Nepal Kukri vs Condor Kukri

[MihajloS]

I'm posting a comparrison for those looking to decide on Kukris to buy with a couple of kukris I have some years of use with.


NEPAL IMPORT KUKRI
I got this one off [a non-supporting dealer] for $100CAD and have 3 years of use with it.
SPECS: 5160 high carbon, 10.5" blade (full tang), 10mm spine, ox horn handle, wood/goat skin scabbard, around 800g

REVIEW: It is authentic and gorgeous in design, good for batoning wood, and chopping tree limbs... BUT, it has terrible edge retention. If you hit any nails or anything harder than wood, it'll take massive rolls. Most likely from a bad heat treat due to the thickness of the blade. The edge profile is also very similar to that of an axe, impossible to get any sort of real sharpness. It's also it's super front heavy and beefy so it's hard to do any fine tasks with it but allows for effective chopping. The scabbard is also very impractical to wear in any capacity.

CONDOR K-TAC KUKRI
I got this kukri off of knifecenter for $140CAD and have a year of use with it.
SPECS: 1075 high carbon, 10" blade (full tang), 6mm spine, micarta handle, kydex sheath, around 600g

REVIEW: Fantastic, does it all. Good for batoning wood, clearing brush, and fine tasks such as fileting fish. The edge retention is night and day compared to the nepal import. I can baton wood all day and still cut paper cleanly. You can make it hair shaving sharp with relative ease because of the edge profile. It is also much lighter and more balanced than the Nepal import which allows for fine tasks. The kydex sheath also allows it to be easily worn and one handed deployment.

CONCLUSION
The Nepal import is a great tool that will last long, however compared to the Condor Kukri it is a novelty piece. The K-Tac kukri has better edge retention, weight, balance, sharpness, and sheath.

 

[Alberta Ed]

I have a Nepal-made kukri, hand forged, which takes and holds a great edge, never had a problem with the edge rolling while chopping. Could have been forged from a Mercedes leaf spring (the preferred steel, from which I read). Did make a new sheath for it out of heavy leather. I wouldn't use just one for a comparison; yours may have been poorly heat treated but others may differ.

 

[MihajloS]

I have a Nepal-made kukri, hand forged, which takes and holds a great edge, never had a problem with the edge rolling while chopping. Could have been forged from a Mercedes leaf spring (the preferred steel, from which I read). Did make a new sheath for it out of heavy leather. I wouldn't use just one for a comparison; yours may have been poorly heat treated but others may differ.

The edge retention seems to be the general consensus on most reviews mentioning it. On top of that, I actually have two of them, my second one is a 9" that was lightly used but seems to be the same problem. It's an NHZ. It's not cheap stainless steel levels of bad, but it's certainly not edge retention appropriate for a 5160 blade which are known to be tough. Every High carbon blade I've put against it has had better hardness, even a 420HCSS blade skates a file better. I would've let the edge retention pass, but the blade is just too beefy to get any real edge. It's tedious to sharpen the blade to just make it able to cut paper because of how obtuse the profile is.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great tool. I've batoned hundreds upon hundreds of logs with it effectively and I prefer it over an axe. I specifically got it to replace the role of an axe for lightweight backpacking. But there are definitely some glaring flaws when compared to practically designed kukris like the K-Tac.

 

[Triton]

I suspect that just like anything there are various qualities of khukri made in Nepal just as elsewhere. From everything I've seen no one is complaining about edge retention with the Himilayan imports models or those from Kailash blades. Perhaps try one of those next time.

 

[43Tinman]

Thanks for the review. Without knowing I think if you straight up would compare Nepali Khukuris with Condor, Condor has better QC. Nepal has many companies and sellers of Khukuris, some terrible bad, some that are very very good. And everything inbetween. By your description it doesnt sound like you got a good one, from geometry, to weight and edge retention. Although Nepalis also uses axes, saws and chainsaws many uses khukuris, every day. They would go back and complain, for an everyday tool must work. The sheath on the other hand is what it is, more of a preferance or not. Glad though that you still like your khukuri. If you want to try something better, search, research, read reviews and find what you are looking for. Never be in a hurry for buying blades.

 

[kobold]

Thank you. So far I was a Parang guy, but now I am now willing to try a Condor HD Kukri. Interestingly they have one with a 6 mm and one with a 8 mm thick blade. I guess the thicker, the better.

 

[43Tinman]

Thank you. So far I was a Parang guy, but now I am now willing to try a Condor HD Kukri. Interestingly they have one with a 6 mm and one with a 8 mm thick blade. I guess the thicker, the better.

I have never had a parang, but they are useful for sure. My personal preference for a khukuri is actully between 6-8 mm spine. Thicker is not better, well it depends with what you refer to, it will be heavier, that can be more cumbersome to carry but also gives you more power when chopping. Also affects how much you will feel from shock absorbtion. I had a google look on the Condor HD, one thing I didnt like was that the full tang is parallell in thickness. Traditional ones like the MK2 or Mk3 has fulltang but tapering. That gives it more slightly forward weight when chooping, exactly were you would want in a khukuri (using the physics of the khukuri instead of strength in the arm). The condor looks ruggedly built no question, but I doubts its nicely balanced in comparison with traditionals. But if you`d likes the Condor you had, I get being curious for the HD. Buy it and try. Interesting to compare with your other Condor.

 

[afishhunter]

If you hit any nails or anything harder than wood, it'll take massive rolls. Most likely from a bad heat treat due to the thickness of the blade ...

Better "massive rolls" than massive chips, or a cracked/broken blade.
Rolls can be straightened with a butcher's steel or a strop without removing a lot of blade metal.
You don't need a stone or grinder, which do remove a lot of blade steel, to fix a roll, like you do to fix a chip.

 

[Jody744]

I love my Condor one, don’t really have another to do a comparison but it does what I need every time I ask

 

[DocJD]

The Nepal import

I appreciate your honest review , based on actual experience .

But got to realize that Nepal is a whole country and there will be vast variability in their products .

 

[Kailash Blades]

I think it's great to see someone using their intuition of working blades to pick through what they do and don't like about a traditional offering. Western made khukuris tend to get a bad rap within the khukuri community but I think there are some stellar examples amongst the mix. Condor's offerings as well as the Ontario Knife Company kukri spring to mind as rugged, highly functional blades that also offer great value. There's a lot of amazing western made khukuris aside from those- but they usually sit north of $300.

With this said though there's a lot of different interpretations of what features a "traditional" blade should have from nepali makers and a wide range of quality in how they're executed. Unlike in the west where thinner stock is cheaper so thick stock is a sign of quality, almost all nepalese blades come from 12mmish leaf springs. As a result many modern makers favour very thick blades to save forging and grinding time. Very, very few makers temper their blades which leads to soft blades that roll or hard blades that chip. The very beefy edge geometry is a way to compensate for the steel's lack of stability. Furthermore blades being sold through ecommerce encounter returns and warranty issues. Shipment to and from Nepal is astronomically expensive so overbuilding your blades to avoid these situations is an option many take for economical reasons.

There's a crop of new nepalese houses including khotang, Neem Tenji, HK and ourselves that are refocusing on historical specifications, leaner grinds and higher quality and could give a very different impression of nepalese made khukuris. For example we've got a more advanced heat treat that gives a lot more edge stability. This allows us to grind for performance rather than overbuild and cross our fingers. Compared to your condor I've a feeling we'd be able to at least match their steels performance but we'd blow it out of the water in terms of balance.
If you'd like to try one out we can do you a deal. 15% off your order and in exchange you write up your thoughts about it in this thread and do a bit of a head to head comparison between the three khukuris. No pressure to be positive, you might not like it and any feedback would be welcome.
If you're keen send us a dm or email at customdesign@kailashblades.com and we can give you some guidance on what a good model for your needs might be. If you're not interested then that's A-okay as well- we just wanna put Nepal back on top

Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash

 

[baneran]

I'm not an expert, but blade thickness is very important in a kukri. a lot of companies produce kukri-shaped blades that are made of spring steel and aren't any thicker than your average machete. If you are curious who makes the best kukri, you can check out some trustful resources, they'll be able to steer you right.

 

[kobold]

I think it's great to see someone using their intuition of working blades to pick through what they do and don't like about a traditional offering. Western made khukuris tend to get a bad rap within the khukuri community but I think there are some stellar examples amongst the mix. Condor's offerings as well as the Ontario Knife Company kukri spring to mind as rugged, highly functional blades that also offer great value. There's a lot of amazing western made khukuris aside from those- but they usually sit north of $300.

With this said though there's a lot of different interpretations of what features a "traditional" blade should have from nepali makers and a wide range of quality in how they're executed. Unlike in the west where thinner stock is cheaper so thick stock is a sign of quality, almost all nepalese blades come from 12mmish leaf springs. As a result many modern makers favour very thick blades to save forging and grinding time. Very, very few makers temper their blades which leads to soft blades that roll or hard blades that chip. The very beefy edge geometry is a way to compensate for the steel's lack of stability. Furthermore blades being sold through ecommerce encounter returns and warranty issues. Shipment to and from Nepal is astronomically expensive so overbuilding your blades to avoid these situations is an option many take for economical reasons.

There's a crop of new nepalese houses including khotang, Neem Tenji, HK and ourselves that are refocusing on historical specifications, leaner grinds and higher quality and could give a very different impression of nepalese made khukuris. For example we've got a more advanced heat treat that gives a lot more edge stability. This allows us to grind for performance rather than overbuild and cross our fingers. Compared to your condor I've a feeling we'd be able to at least match their steels performance but we'd blow it out of the water in terms of balance.
If you'd like to try one out we can do you a deal. 15% off your order and in exchange you write up your thoughts about it in this thread and do a bit of a head to head comparison between the three khukuris. No pressure to be positive, you might not like it and any feedback would be welcome.
If you're keen send us a dm or email at customdesign@kailashblades.com and we can give you some guidance on what a good model for your needs might be. If you're not interested then that's A-okay as well- we just wanna put Nepal back on top

Take care,
Andrew and the team at Kailash

I hope this is still happening.

 

[Kailash Blades]

I hope this is still happening.

The offer is still definitely on the table! However we didn't hear anything back from M MihajloS unfortunately.
Potentially it's because we didn't tag him initially- maybe this comment will remedy that. At the same time though maybe he just isn't keen, which is also totally fine