probably means made by condor knife and tool a weak edge from them seems normal..had the same issue with several of their machetes,i solved it by simply filing the edge back a bit until its hard again i think it stems from their grinding screwing with the heat treat but its pure speculation from me but the its only company i know in el salvador that makes machetes using those pins and that type of wood and 1075 and have the common connection of joe flowers with esee.
It's made by condors parent company. Now with the Condors they are normally zero ground which is weaker- this blade having a micro bevel is a nice feature that we don't see from Condor as much- I do think that mine is a fluke, other folks are beating on theirs successfully
I don't need a Kukri for what I use knives for. I like seeing them used and reviewed, however. Thanks for letting us know about ESEE's. I am a bit surprised about the damaged edge; Perhaps slightly too soft an edge.
Friggin love me some Kukri style blades. Pfft "can't featherstick or baton with a kukri" I must be some sort of exceptional person then because I do it all the time. Controversial but I love the Condor K-Tact kukri, least favourite that I own is the BK21. Interested in getting this but I can't see it being any better than anything I already own and that sheath is rubbish. Thanks for review and for being open and honest about it!
Love kukri knives BUT this one isn't seeming to out preform the cold steel offerings so I'll just keep running my junglas lol the junglas is just about everything i could want in a larger knife. Paired with my silky saw its the most ideal wood processing tool set I've found.
You took the words right out of my mouth , I was saying to myself as I watched this video , " WoW that Kukri looks just like my Old Ontario Kukri in 1095 that I bought about 10yrs or so ago " 😂 and Yes I still have it , Love it , I own a few Ontario SP Blades and I sand down that Bird Beak on the handles and make them smaller and rounder . I don't know if I would have bought it in 1075 carbon steel , I think I paid $65 for mine in 1095 and I think they made them in 52100 carbon steel at one point too ....👍🖖
Yeah.... I don't know. If I'm going khukuri, I stay with a reputable Nepalese company. Differentially heat treated 5160 spring steel, convex edges, traditional "cho" which acts as a stress relief and shock absorber/dampener when chopping and batoning. This one was on my list but seeing that edge damage was disheartening. So steel too soft on this one and the OKC version is too hard and brittle 1095. Can't seem to win.
If we could get a traditional Nepalese khukuri with a modern differential ht and a modern grind and micro bevel I would be pretty stoked! I do have some khuk's that I LOVE, I need to get them back out, but 🤷♂️ Maybe there is an opportunity here...
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors I'm sure, but for my collection it's a martial blade. I have plenty of wood processors but I doubt any knife processes other stuff like a khukuri
@bruceleroy8063 I can get behind this. Many historical military models are lighter weight than more of the thicker ones seen a lot today. But there always was great variations in khukuri thickness, length, and purpose. You've always had examples of the really long (15"+) and heavy ones used for beheading goats and water Buffalo in one fell swoop. If you're carrying a rifle and ammo, also having a heavy brick of a blade on your side isn't desirable or really necessary, particularly traversing mountainous terrain. My lightest khukuri (and the lightest I would consider going) is my GGK 12" Super Fast Full Tang and is probably my favorite because of that reason. It's still a quarter inch thick at its thickest point right at the cho area but then distal tapers both ways. A large fuller to cut weight (but still plenty forward blade heavy) and provide balance and lively responsiveness in hand. You can really get in a lot of quick cuts in various directions. The edge is almost a convexed hollow grind which makes it ridiculously sharp but still tough enough to handle heavier chopping. I wouldn't use it on frozen woods... the edge might start chipping out, especially in sub freezing temperatures (there's a review out there on YT of this happening... he was chopping at frozen pines with the hard resin....definitely stay away from our Eastern Hemlock which is a notorious edge chipper even on axes). I pair it with a lighter tomahawk like a Cold Steel Trailhawk or other light axe for heavier chopping and splitting of wood. It's my "fighting/hunting" khukuri. Even despite its lighter weight it can chop like a beast and throw some big chips. It still out chops my ESEE Junglas, which is impressive considering the Junglas is actually much heavier despite being a thinner blade. The GGK bites much deeper. Lends to the effectiveness of the khukuri design. If I was relying on a khukuri as a "one tool option" type thing, I'd probably go thicker though. Maybe around 13" length blade and 8mm spine thickness (just over quarter inch) and a more robust edge (but not too thick). Something like a Kailash Panawal which is on my short list.
I've owned & carried an ESEE Junglas for a decade or so, I have beaten the absolute crap out it for the first few years, & then I checked out their warranty... then I beat the absolute crap out of it twice as much, so... I NEED a kukri made by ESEE. I just do. I own a few kukris, the Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri in SK5 is the best & toughest- so far... but, I Need an ESEE Kukri now. Agreed on the OKC Kukri, the uneven grinds, the blocky, chunky handle...
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors Hey Jacob... good, honest review. Processing 4" to 6" bamboo will test a knife I've found, splitting green coconuts- also fun... if you get the chance, check out a Svord machete in L6, only about the size of a Junglas but thinner & lighter, I just can't kill it. Cheers mate, Jason, Nth Queensland, Australia.
Whoah, why am I just now seeing this brother? If you like this'n then I very very highly suggest that you check out the Esee Expat Darien machete! I have one myself and let me just tell ya it is worth every penny and a whole lot more! Same basic specs as this but it is a thinner bladestock and has a beautifully convexed edge on it which it is still plenty thick enough to chop and baton do all the typical large knife stuff but it being a thinner blade makes it so lightweight and balanced she is an extension of your arm while in hand and it freakin BIIITES n bites deep into any type of wood! I've put a pretty good beating on mine over the past 2yrs I've owned it and the thing still is wearing the factory edge n looks like it did the day I unboxed it....
Now Im wondering if they actually designed the Ontario 6420 kukri. Because that looks like a 1:1 copy. The specs are all identical... Even down to the handle shape! Everyone is saying "Condor" but Ontario 6420 was the first thing that popped up in my mind.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoorsnow I feel like an idiot for commenting before the end (I just finished it, you already explained this in it)... Happy Thanksgiving!!! ✌️
I love Kukris and have been waiting forever for my favorite knife maker (ESEE) to make one. but after this review, I think ESEE might lose money branding this non American made product. At least its covered when it fails is the best part of the deal if you buy it. I truly hope you only just got a bad one. Thanks for the honest review as always. Final thought, how difficult would it be to turn a junglas type quality in a Kukri model?
Sorry for my late reply- your comment is the kind that actually takes thought- which is my favorite kind! But it's also the kind that takes the most time. So- how much would a Junglas equivalent Kukri cost. If a person could produce as many of them as a Junglas, and get as many sales, and it could hang around as long- then I would say a Junglas comparable kukri would cost as much as a Junglas- save for differences in material cost due to potential difference in thickness. The problem with kukri's is its a much smaller market. If you decrease demand and then if it is thicker, increase material cost, your price goes up exponentially. Now, if the kukri is 3/8" thick that is very different. I think I may take up this kukri call myself.
Thanks for the video- It confirmed exactly what I was thinking when reading about the release over on the forum: It's sounds and looks too thin behind the edge for such a soft steel as 1075, it WILL bend. Unacceptable for a kukri design; I'm ready for the Rowen Kukri @ $300- seriously, sign me up.. For now, I'll take my old Ontario in 1095 any day over this POS.
Depending on how old your OKC Kukri is it is very likely 1075. They made the switch in aabboouuttt.... 2017? It's hard to track down because they never actually officially announced the change I don't think and they don't know which batch or whatever they made the change at. I went back and forth with them about these at the time haha. I bet one could find out on bladeforums though.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors Yes, I've had my Ontario Kukri since 2012... It has a stamped tang which, based on cursory, internet research, is 1095. The later versions in 1075 do not have a stamped tang but rather just a stencil, where the blade is uncoated and rusts readily- it gets the oil tho.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors Yeah, they had major issues telling the public AND their distributors what steel each knife was... There was a period when Ontario fluffed it off and said that because of old stock, still in distributor warehouses, they couldn't tell for certainty if you would receive X-Steel... But 6 years after the switch, to have BladeHQ still listing 1095?! It was definitely a problem contributing to their demise.
🤔 I'm not sure whether I would view it that way- it was already their design and they already had a relationship with Imasica or w/e. I think if they were sure of the designs success at a higher price level they may have tried to have Rowen or wrk&t make it but kukri's are not mainstream sellers so I think going this route was prudent.
Seem to be making a lot of excuses for A) a shitty blade, B) sloppy workmanship on an uncomfortable handle and C) an obvious crapppy sheath. For $100 machete I expect more. You did a good job of talking me out of buying one.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoorsokay, thanks. After seeing this video I kept looking and stumbled apon a BK&T Reinhardt/Becker made by Blackjack in the 90s at an estate sale (w/ a nice leather sheath) and couldn't be happier.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors it's marked BK&T Reinhardt, Effingham Illinois. Beadblasted stainless w/ original leather sheath. I found a couple of the original advertisements from 1993 and 94 and it's a perfect match.
I hate to say anything bad about ESEE, but that KLO (Khukuri-Like Object) is just another POS from an American company. Hell, the Cold Steel models are nicely built, but still KLOs. As @pennsyltuckyreb9800 said, stick with a real khuk company in Nepal. I also rate Kailash (kie like pie, losh like lost) as the best, but Tora and the lighter traditional models by KHHI are not far behind in my overall ratings. If you have any genuine khuks, I hope they came from one of those manufacturers. As to this ESEE, at 17.4 ozs/493g it's at fighting weight, but it's too light to be a good chopper. Granted, you don't want to haul around a sharpened wrecking bar from Himalayan Imports, but ~100g+ more mass and a peened or threaded stick tang to put the point of balance forward would make it a better chopper. (Since the Nepalis measure their khukuris in grams, I've come to think of them in grams, not ounces.) No, Condor, Ontario, ESEE, etc. should stick to making Western blades and not venture into areas where they are clueless. Apologies to Jeff Randall, but he screwed the pooch years ago with this design. I still love my ESEE 5, though. *winks* Oh, who am I to say all of this? A guy who’s been researching and using khukuris (as well as katanas/nihonto) for a LONG time.
I understand where you are coming from but I do have to make one correction (why? Why am I like this?) This KLO was designed by Esee's COO who's name eludes me at the moment, not Jeff Randall, originally for OKC.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors Consider me to be corrected. I thought that Jeff at ESEE designed it. That's actually good to know 'cuz I wouldn't want to get on Jeff's bad side! *laughs* I don't usually comment on videos, but since it was khukuris and ESEEin the same sentence I had to (Why? Why am I like this?) make a coupla points registering my displeasure. *grins* Regardless, take care, man.
probably means made by condor knife and tool a weak edge from them seems normal..had the same issue with several of their machetes,i solved it by simply filing the edge back a bit until its hard again i think it stems from their grinding screwing with the heat treat but its pure speculation from me but the its only company i know in el salvador that makes machetes using those pins and that type of wood and 1075 and have the common connection of joe flowers with esee.
It's made by condors parent company.
Now with the Condors they are normally zero ground which is weaker- this blade having a micro bevel is a nice feature that we don't see from Condor as much-
I do think that mine is a fluke, other folks are beating on theirs successfully
El Salvador and 1075 steel screams Condor. Did they make this for Esee? Great review!
Imacasa, the brand that makes Condor, yes
flowers is a great talker, is he not? 😉
@@vortexecho72 he is!
I don't need a Kukri for what I use knives for. I like seeing them used and reviewed, however. Thanks for letting us know about ESEE's. I am a bit surprised about the damaged edge; Perhaps slightly too soft an edge.
Yeah it could be a bit soft overall or maybe I just have a soft spot in mine.
Whatever the case we will find out with more testing!
Condor's steel has always been too soft.
Friggin love me some Kukri style blades. Pfft "can't featherstick or baton with a kukri" I must be some sort of exceptional person then because I do it all the time. Controversial but I love the Condor K-Tact kukri, least favourite that I own is the BK21. Interested in getting this but I can't see it being any better than anything I already own and that sheath is rubbish. Thanks for review and for being open and honest about it!
Love kukri knives BUT this one isn't seeming to out preform the cold steel offerings so I'll just keep running my junglas lol the junglas is just about everything i could want in a larger knife.
Paired with my silky saw its the most ideal wood processing tool set I've found.
Thanks Jacob. Be safe
You took the words right out of my mouth , I was saying to myself as I watched this video , " WoW that Kukri looks just like my Old Ontario Kukri in 1095 that I bought about 10yrs or so ago " 😂 and Yes I still have it , Love it , I own a few Ontario SP Blades and I sand down that Bird Beak on the handles and make them smaller and rounder . I don't know if I would have bought it in 1075 carbon steel , I think I paid $65 for mine in 1095 and I think they made them in 52100 carbon steel at one point too ....👍🖖
Man idk when they made them in 52100 but that's legit!
@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors It might have been 5160 carbon steel then , but I do remember OKC using something other than 1095 ....👍🖖
@brianf9619 oh yeah they def used 5160.
I'll have an okc video hitting this week if all goes as planned.
Wanna see the updated review, looking forward.
I got to handle this bad boy at the Gathering. Now I want one. And after watching this video I didn't realize you were when we were talking.
It's hard to recognize folks at such an awesome event but I intend to be there from now on!
Yeah.... I don't know. If I'm going khukuri, I stay with a reputable Nepalese company. Differentially heat treated 5160 spring steel, convex edges, traditional "cho" which acts as a stress relief and shock absorber/dampener when chopping and batoning.
This one was on my list but seeing that edge damage was disheartening. So steel too soft on this one and the OKC version is too hard and brittle 1095. Can't seem to win.
If we could get a traditional Nepalese khukuri with a modern differential ht and a modern grind and micro bevel I would be pretty stoked!
I do have some khuk's that I LOVE, I need to get them back out, but 🤷♂️
Maybe there is an opportunity here...
They are martial blades and should be light for speed.
You'll want to double check your Nepalese history
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors I'm sure, but for my collection it's a martial blade. I have plenty of wood processors but I doubt any knife processes other stuff like a khukuri
@bruceleroy8063 I can get behind this.
Many historical military models are lighter weight than more of the thicker ones seen a lot today. But there always was great variations in khukuri thickness, length, and purpose. You've always had examples of the really long (15"+) and heavy ones used for beheading goats and water Buffalo in one fell swoop.
If you're carrying a rifle and ammo, also having a heavy brick of a blade on your side isn't desirable or really necessary, particularly traversing mountainous terrain.
My lightest khukuri (and the lightest I would consider going) is my GGK 12" Super Fast Full Tang and is probably my favorite because of that reason. It's still a quarter inch thick at its thickest point right at the cho area but then distal tapers both ways. A large fuller to cut weight (but still plenty forward blade heavy) and provide balance and lively responsiveness in hand. You can really get in a lot of quick cuts in various directions.
The edge is almost a convexed hollow grind which makes it ridiculously sharp but still tough enough to handle heavier chopping. I wouldn't use it on frozen woods... the edge might start chipping out, especially in sub freezing temperatures (there's a review out there on YT of this happening... he was chopping at frozen pines with the hard resin....definitely stay away from our Eastern Hemlock which is a notorious edge chipper even on axes).
I pair it with a lighter tomahawk like a Cold Steel Trailhawk or other light axe for heavier chopping and splitting of wood. It's my "fighting/hunting" khukuri. Even despite its lighter weight it can chop like a beast and throw some big chips. It still out chops my ESEE Junglas, which is impressive considering the Junglas is actually much heavier despite being a thinner blade. The GGK bites much deeper. Lends to the effectiveness of the khukuri design.
If I was relying on a khukuri as a "one tool option" type thing, I'd probably go thicker though. Maybe around 13" length blade and 8mm spine thickness (just over quarter inch) and a more robust edge (but not too thick). Something like a Kailash Panawal which is on my short list.
Cool knife. I have been wanting an esee 4
It's a solid blade to have!
I've owned & carried an ESEE Junglas for a decade or so, I have beaten the absolute crap out it for the first few years, & then I checked out their warranty... then I beat the absolute crap out of it twice as much, so... I NEED a kukri made by ESEE. I just do. I own a few kukris, the Cold Steel Gurkha Kukri in SK5 is the best & toughest- so far... but, I Need an ESEE Kukri now.
Agreed on the OKC Kukri, the uneven grinds, the blocky, chunky handle...
💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors
Hey Jacob... good, honest review.
Processing 4" to 6" bamboo will test a knife I've found, splitting green coconuts- also fun... if you get the chance, check out a Svord machete in L6, only about the size of a Junglas but thinner & lighter, I just can't kill it.
Cheers mate, Jason, Nth Queensland, Australia.
@j.p.6022 I'll do that!!! L6 and 15n20 as used by Svord are FANTASTIC!!!
Alan Kay won on the Alone show first season with a Kukri. Kukri is an amazing tool and can do it all.
True
I think Kukris are awesome. I really want to get a better quality one than what I currently have.
So….. it’s a condor
No
Yes, made by the same factory
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors yes
@diogenesstudent5585 that's like saying chevy is made by Pontiac 👌🏻
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors nope. Different factories made the knives. Different heat treat.
I wish it was Saber ground!
I dont need this, but I want this. And for $100? Why not.
🎯🎯🎯
The Junglass did a pretty good job as a chopper
Yup
Whoah, why am I just now seeing this brother? If you like this'n then I very very highly suggest that you check out the Esee Expat Darien machete! I have one myself and let me just tell ya it is worth every penny and a whole lot more! Same basic specs as this but it is a thinner bladestock and has a beautifully convexed edge on it which it is still plenty thick enough to chop and baton do all the typical large knife stuff but it being a thinner blade makes it so lightweight and balanced she is an extension of your arm while in hand and it freakin BIIITES n bites deep into any type of wood! I've put a pretty good beating on mine over the past 2yrs I've owned it and the thing still is wearing the factory edge n looks like it did the day I unboxed it....
Yeah I have used them a bit and they DO WORK! 💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻
Now Im wondering if they actually designed the Ontario 6420 kukri. Because that looks like a 1:1 copy. The specs are all identical... Even down to the handle shape! Everyone is saying "Condor" but Ontario 6420 was the first thing that popped up in my mind.
Yup, the okc was designed by Esee's coo
🎯
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoorsnow I feel like an idiot for commenting before the end (I just finished it, you already explained this in it)... Happy Thanksgiving!!! ✌️
@@jimbusmaximus4624 haha it happens!
You too!
Love from Bangladesh 🤍🤍
I love Kukris and have been waiting forever for my favorite knife maker (ESEE) to make one. but after this review, I think ESEE might lose money branding this non American made product. At least its covered when it fails is the best part of the deal if you buy it. I truly hope you only just got a bad one. Thanks for the honest review as always. Final thought, how difficult would it be to turn a junglas type quality in a Kukri model?
Sorry for my late reply- your comment is the kind that actually takes thought- which is my favorite kind! But it's also the kind that takes the most time.
So- how much would a Junglas equivalent Kukri cost.
If a person could produce as many of them as a Junglas, and get as many sales, and it could hang around as long- then I would say a Junglas comparable kukri would cost as much as a Junglas- save for differences in material cost due to potential difference in thickness.
The problem with kukri's is its a much smaller market. If you decrease demand and then if it is thicker, increase material cost, your price goes up exponentially.
Now, if the kukri is 3/8" thick that is very different.
I think I may take up this kukri call myself.
6:36 alpenflage rulez
Agreed!
oo hubba hubba. my cuma kage takes that spot in my loadout, but they're so shmexy.
Thanks for the video- It confirmed exactly what I was thinking when reading about the release over on the forum: It's sounds and looks too thin behind the edge for such a soft steel as 1075, it WILL bend. Unacceptable for a kukri design; I'm ready for the Rowen Kukri @ $300- seriously, sign me up..
For now, I'll take my old Ontario in 1095 any day over this POS.
Depending on how old your OKC Kukri is it is very likely 1075. They made the switch in aabboouuttt.... 2017? It's hard to track down because they never actually officially announced the change I don't think and they don't know which batch or whatever they made the change at. I went back and forth with them about these at the time haha. I bet one could find out on bladeforums though.
Oh, I want to add that even until their demise many of their knives were still advertised as 1095 while they were in fact 1075! It was a nightmare
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors Yes, I've had my Ontario Kukri since 2012... It has a stamped tang which, based on cursory, internet research, is 1095. The later versions in 1075 do not have a stamped tang but rather just a stencil, where the blade is uncoated and rusts readily- it gets the oil tho.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors Yeah, they had major issues telling the public AND their distributors what steel each knife was... There was a period when Ontario fluffed it off and said that because of old stock, still in distributor warehouses, they couldn't tell for certainty if you would receive X-Steel... But 6 years after the switch, to have BladeHQ still listing 1095?! It was definitely a problem contributing to their demise.
Yup! Stamped is 1095. It's possible that some laser etched was also bbuuuttt nobody actually knows haha.
I'm excited to see where they go from here!
I can't get mine to bend like yours. I'll keep trying.
Hahaha it's not a goal to aspire too baba
6:35...Oh shit dude!
That was a whole thing
Can you compare to ontario marine rider sp10 ?
Probably
Looks like Esee just mailed this one in. Not impressed
🤔
I'm not sure whether I would view it that way- it was already their design and they already had a relationship with Imasica or w/e.
I think if they were sure of the designs success at a higher price level they may have tried to have Rowen or wrk&t make it but kukri's are not mainstream sellers so I think going this route was prudent.
Seem to be making a lot of excuses for A) a shitty blade, B) sloppy workmanship on an uncomfortable handle and C) an obvious crapppy sheath. For $100 machete I expect more. You did a good job of talking me out of buying one.
I wasn't necessarily trying to talk you INTO one, so if you got the info you needed from the video then thats g2g for me
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoorsokay, thanks.
After seeing this video I kept looking and stumbled apon a BK&T Reinhardt/Becker made by Blackjack in the 90s at an estate sale (w/ a nice leather sheath) and couldn't be happier.
@spamfriedmice4800 are you sure you got one of the originals?
I was CRAZY excited about the bk21 but for hardwoods I absolutely hated it.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors it's marked BK&T Reinhardt, Effingham Illinois. Beadblasted stainless w/ original leather sheath.
I found a couple of the original advertisements from 1993 and 94 and it's a perfect match.
Looks nice sounds like a disappointing tool and sheath really sucks. Come on Esse, do better. American made please.
Give me 1 please😢😢
Meh
I hate to say anything bad about ESEE, but that KLO (Khukuri-Like Object) is just another POS from an American company. Hell, the Cold Steel models are nicely built, but still KLOs. As @pennsyltuckyreb9800 said, stick with a real khuk company in Nepal. I also rate Kailash (kie like pie, losh like lost) as the best, but Tora and the lighter traditional models by KHHI are not far behind in my overall ratings. If you have any genuine khuks, I hope they came from one of those manufacturers.
As to this ESEE, at 17.4 ozs/493g it's at fighting weight, but it's too light to be a good chopper. Granted, you don't want to haul around a sharpened wrecking bar from Himalayan Imports, but ~100g+ more mass and a peened or threaded stick tang to put the point of balance forward would make it a better chopper. (Since the Nepalis measure their khukuris in grams, I've come to think of them in grams, not ounces.)
No, Condor, Ontario, ESEE, etc. should stick to making Western blades and not venture into areas where they are clueless. Apologies to Jeff Randall, but he screwed the pooch years ago with this design. I still love my ESEE 5, though. *winks*
Oh, who am I to say all of this? A guy who’s been researching and using khukuris (as well as katanas/nihonto) for a LONG time.
I understand where you are coming from but I do have to make one correction (why? Why am I like this?)
This KLO was designed by Esee's COO who's name eludes me at the moment, not Jeff Randall, originally for OKC.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors Consider me to be corrected. I thought that Jeff at ESEE designed it. That's actually good to know 'cuz I wouldn't want to get on Jeff's bad side! *laughs*
I don't usually comment on videos, but since it was khukuris and ESEEin the same sentence I had to (Why? Why am I like this?) make a coupla points registering my displeasure. *grins*
Regardless, take care, man.