Condor Tactana & Garuda Blades

American Samurai – Condor Tactana & Garuda

For the May 2014 issue of TACTICAL KNIVES, author Tim Stetzer examined the place of the modern samurai-style sword in today’s knife market. Stetzer put Condor Tool & Knife’s new Tactana and Garuda models through an extensive bout of field testing to determine if the samurai-style blades made sense as home-defense options.

Designed by Joe Flowers at Condor, the knife and sword combo offer 5mm-thick 1075 high-carbon steel blades, Micarta handles affixed with brass pins and brass-lined lanyard holes at the butt.
According to Stetzer, “The Garuda is a full-tang design that uses a 6-inch blade with an American-style tanto point and features a saber grind with a 3-inch, unsharpened swedge. The generous 5.5-inch-long handle brings the overall length to 11.5 inches. The scale-to-frame fit is seamless, and the Micarta is left with a slightly textured finish for a positive grip. The Garuda comes with a sturdy nylon sheath fitted with a hard plastic liner. It has a large belt loop as well as a series of MOLLE-compatible loops on the back and a utility pocket on the front. Retention is by means of an adjustable Velcro strap that wraps around the handle.”

During field testing, which included slicing thick water jugs, Stetzer was impressed the edge retention of the Tactana. “The factory edge on the Tactana cleaved cleanly even through the heavier jugs and we were able to do multiple cuts on the jugs, something that’s sometimes hard after the first cut as the jug loses much of its structural integrity.” Stetzer continues, “While the Garuda Tanto is a good, solid tactical blade, the Tactana really steals the show when you have them both side by side.”

For more information on the Condor, visit: http://www.condortk.com/