Budget Knives.. Did Someone Say Budget Knives???

Notice I did not use the word "Cheap"????

That is because these knives I recently discovered are anything but "cheap"..

The company has been around awhile..

CONDOR® TOOL & KNIFE traces its proud history back to 1787, the year GEBR WEYESBERG COMPANY was founded in Solingen, Germany.

The quality of the swords, military knives, agricultural tools and household cutlery they manufactured made Solingen the cutlery capital of the world. Over the generations, the world’s largest manufacturer of swords and knives found it necessary to expand operations to other countries to better serve its customers.

In 1964, the company formed with a new plant in Santa Ana, El Salvador, filling it with state of the art German equipment and sending some of their local employees to Solingen for extensive training. Today, the factory is turning out the finest quality machetes, knives, axes, shovels and other hand tools.

’s Central American operations were sold in the 1980’s to local investors. Today, is one of the largest machete and shovel manufacturers in the world operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to fill an increasing worldwide demand for its products.

In 2004, developed a first quality line of tools and knives for the North American and European outdoor markets. CONDOR® TOOL & KNIFE was born.

Condor

3 Weeks ago I bought the VERDAN and put it through a quality and endurance test.... Results..



The knife is an excellent "working" knife in that the fit and finish is somewhat rough.. Tool marks are evident on the blade flat and the sharpened edge.. However the knife is a full tang, 1075 High Carbon and 5mm thick with a decent High Impact Polypropylene handle..

The knife performed outstanding in battoning and decent in chopping. After I fixed the cutting edge to something a little more smooth, fine work with this knife was a joy.. Decent leather sheath for those that like leather and I do.. All around one of the best survival budget knives I own and I own around 300 now..
Price: $42.00 usd...

So last week I was so impressed with the Verdan I bought the DUNDEE BOWIE.. and WOW...



Again.. Fit and finish is rough but the design is one of the best I have ever seen...

Chopping is a joy
Battoning is remarkably easy
Fairly large for small work, but manageable

The reverse curve of the handle enables this knife to chop like a small axe.. SUPER efficient..

Price $47.00 usd

The prices are what I paid at Smoky Mountain Knife Works not including my discount... (Law Enforcement Discount) they are a little higher on the website

End result?

I recommend these knives for both the serious survivalist and the weekend warrior..

reply to post by semperfortis


got a free bayonet for my mosin nagant, and my ka bar was 20 bucks. you can separate bbq ribs with the bayoet

Very nice.
I got my Cold Steel SRK for $49 online.
This goes to show that it's not all about the $$.

reply to post by rockoperawriter


20 Buck Kabar!!!!!

SWEET....

reply to post by rangerdanger


You are 100% correct..

It is all about what we need and what we get.. NEVER about how much you spend...

More accurately it is about how little we spend....

reply to post by semperfortis


A good heads up, thank you - next time i'm in the market for a new knife i'll see if i can get hold of one in the UK.

At present my favourite for both lighter bushcraft and general crafting are the Mora Craftline blades, and i can get 3 for @ £12 which is crazy as they are carbon steel and hold a nasty edge superbly as well as stropping back to scary sharp nice and quick. Practical handle (also coloured so i dont lose them when i have to put them down in undergrowth), good sheath too. I've used them for all sorts and love them, i can work antler with them, baton stuff up to about 3" and carve and scrape to my hearts content. I've yet to be disappointed by one in any way.

reply to post by semperfortis


i'm sharpening it. i can almost shave with it. the wife says she would shave her legs if it were sharp enough

reply to post by skalla


I just bought this Mora

Mora Bushcraft

I have about 7 Moras now and love them

A little small for overall one knife, but a great multi-use

reply to post by semperfortis


The Dundee Bowie looks like a knife I would buy in a heartbeat....top heavy is good.
Speaking on knives and cost,I recently have been replacing my good knives with cheap knock offs.

I bought a Gerber for 40 bucks and its a sweet knife for the price.
I was out one day when i saw the same style for 3 bucks.
I bought it and am running that one into the ground instead of using my good one.

Collecting knives is a hobby of mine and I hate using my good ones unless I have to,going in the woods as often as I do...I am using cheap knockoffs.

The most expensive one i have cost me 130 bucks. (kabar)

Edit...I love my Mora as well Semper.



I have been thinking about how to use my 5000th post for a few days and this thread is the right time and the right place.

reply to post by semperfortis


I have that one as well! I tend to favour the craftline just by the nature of the making/crafting that i do as i prefer the narrower point. The bladeguard/hilt has served me well when i've used them with disabled students too - a niche reason but a very valuable one!

I know they arent thought of as a 'budget' knife, but the kershaw 'leak' i got for $40 6 years ago is by far the best (small) knife I have ever owned.

Something a lot of people dont think about when it comes to knives on a budget is shopping used. A used knife that has been kept in good condition is the same thing as a new knife. I cant tell you how many Buck knives Ive gotten for $20 or less.

ETA: Condor makes a couple of GREAT, low priced machetes as well.

Chuh...That's all I need is to spend more money on quality knives. No, I mean it...that's ALL I need. Makes me happy!!

Thanks for the put-it-to-the-test review, semper! I hate it when folks do reviews and their knives are in pristine condition. Only way to test it is to test it, eh? Don't tell me what you know about steel that you've read about...tell me how it holds up after bouncing off hardwood and some serious chopping.

reply to post by captaintyinknots


I haven't run into a kershaw I haven't fallen in love with.

They're a bit more than "budget", but not outrageously so.

reply to post by semperfortis


Damn you Semper

I wasn't going to look at this thread because I knew I would end up wanting another knife.

Now I want 2 more of them and have them already slated on my wish list for Christmas.

RT ( Walking away from thread cussing )

reply to post by Realtruth


You will never regret the knives... They are proving to be some of the best working knives I have..

The Dundee is a perfect chopper.. Chops like an axe

semperfortis
reply to post by Realtruth

 

You will never regret the knives... They are proving to be some of the best working knives I have..

The Dundee is a perfect chopper.. Chops like an axe

No doubt I have been looking for the best chopper out there and by the reviews I have read and your personal recommendation I am getting this knife.

I go on week long backpack trips and this is exactly what I need. i have a tactical SOG that I typically take, but this knife will be it's replacement for sure.

Well done and thanks for the review.

RT

I like small 3.5-5.0 inch blades, full tang. This Kissing Crane model is about $30 at BudK:

A very general post. The first knife I ever got was a simple, small black pocket knife (2.5" blade), I got it from Wal-Mart for only $1 (at the time I was psyched that the price was so low, but worried at the same time, there are a lot of crazies after all). It wasn't the best quality knife by far, but for simple low impact tasks it worked perfectly. Fast forward a few years later and I'm now in the market for a new knife; something small, durable, multi use, and preferably black, due to financial reasons I will not spend more than $45 on a new knife and would prefer something around $20-30. Any suggestions? And thanks a bunch.

TheSmallandFast
A very general post. The first knife I ever got was a simple, small black pocket knife (2.5" blade), I got it from Wal-Mart for only $1 (at the time I was psyched that the price was so low, but worried at the same time, there are a lot of crazies after all). It wasn't the best quality knife by far, but for simple low impact tasks it worked perfectly. Fast forward a few years later and I'm now in the market for a new knife; something small, durable, multi use, and preferably black, due to financial reasons I will not spend more than $45 on a new knife and would prefer something around $20-30. Any suggestions? And thanks a bunch.

Spyderco delica 4 will last you a llifetime
Kershaw I don't like, they feel cheap...
If you want even cheaper, a gerber evo (mini or regular) is a great knife, superstrong and holds an edge
And yes, i use my knives, my edc is my spyderco peramilitary in D2 or my delica in ZDP189.
Hope this helps

reply to post by drneville


Kershaws feel cheap? For real?

To each his own I guess.