The Inca: A 12" Machete by Condor

HighDesertWalker

HighDesertWalker

Joined
Mar 11, 2008
Messages
1,357
My Inca machete arrived a few days ago and I now have a few pics to show. This thread does not present a full review, but I did do a little chopping as well.

The Inca has a 12" blade of 420 HC stainless with a thickness of 2.2 mm (0.0866 in). It comes with a quality black leather sheath and has a blue Santoprene (a thermoplastic vulcanizate - TPV) handle.

dscf1177hi0.jpg


The blade finish and profiling is the best I've ever seen on a production machete. The edge is carefully convexed and is razor sharp out of the box. The sides of the blade have a very uniform satin finish and the top of the blade has been slightly rounded. There are no sharp edges on this blade except at the cutting edge.

dscf1178dz9.jpg


The Inca weighs 12 oz in the hand and 1 lb in the sheath.

dscf1181lh3.jpg


dscf1180ip9.jpg


dscf1183wo4.jpg


The Inca was so sharp out of the box that it could easily sever light brush with a flick of the wrist. I also tried it out on a tough 1.25" Juniper branch.

dscf1184fm6.jpg


Access to the branch was poor, so it took five awkward whacks to sever the limb.

dscf1185kg3.jpg


I have no hesitation at all in recommending the Inca to anyone needing a small, weight-efficient chopping blade to take along hiking and camping. The quality cannot be matched and I am already planning my next purchase. I'll probably get the panga shaped "Puerto Rican" model, which sports a 14.5" blade.

Cheers, :)
 
Thanks for the review, Bill. I have both the 10" and 12" Incas. My 12" is slightly crooked after I batonned it through a chunk of live oak. But it returned almost to true after being bent way out of shape by the gnarly wood. I still use it around the yard. All Condors come with beautiful hand polished edges. I have the 14.5" Puerto Rican, and it is an amazing chopper for such a thin light machete. The handle did loosen some, though. I am looking at their bolo next. It has the unbreakable handle. Some don't care for the Condors because they are only hardened to 53 RC, but they seem to work well and are easy to resharpen. They won't rust, and they come with leather sheaths that would cost a bunch if they were made here. I still prefer the Tramontinas, because of the price, but those Condors are the Cadillacs of the machete world.
 
Horn Dog said:
Thanks for the review, Bill. I have both the 10" and 12" Incas. My 12" is slightly crooked after I batonned it through a chunk of live oak. But it returned almost to true after being bent way out of shape by the gnarly wood. I still use it around the yard. All Condors come with beautiful hand polished edges. I have the 14.5" Puerto Rican, and it is an amazing chopper for such a thin light machete. The handle did loosen some, though. I am looking at their bolo next. It has the unbreakable handle. Some don't care for the Condors because they are only hardened to 53 RC, but they seem to work well and are easy to resharpen. They won't rust, and they come with leather sheaths that would cost a bunch if they were made here. I still prefer the Tramontinas, because of the price, but those Condors are the Cadillacs of the machete world.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info HornD. Actual Rockwell hardness figures are difficult to find for machetes. But after a lot of internet searching I came up with a figure of anywhere from 45 to 52 for both Martindale and Tramontina machetes. The Ontarios are a lot harder and prone to brittle failure on hard materials, but I never found any actual specs. So the figure of 53 for the Condors is fairly typical, actually on the high end, for machetes.
 
I've been thinking about their Combat model. The sheath looks good from the pictures.Is it made from reasonably heavy leather and in such a way that the blade won't cut the stiching?
 
R.H.Clark said:
I've been thinking about their Combat model. The sheath looks good from the pictures.Is it made from reasonably heavy leather and in such a way that the blade won't cut the stiching?
Click to expand...

The sheath is made with three layers of leather with the middle layer designed to protect the stitching. Looks safe to me. :thumbup:
 
Last edited:
Thanks HDW
I couldn't think what that middle protective layer was called.Do you think you have chopped enough to be resonable sure the stainless blade won't chip with heavy use? I don't know much about steels myself,I've just read a bunch about carbon steel being better for larger blades.
 
did you get one for dingus????:D, looking good hw:thumbup:
 
HighDesertWalker said:
Thanks for the info HornD. Actual Rockwell hardness figures are difficult to find for machetes. But after a lot of internet searching I came up with a figure of anywhere from 45 to 52 for both Martindale and Tramontina machetes. The Ontarios are a lot harder and prone to brittle failure on hard materials, but I never found any actual specs. So the figure of 53 for the Condors is fairly typical, actually on the high end, for machetes.
Click to expand...

Arlan Loethe, Condor's designer told me last year at Blade that he specified a 53 rockwell. One reason was to reduce manufacturing costs. He also wanted to maintain flexibility and toughness in them. The steel is German 420HC. I suppose it could be hardened to 58 or more like Buck's, but it might be too brittle for a machete. Interestingly, he designed for Chicago Cutlery, too. He said that the meat cutters requested their work knives only be hardened to 53RC for the commercial work knives. I guess ease of sharpening was the reason.
 
knifeandgun010bj7.jpg





Three of my more portable choppers. That Condor will handle ALL camp chores on it's own, and do it well.

That Middle light weight hatchet has been on at least a hundred Camping trips and hikes. I paid nine bucks for it new about 25 years ago. It came with a Sharp Finger hunting knife as well. I still have that too.
 
thanks for the review, these seem to be really good blades, especially considering they don't seem to need any work when you get them.

one of the few factories i can think of that people aren't always saying oh it would be good if it came this way or that way instead...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top