Recommendation? Kershaw Camp 18 vs Condor El Salvador machete

H

Halador

Joined
Jul 6, 2013
Messages
144
Hey everyone,
With this COVID-19 isolation going on I'm finding myself more and more thinking about getting out into the bush later this summer if everything calms down.
I live in the Canadian prairies so I've been wanting a heavier machete for a while because I'll have to deal with long grass, but also a fair number of trees and bushes if I go North.

I have it narrowed down to these two for my choices. The Condor I can get with a micarta handle, which I like, but it's about $40 Cad more than the Kershaw. I've heard some hit and miss things about the Camp 18 so I was wondering if anyone has any experience with either or both who might have some insights.

Thanks in advance!
 
I love my Camp 18 - it's one of the most fun knives to swing I have owned - and it has a great handle, and the blade sweet spot makes it a very efficient chopper.

It can really take some abuse, and sharpens back up easily.

No experience with the Condor.

best

mqqn
 
I have the 18" El Salvador with the wood handle and love it. If I only owned one machete, it would be the one.

I have a black bladed one with a soft poly handle that was discontinued also. I got it for $20 at Blade a few years back.
 
For tall grasses, I would take a bush machete of at least 18”, maybe longer depending on packing limitations. For chopping, somerhing like a Condor Golok or Parang with a 13 or 14” blade.

The Condor Golok works acceptably on grasses ae well . Another versatile crossover is the Baryonyx Machete.

Light blades that can chop a little include the Tramontina 18” bush machete and the Imacasa 16” bolo.
 
mqqn said:
I love my Camp 18 - it's one of the most fun knives to swing I have owned - and it has a great handle, and the blade sweet spot makes it a very efficient chopper.

It can really take some abuse, and sharpens back up easily.

No experience with the Condor.

best

mqqn
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mqqn, I'm glad to hear that you like yours so much. I've read some reports of the blades bending or breaking so it's good to know that that isn't the norm. How have you found the handle to have any issue with hot spots or irritation with lots of use? The rubberized texture made me wonder.
 
22-rimfire said:
I have the 18" El Salvador with the wood handle and love it. If I only owned one machete, it would be the one.

I have a black bladed one with a soft poly handle that was discontinued also. I got it for $20 at Blade a few years back.
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That's awsome. I wish I could find something like that for $20. Did you need to do any reshaping of the wooden handle on yours or was it comfortable as is? Part of what drew me to the kershaw was the more contoured handle design, but I don't know if that's really necessary.
 
Halador said:
Hey everyone,
With this COVID-19 isolation going on I'm finding myself more and more thinking about getting out into the bush later this summer if everything calms down.
I live in the Canadian prairies so I've been wanting a heavier machete for a while because I'll have to deal with long grass, but also a fair number of trees and bushes if I go North.

I have it narrowed down to these two for my choices. The Condor I can get with a micarta handle, which I like, but it's about $40 Cad more than the Kershaw. I've heard some hit and miss things about the Camp 18 so I was wondering if anyone has any experience with either or both who might have some insights.

Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

both should work out well, but I have a suggestion in case you haven't heard of the skrama,
it's made from 80crv2, which is quite excellent...

lot of threads here mention it,
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/best-chopper-for-the-weight.1682762/page-2#post-19241619
https://www.bladeforums.com/posts/19178334/
 
Henry Beige said:
For tall grasses, I would take a bush machete of at least 18”, maybe longer depending on packing limitations. For chopping, somerhing like a Condor Golok or Parang with a 13 or 14” blade.

The Condor Golok works acceptably on grasses ae well . Another versatile crossover is the Baryonyx Machete.

Light blades that can chop a little include the Tramontina 18” bush machete and the Imacasa 16” bolo.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice Henry! I was thinking of getting something really light, but a lot of my use will probably end up being chores at the family farm too where we clear a lot of branches away from fences and walking paths. I did find a second hand bolo that I like to use, but I'm not in love with the weight being up front, so I figured a thicker Latin style would be a good compromise. I'll keep my eye out for something like a paring though. If I can get a lighter one, that might fit the bill just right.
 
dirc said:
both should work out well, but I have a suggestion in case you haven't heard of the skrama,
it's made from 80crv2, which is quite excellent...

lot of threads here mention it,
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/best-chopper-for-the-weight.1682762/page-2#post-19241619
https://www.bladeforums.com/posts/19178334/
Click to expand...
Oh yeah! I've heard if it from when that company's puuko design got a lot of traction a few years back, but hadn't even considered it as an option. That's a great idea, thank you.
 
Halador said:
That's awsome. I wish I could find something like that for $20. Did you need to do any reshaping of the wooden handle on yours or was it comfortable as is? Part of what drew me to the kershaw was the more contoured handle design, but I don't know if that's really necessary.
Click to expand...
For me, the wood handle was perfect as it came. I have medium hands. High quality machete.
 
NnYld97.jpg


I have used the smaller camp 10.

Chops well. I used it hard.
 
Halador said:
Thanks for the advice Henry! I was thinking of getting something really light, but a lot of my use will probably end up being chores at the family farm too where we clear a lot of branches away from fences and walking paths. I did find a second hand bolo that I like to use, but I'm not in love with the weight being up front, so I figured a thicker Latin style would be a good compromise. I'll keep my eye out for something like a paring though. If I can get a lighter one, that might fit the bill just right.
Click to expand...

The Skrama is an excellent camp knife and wood processor. To my mind, it is about the coolest blade going, if that means something to you. It is an excellent chopper when compared to large knives, but doesn’t really keep up with the 13 and 14” heavy blades. I love the Skrama, but I think other blades would work better for the conditions you describe.

As to bolos and other weighted machetes, ithe concentration of weight in a sweet spot allows them to chop better than say a Latin or bush machete with the same overall weight spread more evenly along the length of the blade.

For a Latin machete, it is pretty hard to beat an 18” Tramontina. The blade is a little thicker than a lot of light machetes, so it can tackle larger vegetation without dinging or curling the blade. At the same time, it gives decent reach in the grass, and is light enough to wield for a long time.
 
Halador said:
That's awsome. I wish I could find something like that for $20. Did you need to do any reshaping of the wooden handle on yours or was it comfortable as is? Part of what drew me to the kershaw was the more contoured handle design, but I don't know if that's really necessary.
Click to expand...

The handle is grippy and has no hot-spots - very comfortable. Like I said - this think is fun to swing.
DSC_1474.JPG

DSC_1476.JPG

DSC_1478.JPG

DSC_1525.JPG

DSC_1528.JPG


The above pictures were from a weekend camping trip with my friends - maybe @jds1 can add his thoughts on using the Camp 18.

best

mqqn
 
IMO, if you can swing the cost I would go for a simple latin machete from the hardware store for the grassy stuff and then something more stout for chopping, like a golok. I'm a big fan of golok designs for mixed conditions but for grassy stuff, there's no substitute for length and a lightweight design makes the process much nicer.

The baryonyx machete is a good multi-use option for your use but it will probably cost a little more. It's heavy so it chops well but that also makes it less enjoyable for hours of grass clearing but it has the length for it.

For all practical purpose, a latin machete can chop well enough for many occasions but if you're going to do a lot of wood clearing it's a bad choice as they don't have the mass and they stick pretty bad if you can't get through the wood in a single swing. From mqqn's pictures, the kershaw camp 18 appears to be a little thicker than a standard latin machete so it may be a good compromise for grass and wood.
 
Interesting point on the Skrama, Henry. Maybe I'll pick one up some time, but perhaps not now if I've already got some options.

I was thinking about getting just a classic Tramotina, but because I am in a smaller Canadian city, nowhere has any that I can pick up locally. It's all Gerber stuff around here, sadly. To get a Tram or Imacasa would cost me way more in shipping and border fees than the tool itself.

Being Canadian is great, but it sure is tough feeding this hobby sometimes!
 
Halador said:
Interesting point on the Skrama, Henry. Maybe I'll pick one up some time, but perhaps not now if I've already got some options.

I was thinking about getting just a classic Tramotina, but because I am in a smaller Canadian city, nowhere has any that I can pick up locally. It's all Gerber stuff around here, sadly. To get a Tram or Imacasa would cost me way more in shipping and border fees than the tool itself.

Being Canadian is great, but it sure is tough feeding this hobby sometimes!
Click to expand...

If you have a higher allowable budget, I'm going to throw a biased recommendation to checkout @David Mary's offerings. He is a Canadian Knifemaker and he makes some pretty nice machetes that would suit your needs well but the price will be higher (around $200) but you could check with him to see what the cost would be. He's had a few in the knifemaker's market that I believe sold if you want to check out what he has offered recently. He also takes custom orders. If you have to pay some large shipping and import duties then his prices may not be too much more than you're considering for a much better product. His full convex grind is one of the best I've used on several knives I've either bought or tested for him and I think a convex grind is a great choice in a machete application.

I have a smaller "blem" that was from his earlier testing days made of AEB-L. The blade is great but the handle is a little on the slim side, but he's since corrected that and his newer "barong" style handle is supposed to be pretty sweet but I don't own one yet. Mine is definitely more of a pack machete size than a workhorse size because I take it on the bicycle with me for trail maintenance and clearing downed trees or pushing back foliage.

Here's a more recent listing from David. In his last post in the thread, it looks like he dropped the price down to $130.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/palm-swell-seax-big-and-fast.1723307/#post-19686941
 
bikerector said:
If you have a higher allowable budget, I'm going to throw a biased recommendation to checkout @David Mary's offerings. He is a Canadian Knifemaker and he makes some pretty nice machetes that would suit your needs well but the price will be higher (around $200) but you could check with him to see what the cost would be. He's had a few in the knifemaker's market that I believe sold if you want to check out what he has offered recently. He also takes custom orders. If you have to pay some large shipping and import duties then his prices may not be too much more than you're considering for a much better product. His full convex grind is one of the best I've used on several knives I've either bought or tested for him and I think a convex grind is a great choice in a machete application.

I have a smaller "blem" that was from his earlier testing days made of AEB-L. The blade is great but the handle is a little on the slim side, but he's since corrected that and his newer "barong" style handle is supposed to be pretty sweet but I don't own one yet. Mine is definitely more of a pack machete size than a workhorse size because I take it on the bicycle with me for trail maintenance and clearing downed trees or pushing back foliage.

Here's a more recent listing from David. In his last post in the thread, it looks like he dropped the price down to $130.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/palm-swell-seax-big-and-fast.1723307/#post-19686941
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion bikerector! I hadn't considered a custom piece because about $150 total is my max budget at the moment. But knowing that I might be able to get something Canadian made is certainly really nice. I'll definitely keep an eye out for David's work on the forum in the future. The quality of his work looks excellent.
 
I have a tramontina with wood handle and an ontario jungle military, both 18". The ontario is a little heavier and thicker bladed with a plastic handle. the tram has really become my favorite and my go to for yardwork chopping up smaller branches and cutting down vines etc! Both were inexpensive.
 
at least with a tramontina, you're getting a great low cost steel - 1070, or imacasa, which is 1075 - both brands are great low cost options which is just about perfect for a machete I think...

1055 which is used by cold steel & okapi... not very good imho
stay away from gerber - they use either 1050, or 3cr13 (junk, since either will have no edge holding & be rather soft; low 50s)
 
Hey Everyone,

So after a couple days of deliberation I've landed on the Camp 18. It's the only one I can get locally, and the plastic sheath is nice because I can store it without worrying about leather getting damp or drying out or anything, which is nice.

Thanks to everyone for their input and suggestions, it really helped me think on a few options that I hadn't considered before!
 
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