Condor Machete and KnivesCondor Tool and Knife Company supply a large choice of machetes and knives and have recently created a range specifically for “Bush craft”.
The knives in this review have all been designed by Joezilla and it is mainly because of Joe that Condor has moved into this area.
Condor with their years of experience in making blades have come up with a way to make their machete blades thinner but to still retain the strength as a thicker blade, giving you better speed and flexibility.
For the past 3 weeks I have been out with the knives to put them to the test and see how good they are. Also I was out clearing some wood for the local land owner so have had the perfect opportunity to try out the machetes.
Blades: All the items in this review are made from 1075 high carbon steel that has been heated and annealed to 53 Rockwell for the machetes and 57-59 Rockwell for the knives. They come with a hand finished and polished edge razor sharp and ready to use.
Blade finishes:ULTRABLAC2:
All the blades apart from the “bushlore” knife have the ULTRABLAC2 coating which is a black oxide finish to give better protection to the blade. The oxide is cooked on to the metal at 285 oF
Blasted Satin:
The satin finish is achieved by sand or bead blasting the metal
Sheaths
Sheaths
All the knives came with their own handcrafted sheaths. They are made from high quality, heavy duty 3mm black leather. Made from 2 pieces cut to size and a spacer in between which are securely stitched together with heavy duty thread. Each of these sheaths has the swivelling belt loop. This is a great feature which allows the tool to swing out of the way when it catches on branches brush etc also when sitting you can tilt the sheath so that it doesn’t stick into you.
When I first got them the sheaths were flat but after putting the knives into them they moulded to the shape of the blade and handle almost like they were wet formed. They hold the knives tight and the handles go in nice and deep making them very secure. I haven’t had any slip out or become loose since I have had them.
Bolo Machete
Specs:
Overall length: 20 ½”
Blade length: 15 ½”
Blade Width: 1 ½” tapering up to just under 2 ¾” at its widest point
Blade thickness: 2mm
Weight: 1lb 6.5 oz
Blade finish: ULTRABLAC2
The Bolo features a full tang construction with a textured polypropylene handle. It has a metal lanyard eyelet that goes through the tang making it more secure.
Well after 1 hour of work the difference in weight compared to my Martindale that weighs 1.92lb was obvious. I was able to chop and clear far more effectively as my arm didn’t tire as much as when I used the heavier Martindale and although lighter I was able to get the same amount of force required to cut.
It went through the undergrowth with ease and when working on the branches I was impressed with the edge retention. I was expecting to use the sharpening stone more often but as it turned out it only needed it every half hour or so ( I like to keep them well honed) And only took a few minutes to get the edge keen again.
I found I could get a finer and cleaner cut with the Bolo and found that it far surpassed my old Martindale for shaping wood and I was able to use the edge near the handle like a plane to smooth the topside of a branch.
The extra 4” of blade on the top gave me a lot more options when working. Not only can you use it in an upward stroke to clear of a branch you can also grip the machete upside down making it excellent for splitting kindle, using it for finer shaping or like a small knife to cut meat etc.
The handle looks and feels solid and the textured grip makes it comfortable in the hand even after a few hours. Although it can slip a little bit when your hand gets sweaty the shape of the front and back guard counteracts this so it doesn’t go flying. It also helps to protect the knuckles from any bangs. I have always preferred the eyelet to go through the tang as I find it is much safer than if it was just through the handle itself. This is a dependable tool great for chopping, splitting and clearing. It can also handle lighter tasks if needed.
Golok:
Specs:
Overall length: 20”
Blade length: 14”
Blade Width: 3 cm wide at the handle tapering up to 5cm at its widest
Blade thickness: 5mm
Weight: 1lb 5.1 oz
Blade finish: ULTRABLAC2
The Golok has a full tang construction with a shaped walnut handle and secured with 3 brass pins. There is a brass eyelet going through the butt of the handle.
I took the Golok out as well into the wood and it was by far the easiest and fastest to use. It has an excellent balance taking out a lot of the strain out when swinging it.
It cuts through cover easily and has no trouble handling up to medium size branches and also splitting medium size logs. Although it doesn’t have the same weight behind it as the Bolo its battoning ability compensates for this.
I think this machete really comes into its own when used for camp craft. Its lightness gives plenty of control when working wood. The tip is great for skinning game shaving wood etc.
The outer curve is where the heavy work gets done such as splitting and chopping and the rest of the blade makes carving and fine work easy. A great tool for shelter building, making camp furniture and general use.
(Building an a frame bed with the Golok)
The edge retention is excellent and sharpens up easily when needed.
The walnut handle is comfortable to hold even for long periods of time and gives an excellent grip. It is 4” in diameter curving down to end in a large ball which gives more security when using as it stops the blade sliding in the hand. The eyelet is very secure although it wasn’t flush to the wood making a ridge that tended to snag. I fixed this by rubbing it down with a bit of sand paper so it wasn’t a real problem.
The finish to the handle was good and the only thing that let it down was the tool and sanding marks next to the butt end but a rub over with the paper will easily get them out.
An excellent tool that is a pleasure to use. In my opinion its high quality makes this a very good value machete.
Rodan knife
Specs:
Overall length: 10 ¾”
Blade length: 5 ½”
Blade thickness: 3mm
Weight: 9.7 oz
Blade finish: ULTRABLAC2
The Rodan has the polypropylene handle with the full tang and metal eyelet.
The balance slightly favours slightly towards the back but it does give a good feeling of control when using.
This is a very sturdy knife capable of handling heavy duty tasks such as skinning/butchering large game, rough carving etc. It excels at splitting as the thick spine can cope with heavy battoning and can shave wood with ease.
I found that it was a bit too big to do any fine carving with but the edge is great for feathering sticks etc. The edge held very well and it doesn’t take much time to bring it back from being dull.
The textured handle is nicely shaped and gives plenty of grip although it can be slightly slippy when wet. The shaped back however keeps it from sliding out of the hand.
The eyelet didn’t quite sit flush to the outside of the handle and it was distracting first off. Also the handle was slightly mismatched at the back but it isn’t noticeable when holding.
Apart from that this is a very strong and sturdy knife that feels very secure when using and is able to stand up to most tasks. It was a great addition for me around the campsite when I was out and was used a lot.
Bushlore knife:
Specs
Overall length: Just under 9 ¼”
Blade length: 4 ¼”
Blade thickness: 4mm
Weight: 7.3 oz
Blade finish: Blasted satin
The bushlore knife again has a full tang with walnut scales and is secured with 2 brass pins and the brass eyelet which goes through the tang.
This knife is nicely weighted with a good balance. It is very comfortable to hold and the shape of the handle gives it a very secure grip.
An excellent all round knife based on the popular woodlore design.
With its thick blade it has a superb battoning quality. The shape of the blade gives plenty of edge to work with and the tip is strong enough to bore without having to worry about it snapping/bending. As a utility knife it can do anything asked of it chopping, slicing, skinning etc and for working wood it is excellent. The curve of the blade allows you to get in close to the work and the tip easily handles fine carving.
The overall shape of the knife gives great control and there is enough un-edged blade to be able to get your hand up on the knife. The thick spine gives you plenty of room for your thumb allowing for greater control and pressure without it being uncomfortable.
The blade takes on an edge well and the retention is excellent.
The finish to the handle is nice and smooth and again the only thing that lets it down is the eyelet which doesn’t sit flush to the wood and leaves a ridge.
For anyone on a budget looking for a high quality woody style knife you can’t go wrong here and has to be my favourite of the Condor knives.
Bush craft Basic 4” and 5”
Specs:
4” 5”
Overall length: 8 ½” 9 ½”
Blade Length: 4” 5”
Blade Thickness: 3mm 3mm
Weight: 5.1 oz 6.3 oz
Blade finish: ULTRABLAC2
The Bush craft basic knives both are full tang with walnut scales and secured with 3 brass pins.
Both are weighted nicely and the 5” has a good centre balance whereas the 4” tends to favour the back slightly.
They fit well in the hand and although the handles are slightly blocky in shape they are comfortable even when using for a long time.
These make excellent utility knives. The large sweep of the blade makes game and food preparation easy as it gives a good angle to work with.
I found that the grind allows the knife to give a good bite and made it easy to get fine shavings for feathering and tinder. The weight and shape of these knives gives you good control when it comes to heavier carving/shaping and you can use the front to plane down wood.
The curve is slightly too big to do fine tip work but for boring this larger area is very good.
Both have a thickness big enough to baton confidently with the 5” knife able to handle slightly larger logs.
Both knives sharpened up very well when needed and the edge retention was excellent.
The finishes to the handles are smooth with all the pins sitting flush to the wood. The edges are rounded enough to make them comfortable in the hand and the scales match up with the tang nicely.
Bush craft basic 2”:
specs
Overall length: 5 ¾”
Blade length: 2”
Blade thickness: 2 ½mm
Weight: 2.4oz
Blade Finish: ULTRABLAC2
The smallest of the bush craft basic range this little knife has the full tang with walnut scales secured by 3 brass pins.
It is weighted towards the back and fits well in the hand although somebody with big hands might find the handle a bit too small. It gives a secure grip and you can hold it and get your thumb right up to the tip for excellent control of the knife.
I found this knife to be a great little carver. You can get lots of pressure on the blade when using different cuts and the shape allows you to do fine carving. It has a good point and is small enough to get fine detail in the wood but is strong and can withstand heavy use
I also found it was good to have on me all day as it had many uses around the home as well. It easily cuts up fruit, veg, cheese etc and was great for cutting leather and material. I skinned and jointed a rabbit with no troubles.
It sharpens up very well and holds its edge for a long time. The handle like the 4” and 5” is quite blocky but has a good thickness giving plenty to grip.
At first the edges of the handle were a bit sharp but after I rounded them off a bit more it was comfortable to use even for a longer duration.
The pins sit flush to the scales as does the tang so no problems there.
You can really see the years of experience Condor have when you use one of their blades. They are all of high quality and strength.
Together with the designs that Joe has put lots of time and effort into they have produced items that are capable of handling any tasks asked of them.
Both Condor and Joe wanted to create tools that had high quality but so that they were affordable to everyone and none of the machetes or knives sell for over $40. Even with shipping I think you get a very good bargain indeed.
In my opinion they certainly have achieved this and I wouldn’t expect any of their blades to fail me.
CBJ
Subject: Condor machetes and knives 
Sun Jun 03, 2012 4:47 am