Condor Rodan??

B

B.B.M

Joined
Dec 3, 2009
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200
what do you guys think about the condor rodan for a general woods/bushcraft knife? seem pretty nice,it has a scandi grind, the blade is a little over 5 inches and it's 3/16 thick. does anybody have one or handled one?
 
I have a Rodan and I am not sure what to make of it. I do admit that it is growing on me.

It is sturdy and well made. I have yet to get it razor sharp but I can put a pretty good edge on it. I don't think it would be a problem for someone who is good at sharpening.

The handle is very large and about the same length as the blade. That is what I don't really like about it. The handle seems too large in proportion to the blade length, but that is my opinion.

I think the knife would serve well as an all purpose knife but it was not heavy enough for chopping in my opinion. I have not tried any batoning with the Rodan.

If I had it to do over I think I would consider the 10 inch Condor("Kumunga" or something like that) for a general purpose/bushcraft knife.
 
fatcat55 said:
I have a Rodan and I am not sure what to make of it. I do admit that it is growing on me.

It is sturdy and well made. I have yet to get it razor sharp but I can put a pretty good edge on it. I don't think it would be a problem for someone who is good at sharpening.
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This echoes my feelings pertaining to my Condor Nessmuk. I had to work at getting it sharp, but it's a decent knife for the price. Tough, well made (if a bit roughly so), and a great price. I'm a Condor fan. :thumbup:
 
^
Both my rodan and nessmuk are a bitch to sharpen. I may not be doing it right but all of my other knives take and hold edges much easier. The nessmuk chipped alot while the rodan has not at all. I do prefer the rodan alot more. It is a good knife for the cost and I have batoned easily with it, even with my sharpening issues.
 
seems like everybody is having a hard time sharpening them:confused: i figured the 1075 steel would be on the soft side and easy to sharpen
 
Somewhere I heard that those blades were RC 68. Maybe it was on a youtube review of the bushcraft line? I just can't remember. I thought that it sounded awfully high for a beater knife, but in the youtube video he beat the snot out of it and it still shaved when he was done.
 
I've had the Rodan since May and I really like it as a belt knife/survival knife. It's a near perfect design as far as length, width and blade thickness, though there's a distal taper that needs to disappear to allow efficient battoning-the thin tip really shreds a good beating stick. The edge is a bit soft, but extremely easy to get shaving again. I actually like the choil on this knife-the handle is pretty massive and I like that too. I melted the plastic handle off accidentally and gave it an epoxy jute wrap with a leather grip-it's looking really good. I'll do some filework jimping on it tonight and give it a good patina, then start on a nice leather scout carry sheath.
DSCN3427.jpg
 
What was the tang like when you melted the handles? I've been curious about this and a couple other condor products for a while. Interested in seeing some more pics of the modded rodan!
 
I took a picture of it naked, I'll upload it once I get around to it. From the choil it slims way down to about a 4/5 inch thick through tang. It's beefy, for sure, but not close to the full thickness of the grip itself. I was able to do a nice, ergonomic, effective epoxy/jute wrap, and the leather over top put the icing on the cake.
 
PS-you are NOT going to destroy that handle unintentionally unless you leave it too close to the fire. It took me close to 3 hours to saw and pry and peel what was left of that grip off of the tang... it's tough stuff.
 
I have the bushlore model, kinda the same as mentioned above as in having trouble with the edge. Think when I have time I will try and reprofile it as the grinds are uneven anyway. All in all a decent knife for $26. Looking at the inca knife next
 
I liked the Kumunga - the handle grew on my after a bit, but traded it off for a condor kukri - the walnut is just more comfortable to me.
 
tsacain said:
^
Both my rodan and nessmuk are a bitch to sharpen. I may not be doing it right but all of my other knives take and hold edges much easier. The nessmuk chipped alot while the rodan has not at all. I do prefer the rodan alot more. It is a good knife for the cost and I have batoned easily with it, even with my sharpening issues.
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Hey there tsacain, if you had chips on your edge, then something was wrong. If you want a new one let me know. I'm pretty surprised to hear so many are having a rough time sharpening them! They have a convex edge so you may want to try rough sand paper first and then move down the line on it. If you don't like that type of edge, don't be afraid to take a file (seriously) and put a secondary bevel on the convex part. That may make it easier for field use. Thanks for all the input!
 
Joezilla said:
Hey there tsacain, if you had chips on your edge, then something was wrong. If you want a new one let me know. I'm pretty surprised to hear so many are having a rough time sharpening them! They have a convex edge so you may want to try rough sand paper first and then move down the line on it. If you don't like that type of edge, don't be afraid to take a file (seriously) and put a secondary bevel on the convex part. That may make it easier for field use. Thanks for all the input!
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Mine is great! nice and soft and starts shaving after just 1000 grit. The thing I didn't like was the extreme distal taper of the blade starting at the drop point, and my blade was slightly bent to the right from the factory. Other than that the grip, the choil, the grind, everything is great.
 
I convexed mine with sandpaper and it turned out great. I haven't had time to give the knife a workout yet. The sheath is too loose for me to take it into the bush so I'm going to make a new one. The knife feels practically indestructible. Mac
 
I have four Condor knives currently, including the Rodan. All are very easy to sharpen...once you thin that overly thick convex edge out. I put mine on the slack belt grinder in the shop and thin 'em out just a touch for much better performance and maintenance. Something like the Bark River Knife and Tool or Fallkniven convex grinds...these are not. The Condor will require some work before you discover its potential.

Condor cutlery is inexpensive and can be a bargain for the budget minded. If you care about your safety and the retention of the knife, however, you might want to toss the cheap sheaths and find something that fits and made of a more durable material (thick leather or kydex). I made my own sheath for the Rodan out of 12 ounce veg-tanned and it holds the razor sharp blade much more securely. The provided sheath didn't even pretend to fit the knife.

rodanknifesheath.jpg


The Rodan is not a small knife and closely resembles one of my Becker's in size and feel. Carry a smaller knife (perhaps a folder) for the small work.

rodan1.jpg
 
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