Condor Splitting and Chopping Double Bit Axe

mneedham

mneedham

Joined
Jul 8, 2006
Messages
2,776
When I ordered my Marble's Jungle Cleaver from SMKW I decided not to waste those shipping fees and picked up a Condor Hatchet.

http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/product.jsp?A=&range=31&Brand=398&Mode=Brand&SKU=CTK4000S

This little guy is about 12" long and very light. I chopped up a couple pieces of kindling with it, it cuts small pieces of wood really well. I wouldn't use it for big jobs, its just too light.. I think this could be a good little pack axe.. Some initial pics:

mike446.jpg


mike447.jpg


mike448.jpg


mike449.jpg
 
Cute little axe! Keep us posted as to how it does for you! I'd be interested in seeing how it works for you in the long run. I've tried many of their machetes, but never their axes. :)
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Cute little axe! Keep us posted as to how it does for you! I'd be interested in seeing how it works for you in the long run. I've tried many of their machetes, but never their axes. :)
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Their machetes were the basis of my decision to buy this double bit... Condor seems to do real well with steel, but the wood will need to be watched. I don't think that we have seen enough action or comments on these models to bless this thing yet. I like the way it looks and feels though. I'm going out of town for a couple of days, but when I get back I'll give it a real beating and see how she does.

mistwalker said:
Looks pretty good. Got a picture of it from the top?
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Here you go...

mike450.jpg


pimpnugget said:
sweet little axe how did the edge hold up ?
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Edge is fine. I only chopped with for a couple of minutes though. I'll put it through its paces by next weekend and post some real results....
 
From your top view it appears that there is one thinner edge for chopping, and a thicker "wedge" shaped edge for splitting: is that correct?
 
dawsonbob said:
From your top view it appears that there is one thinner edge for chopping, and a thicker "wedge" shaped edge for splitting: is that correct?
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Yep, that's the way I figure it... I had a couple of minutes and took it back out. I really whacked it on some hardwood of varying sizes. The edge held up fine. I do see a little separation between the wood and steel at the top after this more severe beating.. I'm not sure if that is not normal, I'll be keeping my eye on that though... More to come at the end of the week...

mike451.jpg


mike452.jpg
 
Looks like it to me, too! Also, how does the retention pin come out, in the event that you had to/wanted to replace the handle? I'd be interested in what the rehandling process would be like.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Looks like it to me, too! Also, how does the retention pin come out, in the event that you had to/wanted to replace the handle? I'd be interested in what the rehandling process would be like.
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There is roll pin that has to be knocked out to replace the handle. I think that if I wind up doing that, I might consider trying to cut out that wedge at the top.... In its current form, re-handling would be a little bit of a chore. Has anyone else replaced a handle on one of these?
 
mneedham said:
There is roll pin that has to be knocked out to replace the handle. I think that if I wind up doing that, I might consider trying to cut out that wedge at the top.... In its current form, re-handling would be a little bit of a chore. Has anyone else replaced a handle on one of these?
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Very nice axe!
So the steel wedge is actually part of the axe head?
I've been tempted to pick up one of these Condors myself but as mentioned above the integral wedge might complicated future re-handling.
 
Interesting. Looks to me like it would benefit from another 3-4 inches of haft length.

DancesWithKnives
 
Going to ask what may be a dumb dumb question. Are these axes as handy and useful as they seem to be from the pics. I have seen threads showing them as part of peoples trio of blades and I know about the whole trio idea but I have not seen a lot of threads about people using these axes and how well they work. Hands on gritty use. Anyone shed any light on this for me. Many thanks
 
Mark Nelson said:
Going to ask what may be a dumb dumb question. Are these axes as handy and useful as they seem to be from the pics. I have seen threads showing them as part of peoples trio of blades and I know about the whole trio idea but I have not seen a lot of threads about people using these axes and how well they work. Hands on gritty use. Anyone shed any light on this for me. Many thanks
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Mark - I think that you ask a very good question. I typically use a maul for splitting wood at my house, an Estwing Camper's axe for light chores, and carry a folding saw in my PSK. I think that this design is best suited for an around the camp or a back-up tool in your pack. It does a good job of splitting the small chunks of hardwood and it sure is small enough to pack comfortably... but you're not gonna do any serious wood work with it. I think that the Fiskars is probably more practical than the double-bit (you don't have to worry about the handle), but I love wood and steel! I'd be interested to see what other people think... I actually bought this on faith, I don't see many reviews of the Condor axes at all...
 
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