Condor Moonshiner Knife

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Harper
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Condor Moonshiner Knife

Post by Harper »

In the woods, I think that the need and use for swords are limited--even for Rangers.

I can almost hear the collective gasp. Don't get me wrong. I like them. I've trained with them for years. If mounted or in a melee, they're great. Moving around in the wilderness, not so much. Having said all that, I still believe that Rangers should certainly be proficient in their use.

A short sword would, in my opinion, be better for everyday Rangering during peace time. Archers in medieval armies usually carried a short sword. But short swords (while less so than longer weapons) are still limited with respect to camp chores. If a Ranger is afoot and is carrying an item in his kit, it seems to me that those items should serve multiple purposes whenever possible.

A Ranger's choice in weapons for a given mission comes down to personal preference, of course. I prefer a bow, long hunting type knife and a Tomahawk/Axe. I think that it makes for a far more practical combination in a woodland environment. While not a Ranger, Legolas carried a long hunting knife along with his bow. His area of operations was primarily Mirkwood. A long seax is a good choice. But I decided to go with a different blade geometry.

I chose a knife that would equally be at home on the frontier of America or ME:
Image
It is the Condor Moonshiner. There is a blackened version of the blade under a different name but it has a nylon sheath. Here are some specs on the Moonshiner:

BLADE MATERIAL:5.0 mm -1075 HIGH CARBON STEEL, 56-58 ROCKWELL

BLADE: POLISHED, FULL TANG

HANDLE: WALNUT

SHEATH:HAND CRAFTED WELTED LEATHER WITH SWIVEL

DIMENSIONS: 9" x 2" BLADE, 14 3/4" OA

WEIGHT: 1.3 LBS.

While it is hard to tell from the photo, the sheath is dark brown and of amazing quality. It is fully welted and has a swivel. It is a Bushcraft style sheath which covers about half the handle to prevent loss. I've noticed that you can pull the handle up an inch or two and this will allow for quick deployment in a combat scenario.

Some people aren't fans of Condor's choice of 1075 steel. I wish it was a little better, too. But for all intents and purposes, it's hard to tell the difference. I heard of some QC issues in the past. I haven't experienced these problem with any of the other Condor products that I own.

While this would not be as effective as a short sword in combat, it would be pretty close. The top portion of the blade has an unsharpened swedge. It looks like it could be sharpened fairly easily. Personally, I'm going to leave it as is.

Here are some video reviews:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBb2uT3JwLo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGG9pIvasBA

Now for the best part: you can find them for around $50. The sheath alone is worth that. A lot of people collect expensive knives and are afraid to use them. At this price point, I would be perfectly okay with beating the snot out of this knife--and I don't think that I would be able to do that. I carry an axe/hawk for splitting and chopping wood. But a knife should be able to withstand batoning in an emergency situation. This one can certainly do that. In the unlikely event that I lost it, I would not be devastated. I just got it and haven't put it through its paces yet but so far I am very pleased.

This is a great knife at an outstanding price. It can be used a camp tool or wielded as a weapon. Combined with a hawk/axe, it allows for effective two handed fighting. You might want to consider it for inclusion in your Ranger kit.
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wulfgar
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Re: Condor Moonshiner Knife

Post by wulfgar »

I have heard many good things about Condor products. I have always wanted their Hudson Bay Camp knife, it resembles Aragorn's Elven knife and I think it would fit in nicely.
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Harper
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Re: Condor Moonshiner Knife

Post by Harper »

wulfgar wrote:I have heard many good things about Condor products. I have always wanted their Hudson Bay Camp knife, it resembles Aragorn's Elven knife and I think it would fit in nicely.
I had considered the Hudson Bay knife before I bought this one.

It has a faux finish. I don't care for "faux". Also, there were some reviews which spoke about the inadequacy of the handle.

I also thought the Moonshiner had a point design that was somewhat better for thrusting.

Dimension wise, these blades are very similar. I think the Moonshiner is actually slightly bigger.

I have heard of some QC issues with Condor products with respect to the blades rolling. I have a few of Condor's products and haven't had a problem. At least, not yet.

For all you get, it's hard to beat the price of their products.
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Kortoso
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Re: Condor Moonshiner Knife

Post by Kortoso »

Looks like a serious chunk o steel. Congratulations!
According to my calculations, that should penetrate a warg's hide quite handily.
There are no safe paths in this part of the world. Remember you are over the Edge of the Wild now, and in for all sorts of fun wherever you go.
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Harper
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Re: Condor Moonshiner Knife

Post by Harper »

Thank you!
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