See the new Condor?

[FortyTwoBlades]

Mine should be arriving today. Expect a review.

 

[Jake Bauer]

Sweet. with pics too 42.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Oh I'll take lots pictures! I already have some I took at work. I'm impressed so far! It feels JUST like a fencing saber in hand, and wears well on the hip. The blade is very thin, but stiff, and is just the right length for comfortable carry. We got two in at the shop, and my manager and I snagged them before they could go in the sword rack in the window!

The grip is comfortable once you figure out how to hold it. This is the only drawback I can find so far, as the grip isn't necessarily intuitive for folks who haven't done saber fencing before, but even my manager was able to figure it out quickly, and he had only done a little informal foil before.

I'll be using it later to clear grasses and brambles to go raspberry picking with my lady and little one, providing everything goes as planned. I'll post a full review and photos when I get the chance (probably tonight).

 

[Joezilla]

I used it earlier to test out an improvised Tameshigiri stand. The condor was out of the box sharp, and went through the mat cleanly every time. The mat stand itself did not hold up well though, and only withstood a few complete cuts before cracking at the bottom. I'm going to have to drill a hole in the middle and use a dowel. The Condor Bush cutlass cut everything it could in someone's hand who has never taken one fencing class before. If it can do that, imagine it in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing.




I already know how it does as a machete as I tested the prototype on pines, poplars, smilax vines and sawgrass.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I did saber fencing for five years, and this is the first time that I've ever been able to say that fencing is a legitimate martial art! Up until now there hasn't been anything on the market that acted as a "functional live-bladed fencing sword." Zipped right through vegetation, too! I'm uploading the massive number of photos right now and I'll post up a review.

 

[stjones]

gotta be honest, the pic in the link of the OP wasn't very appealing to me but seeing it in hand.....it's actually pretty cool!!!!
Nice vid Joezilla!!! Thanks for sharing that.
I'll be anxiously awaiting your review FTB.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I'll try to get to it tonight, but if not I'll post one up in the morning. Got some great pictures and am impressed as hell with the performance! This thing technically classifies as an EDC sword as well, as I wore it to (in order) the bottle redemption center, tack shop, the bank, Wal*Mart, Blue Seal, and PetCo and didn't get a single odd look or comment. People are honestly a lot less observant than you might think!

 

[stjones]

Either that or they were VERY CAREFUL about NOT giving on odd look!!!!
"Holy shit!!!! Dudes got a sword!!!! Look at the ground! Look at the ground! Look at the ground! WHEW!!! He's gone!!!"

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Mostly it's because I live in Maine. We really just don't give a damn here. :thumbup:

 

[stjones]

That's cool!!!
I fear jail if I tried that here EVEN though we have no fixed blade length laws.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

For those who don't realize: I would not and do not condone carrying a sword around every day--today was both a social experiment and because I just wanted to. Also I'm a bit of an eccentric. Depending on where you live you could get locked up or worse!

That being said the Bush Cutlass is one of my new best friends. In-depth review tomorrow, but a teaser shot for now.

 

[Jake Bauer]

wow..... in hand it really does look sweet.

 

[draggat]

Looks like it will be a mediocre machete and a mediocre sword.

You got it right on!! Looks like a cheap POS. A cutlass is waaaaaay too long to cut grass and do yard work with. IMHO, it's mainly a dress sword or a wall hanger. Get one of Condor's machete's instead if yardwork is your goal. I just picked up the ESEE Junglas which is my current favorite! It has a very slight recurve on the blade (it begs to cut!), the handle is really comfy and the factory sheath is amazing! I'd get the Junglas over this in a heartbeat!

 

[Joezilla]

You got it right on!! Looks like a cheap POS. A cutlass is waaaaaay too long to cut grass and do yard work with.

Ha! Tell that to the grass I just cut in my yard with it. Also tell it to the grass cutters that use a 28 inch version of this machete EVERY DAY. It is what the Bush Cutlass is based on. A Puerto Rican Grass cutting machete (Sable).

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Yeah--my Bush Cutlass was an absolute terror on the grasses I cut with it yesterday. The light blade was able to get the needed tip velocity rapidly and effortlessly and just soared through dense vegetation with ease.

I suppose now is a good time for the review anyhow, so here it goes.

When the Bush Cutlasses finally arrived at the shop I work at (they were back-ordered for a couple of months) I was pleased to find the packaging to be extremely substantial. If anything, the box size is a little excessive for its duty of containing the Bush Cutlass, but this also made it very well suited for the traditional first task of any large chopper--destroying the box it came in! It made an excellent first target, and stood on end easily while we hacked away at it.

My enthusiasm was infectious, and my manager had felt the urge to get in on the destruction.

As my day off was Tuesday and these had arrived Monday afternoon, it was a fortuitous circumstance that allowed me to get out and about for photos and fun. I began, as with all good photo sets, with a series of detail shots of the piece in question.

continued...

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

You can see the thinness of the blade here. I at first was a little disappointed by that, but upon handling it further became convinced that a thin blade was the right choice for this piece. It makes for an extremely light and fast blade with excellent handling and responsiveness, while allowing it to glide through cuts. The blade is NOT whippy.

Excellent detail in the hilt casting.

An excellent fit in the sheath.

A poor unassuming hay bale was my first target.

Continued...

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

The Bush Cutlass, as mentioned in previous posts, handles much like a fencing saber, and I felt right at home working through the old guard positions and cuts. It's hard to describe just how fast and responsive this piece is. It's positively alive in the hand!

Let the nay-sayers say nay. The Bush Cutlass is going to zip through grasses regardless! This is quite simply the best machete I've yet used for the task, kicking the crap even out of my two-handed panga with the sharpened back edge! I didn't even have to stop to make the cuts before proceeding--I was able to cut as I continued to move forward, allowing me to better make use of the dying light.

Before the Bush Cutlass:

After a few quick slashes:

Looks like it works pretty well to me!

At the power lines on my way back from the woods I took some quick beauty shots.

Continued...

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

Another before and after set. My usual route to the hay field was overgrown, and needed to be cleared for more convenient and tick-free passage.

Time for some more pretty shots.

The hilt of the Bush Cutlass also doubles as a handy arm rest!

Lastly, some examples of the kinds of cuts on light vegetation you can expect with it:

In short, I'm impressed as hell with this new piece of kit. Not only is it great for folks who like to do back-yard cutting, preparing for the zombie apocalypse, or fencing--it's also a valuable tool to have with you when out clearing trails. It'll make short work of lighter targets without requiring as much work or generating as much fatigue as using a thicker and heavier piece. Don't scoff at it until you try it--you'd be doing yourself a great disservice.

 

[moonwilson]

Growing up, I never had a "machete" per-se. What I had was my grandfather's old army saber. Like this one:

It wasn't even very sharp, but I can attest to its usefulness in the field. It was AWESOME on grasses and other light stuff. Bulky, yes. Heavy, yes. Unwieldy, yes. But it cut stuff good! I handled the Condor saber at Blade and really liked it. My only problem was that the handle was a bit too small for my hands. Being familiar with Condor and Imacasa's other products, I'm quite sure this one will hold up to hard use. I'm sure it would out-perform my grandpappy's old sword in the bush by a large margin, being thinner, lighter, with better steel and a nice convex edge. Besides being great for hacking trails, it would be quite the anti-zombie tool, and we all know they are coming.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

The biggest thing with the Bush Cutlass' handle is that you have to know how to hold it. If you've ever done saber fencing it'll be instinctive, but not for the average individual. My manager was able to figure it out quickly enough, though. The tool tells you how it wants to be used.

Those with large hands may want to cut off the beard of the lion, however, to make a little extra room for themselves. I'm more of...shall we say historical proportions? So the grip is the perfect size for me.