Condor Wilderness Survival Tool

[shangchi108]

I already posted about this in the Wilderness and Survival forum. No one seemed to know much about it.

I know you guys have a high regard for Imacasa products, particularly their Condor Tool and Knife line. I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the Condor Wilderness Tool. I handled one the other day at the Supply Sargent and I was impressed. I'm thinking of getting one to keep in the back of my Forester. What do you all think?

 

[fixer]

i've never seen that tool before, and i'm not familar with Imcasa... so i can only give you my impression based on the pic.

it LOOKS like a smaller version of a Woodsman's Pal, crossed with a hatchet.

it looks too light to make a good hatchet, and it looks like a pain to sharpen because it's sharp almost everywhere. the curve on the bottom edge of the head/opposite the hatchet blade looks REALLY hard to sharpen.

i'm not sure what the notch in the head is for. the other edges don't look great for much.

in my truck, i keep a Stanley Fubar. it's a "demolition tool" it's got a hammer, "lumber wrench" and prybar. it's one piece of steel. and i also keep a pair of fencing pliers (which are also a hammer with a staple pulling spike), a 4' D handled shovel and a large blade that i can't remember the name of. it's by Kershaw and has a D2 blade. i want to add an Estwing "cruiser" axe.

not sure what you'd use a "hatchet" like the one you show for in the LA area. it doesn't look like it's a good tool for anything other than making your wallet slimmer.

but like i said... i haven't seen one in person, i could be wrong.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

... and a large blade that i can't remember the name of. it's by Kershaw and has a D2 blade.

Kershaw Outcast Ken Onion Designed Fixed Blade Knife 10" D2 Blade ?

 

[AZWaterRat]

This remindes me of the woodsmans pal.

 

[fixer]

Kershaw Outcast Ken Onion Designed Fixed Blade Knife 10" D2 Blade ?

bingo!

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I personally think that that design tries to do too many things with too many features, when instead you can boil the intent down to just a couple of edges.

I grab this guy when I head into the woods, which is also by Condor. I believe I mentioned it in the other thread.

However, I think that an ideal take on a machete design for such wide-ranging tasks would be something like this guy, which I posted for discussion a while back. I've proposed the model to Condor, but haven't heard anything back on it. I'm going to try making one myself, whenever it is I manage to find the time.

 

[adaman04]

I agree with the Woodsman Pal comment and I agree it doesn't look like anything I'd tote to the woods. Maybe I'm just too simple, but I'd rather just have a small machete or a chopper of the roughly the same size. Oddball shapes and too many sharpened edges aren't my thing.

 

[tarditi]

I agree with the Woodsman Pal comment and I agree it doesn't look like anything I'd tote to the woods. Maybe I'm just too simple, but I'd rather just have a small machete or a chopper of the roughly the same size. Oddball shapes and too many sharpened edges aren't my thing.

I agree - looks like it's not sure what it wants to be when it grows up.

I can live with a funky design, but this doesn't work for me - looks like a star trek prop.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I agree - looks like it's not sure what it wants to be when it grows up.

I can live with a funky design, but this doesn't work for me - looks like a star trek prop.

Which is exactly why you've never heard anything about these beyond threads like this one!

 

[shangchi108]

i've never seen that tool before, and i'm not familar with Imcasa... so i can only give you my impression based on the pic.

it LOOKS like a smaller version of a Woodsman's Pal, crossed with a hatchet.

it looks too light to make a good hatchet, and it looks like a pain to sharpen because it's sharp almost everywhere. the curve on the bottom edge of the head/opposite the hatchet blade looks REALLY hard to sharpen.

i'm not sure what the notch in the head is for. the other edges don't look great for much.

in my truck, i keep a Stanley Fubar. it's a "demolition tool" it's got a hammer, "lumber wrench" and prybar. it's one piece of steel. and i also keep a pair of fencing pliers (which are also a hammer with a staple pulling spike), a 4' D handled shovel and a large blade that i can't remember the name of. it's by Kershaw and has a D2 blade. i want to add an Estwing "cruiser" axe.

not sure what you'd use a "hatchet" like the one you show for in the LA area. it doesn't look like it's a good tool for anything other than making your wallet slimmer.

but like i said... i haven't seen one in person, i could be wrong.

Thanks for the response.

Imacasa is the manufacturer of ESEE's light machete blade, so I would think their products would be familiar to a lot of ESEE fans.

You're right about the resemblance to the Woodman's Pal.

It's got more heft than you think. I thought it was a gimmick until I actually held one. It's more substantial than I thought it would be. Thicker than a machete. The top edge is only a partial bevel and is designed for digging. That edge is not sharp, but the rest of the edges are convexed and razor sharp. The curved edge is probably no harder to sharpen than the hook on the Woodman's Pal and other similar designs.

The "notch" is Condor's signature "eye of the Condor". It's a trademark and is more for good luck than anything else.

A much cooler wrecking bar than the Stanley is Dead On's Annihilator:

It's one serious chunk of steel and just makes the Stanley look like...well...something named "Stanley".

Sounds like you got a good selection of tools. I'm looking for something that would be more suitable for use in an emergency. It's always better to have the right tool for the right job, but sometimes you have to make do with what you can carry.

LA is a vast city, but it's only a very small part of California, and I don't always stay in the city. I don't always stay in California! I'm planning a road trip to Idaho soon and I hope to see some pristine wilderness along the way.

 

[shangchi108]

I personally think that that design tries to do too many things with too many features, when instead you can boil the intent down to just a couple of edges.

I grab this guy when I head into the woods, which is also by Condor. I believe I mentioned it in the other thread.

Yea, like the Brown Tracker, it tries to do a lot. I guess that's the whole idea behind a "survival" tool. Doesn't do anything well, but does enough in an emergency, I guess.

Your tool is a Condor's Bushknife. I may end up going with that one instead of the Wilderness too.

However, I think that an ideal take on a machete design for such wide-ranging tasks would be something like this guy, which I posted for discussion a while back. I've proposed the model to Condor, but haven't heard anything back on it. I'm going to try making one myself, whenever it is I manage to find the time.

I'm not surprised that Condor isn't interested, since they already make this:

For what it's worth, I like your design, too.

 

[fixer]

Thanks for the response.

Imacasa is the manufacturer of ESEE's light machete blade, so I would think their products would be familiar to a lot of ESEE fans.

You're right about the resemblance to the Woodman's Pal.

It's got more heft than you think. I thought it was a gimmick until I actually held one. It's more substantial than I thought it would be. Thicker than a machete. The top edge is only a partial bevel and is designed for digging. That edge is not sharp, but the rest of the edges are convexed and razor sharp. The curved edge is probably no harder to sharpen than the hook on the Woodman's Pal and other similar designs.

The "notch" is Condor's signature "eye of the Condor". It's a trademark and is more for good luck than anything else.

A much cooler wrecking bar than the Stanley is Dead On's Annihilator:

It's one serious chunk of steel and just makes the Stanley look like...well...something named "Stanley".

Sounds like you got a good selection of tools. I'm looking for something that would be more suitable for use in an emergency. It's always better to have the right tool for the right job, but sometimes you have to make do with what you can carry.

LA is a vast city, but it's only a very small part of California, and I don't always stay in the city. I don't always stay in California! I'm planning a road trip to Idaho soon and I hope to see some pristine wilderness along the way.

yeah... i realized that Imcasa was the company that makes the Lite Machete blads after i made my post. but i haven't seen a bunch of their other stuff, at least not that i can recall.

the hook on this tool is a tighter radius than the Woodsman's Pal. so ease of sharpening that part will depend on the size of the whatever you're using. using a chef's steel, or the diamond stick from Smith's wouldn't be bad, using a large stone would be a pain.

the Dead On tool is cooler. no argument about that, but it didn't come out until several years after the Fubar hit the market... and had already been clearanced out of WalMart. there's also a cool looking titanium version by another company with a steel strike face but it's much more expensive.

"eye of the condor"? ok. i knew it wasn't a nail puller or O2 wrench. now i know.

and that one edge might be "meant for digging", but i wouldn't want to use it to try and unstick a vehicle that's high centered or rebuild a dirt road. the tools i have in the truck are meant for emergency use. and some are chosen based on problems i've had before. they're not stuff that gets used daily... but i'm also not planning on hauling all that anywhere. the Kershaw Outkast and the fence pliers OR the Fubar, OR the axe are packable... the other stuff stays. well, ideally everything stays in the truck and we get the truck unstuck or going again. barring that, i'd only haul what i thought i needed.

i've gotta figure out where the bow saw ended up. it's probably hiding in the garage.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Your tool is a Condor's Bushknife. I may end up going with that one instead of the Wilderness too.

Get it. It rocks. My design was inspired by its shortcomings, but it's a fantastic and versatile hatchet replacement. It's one of my favorite woods choppers.

I'm not surprised that Condor isn't interested, since they already make this:

For what it's worth, I like your design, too.

It bears certain cosmetic similarities, but trust me--it's a totally different animal. I'm going to try to get one made, and if it performs as well as I think it will then I may try to have a batch made up like Fiddleback is with his custom machete designs.

 

[ScottyD]

Why not buy the Esee Lite-Machete? The Firestone belt ax might answer your needs also.

 

[tarditi]

A much cooler wrecking bar than the Stanley is Dead On's Annihilator:

I saw this at Home Depot today - picked it up and tested the weight... while it's built like a tank, it is VERY heavy - great for demo work, not great if you're packing it on your back.

 

[shangchi108]

Why not buy the Esee Lite-Machete? The Firestone belt ax might answer your needs also.

I'm sure the ESEE/Imacasa machete is excellent, but I was looking at the Condor Golok. I just like the design and feel of the handle better than a standard machete handle.

I looked at the Firestone belt ax and posted about it on the Wilderness Survival forum. No one seems to have used one, and I don't know where I can find one locally so I can actually hold it. I like the concept.

 

[shangchi108]

I saw this at Home Depot today - picked it up and tested the weight... while it's built like a tank, it is VERY heavy - great for demo work, not great if you're packing it on your back.

Yea, I just brought it up as a thing of interest. I'd never consider actually carrying one of those things into the bush.

 

[ron_m80]

Go for the Condor Golok, I got my new one ini the mail the other day, and i love it more than the original. for the money its one hell of a tool, it performs.

 

[R.A.T.]

I saw this at Home Depot today - picked it up and tested the weight... while it's built like a tank, it is VERY heavy - great for demo work, not great if you're packing it on your back.

I will be picking one of those up to leave in the truck!

 

[tarditi]

Yea, I just brought it up as a thing of interest. I'd never consider actually carrying one of those things into the bush.

When I say "picked it up" I meant took it off the shelf and hefted it a few times... I didn't buy it, though, seemed like an answer to a question I never asked.