I realized I had not done a review on this chopper.
On of the things that I've found appealing about the scabbard is that the belt attachment swivels.
I appreciate that when I am in the truck or on the tractor.
It's a good general use knife in a lot of ways. I could dress out a buck with this, build a shelter, get wood for a fire, make other tools, behead the occasional vampire -- you know, the usual.
That's a Condor Kukri. The little tree it chopped down is what some around here call a blackjack. It's some variety of black oak. They are scrubby with dense, twisty grain, tough to take down with anything except a chainsaw, and they can be rough on the chains. The Condor handled it about as well as a axe would. I was reasonably impressed.
I've had the Condor for a few months now, and it's my Sunday-go-to-meeting chopper. I haven't roughed it up too much. I'll probably give it more of a workout this fall. There are a lot of things to like about it, and one caveat -- not necessarily a con, just something to know. It's heavy.
The blade is 1095 (oops) 1075 carbon steel. It has to be maintained, but it is sharp. It has an axe grind, which is what you would expect. What's going to happen if I ever drive this into a rock is that the blade is not going to roll, it's could chip, or it could go right on through the rock. I'm going to try not to find out. UPDATE: note my correction on the steel as 1075 is less likely to chip than 1095 and will behave much like good quality axe steel.
Blade length, measured straight is 9.75". I imagine they call it 10".
Depth maxes out at 2", giving a lot of back to the natural sweet spot on the edge.
Blade width is 5/16ths of an inch -- about 8mm, I guess.
It's substantial. You could brain a zombie with the back side.
The haft is smooth and comfortable with a nice swell at the butt and a brass-lined lanyard hole. The fitting and workmanship is exceptional. I confess that I cannot verify what I paid for this knife, but I think it was around $60 (confirmed). That's not "cheap", but I was pleasantly surprised at the quality for the price. UPDATE: Found it. Apparently I ordered from Amazon.
The sheath is heavy leather, and it, too, is well made.
It's a good general use knife in a lot of ways. I could dress out a buck with this, build a shelter, get wood for a fire, make other tools, behead the occasional vampire -- you know, the usual.
Nice bit of cold steel there. I wonder how it compares to a machete for boundary (trail) clearing -limbs, small trees, and such. It's time for me to make another trip around our place and clean up the boundary trail.
ReplyDeleteNice. I imagine it's easier to carry than a hatchet as well and better as an all purpose blade.
ReplyDeleteNot that there isn't nice hatchets. The swivel holster is very comvenient.
That is a good price for the quality.
Thank you, gentlemen.
ReplyDeleteI like the machete better for clearing stuff closer to the ground and smaller sprouts. For one thing, it's lighter and a I worry less about banging it into rocks.
Now you've reminded me of that Machete 101 post from a couple of years ago.
This blade is better for bigger stuff, also hardwood limbs, and general camp craft.
Yes, I remember that post. I have my reaping stick on the porch waiting for another trip around the boundary.
ReplyDelete