit or finish. Condor has their share of QC issues but not sure they are any worse than other brands.
 
Yeah, Condors QC is hit or miss at best. You might get a good one, you might get a lemon and either will have just an ok fit and finish. If I were you I would go with one of the offerings from Esee or Kabar/Becker with Esee being my first choice. Both are great companies with great warranty. And, both are purpose built, hard use tools designed for the use you describe. They are a bit more money but, you get far more for that money(better materials, better fit and finish, better grinds, better sheath, better warranty, better QC, North American made, exc.).
 
I own two now and haven't had a single issue. From what I have seen their QC is hit or miss but they're customer service is outstanding. I have read stories of them mailing out new knives and not even requesting the old ones back.
 
Their level of finish is rather crude, but I'd expect that considering the price.

Becker and ESEE are nicer knives, but significantly more expensive. If you're on a tight budget, no one offers more steel for the money than Condor. :D

Are you really going to chop wood with it? If not, a smaller knife might be better suited for a multi-purpose outdoors knife. You could get a Scandinavian-made knife that's smaller, lighter weight, and less expensive. The Ahti Metsa and the Martiini Lumberjack come to mind.

Good luck with your choices.
 
I would agree that the qc is perhaps lower than other big name manufacturers. Usually its not big deal stuff, and on the big deal things their customer service seems to take care of the customer.

I got a bushlore a few years ago with a slightly flubbed grind, and mentioned it here (didn't even contact them directly) and I was contacted asking if I thought it should be replaced. However, the problem wasn't severe, and I had already gifted the blade to my father, so I didn't bother trying to get a new one.

Anyway, id have no problem buying from condor again, if that means anything to you.

Also, while they're at the same price point, check out the deals on the Becker bk15.
 
I have a Parang. Deep blue blade, high quality sheath, holds an edge, And a good size handle that I made smaller sanding .
 
Their QC is getting better every year, by significant amounts, but yes a lemon still gets through from time to time. If you do end up with one they'll take good care of you, or you can buy from a vendor that inspects their inventory.
 
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FortyTwoBlades said:
Their QC is getting better every year, by significant amounts, but yes a lemon still gets through from time to time. If you do end up with one they'll take good care of you, or you can buy from a vendor that inspects their inventory.
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I here there is even a guy here on the forum that will even refine the edge and make sure everything is 100% before sending it out.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Their QC is getting better every year, by significant amounts, but yes a lemon still gets through from time to time. If you do end up with one they'll take good care of you, or you can buy from a vendor that inspects their inventory.
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Yup there is such a vendor! I have a Hudson Bay from him. Worth the few bucks to get that edge refining etc. Great knife BTW!
 
Condor a good knife for the money, but like a Mora they are not gonna be perfect out if the box. It might need a touch up to sharpen up the edge and the handle might need a fine sanding to smooth it out, but they will be functioning knives.

I like Condor's offerings but generally prefer Moras.
 
Condor qa/qc is fair. I have a number of the Condor blades and have few complaints. Have one of their neck knives that I just can't seem to sharpen. Don't use it. The blades include; original Bushlore, current Bushlore, Kephart, Kumunga, Golok, Pack Golok, Parang, Village Parang, Puerto Rican machete, El Salvador machete, Viking machete, and Hudson Bay. I like them. My experience and preferences evolve. Of those, I use the current Bushlore, Kumunga, Pack Golok, Village Parang, Puerto Rican machete and El Salvador machete the most and recommend those. Not totally fond of some of their knife designs. The Moonshiner is on my to-buy list. Use to use the Golok a lot and have moved to other machetes.
 
I have 3 Bushlore's, a Kephart and a Bushcraft 4 and all came in razor sharp and nicely crafted, spines edge on all are nice and sharp for striking a firesteel. Kinda hooked on them myself, looking at a few other Condor additions to add to the collection, great knives.
 
STAINLESS90 said:
I own two now and haven't had a single issue. From what I have seen their QC is hit or miss but they're customer service is outstanding. I have read stories of them mailing out new knives and not even requesting the old ones back.
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I can verify that!
Picked up an old generation (3/4 tang) golok in a trade that had some small chips toward the tip. Sent a message and some pictures to Condor, hoping only for some discounted regrinding. Instead, they sent me a brand new one.


MAkives said:
Wassup guys i just need some advice from you guys on bladeforums. I need to get a medium sized survival/camp knife and wanted something from condor as ive never held 1 of their products but some people say their quality control is bad like edges rolling when trying to carve or feather stick some wood.i was getting the crotalus but now im not so sure so i just wanted to hear your opinions
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I've had many of 'em over the past 5 years now and haven't run into any real issues. I had a barong machete that had some discoloration toward the tip, which may have been some burnt steel but probably was some overzealous varnishing (they do put a varnish on their blades, right?). I've seen the same sort of stuff on Tramontina machetes but it's never affected their performance.
Their plastic handles sometimes have some flashing that needs to be trimmed and/or sanded off, especially around lanyard holes. I'm not a fan of their plastic handles as they tend to be too round for my taste and are also a bit slick, but a bit of sanding can take care of that. Their wooden handles are fine. I can't speak for their micarta.

If you want a Condor then go get it. They're worth the money.
And, no, Condor's not paying me to say that (though I wouldn't mind if they would). ;)
 
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I was visiting with the Condor rep at Blade. He mentioned that Condor really had a lot of trouble selling their knives in the US at the begining UNTIL Joe Flowers got involved and things took off. They were in fact considering going out of business. I personally think that is a very cool piece of information.

I pretty much told him that few of their knives had much appeal to me until after the Joe Flowers influence. I just didn't like blue plastic handled knives. Glad things changed and they are successful.
 
22-rimfire said:
I was visiting with the Condor rep at Blade. He mentioned that Condor really had a lot of trouble selling their knives in the US at the begining UNTIL Joe Flowers got involved and things took off. They were in fact considering going out of business. I personally think that is a very cool piece of information.

I pretty much told him that few of their knives had much appeal to me until after the Joe Flowers influence. I just didn't like blue plastic handled knives. Glad things changed and they are successful.
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Agreed!
I didn't know that about them either.

Joe's designs are great and they've certainly left their mark on the industry.
I get excited each year to see what new models are coming out.
 
Both Joe and I were early advocates for the brand. Pretty much no one had been talking about them until then. I actually miss the blue handles, but there's no arguing against black having broader appeal.
 
I first saw Condor at Blade years ago and their very first attendance there. As I recall, the rep was almost asking folks to sell their knives as a distributor versus the other way around which I suspect is more normal in the business. 42, glad you got involved with them as you are a great source of reliable practical information on them.

Condor's change to injection molded plastic was a good upgrade. I was always a "wood" guy with their knives and with the purchase of the Kumunga, the molded handle really works and is comfortable to use. I would not be hesitant to purchase any of their machetes with the plastic injection molded handle now. The El Salvador (wood handled) machete impressed the hell out of me.
 
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