Quality/Value of Condor Knives and Axes

My experience with Condor has been all good. I think the quality for the price is very good. I have found the sheaths to substantial enough for backwoods use. Like all companies they are off a little once in a while. I read an evaluation of one of their new models that said it did not feel as balanced as it should but that it still performed well. Many have said their machetes are some of the best you can buy.
 
They perform WELL above their very modest asking price, which is why I'm such a tremendous fan of them. They have QC problems from time to time, but their designs and material are excellent, and their customer service is FANTASTIC. :):thumbup:

By the way, I may be a little biased, as I do retail them, but anyone who knows me on here can tell you I've been a big proponent of theirs for years before I started selling them. The reason I sell them is because I like them--not the other way around! :D
 
I agree they are generally good quality for the money, and being located so close to the USA is a plus. (The distance from Houston, Texas to their factory, as the crow flies, is about the same distance as from Houston to Richmond, Virginia, by my reckoning.) I hope their workers are treated OK.
 
From what I hear, they're treated quite well. And they're ISO 9000 certified. :)
 
have a condor parang and the quality has been outstanding so far. tough convex edge. steel on the softer side so it's a breeze to sharpen. Bang for buck it's the only place I'll go for machetes. Not to mention the lifetime warranty and outstanding customer service I've seen from them. Very safe buy. It's also a great option if you want to customize it a bit. It's not so expensive you feel like you may ruin in but you can do a couple little things that make it look like a $50-60 machete if you care to. Great great bang for buck.
 
I have a Golok, a Kumunga, and a recently obtained the Varan.

I have used the Golok and Kumunga a bunch. They have taken a ton of abuse and I love them. This is my Kumunga (my favorite of the three):

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The sheath works great. I like the easy access of the pouch style. I am used to Kydex and Spec-Ops sheaths but I did not want to buy a sheath for it that was more $$$ than the knife itself.

There is a great video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iNWULVsue4
 
My favorite of the Rodan/Varan/Kumunga series is the Rodan. I've beaten the snot out of mine and it keeps on kicking, and it cuts wood almost as well as a Mora. Chops well for a small knife if you do a three-finger grab on the end of the handle.
 
I think it was on Ross' woodtrekker blog, the axe reviewed basically got a thumbs down. He felt like it was an honest attempt, but they didn't have their mind around what makes a great axe. their machetes though, they understand that and no one argues that they are good.
 
I think the thumbs down on that one was honestly a little overly critical given its intended function and price point. The wedge-shaped geometry makes sense--it's a camping hatchet primarily for use as a splitting tool. Like a splitting wedge with a handle.
 
I like the Ontario Machetes pretty well, although the handles needs some work to fit most hands well. But I would have no reservations about a Condor based on things I have read over the last couple years. But I have never had one.

I checked one Condor specs (14" Golok) and they use 1075 steel, Ontario uses 1095. At first thought you might think the 1095 is better, but they don't go for full hardness (seems like 55 on Ontario) so not advantage to the 1095 in this case. (as I understand these things)

So in short, go buy a condor that looks cool. But for axes get a vintage USA or modern swedish made.
 
If you look at the line of products Condor has out this year, the quality is great. With respect to their axes, they still have some work to do in terms of design, but the execution/quality control is great. When it comes to their knives, this year they seem to have fixed all their quality control problems, and I like their designs a lot. They have been making great machetes for a long time.

I did a review of the 2011 Bushlore knife here: http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2011/05/condor-bushlore-2011-model-review.html and of the Scout Hatchet here: http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/2011/06/condor-scout-hatchet-review.html

Ross
http://woodtrekker.blogspot.com/
 
New guy here to the blade forums and saw this thread regarding Condor axes. I started a blog a few weeks on bushcraft and camping and I'm currently looking at the 2011 Condor Greenland Pattern Axe and have thus far been pretty impressed with it. Granted I have never owned a quality axe in the past and don't have anything to compare this too other than Walmart and Target garbage, but this Axe has a definite quality feel to it and chops like a champ. I plan to do a full followup review when I can better field test this axe. A direct link to the initial review is here - http://www.hoosierbushcraft.com/2011/07/early-review-condor-greenland-pattern.html

I know everybody has heard this a million times or more, but I know for a fact that Condor is working very hard to please the customer and taking all suggestions to heart. The major changes in the 2011 line is evidence of this. Thanks for reading and I'm happy to be a new member of these forums!! :)

- Bill
www.hoosierbushcraft.com

www.facebook.com/wpeltola
www.twitter.com/wpeltola

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Thanks Bill. I like the Greenland a lot more than the Scout hatchet. Can't wait for the review.
 
rg598 said:
Thanks Bill. I like the Greenland a lot more than the Scout hatchet. Can't wait for the review.
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Thanks Ross :) I'm more of a fan of the longer hatchets with at least a 15" handle and the Greenland fits in my big hands just right with enough heft to it for chopping and more fine work if needed. It's not as easy to toss into a pack due to it's slightly longer size, but I like to keep my hatchet at the ready on my belt. Thanks for the reply, sir.

- Bill
www.hoosierbushcraft.com

www.facebook.com/wpeltola
www.twitter.com/wpeltola
 
rg598 said:
If you look at the line of products Condor has out this year, the quality is great. With respect to their axes, they still have some work to do in terms of design, but the execution/quality control is great. When it comes to their knives, this year they seem to have fixed all their quality control problems, and I like their designs a lot.
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As much as I love Condor, I have to disagree on the quality control part. They're trying really hard and they've fixed a lot of problems, but of my initial order of them I had to send nearly a quarter of them back for QC issues(there's a reason I inspect every item that comes in!:eek:) They're working on it super hard, though, and if you ever end up with a bad one they'll take care of you well--their customer service is top notch! :cool::thumbup:
 
I'm looking for a Bush Knife/Chopper and I'm gonna get one or two of the Condor Machete's, I'm gonna order the Condor Kukri Machete 13" Blade and the Parang 17" Blade, I know the Parang Is gonna be a great Bush Knife but I really like the look's of there Kukri with the nice wood handle, Has anyone tryed out one of there Kukri's yet ?
 
I have the kukri - and it's great. Their Parang & Golok are excellent choppers/brush clearing machines as well.
 
Someone with more spare time than me needs to get a Tapanga and put it through its paces--now THERE'S a chopper!
 
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