Fat_46
Member
I picked up a Condor Nessmuk last week, and have read a ton of mixed reviews on it. Everything from 5 stars to 1 or less. Most have complained about the grind and hardness of the steel.
Once unboxed the Nessie was exactly that - a Nessmuk inspired design. Basic handles, some sort of grayish coating on the blade, and deeply struck "Condor" on one side and "El Salvador" on the other. The grind didn't look too bad, but was uneven. It was also horribly dull.
Since I purchased a WEPS system every knife I won, new or not, goes on it before use. This is the hardest knife I've ever sharpened on it to date. The steel is very hard. As said before, the grind was very uneven. I used an angle cube and found on each side it varied from 15.8 to 23 degrees!
At this point I decided to toss the Scandi grind and put a 22 degree per side angle on it. It took quite a while to get the burr raised with the 100 grit diamond. I'm guessing it was 30 minutes or so. After that, progression through the grits went much better, and I was left with a shaving edge in the angle I prefer.
I like my field knives to also have a small beveled, but not sharpened, area on the spine to facilitate spark making. I may use a low speed belt to perform that on this steel, as it would take days with a diamond stone!
I haven't used it on anything but arm hair yet, but overall, knowing it needs to be sharpened, and is extremely hard, I think it will serve as a very useful field knife, and not one I'd lose any sleep over if I misplaced or seriously damaged. I believe its worth the $31 I spent on it.
I'll add to this review as I get it into the woods.
Once unboxed the Nessie was exactly that - a Nessmuk inspired design. Basic handles, some sort of grayish coating on the blade, and deeply struck "Condor" on one side and "El Salvador" on the other. The grind didn't look too bad, but was uneven. It was also horribly dull.
Since I purchased a WEPS system every knife I won, new or not, goes on it before use. This is the hardest knife I've ever sharpened on it to date. The steel is very hard. As said before, the grind was very uneven. I used an angle cube and found on each side it varied from 15.8 to 23 degrees!
At this point I decided to toss the Scandi grind and put a 22 degree per side angle on it. It took quite a while to get the burr raised with the 100 grit diamond. I'm guessing it was 30 minutes or so. After that, progression through the grits went much better, and I was left with a shaving edge in the angle I prefer.
I like my field knives to also have a small beveled, but not sharpened, area on the spine to facilitate spark making. I may use a low speed belt to perform that on this steel, as it would take days with a diamond stone!
I haven't used it on anything but arm hair yet, but overall, knowing it needs to be sharpened, and is extremely hard, I think it will serve as a very useful field knife, and not one I'd lose any sleep over if I misplaced or seriously damaged. I believe its worth the $31 I spent on it.
I'll add to this review as I get it into the woods.
