Thoughts on Condor 14" Golok..

Battle Creek Knives

Battle Creek Knives

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Feb 23, 2010
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The other day I bought a Condor Golok, been contemplating for a while adn you never can have to many machetes.

Today I took it out and thrashed it around a bit, cut some limbs.. then batoned a 18" piece of oak fire wood down to finger size sticks..

no chips, rolled edges or even dulled much if at all, still able to cut paper fairly easily, so far I'd say this is right up there with 1095 for the most part.. time will tell, but for now I'm really impressed with this blade..

Anyone have long term experience with Condor??

I'll post pics of the wear later but here's its new state..

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=801275
 
Don't own any Condor products (yet) but 98% of the comments I have seen on this board have only positive things to say about them. And as picky as we can get on here, it tells me Condor is doing something right!
 
I have a good few years of experience with Condors in both their 420HC stainless and 1075 carbon and I can tell you I've never been disappointed. In fact I used my Rodan today while hunting fatwood and it cut like a Mora yet was able to pry away wood without me being afraid of hurting it.

As long as you don't expect the consistency/QC of an American company then you'll never be disappointed. They cost a song and a dance and have the best designs, factory edges, and sheaths of anyone in the machete business. And if you ever get a lemon (which is rare) just give them a call and they'll fix it right up!

Two examples of Condor's outstanding customer service: After selling my old and well-loved Viking model to a guy in need, the replacement I ordered was great except the sheath was a little dry and wrinkly in places. Rick Jones at Condor sent me a new sheath without even asking for pictures of the old one, which I would have been more than happy to supply. Also, the Rodan I own is a first-gen model with the slightly rougher grinds and the older style of sheath which had some retention issues. I sent Rick an e-mail asking specifically if I could buy a new sheath for it, and he sent me a new one for free. :eek:
 
I have a 14" Golok and looking forward to hear folks' experiences with it. I just got mine a week or so ago. Need a sheath.
 
The Condor Golok is on "my list". My research tells me it's a fine blade.


How strong is the sheath?

EDIT: does anyone have pictures of the "other side" of the Condor Golok sheath [the swiveling belt loop side]?
 
The sheath is quite sturdy--good thick leather. I don't have a photo handy of the swivel attachment, but it's held by a single large rivet. I have numerous Condors with the same swivel and they hold up just fine. :)
 
The sheaths are commonly sold separately and at the moment are difficult to get as they sell out pretty much as soon as they come in. If anyone knows where there is one "in stock", I would buy it immediately.

Added: I checked New Graham and they had the sheath in stock. Ordered it. I was somewhat surprised since I had checked everywhere I normally shop a week or so ago.
 
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FortyTwoBlades said:
I have a good few years of experience with Condors in both their 420HC stainless and 1075 carbon and I can tell you I've never been disappointed. In fact I used my Rodan today while hunting fatwood and it cut like a Mora yet was able to pry away wood without me being afraid of hurting it.
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How is the 420 compared to the carbon in edge retention etc?? Mora is another outstanding bang for the buck.......... not one complaint period....

bladerique said:
The Condor Golok is on "my list". My research tells me it's a fine blade.


How strong is the sheath?
Click to expand...

put the Golok on the top of your list you will not be disappointed......

the sheath is very well made, its the best leather sheath I have hands down...

I'm eventually gonna buy their 'bushlore' and the 'sapien' knife in the near future. I like a quality (high end) knife like anyone else, but I'm slowly leaning toward tools that work without the hype and I think Condors one..
 
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I have one with leather sheath and lovin' it! Not afraid to twist it, pry it, beat it, etc...just can't bring myself to do some of these thing with knives costing 3,4,5 times the cost (even though they would be able to take it I'm sure).
 
I have a couple of their machetes and they can really take some abuse!

For the price, I just made some cardboard/ductape sheaths. :thumbup:
 
TheLastDaze said:
How is the 420 compared to the carbon in edge retention etc?? Mora is another outstanding bang for the buck.......... not one complaint period....
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Quite good! I'd say that their 420HC holds an edge about as well as the carbon steel machetes by any other quality manufacturer. Their 1075 holds an edge even better and sharpens up stupidly easy, but I'd say it's an even trade. The corrosion resistance of the 420HC is really convenient, there's no noticeable suffering in performance, and also the UltraBlac coating they put on them is bombproof. I've never managed to scratch it off. :thumbup:

I'm eventually gonna buy their 'bushlore' and the 'sapien' knife in the near future. I like a quality (high end) knife like anyone else, but I'm slowly leaning toward tools that work without the hype and I think Condors one..
Click to expand...

I really like both of those knives, though I'd like to see the Bushlore done in at least a full flat grind like the Rodan/Kumunga, if not in thinner stock. It's just really thick for it to be useful for me. Otherwise I think it's a great design. The ergos are perfect! The Sapien is really nice and thin though. I like to think of it as a bushcraft paring knife. :D It would be very well suited to fine woodcarving tasks--it's VERY controllable.
 
Purchsed one, Broke it in half, warranty replaced it with no questions asked, and I have been happily chopping with it since. It is one of those tools that really shines in its value.
 
The very first batch of them had a flaw in the heat treatment (same with the kukri, if I remember correctly) but all the recent ones have been good, to my knowledge at least. :)
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
and also the UltraBlac coating they put on them is bombproof. I've never managed to scratch it off. :thumbup:
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apparently battoning through oak helped it scuff off a bit, so I went ahead and stripped it completely...

I really liked the way it looked before with the polished spine etc.. but again, its just as sweet striped..
 
C:\Documents and Settings\SIRBEN\My Documents\My Pictures\Picasa\Exports\condor golok #1\DSCN0836.JPG
C:\Documents and Settings\SIRBEN\My Documents\My Pictures\Picasa\Exports\condor golok #2\DSCN0837.JPG
Here are pics of my older modified golok with its' wooden sheath and my new Condor Golok with factory sheath. I was very pleased with the stout leather sheath when I got it. If lost in the wilds this is the knife I would want at my side for shelter and firewood.
 
I received the sheath and I'm quite impressed. I was led to believe in the store that they weren't so great.
 
TheLastDaze said:
apparently battoning through oak helped it scuff off a bit, so I went ahead and stripped it completely...

I really liked the way it looked before with the polished spine etc.. but again, its just as sweet striped..
Click to expand...

The UltraBlac coating is used on the stainless models only. The carbon models use a regular epoxy-based coating. Not sure exactly why but I hear that the UltraBlac just doesn't take on carbon steel. Hope that clears things up--my Rodan and Kumunga are nice and stripy now. My stainless pieces remain nice, solid black. :D
 
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