Condor Tactana?

Joined
Dec 27, 2012
Messages
256
Anybody ever handle this blade? There was a lot of interest when it was announced but I see almost no reviews or any further info when it was available. I'm thinking of grabbing it off of knifecenter but the lack of any user input is concerning.

Thanks guys-
 
Looks like a fun blade to me. Condor generally does a pretty good job, and it's not spectacularly pricy. I'd probably go with a cheaper Hanwei at that price point, especially considering the black powder coat, etc, but it would likely make a good beater blade.

I have to say though, for whatever reason, every knife I've purchased from knifecenter has been quite dull, and shown some wear as if it wasn't actually NIB. I may just be unlucky, but it's put a damper on my willingness to buy things from them.
 
Looks like a fun blade to me. Condor generally does a pretty good job, and it's not spectacularly pricy. I'd probably go with a cheaper Hanwei at that price point, especially considering the black powder coat, etc, but it would likely make a good beater blade.

I have to say though, for whatever reason, every knife I've purchased from knifecenter has been quite dull, and shown some wear as if it wasn't actually NIB. I may just be unlucky, but it's put a damper on my willingness to buy things from them.

Idk if I would be able to grab a similar sized hanwei for the price $129.95
 
Yeah, I guess the Tactical Katana isn't out any more. That was nice and cheap. I got my pair of Tac Waks for 80 apiece. They do have a few swords still out for under a hundred, and their practical line is under 200.
 
Given the about 3 pound weight and length I would imagine it handles more like a club than a sword. That being said condor is pretty good for the price point
 
Yeah, I guess the Tactical Katana isn't out any more. That was nice and cheap. I got my pair of Tac Waks for 80 apiece. They do have a few swords still out for under a hundred, and their practical line is under 200.

There was a massive fire at Dalian Forge....while they have rebuilt to a workable degree(IIRC)....output has been severely curtailed....the Tactical Katana MAY reappear.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Given the about 3 pound weight and length I would imagine it handles more like a club than a sword. That being said condor is pretty good for the price point

Yeah. The micarta handle strikes me as problematic in the weight department and the little image of the sheath doesn't look too hot. Guess we'll see when they hit the market, but while I'm a big Condor fan I have concerns about this one.
 
Hey All,

I took the bait and bought a Tactana at pre-release price figuring that if it was a crowbar with an edge I'd be able to sell it at the discounted price I paid. WRONG, it was a crow bar with a very dull edge and I quickly listed it on E-Bay for a few bucks more than I paid to cover shipping and within hours 3 others were selling it for less than the Knifeworks pre release price. So here I was stuck holding the piece.

So what you got was a piece of 1075 steel 5mm thick, 1.5-1.75" wide that was the full 5mm to about a half inch from the edge then hollow ground to the edge leaving it 2 mm and a micro bevel of 40-50 degree to a point. I really liked the length and the size and feel of the handle.

Anyways, I couldn't unload it without a loss and I did like the general feel so I decided to fix it. I am on my 5th Harbor Freight 12" double cut file as I re profile the blade and I still haven't gotten to the edge yet. It does have a very nice shape now however and the edge is within a mm or 2, maybe another week of an hour a night filing. It will then be just what I wanted it to be I believe. By the way, as I started to file off the black coating I found 2-3 areas where rust was already quite advanced under the coating. QC QA was not good on this model. On the good side this baby is hard steel. I went to Home Depot for the first few files I used, $5 apiece, and they were flat within 15 minutes. I figured that if it was going to eat files that fast I'd get cheaper ones at Harbor Freight, $1.50, and they have been incredible. But they are still shot at a few hours. Hitting the edge now with my finger nail sounds like glass almost, and even those it doesn't feel 'sharp it does trim the shrubs very well.

If anyone has any specific questions on the Tactana I'll be glad to answer them but you'd probably do better thinking about something else unless you want a great project sword. I'll post pictures if anyone is interested.
 
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Hey All,

I took the bait and bought a Tactana at pre-release price figuring that if it was a crowbar with an edge I'd be able to sell it at the discounted price I paid. WRONG, it was a crow bar with a very dull edge and I quickly listed it on E-Bay for a few bucks more than I paid to cover shipping and within hours 3 others were selling it for less than the Knifeworks pre release price. So here I was stuck holding the piece.

So what you got was a piece of 1075 steel 5mm thick, 1.5-1.75" wide that was the full 5mm to about a half inch from the edge then hollow ground to the edge leaving it 2 mm and a micro bevel of 40-50 degree to a point. I really liked the length and the size and feel of the handle.

Anyways, I couldn't unload it without a loss and I did like the general feel so I decided to fix it. I am on my 5th Harbor Freight 12" double cut file as I re profile the blade and I still haven't gotten to the edge yet. It does have a very nice shape now however and the edge is within a mm or 2, maybe another week of an hour a night filing. It will then be just what I wanted it to be I believe. By the way, as I started to file off the black coating I found 2-3 areas where rust was already quite advanced under the coating. QC QA was not good on this model. On the good side this baby is hard steel. I went to Home Depot for the first few files I used, $5 apiece, and they were flat within 15 minutes. I figured that if it was going to eat files that fast I'd get cheaper ones at Harbor Freight, $1.50, and they have been incredible. But they are still shot at a few hours. Hitting the edge now with my finger nail sounds like glass almost, and even those it doesn't feel 'sharp it does trim the shrubs very well.

If anyone has any specific questions on the Tactana I'll be glad to answer them but you'd probably do better thinking about something else unless you want a great project sword. I'll post pictures if anyone is interested.

Sounds great, some pictures would be nice.
 
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Sounds like using a belt grinder would be a good idea. I've reprofiled my fair share of blades. Just out of curiosity, would you mind updating your profile with rough location, Yotee? If you're close by, I'd be happy to help you with the reprofiling.
 
Hey All,

I took the bait and bought a Tactana at pre-release price figuring that if it was a crowbar with an edge I'd be able to sell it at the discounted price I paid. WRONG, it was a crow bar with a very dull edge and I quickly listed it on E-Bay for a few bucks more than I paid to cover shipping and within hours 3 others were selling it for less than the Knifeworks pre release price. So here I was stuck holding the piece.

So what you got was a piece of 1075 steel 5mm thick, 1.5-1.75" wide that was the full 5mm to about a half inch from the edge then hollow ground to the edge leaving it 2 mm and a micro bevel of 40-50 degree to a point. I really liked the length and the size and feel of the handle.

Anyways, I couldn't unload it without a loss and I did like the general feel so I decided to fix it. I am on my 5th Harbor Freight 12" double cut file as I re profile the blade and I still haven't gotten to the edge yet. It does have a very nice shape now however and the edge is within a mm or 2, maybe another week of an hour a night filing. It will then be just what I wanted it to be I believe. By the way, as I started to file off the black coating I found 2-3 areas where rust was already quite advanced under the coating. QC QA was not good on this model. On the good side this baby is hard steel. I went to Home Depot for the first few files I used, $5 apiece, and they were flat within 15 minutes. I figured that if it was going to eat files that fast I'd get cheaper ones at Harbor Freight, $1.50, and they have been incredible. But they are still shot at a few hours. Hitting the edge now with my finger nail sounds like glass almost, and even those it doesn't feel 'sharp it does trim the shrubs very well.

If anyone has any specific questions on the Tactana I'll be glad to answer them but you'd probably do better thinking about something else unless you want a great project sword. I'll post pictures if anyone is interested.

Sounds great, some pictures would be nice :D.
 
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Hey Guys,

Hope your still checking this thread. Here are some pictures of my efforts so far. Man have I been getting an education on steel handling. And thank God for the extra ton of steel the Tactana comes with to practice on.
oTcxmrl.jpg

OjsA2t6.jpg


[So I've taken over half a pound of steel off this thing with quite amazing results, looks wise anyways. I started just reprofiling the lower blade as the Bohi was quite intimidating. Once fairly well done with that I had to do the Bohi, just ... well ... 'cause! Very tough work but a broken up chain saw file fit into a piece of wood for a grip really cleaned that up nice. I will now taper the top a little and slightly point it - just like a real katana (!). I wish I knew the quality of the Condor HT on this steel. Feels very hard and eats sandpaper and files readily. But does that mean it might be to brittle? I've sliced a few gallons of water with it if that means anything. Didn't even notice them in the way. I have never 'sharpened' the blade, just let the edge appear, as the masters have advised. Very cool.

Really love the results so far. Mediocre by most standards but there is no other like it and it does feel good. I now have to decide if I will remove the micarta and reshape the handle. It has become a bit 'tang heavy' and I'm not sure the best way to lighten it otherwise. It started balanced just a few inches ahead of the tsuba, just past the habaki. Now it's like an inch closer. Makes it fast but it doesn't feel quite right.

Comments and ideas are welcome.

Crimsonfalcon07 I'm in Syracuse, NY so I don't think the trip is worth it !!!
 
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Drilling holes in the handle and filling with tubular rivets would serve to lighten it up if you're that handy. That seems a lot easier than anything else I can think of.
 
How do you drill 1075 hardened steel? I once tried to drill a hole in a Cold Steel Bushman to have a screw hole in it so I could use it as a spear tip. VERY unsuccessful. And that was just 1055 steel. I'm not real handy and don't have any big boy tools. So with all that helpful info, what do you think is possible? I actually can follow most instructions quite well. Any help appreciated.
 
I had guessed the tang might not be hardened since 1075 is not a air hardening steel, but could be wrong. Often with swords the tang is not hardened so it remains tougher.

If you don't have access to a serious drill press and vise, then I admit my advice isn't much use. But without removing metal from the tang you won't be able to shift your balance point appreciably.

Best of luck
 
Personally, I'd chop the end of the handle off and reshape. I think the handle just looks off--too long for that blade. But that's just me.
 
How do you drill 1075 hardened steel? I once tried to drill a hole in a Cold Steel Bushman to have a screw hole in it so I could use it as a spear tip. VERY unsuccessful. And that was just 1055 steel. I'm not real handy and don't have any big boy tools. So with all that helpful info, what do you think is possible? I actually can follow most instructions quite well. Any help appreciated.
Ti coated bits low speed, don't forget a properly sized pilot hole. Oil.

Cheers

GC
 
So, slow= how many rpms? pilot hole into the micarta ? or the blade proper? big hole thru the micarta, fill with oil, small pilot hole thru blade, then larger hole to desired size? I like (need) lots of info.

Thought about taking an inch and a half off the handle. Again hardness concerns and wheither a hack saw blade of some kind could get thru it. Any thoughts? I could file it out from there, just getting there is a bit scarey. I'm trained with 2 handed swords so I don't want to go to short. Have a cutlass about the same size, just less handle. This can do everything that can when I hold it low with the right hand but the cutlass can't be grabbed with two hands and moved as fast and powerfully as this. That said I still don't need almost 10" of handle. 8-8.5" I think would work. Hand and a half katana I'll call it.

Keep coming with the info, I'll give credit on the copy right !
 
Just admiring my blade geometry and thought I'd post a rough picture of what I did with the blade shaping. The original shape really was just a bar of steel with a hollow ground edge and pressed in fuller.
5uarR0X.jpg
[/IMG]
 
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