Condor Tool Kukri

Worth noting that HI measurements are of OAL, not blade length. I personally prefer the 18" varieties, generally. Also, steel is different. Condor generally makes pretty decent stuff for the price you pay, but HI's got a (well deserved) reputation for being the best. Guess it comes down to what your needs, expectations, and budget are.
 
I was going to buy that one but the specifications (below) threw me off of it. The Condor Heavy Duty Kukri Knife is more of an hand axe/hatchet than an all round user which is what I want in my Kukris. To me that is a Kukri's advantage. The all purpose design of the Nepali Khukuri allows for: farm work, bushcraft, foodcraft, self defense and offense (war). This knife is designed by Joe Flowers who is a great guy but the length of 10 inches and a close to 2 lbs weight makes this Condor limited. This is my opinion and I am being honest and not trying to bash Condor Tools. I love all my three (3) Bushlores big time! (Edit - that's five (5) Condor Bushlores, I forgot the two 1st generation ones)

Specifications
Blade: 1075 High Carbon Steel
Blade Length: 10"
Thickness: 5/16"
Overall Length: 14-1/2"
Weight: 1.82 lbs.
Made in El Salvador
 
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i thought seriously about a condor heavy kukri or a enep,also found some cool eneps on amazon i think it was,i think maybe later,my wife has been using the kukri in the yard,since she approve"s i will keep kukri around,jack of all trades.i have a few knife collector friends,one forges his own,they never seen a real kukri or a real tomahawk you could use,till i showed them.
 
of all the "western" kuks, this is prob the best to get for the price and more closely resembling of a real kuk. the weight shouldnt be that bad, but more of a small bonecutter/grs weight profile. the 1075 is better steel that you get from most "western" kuks.

also the through hardened blade might be better to some people, especially when it comes to the non hardened areas of a kuk. and how they ding up the edge pretty easily. that turns people off of blades some times, but they were designed like that for a reason. not everyone understands that though

i might have to get 1 just for fun of it
 
What do you folks think of the pack golok? This is the new Condor that intrigues me most. Joe.
 
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arbiter said:
What do you folks think of the pack golok? This is the new Condor that intrigues me most as my khuks come from HI. Joe.
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They are cheap enough and have a great reputation for their other blades, go for it.
 
Dirtbiker said:
They are cheap enough and have a great reputation for their other blades, go for it.
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Don't be put off by my personal comments on the newest Condor Heavy Duty Kukri Knife. If it's want you want you should get it because it will be a very good chopper. The steel may be good but that depends on Condor's head treat of the first batch. At $50 USD the price is very affordable.
I was just saying for me it is too much like my Ex-Gurkha Khukuri House 10 inch blade, 15 inches O.A., 1.75 lbs Farmer knife that I tested. Which actually is a better knife (IMO) only because of it's tough 5160 differently hardened spring steel. The Condor Heavy Duty Kukri Knife is 1075 with evenly hardened steel.
Differentially Hardening.jpg
But if I needed two or three mainly wood working knives for serious campfire work and was on a budget the Condor Heavy Duty Kukri Knife would get the nod :thumbup:.
 
The first Condor Kukri was/is the Condor Kukri Machete. Many people liked it but it has a tendency to break near the handle (see picture below). Maybe that was one of the reasons for this new heavy-duty Kukri.
BrokenKukri.jpg

Even Condors new Classic Parang is about 2 lbs when traditional Parangs are around 1 lb.
village Parang 2 lbs.jpg
I believe the Condor's evenly hardened steel and 1075 steel stock work best with a thick blade design. That is why they make heavier than normal designs. Again not bashing Condor just making some important observations. These are my views from a non Metallurgist stand point. What do you think about this?

In big knives even though heavy their products work. I believe they could work better if they use higher quality steel in lighter designs and used differently hardened spring steel. But of course to keep the price point down they mostly likely will not do this. That is OK for them and their business strategy of putting on the market good affordable knives.
 
To me it seems way too heavy for the length. The balance would have to be spot on for it to work for me as a general purpose blade. It must have some merit, but I believe I'll pass. If it was ten ounces lighter, it would be handy. I have no Condor's, but a friend has several. He is not impressed with the steel, but it works OK. The price is pretty good on them and they have some really neat designs. I helped my friend test his Golok and it was horrible. Really, really, really horrible. I normally wouldn't bad mouth a knife so much, but that knife has no purpose. The only thing it did well was baton, due to thickness and length. It looks like the parang has a similiar handle. The Golok handle, for me anyway, is like a round block of wood with zero work put into it. Like a blank slate, which would work great for a woodchuck, but I would have to put some hours into it. As for the new khuk, again, too stout and heavy for general purpose use. Probably great for splitting logs and such, but a lot more handy blades can do that pretty well. Take care.
 
I got my Condor heavy duty kukri on Friday of last week. Upon opening I was shocked how heavy it was at 28.5oz. It compares very closely in size to my Vim made 15" Ang Khola but the AK only weighs 24oz. I guess it's because it is 5/16 thick from tang to near tip with no distal taper at all.

This blade would double as a camp hatchet, short and heavy. The blade came ax sharp with very well done convex edges but not perfect. If I spent 5-10 minutes with my work sharp it would be downright scary.

I really like the handle. Condor must have a HI M43 in their shop because that's exactly what it feels like. Nice hard wood, perfect shape and bell, triple pinned with a lanyard ring.

Sheath is nice but nothing to get too excited over. Decent quality leather and stitching. It does hold my Vim 15" AK like it was hade for it.

In the end for $56.95 shipped to my door I am happy with my purchase. Is it better than a HI Kukri? Heck no but in it's price point it's tough to beat. It is the most Nepalese of any KLO I have every seen. It is closer to a traditional look and feel than say the Cold Steel kukri machete ($20) or the Ka-Bar Kukri ($45). The only other KLO in this price point worth looking at is the Ontario Kukri ($60 It's really, really good)
 
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Dirtbiker said:
It is closer to a traditional look and feel than say the Cold Steel kukri machete ($20) or the Ka-Bar Kukri ($45). The other other KLO in this price point worth looking at is the Ontario Kukri ($60 It's really, really good)
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Try the CS Gurkha khuk. I'm sure it was modeled on a Mk. II and meets the original specs pretty close.
 
jdk1 said:
Try the CS Gurkha khuk. I'm sure it was modeled on a Mk. II and meets the original specs pretty close.
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No doubt, I have heard good things about them. However they are no where near the same price point. The least I have ever found one was $160.

I like to have a lot of sub $100 knives more than one or two expensive knives. The exception being my CR Sebenza.
 
Dirtbiker said:
No doubt, I have heard good things about them. However they are no where near the same price point. The least I have ever found one was $160.
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Dirtbiker I got my CS Gurkha Kukri for $140 USD on ebay. But if you like a lot of sub $100 USD knives I can see why this new Condor Heavy Duty Kukri would appeal. If your happy with it that is all that's important :thumbup:.
I feel the HI "Deal of the Day" Kukris (and some special sales) are the best in the World for tough, attractive, and high quality knives. Plus most of the knives are under $100 USD. I have seen in the past month BASs, WWIIs, Sirupates, etc. Better and more all round than anything made by other companies at the discount prices.
3 Kukuis.jpg
Above: 3 different blades: Ang Khola, Chitlangi, and Sirupati. By Backwoods_556.
Keep looking there and you'll find some knives worthy to be treasured.
 
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sweetcostarica said:
I feel the HI "Deal of the Day" Kukris (and some special sales) are the best in the World for tough, attractive, and high quality knives. Plus most of the knives are under $100 USD. I have seen in the past month BASs, WWIIs, Sirupates, etc. Better and more all round than anything made by other companies at the discount prices. Keep looking there and you'll find some knives worthy to be treasured.
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Trust me, I've got 14-15 HI blades in the stable right now so please don't think I'm being cheap or that I don't understand the value they offer. The OP asked for an opinion on the blade in question and since I own one I gave it. For the $50-60 it costs it would be tough to beat unless you snagged a 15" AK from Auntie in the same range.

I like the CS Gurka Kukri, it's just if I'm dropping $140-160 I'd rather own another HI kukri.
 
Dirtbiker said:
They are cheap enough and have a great reputation for their other blades, go for it.
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I did go for it.The pack golok is a steal for under $50.As stated elsewhere,the handle is essentially 2 blocks of wood riveted into place without much shaping-so in 55minutes with a 4 way wood rasp,a sanding sponge and 3 grades of sandpaper,I have it shaped,sanded and 1 coat of tru-oil on the resulting handle.My experience with Condor is that the 1075 steel is actually quite tough and holds an edge well,but keeping in mind batch heat treating could result in an occasional bad knife.This will be my "sacrificial" blade that I carry in the auto with the grab and go kit.Sacrificial because it wouldn't break my heart if it were to be discovered and confiscated by the local gendarmes.I would not risk that with one of my HI blades. Joe.
 
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