Condor Tool & Knife Engineer Bolo | Heavy Duty Machete with Walnut Handle | High Carbon Steel Machete Knife with a Handcrafted Welted Leather Sheath | 15in Blade | 40.3oz (5mm Thick)

I've been searching for years to replace an old USAF folding survival machete that I had when I backpacked as a kid. I wanted a heavy duty machete that could split firewood, clear medium to large branches on my property and basically replace a large camp hatchet or small camp axe.This thing really filled the bill. It cleanly slices through inch thick limbs and its thickness and grind profile makes it ideal for splitting wood. It is nearly a quarter of an inch thick and has a good bit of weight. It has a convex grind not unlike a hatchet or an axe which allows it to split and chop very effectively. The edge seems very durable. I chopped through a few 3 and 4 inch thick downed oak limbs that were dry and tough. No observable impact to the edge. The weight made the chopping easy without requiring a lot of effort. Handle and blade geometry made for good control.You won't be clearing a mile long path through the jungle with this baby unless you have arms like Arnold due to its weight but as a go to camp tool or something to keep in the trunk I don't think you'll find anything better.Quality was very good. As noted the handle is pretty smooth and requires a good grip. Adding a couple of strips of grip tape or roughening up the handle should fix that. Sheath is decent quality with no apparent manufacturing issues. The machete came fairly sharp, certainly adequate for the job. If you must insist on it being shaving sharp, a couple of licks with a steel or will take care of it without destroying the edge geometry.This isn't the machete you are looking for if you want to cut your way through vines or grasses. Between the edge grind and the weight it would be difficult for most folks to get the blade speed high enough for those tasks.This fulfills the mission I wanted it for. YMMV.

cons: the handle wasnt red rose wood the hilt was black not brown.not that the white boy complaints are over here is a real review.the BLAD IS SO SHARP grabbed it out the box by the metal thinkinking its a blade made in the or sold in the USA NOPE DONT DO THAT!!!! i almost lost my finger!!!!!!!!!! UNDERLINE THE LAST SENTANCE! barley touched the blade and i pointer finger in bleeding (THATS REALLLY GOOOD!!!!) i grabbed many bladedes in my my life non cut me on touch. the handle is dark brown i wanted rose like in the picture but thats being picky, it still the prettiest blade i i ever bought and the most functional. if i had a fight they would think twice. this is heavy blade and sharp trully a great product the hilt is blackish i wouldnt call it brown but its sooo nice worth the money. this is a amazing my fingers plural are sill killen me. when i say worth it YESSSSSSSSSSS in live in maryland Bmore side USA. if you want a good MACHETE this is one for under 100$ NOT A TOY THIS IS NOT A TAKE LIGHTLY THING!!!!!!!! DONT TOUCH THE BLADE!!!!!!!!

The Condor Engineer's Bolo machete I received was very well made with quality materials. The steel is well tempered, the blade was somewhat sharp when I received it and the handle and sheath are very well finished. I spent an hour sharpening the blade using my diamond hones and Japanese water stones. It is now razor sharp even though the blade stock is quite thick at 5mm and the convex edge is more difficult to sharpen than a saber grind. This machete is heavy in comparison to most other manufacturer's brush tools. It excels at chopping hardwood and the belly of the blade and the handle angle enhance the slicing effect of the strike. Superimpose a Khukri design over the Engineer's pattern and you will see that there are similar aspects to their geometry. If I allow the weight of the blade to work for me, this machete really cuts deep. The Engineer's bolo will now replace my Camp axe when I'm hiking in the woods; it's lighter and more versatile. The blade contour seems to be less likely to wedge in the logs I'm splitting for firewood than regular saber-grind machetes and the blade retains its sharpness for a long time.

very well made but not very well balanced. I used this to chop up a palo verde tree branches when my SOG broke on the bows. It has heft but is a little scary when you wield it as there is the very real possibility your hand can slide onto the blade as it's a very top heavy design.That said the steel is magnificent. It has heft and kept the blade all afternoon. The leather case is a bit "pleathery" looking, but does smell like leather.. not sure how to test it other than cut it.. SOG machete was 20 odd $ and good for weeds.. this bad boy will go through a 1 to 2 inch branch when you hit it at the right angle. I'd look at some of the other models if I were ti use this daily, for an annual tree trim and shrub cut it's fine.Nice wood on the handle too. As they state will need oiling after use.. but so do any quality steels.

I purchased this to clear brush as the smaller, lighter machete I have wasn't 'cutting the mustard', which is what I need to clear on a regular basis.This machete is on the heavier side, so you need some strength to use it. That being said, it works amazingly well on the 6' mustard plants I need to keep clear, and on larger stuff like branches.Workmanship is excellent, and even though I have had it for a short time I can tell it will be durable.It needed a good sharpening when I got it, but I'm a bit of a stickler about keeping my knives sharp. After its first use it held an edge quite well, in fact much better compared to my other machetes.I highly recommend this product!