Condor Tool & Knife Outdoor Machete with Walnut Handle

I am a land surveyor in the southeast coast of NC. The woods here vary from light brush and tipping limbs to HEAVY, THICK, bays to swampy, vine filled wetlands. I have until now used either a Council Bush Axe or a cheap $20-$30 machete from the local stores. I "finally" decided to do quite a bit of studying for the best deal on a below $100 machete. After 2 months of research and reading reviews, I opted for the Condor Viking. I received it today. First impression: Wow! This machete is not made for cutting grass on a Sunday every 3 months behind the shed although I am sure it would do that nicely as well. The Viking is made for the long haul, 40 hr. a week, destroying anything in its path. The blade was past my expectations of sharp straight out the box. I immediately went outside and cleared the brush, up to 2" thick and a few 3"+ small trees that needed to go. The end is a little heavy for "once a month warriors" but perfect and balanced for making quick progress at clearing a path. One of the real bonuses of this machete is the double edged hook on the end. Will slice right through heavy vines and also serves to pick up cut brush and limbs and toss them to the side. Also, the 3 grooves on either side of the 3/16" blade allows the 1075 steel to flex and bend without breaking. The walnut handle is beautiful although sanded quite smooth so I will be wrapping it with grip tape but my hands sweat and would have done that with any of them. Sheath is good quality leather although it will work great without the bottom of 3 snaps. All in all, 5+ stars to Condor for craftsmanship, versatility, and usability and 5+ stars to this seller. I ordered it Wed. evening and received it Friday midday. Lastly, although I am not a zombie hunter, if you are looking for a "one swing and cut his head off" machete, be sure to hold the handle tight because when it comes out the other side of his/her neck, it is still gonna be moving and you don't want to take your leg off on the downswing. Thanks to the maker and seller for a wonderful buying experience. Both of your names will be spread positively to anyone I encounter. Have a great day!

I have purchased less expensive machetes but many are not heat treated or have lower grade steel. This has 1075 carbon steel. There are others that make 1085 and 1095 Steel but they cost even more. This is a well made one, and I consider this the bare minimum for a usable machete. I use my machetes to trim brush, saplings, and tall weeds. I also use it like an ax to chop off branches. We live on just under 8 acres so we have a lot of foliage, trees, etc. This design is based out of Malaysia where their brush is much thicker. The blade has three main segments: forend for skinning animals, the mid segment for chopping and the rear for carving. The grip is a hardwood with a flared out square bottom that tapers towards the top of the grip. Because of the balance, I hold this past the flared bottom for more control. This has a black coating which protects against blinding glare when working in the sun. The edge is exposed. Balance is excellent and I have great control. It is always best to swing in an arc or direction that moves away from the other hand, your face, and body. This is not designed for a novice, as it can likely and severely injure you. A bounce back or a chop that comes towards you can have deleterious and disastrous effects. For a machete, this is as heavy as they come. It is very durable with respect to the blade and edge. I have used it to chop and cut with ease. An unintentional glancing blow at a boulder, and it dented the edge, slightly. Lesser blades would have been rendered useless, broken, or badly bent. This has a leather sheath with two brass snaps. Because of the flared fore end, it would be difficult to make a design that would fit with just one snap. The sheath has a nice belt loop which swivels on a button. It is comfortable and keeps the machete out of the way when walking around the property. Because this has no sharp point, it is more of a chopper, slasher and cutter, as opposed to a stabbing type of blade. If you need to stab, then it is best to go with a baring, Bowie, Tanto or Latin style machete. Overall, I'm very pleased with the design. It's tough and it is a great chopper/hacker.

Go to order a simple brush cutting machete these days and you will be faced with hundreds of options....from old school basics like this machete to futuristic, fancy blades of all designs, , materials, handles, etc..... Prices range from dirt cheap to what a good, custom made knife would cost you from a knife smith. I was raised, many years ago, in the Panama Canal Zone, when it still belonged to the US. I learned at an early age to use the old style, wooden handle, heavy steel Central and South American Machetes used by the natives. I retired to an island off the SW Coast of Florida and, since we seem to be hurricane magnets and the island is frequently cut off from the mainland, it is wise to do some basic "Prepping" before hurricane season. When I wanted a good machete for my Prepper room, I looked hard at all the dazzling array of machetes out there. I settled on this one and could not be happier. It is "old school", simple and heavy duty. With a tempered steel blade it takes and holds an a razor edge easily. It is well balanced and will not wear you out. A light weight machete works you to death....a heavier one lets the weight of the knife to the work for you. The hardwood handle is comfortable and large enough to fill my hands without sliding around and raising blisters. The sheath is leather....nothing fancy and not a work of leather art....but adequate if occasionally given a treatment with Saddle Soap and some Neat's Foot Oil to preserve it and keep it from cracking and splitting. The blade will need to be put away clean, dry and lightly oiled as it is NOT stainless steel....but a good quality carbon steel and will rust while you are looking at it if not oiled. This is every bit as good and solid as the machetes I owned when I lived in Panama and bought locally made knives. A good buy.

This machete is incredible. This hybrid between a kukri and a bolo machete easily slices through 2 in lch thick living shrubs. Easy to sharpen and clean, May develop a patina of rust if left damp. But that's what you want, that's how you know it's easier to sharpen. Keeps a great edge and the handle is absolutely incredible. It's not too heavy but it has enough Mass to do a full send, the swing is effortless. This sheath is a bit tight when you get it, but just set it under the edge of your mattress for a week or two and it will come out easier. Overall this machete functions better than I expected. Well worth the money.

Very Well Made blade. I wanted a "better" machete than what I keep around the house. I have an assortment of cheap stamped blades that I don't really care about, but occasionally I need something with a little more heft. Now, I'm no jungle guide like some of the reviews here, just a normal guy that can appreciate a well made blade. I read the reviews, and knew what I was buying, and this is one sweet parang! It arrived yesterday, but with the rains in my area it was a few days before I could try this one out. Right out of the box it has a really nice edge, so I knew it would cut like butter. I have a small property, but a lot of overgrowth on one fence line that needs to be chopped back on occasion. Not having much time, I decided to clear about a 3 foot path made up of mostly palm frons and vines. Nothing major by any means. I hacked away for about 45 minutes and gave it a rest. This is certainly a heavy beast, but well balanced and very controllable. While cleaning and re-oiling the blade (carbon steel) I noticed quite a few chipped edges. Mind you, this was palm frons and vines. No tree limbs, no metal to metal contact, not hitting anything larger than 3/4" tree branches. the whole time. The blade made quick work of the light duty job, but I'm a little disappointed that there are so many tiny nicks on the working portion of the blade. This wont take long to work out, and I expect to keep the edge maintained, but I wasn't chopping down a tree or anything. In short, I love the parang, and I certainly feel like it was worth the money I paid. I won't hesitate buying another Condor, but I just wasn't expecting the nicks. Not a major deal I guess. If it gets worse when I actually use it for real work, I'll update this review. Shipping was perfect, as Amazon has this down pat by now, no complaints there.

First, let me state my history with machetes. I live in 9 acres of jungle in Hawaii. I own multiple different types, styles, and weights of machetes and have logged many hundreds of hours using them to perform duties like making trails, clearing brush, and removing trees. This machete is my favorite. It has enough heft and thickness to the blade to easily take down 4-5 inch hardwood limbs or trunks. Straight from the factory it was sharp enough to clear smaller problems like uluhe ferns. I have a great machete sharpener which restores this blade to kitchen-knife sharpness in three pulls. If you would miss your target and carelessly strike your shin or companion with this machete, somebody will be going to the emergency room for stitches. This is a serious machete for professionals. I have read some reviews that complained about the thickness or weight of this unit, and I think they don't appreciate the type of user this machete was made for. I waited several months to write this review to see how the steel holds up. There are no nicks or pitting on the blade edge from use or sharpening. If you are a serious connoisseur of a working blade, the quality and value of this cannot be beat. It has the versatility for larger brush and enough sharpness for the thinner problems, making it great for mixed uses. If you have no thick brush in your machete needs, or are not an experienced user, you might want to look for something with a thinner blade or less heft, but for me, its perfect. If you need a machete that has the blade edge for light work but also enough thickness and heft to do the job of a hatchet or small axe, and have the experience to use it safely, THIS is the machete for you. Update: I've had this machete for a few years now and the blade is still in awesome condition. It has a pit or two where I got careless and hit a rock or something but so far this tool has far exceeded my expectations. A few months ago my wife borrowed this machete and lost it and I was seriously bummed. I came here to order a replacement and they were out (they have since come back in stock). I felt almost like I had lost an old friend. A few weeks later I found it out in the yard in a stump. I could tell it had been in the weather but it cleaned right up.

After clearing a hillside of briar bushes and thickets in southern Ohio during the summer. I say this style of machete worked great. Very nice quality and the leather sheath is well made. I would recommend. Thanks BladeHQ!

As a surveyor, Condor makes some of the best machetes on the market.