Condor Duku Parang

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nzedge

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Apr 7, 2013
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Hey guys,
Iv been looking for a good quality, heavy duty machete type blade for general camp use, garden use, a bit of chopping fun etc etc

After a bit of research it looks like the Condor stuff gets really good reviews and is heavy duty like what im after.

I could not find any reviews on it, but I bit the bullet and put in an order for the Condor Duku Parang with 15 1/2" blade. Figured its a safe bet with their reputation, and I like the look of the design.

Has anyone used the Condor Duku Parang? (full sized 15" + blade version). I cant find any reviews or anything on this version other then a 1 minute youtube video which is not really a review, as much as an overview.

Looks like I might have to be the first to review it :) Should have it in a day or so.
cheers
 
Just received it. First impressions after looking at it for a few seconds (im at work and don't want to be seen messing around with a huge knife at my desk, lol)

1. Badass...
2. Lighter then I thought it would be. I could easily carry it for extended periods if need be
3. Sheath looks really nice and usable. Thick leather. Does not have "clips" down the side of it like I have seen people complain about with other machetes.(making it difficult to sheath/unsheath knife) Knife slips in from the top.
4. Back edge of the blade is nice and square
5. Edge is nice and sharp. Perfectly suitable for using as is.

Ill try snap some pics after work :)
 
nzedge said:
Just received it. First impressions after looking at it for a few seconds (im at work and don't want to be seen messing around with a huge knife at my desk, lol)
Click to expand...

You need to be know at work as the "knife guy" so when someone walks into your office and you're in the middle of a re-profiling project, no one bats an eye.
 
orezona said:
You need to be know at work as the "knife guy" so when someone walks into your office and you're in the middle of a re-profiling project, no one bats an eye.
Click to expand...

hahaha yea. hmmmmm i think ill start "breaking in" the work mates with something a little bit smaller though! :)
 
Well I just couldn't resist and snapped a few quick pics at lunchtime...

So this is the beast here..
duku5_zpsd0hfstd1.jpg


The sheath is actually really nice. Its a dark brown leather. If I had more time id have snapped a few pics of the knife with a nice wood/blued hunting rifle with dark brown leather sling. :cool:
duku4_zpsw0k91fxn.jpg


The leather of the sheath is thick, and the detail on the handle is nice..the fit/finish between the scales & tang is good.
duku3_zpsycm34bdn.jpg


Heres the base of the blade so you can see the taper
duku6_zps9anhhfdj.jpg


and heres the end of the blade, again so you can see the taper
duku7_zpso5nfwmom.jpg


didnt have time to do any real chopping yet, but first impressions are it digs deep and swings well. I think the curve on the handle will help to "flick" the blade or let it roll in an arch in your hand
duku8_zpsqismeeeb.jpg


It could slice paper out of the box. Not bad for a chopper
duku1_zps8nz0p1v4.jpg


The spine of the knife is about 4mm or so thick. (specs say 4.5mm, but didnt measure it), bic lighter for comparison. You can see the spine is nicely finished with a good corner on it if you want to use it with a fire steel.
duku2_zps1ffhbcgw.jpg


Beer and a bit of chopping is on the cards for tonight :)
 
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I think I would probably prefer it to the Golok plus I believe it is a tad longer. How is the handle thickness? Fat? Thin?
 
22-rimfire said:
I think I would probably prefer it to the Golok plus I believe it is a tad longer. How is the handle thickness? Fat? Thin?
Click to expand...

Ill try measure it later on tonight and update with some more impressions after I have swung it around a little bit. (i left it at home @ lunch time so cant measure it now)

I would say its a good size though. I didn't get any first impression of it being either big or small during my brief play with it so its probably just right. I do know the handle is a good generous length though.
 
Looking forward to your further impressions. My pack golok handle is a tad thick for me. But I really like these wood handles. I have a number of the Condor machetes.
 
The Duku Parang handle is slimmer than the Golok and has sort of a hazelnut seed-shaped cross section (like a short, fat teardrop.) Also, as a note, the sheath is intended to swallow part of the handle.
 
I took the duku parang over to my mates place last night to down a couple of beers and test it out a little bit.
Overall we were both very impressed.(hes sold on it and is going to buy one as well) It swings really well and has some real bite to it. Looks classy as well.

The handle feels very good. I didnt get any actual measurements on it but both myself and my friend find it very comfortable. You can grip it near the back of the handle on the hooked section for, in effect extra length for increased power. Does not feel big or small. Feels just right. Im a reasonable sized guy a bit over 6' so I guess have reasonable sized hands.

We hacked a bunch of hard woods and split some wood battoning. I would use the back of the machete as a hammer to hammer the bit of wood into the ground, then split it from the top.
All went well, no problems. Edge held up extremley well to some pretty serious chopping and was back to new with literally a couple of passes with one of my diamond stones. Im surprised the edge can take so much force from heavy swings into hard wood and not deform.

Seems like a good, solid design. Minimal vibrations are transfered through the machete when hitting really hard wood.

And yup, part of the knife handle goes into the sheath like FortyTwoBlades said. I didnt realise at first.
Also worth mentioning (which i thought was a really good but subtle detail that would probably go overlooked by most) is that there is a rivet that holds the belt loop onto the sheath. There is leather over the rivet on the inside of the sheath to protect the handle from rubbing on the metal rivet. A++ for that one
 
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Well, since I liked the duku parang so much, I went ahead and ordered the Condor 18" El Salvadore with micarta handles..:cool: :thumbup:

It was a hard choice between micarta, and the much cheaper option with polyprop handles, but I decided to go with the micarta.

The plastic is obviously very utilitarian (and probably lighter), but i also want something "nice", that im proud to own and will look after.
No matter how good they are, plastic to me just feels cheap. I don't like plastic gun stocks either ..and I hate that they made the 10/22 trigger group plastic!! even though its stronger..

I want anyone else who touches it to say or think "damn what a nice machete".

Will update with my observations when I have it in a day or so..maybe ill compare it with the duku parang :)
 
I have the wood handled El Salvador and love it. Didn't even know they made it with micata handles.
 
The wood handled model is thinner than the micarta and polypropylene handled models--almost more of a deluxe EcoSurvivor. Which I prefer under most circumstances. :)
 
22-rimfire said:
I have the wood handled El Salvador and love it. Didn't even know they made it with micata handles.
Click to expand...

The wood handled version is actually a more recent addition to the lineup than the micarta one. I have the wood handled one myself, though I have a couple of Condor's other micarta handled blades and quite like those too.
 
What would you say are the limits of the Duku Parang as far as chopping without chipping or deforming the edge? For real.
I wanted to get one of this but I was afraid some really really hard, dry woods might be too much for this blade. Opinions will be wekcome. And I'd also like to know if it's full tang. I mean, full length and thickness visible through the handle.

Thanks a lot!
 
It's a full profile tang, but skeletonized to shift the balance forward. In the stock edge configuration you'd get deformation on...rocks. It's a functional edge out of the box, but not as thin as it could be for optimum performance under normal conditions of use.
 
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