I recently picked up a Condor Rodan as a bush beater to either use as a "borrower" or a day-hike knife. I used it for about 3 hours today in the wet Ohio woods. Everything that I've read about it compares it to the Becker BK2 as a "cheap" version of The Beast but I have to disagree, it's more of the love child between a Mora and a BK2. Here's the initial review:
The Condor Rodan comes with a very fine, heavy duty leather sheath (BK2 for comparison) :
The one thing to note is that it's a hanger only. I prefer to slide my woods knife around my back so it's out of the way and the Rodan dangler is pretty obtrusive to me but it's not bad. Retention is good but definitely leather friction-only. There is no plastic or kydex in the leather. It is VERY heavy duty, very well made and impressive for being included with the knife.
The Condor Rodan's edge is a highly polished Scandi grind :
If you have used a Scandi before, you know the score...Easy to sharpen, easy to get mad sharp, "holds an edge" for a long time because 1/4 of the blade IS the edge...etc. I've found that they ARE easier to get very sharp. The Rodan's Scandi grind has a very shallow angle on it so the initial bite into wood is deep and effective. The Rodan's edge comes from the factory with some kind of anti-rust wax or poly coating that makes it drag on soft materials until it wears off. The edge was shaving sharp out of the box so I didn't bother touching it up until today. I can tell you that the 1075 used in the Rodan is a good steel and I was able to polish it back to mirror status using only 2000 grit paper, some Ballistol and a microfiber. I did notice that it rusts in a matter of hours though if ignored. The rust was very superficial however but it's something to remember considering how much of the Rodan's edge is unprotected. The blade is not as thick as a BK2 but not as thin as a Mora so again, it's almost a "Jack of All Trades" blade in that regard. The coating on the blade appears to be a black epoxy, since I've only used it for a few hours in total today I can't tell how it will hold up but it appears to be weathering damage well enough.
Handling the Handle :
Okay, here's the deal. The handle is not that comfortable. Sure, handling the Rodan at home makes it feel like a great knife. The balance is right, the handle is thick, there are no hot spots, etc. Well, this is one of those that you have to use to figure out. Within 10 minutes of wood work I realized the problem, the handle is tear-drop shaped, leaving a curve that pushes into the hand meats right between your thumb and index finger. It's not sharp, it's just enough to be annoying. On this outing I had my BK2, a Mora Triflex and an ESEE 3. If you look at the backs of those knives, the spine by the handle is flat, like your hand meats if you put your thumb to your index finger, or hold a knife handle...so I'm not sure what Condor was thinking here. The blade is perfect for bush work, it's a beefy Mora and yet it's stuck with this weird handle that creates uncomfortable spots. I'm going to try to sand down the "bulge" so it's more of a knife handle instead of whatever it is now...
Overall, if you're looking for a "big Mora" go for it. This is NOT however, a replacement for the BK2. The BK2 is a chopping monster at 1/4". The Rodan doesn't have the weight to fight in the BK2's class. Also, where the BK2's grind lends itself to splitting and prying, the Rodan's Scandi grind means that you've got a lot less mass where it counts and you're risking your edge getting crazy with the blade. If you're looking for a Mora on steroids however, this is your guy.
At the end of the day, it's cheap, sharp, useful and I'm pretty sure some 200 grit against that handle will knock that annoyance down in a sec.
The Condor Rodan comes with a very fine, heavy duty leather sheath (BK2 for comparison) :
The one thing to note is that it's a hanger only. I prefer to slide my woods knife around my back so it's out of the way and the Rodan dangler is pretty obtrusive to me but it's not bad. Retention is good but definitely leather friction-only. There is no plastic or kydex in the leather. It is VERY heavy duty, very well made and impressive for being included with the knife.
The Condor Rodan's edge is a highly polished Scandi grind :
If you have used a Scandi before, you know the score...Easy to sharpen, easy to get mad sharp, "holds an edge" for a long time because 1/4 of the blade IS the edge...etc. I've found that they ARE easier to get very sharp. The Rodan's Scandi grind has a very shallow angle on it so the initial bite into wood is deep and effective. The Rodan's edge comes from the factory with some kind of anti-rust wax or poly coating that makes it drag on soft materials until it wears off. The edge was shaving sharp out of the box so I didn't bother touching it up until today. I can tell you that the 1075 used in the Rodan is a good steel and I was able to polish it back to mirror status using only 2000 grit paper, some Ballistol and a microfiber. I did notice that it rusts in a matter of hours though if ignored. The rust was very superficial however but it's something to remember considering how much of the Rodan's edge is unprotected. The blade is not as thick as a BK2 but not as thin as a Mora so again, it's almost a "Jack of All Trades" blade in that regard. The coating on the blade appears to be a black epoxy, since I've only used it for a few hours in total today I can't tell how it will hold up but it appears to be weathering damage well enough.
Handling the Handle :
Okay, here's the deal. The handle is not that comfortable. Sure, handling the Rodan at home makes it feel like a great knife. The balance is right, the handle is thick, there are no hot spots, etc. Well, this is one of those that you have to use to figure out. Within 10 minutes of wood work I realized the problem, the handle is tear-drop shaped, leaving a curve that pushes into the hand meats right between your thumb and index finger. It's not sharp, it's just enough to be annoying. On this outing I had my BK2, a Mora Triflex and an ESEE 3. If you look at the backs of those knives, the spine by the handle is flat, like your hand meats if you put your thumb to your index finger, or hold a knife handle...so I'm not sure what Condor was thinking here. The blade is perfect for bush work, it's a beefy Mora and yet it's stuck with this weird handle that creates uncomfortable spots. I'm going to try to sand down the "bulge" so it's more of a knife handle instead of whatever it is now...
Overall, if you're looking for a "big Mora" go for it. This is NOT however, a replacement for the BK2. The BK2 is a chopping monster at 1/4". The Rodan doesn't have the weight to fight in the BK2's class. Also, where the BK2's grind lends itself to splitting and prying, the Rodan's Scandi grind means that you've got a lot less mass where it counts and you're risking your edge getting crazy with the blade. If you're looking for a Mora on steroids however, this is your guy.
At the end of the day, it's cheap, sharp, useful and I'm pretty sure some 200 grit against that handle will knock that annoyance down in a sec.
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:thumbup:
Good review.
I know Joe just got back from El Salvador working on addressing some of their "growing pains" so maybe he'll be able to chime in. I hear you with the QC issues--right now it seems like you either get a really great one or a really awful one. I've been lucky with MOST of my stock so far. There have only been a few pieces reported back that have had HT problems, and all the other problems I've been able to catch in inspection (with one exception that slipped past me--whoops! I can admit that though.