In 2012 or 2013 I bought 2 Hanwei Military Dadao's straight from CAS. I wanted to use one for yard work and camping and keep the other one new. After 2 weeks of use, it broke in half right at the guard. I called the company and they asked what I was cutting with it. I told them just brush and small trees. They said it wasn't meant to be used for that. They gave me a choice of what to replace it with and I chose the Tactical Wakizashi and gave it to my son when it arrived. I've since replaced their version with the Condor Dynasty Dadao which is indestructible. It can be used like an axe. My family is into survival gear, and even though the Hanwei is beautiful, I'd really hate to be stuck in the woods with that thing. I'd trust my life to the Condor but not the Hanwei. I'm pretty hard on my knives, and my favorite ones are the ones that have proven to me to be reliable.
The final analysis is if, in a purely conjectural way, a self-defense situation, which one would you carry-use with complete confidence. I own the Hanwei war sword, and it is a complete sweetheart to use in cutting though I wouldn't abuse it like this gentleman or Cold steel does their swords, I do not make a lot of money, so the sword needs to be pretty much a lifetime investment so there is no abuse of any of my swords. though a machete is made for chopping wood, and I wouldn't hesitate to use the machete version for that purpose, as well as for self-defense. I own a few Cold Steel blades and I rate them quite possibly the best practical blades for multipurpose use.
The Condor is actually the better sword. Sharpness out of the box is not really very important. The construction and materials used are far more important. 30 mins and a file and you could make that Condor EXTREMELY sharp. It's made of 1075 high carbon steel, has integral guards that can't loosen, a full tang, epoxied and quadruple pinned grip scales, and a distal taper. The edge they give you is a working edge, and meant to not dull quickly. It's a convex grind (like an axe). It's a far better built sword than even the cold steel, and it's 1/3 the price.
Tanner Saurus Hi Tanner, yes I completely agree with you. After this video I tested out the blades in more depth and the Condor came out as my favorite and it still is. Love it. It did beat out the Cold Steel in the end, especially because I discovered that the Cold Steel’s tang was NOT one piece with the end ring, which they made it look as such with some strange black epoxy which shattered when hacking a large branch. Shame on you Cold Steel, not cool. The Condor came out the winner in the end. One day I will do an update video. I just had to get a few surgeries to my spine so I’ve been out for a while. Thanks for the comment!! 😉🤙
I have the Condor and it's not an effective weapon as it is. If you want to prune trees buy a hatchet or a saw. If you want a weapon the condor isnt an effective cutter out of the box.... there is way too much meat behind the edge to really cut. I took a file and laid the edge back significantly and it has become a decent cutter but it took a lot of reprofiling. The Hanwei and CS are effective actual weapons out of the box. The Condor is not.
Respect to You for your job and saving lives as a part of fire fighting unit. And thank You Sir for precise, delicate, intellectual review of Chinese sword/machete line 👍👍💯⚔️
Fine reviews, thanks! I've been wanting to try one of these and was able to make a decision based on this video. I found Cold Steel Chinese Machete on ebay for less than $50 including shipping, so I'm going to give it a try, it should do a number on some backyard brush, and I like that it is close to the weight of the historical pieces but with a longer handle for more leverage.
A lot of european weapons (especially polearms) started out as further modification of peasant tools too. A dadao is like having a sword, axe, and machete all in one. Imagine how fast an army with them could clear forest and brush to make camp. I've used my condor one to clear brush around my house for years now and the only damage is the tip being ground down a bit.
As I mentioned somewhere the Condor eventually won as the Cold Steel turned out to have a glued on tang pommel aka pommel ring. During a filming while chopping the pommel ring came flying off and could have easily taken out an eye. Turned out the damn thing was glued on. Not even screwed on. Glued on so the chopping vibration cracked the black glue and the video shows it flying off. I did contact Cold Steel to let them know. A small lady came out to help me and she basically shrugged me off. I barely got a new one and she told me not to use it to hit or chop anything as it would void the warranty. Lol. Ok. Wow. The Condor won as it had the best Contruction and solid tang and sold pommel to the tang which is Very important. The Cold Steel thick model is still awesome and strong but you can’t trust the pommel. Take it off. Thank you for the comment.
@@1lifelive570 The Condor also has quite possibly the best steel among them being 1075. Hanwei uses 1566 which is pretty close though (similar to both 1060 and 1075). The cold steel sword uses 1060 and the machete uses 1055. That condor 1075 combined with being the thickest of the blades makes it a durability beast! Definitely the one of the four I could most easily imagine making it through an entire war with only moderate damage.
Love how they advertise 1060 and below as high carbon lol, wrong. That is mild carbon steel not even close to 'high' carbon. You'll be sharpening after every use!
@@Divine_Serpent_Geh Nah, Dao just means single edged blade in Chinese, depending on the context it can mean a single edged knife, razor blade, sword or any other edged blade. If a sword has two edges though, it's called a jian.
You got the Condor and Hanwei shealths mixed up. The Hanwei is very light and can be used for sword fighting against light weight swords. The Cold Steel War sword Dadao is a real first class weapon.
Hmmmm, well I read that info from several historian websites. It was indeed a farming tool actually before a killing tool according to several other history websites and Wiki. So that is why I put it in the info. And if makes sense as the shape of the tool is more for hacking light trees and bamboo and heavy grass just like a machete.
The Cold Steel Chinese machete, looks really cool. Think I might buy that. Just have to add, that the dog cameo, took an already very sober and informative review, to epic levels! :)
Carsten Tilsgren Hi and thanks. Yeah everyone now days wants explosions and fireworks. I at least have my trail dog. Since this video I’ve discovered that the Cold Steel model is tough except the end circle is not part of the tang. It can pop off during hard hits. I know because I’ve done it and brought it to Cold Steels attention but they shrugged me off. Still a great sword, just giving you the info. The sword that is smaller but has a circle as one piece is the Condor sword. I added paracord wrap to the handle and love it. So now you have the latest info. 😊👍
The trail dog rules. :) I have heard both good and bad reviews, about Cold Steel products. Apparently it's quite hit or miss, with them. I only have their Warrior Katana, which I'm very happy with, though. It's one sturdy bastard! :) But maybe I will give this Condor brand a look, too. Thank you very much, for the reply.
It's a shitty sword honestly when I got mine the guards epoxy was everywhere dryed and cracked and didnt even work to secure the lower part of the guard. Not full tang period.
Sadly the Cold Steel War Sword in the black finish and the war sword machete are no longer being produced. luckily i managed to get a war sword machete on amazon today for a good price.
Hmmm bummer but cool that you scored a good deal on Amazon. The other recommendation I now have again is the Condor Dadao. Its smaller but well worth the price. Have fun!
Good review. Perhaps you’re a little uninformed about the way condor manufactures their products. Condor is a machete production manufacturer. Condors are made in El Salvador. It is tradition not to fully sharpen machetes so the end-user becomes familiar with his or her new blade. I enjoy opening my new condor machetes and being able to refine the courtesy edge that is provided.
Hi, I have not had time to update this video yet, but as of now the best sword of that group has proved to be the Condor which I added a paracord wrap to the handle and it has been superb. The large Cold Steel blade had the end loop pop off while cutting a branch and I discovered that it was only glued on with some black epoxy which couldn’t take the vibration when chopping and it popped off. I actually have it on video as proof which I one one day get up. ;-)
@@1lifelive570 wow, that's terrible. I am sure most would have assumed the ring was part of the tang but not surprised to learn in typical cold steel fashion to be an afterthought glued on. However, for the price, it's still not a bad option. Thanks for the info
I know this video was made a year ago, but shouldn't be that far back. The website was so easy to find, just simply Google condor knives and tool and first one on the page. The steel type is on there to for the sword. It is 1075 high carbon steel
Hi and thanks for the info. And yes, of course I checked their website and at the time it was not on there so I then emailed them and asked and let them know that the info was missing. They responded later saying they were doing some updates and some info accidentally got deleted and would be re-inserted.
Weapon or not?: Very interesting comment. You are correct if this law abiding citizen lives in a place where every single person is law abiding and good. Law abiding citizens need protection not because of themselves but because of all the non-law abiding bad people that have weapons (knives, swords, guns). Sadly I don’t know of a single place in the world that has only good people. Out of curiosity if it can take police officers 5 to 30 minutes to respond and if a bad person with a weapon (knives, swords, guns) is attacking you, do you have a better chance of survival with zero weapon protection or with weapon protection (knives, swords, guns)? Again, the bad person has a weapon and is attacking you. You should try to answer that with logic and not emotion. The answer is a good person is safer with a protection weapon to be able to protect themselves from bad people with weapons. When I say weapon I’m referring mostly to knives, swords and guns as those usually are the weapons used. I’m only saying this so You don’t ever find yourself getting attacked by a bad person with a weapon and you don’t have anything to protect yourself with. Most likely you will lose the fight. Pepper Gel Spray could be a good possible protection too. Always have a weapon that you are good with and train with. Take care now.
Swords are designed to kill people. People are interested in their history, techniques, and cool factor. You don't need any justification beyond that. The whole premise of using swords for trimming brush is a little silly.
theWZZA Well they began as tools similar to how machetes are used, then were made better into actual swords for killing people. Machetes are not meant for killing people.
mikael olisa Hi Mikael. What do you need? A sword? What is your question? The best sword here for the price is the Condor sword. I think the Black Cold steel sword they stopped making and I tested the black Cold Steel sword out with chopping and it’s good except for the ring on the end pops off when hitting hard branches. The end of the Condor sword does not pop off. Both are full tang but the tang of the Condor is part of the ring where the tang of the Cold Steel sword is not and therefor it’s a weak point. Hope that helps. 😊👍
Picked up the hanwei sword and what a peice of shit. First time I used it guard, handle and wrap came loose the tang is thin in the handle. What a peice of shit. Made in china what can you expect. Guard is made in three pieces instead of kne solid cast makes for a cheap and shitty guard that will always come loose. Shitty craftsmanship. Would never recommend even as a wall hanger I cant bare to look at it anymore.
In 2012 or 2013 I bought 2 Hanwei Military Dadao's straight from CAS. I wanted to use one for yard work and camping and keep the other one new. After 2 weeks of use, it broke in half right at the guard. I called the company and they asked what I was cutting with it. I told them just brush and small trees. They said it wasn't meant to be used for that. They gave me a choice of what to replace it with and I chose the Tactical Wakizashi and gave it to my son when it arrived. I've since replaced their version with the Condor Dynasty Dadao which is indestructible. It can be used like an axe.
My family is into survival gear, and even though the Hanwei is beautiful, I'd really hate to be stuck in the woods with that thing. I'd trust my life to the Condor but not the Hanwei.
I'm pretty hard on my knives, and my favorite ones are the ones that have proven to me to be reliable.
The final analysis is if, in a purely conjectural way, a self-defense situation, which one would you carry-use with complete confidence. I own the Hanwei war sword, and it is a complete sweetheart to use in cutting though I wouldn't abuse it like this gentleman or Cold steel does their swords, I do not make a lot of money, so the sword needs to be pretty much a lifetime investment so there is no abuse of any of my swords. though a machete is made for chopping wood, and I wouldn't hesitate to use the machete version for that purpose, as well as for self-defense. I own a few Cold Steel blades and I rate them quite possibly the best practical blades for multipurpose use.
Best videos for the Da Dao Swords! Thanks mate!
The Condor is actually the better sword. Sharpness out of the box is not really very important. The construction and materials used are far more important. 30 mins and a file and you could make that Condor EXTREMELY sharp. It's made of 1075 high carbon steel, has integral guards that can't loosen, a full tang, epoxied and quadruple pinned grip scales, and a distal taper. The edge they give you is a working edge, and meant to not dull quickly. It's a convex grind (like an axe). It's a far better built sword than even the cold steel, and it's 1/3 the price.
Tanner Saurus Hi Tanner, yes I completely agree with you. After this video I tested out the blades in more depth and the Condor came out as my favorite and it still is. Love it. It did beat out the Cold Steel in the end, especially because I discovered that the Cold Steel’s tang was NOT one piece with the end ring, which they made it look as such with some strange black epoxy which shattered when hacking a large branch. Shame on you Cold Steel, not cool. The Condor came out the winner in the end. One day I will do an update video. I just had to get a few surgeries to my spine so I’ve been out for a while. Thanks for the comment!! 😉🤙
Damn man!!! Spine surgery is no joke... Hope all is well, and wishing you a speedy recovery!!
I have the Condor and it's not an effective weapon as it is. If you want to prune trees buy a hatchet or a saw. If you want a weapon the condor isnt an effective cutter out of the box.... there is way too much meat behind the edge to really cut.
I took a file and laid the edge back significantly and it has become a decent cutter but it took a lot of reprofiling. The Hanwei and CS are effective actual weapons out of the box. The Condor is not.
The absolute BEST review of Dadao Swords on TH-cam. Thank you for this amazing video and all of the information. Excellent video. 10+/10 👌👏👍👑
M. Thomas Hi and thank you M. Thomas. And yes, I now know how to say the name correctly. ;-)
1LifeLive 👑👌👍☺
Respect to You for your job and saving lives as a part of fire fighting unit. And thank You Sir for precise, delicate, intellectual review of Chinese sword/machete line 👍👍💯⚔️
Fine reviews, thanks! I've been wanting to try one of these and was able to make a decision based on this video. I found Cold Steel Chinese Machete on ebay for less than $50 including shipping, so I'm going to give it a try, it should do a number on some backyard brush, and I like that it is close to the weight of the historical pieces but with a longer handle for more leverage.
A lot of european weapons (especially polearms) started out as further modification of peasant tools too. A dadao is like having a sword, axe, and machete all in one. Imagine how fast an army with them could clear forest and brush to make camp. I've used my condor one to clear brush around my house for years now and the only damage is the tip being ground down a bit.
As I mentioned somewhere the Condor eventually won as the Cold Steel turned out to have a glued on tang pommel aka pommel ring. During a filming while chopping the pommel ring came flying off and could have easily taken out an eye.
Turned out the damn thing was glued on. Not even screwed on. Glued on so the chopping vibration cracked the black glue and the video shows it flying off. I did contact Cold Steel to let them know. A small lady came out to help me and she basically shrugged me off. I barely got a new one and she told me not to use it to hit or chop anything as it would void the warranty. Lol. Ok. Wow.
The Condor won as it had the best Contruction and solid tang and sold pommel to the tang which is Very important.
The Cold Steel thick model is still awesome and strong but you can’t trust the pommel. Take it off.
Thank you for the comment.
@@1lifelive570 The Condor also has quite possibly the best steel among them being 1075. Hanwei uses 1566 which is pretty close though (similar to both 1060 and 1075). The cold steel sword uses 1060 and the machete uses 1055. That condor 1075 combined with being the thickest of the blades makes it a durability beast! Definitely the one of the four I could most easily imagine making it through an entire war with only moderate damage.
Love how they advertise 1060 and below as high carbon lol, wrong. That is mild carbon steel not even close to 'high' carbon. You'll be sharpening after every use!
There's only one way to pronounce those TWO words.
dà 大 BIG
dāo 刀 KNIFE
ie. We're not singing Harry Belafonte - Banana Boat (Day O)
Cletus Kasady Lol. Yeah I figured out a few more ways. Not meaning to of course. But I have it down now! ;-)
Topaz So Machete = Dao? Even though it is mainly a work tool?
The Man
Yes
@@Divine_Serpent_Geh Nah, Dao just means single edged blade in Chinese, depending on the context it can mean a single edged knife, razor blade, sword or any other edged blade. If a sword has two edges though, it's called a jian.
KNIFE= 匕首 not 刀
You got the Condor and Hanwei shealths mixed up. The Hanwei is very light and can be used for sword fighting against light weight swords. The Cold Steel War sword Dadao is a real first class weapon.
It was never a farming tool the da dao is a common weapon from 1930s end of the qing dynasty weapon.
Hmmmm, well I read that info from several historian websites. It was indeed a farming tool actually before a killing tool according to several other history websites and Wiki. So that is why I put it in the info. And if makes sense as the shape of the tool is more for hacking light trees and bamboo and heavy grass just like a machete.
Hmm.. I'm on the lookout for a good pruning sword. Thanks for the tip man!
Sure, glad I could help. ;-)
The Cold Steel Chinese machete, looks really cool. Think I might buy that. Just have to add, that the dog cameo, took an already very sober and informative review, to epic levels! :)
Carsten Tilsgren Hi and thanks. Yeah everyone now days wants explosions and fireworks. I at least have my trail dog. Since this video I’ve discovered that the Cold Steel model is tough except the end circle is not part of the tang. It can pop off during hard hits. I know because I’ve done it and brought it to Cold Steels attention but they shrugged me off. Still a great sword, just giving you the info. The sword that is smaller but has a circle as one piece is the Condor sword. I added paracord wrap to the handle and love it. So now you have the latest info. 😊👍
The trail dog rules. :) I have heard both good and bad reviews, about Cold Steel products. Apparently it's quite hit or miss, with them. I only have their Warrior Katana, which I'm very happy with, though. It's one sturdy bastard! :) But maybe I will give this Condor brand a look, too. Thank you very much, for the reply.
You bet and thanks again.
Cool comparison, Please undress the red grip. This must be checked.
It's a shitty sword honestly when I got mine the guards epoxy was everywhere dryed and cracked and didnt even work to secure the lower part of the guard. Not full tang period.
Sadly the Cold Steel War Sword in the black finish and the war sword machete are no longer being produced. luckily i managed to get a war sword machete on amazon today for a good price.
Hmmm bummer but cool that you scored a good deal on Amazon. The other recommendation I now have again is the Condor Dadao. Its smaller but well worth the price. Have fun!
Good review. Perhaps you’re a little uninformed about the way condor manufactures their products. Condor is a machete production manufacturer. Condors are made in El Salvador. It is tradition not to fully sharpen machetes so the end-user becomes familiar with his or her new blade. I enjoy opening my new condor machetes and being able to refine the courtesy edge that is provided.
Most newer swords have handles that are too large. Depending on the person using it could cause problems passing the forearms while cutting.
Hi, I have not had time to update this video yet, but as of now the best sword of that group has proved to be the Condor which I added a paracord wrap to the handle and it has been superb.
The large Cold Steel blade had the end loop pop off while cutting a branch and I discovered that it was only glued on with some black epoxy which couldn’t take the vibration when chopping and it popped off. I actually have it on video as proof which I one one day get up. ;-)
@@1lifelive570 wow, that's terrible. I am sure most would have assumed the ring was part of the tang but not surprised to learn in typical cold steel fashion to be an afterthought glued on. However, for the price, it's still not a bad option. Thanks for the info
I know this video was made a year ago, but shouldn't be that far back. The website was so easy to find, just simply Google condor knives and tool and first one on the page. The steel type is on there to for the sword. It is 1075 high carbon steel
Hi and thanks for the info. And yes, of course I checked their website and at the time it was not on there so I then emailed them and asked and let them know that the info was missing. They responded later saying they were doing some updates and some info accidentally got deleted and would be re-inserted.
I would grind that cross guard off that second one would look much better.
Hola alguien sabe porque lleva ese circulo al final un saludo
The Broadsword was made 100s of years ago👌
Modeled after the Chinese Dale. Yes, the Chinese Icewind Dale.
Cool video!
Da Gator Thanks! More to come! 😊👍
Day o😂😂😂😂😂
Yes yes yes, I know. I really messed that one up but I admittedly did so. Sorry about that. ;-)
( dāo ) da-ow has if when you hurt yourself and you shout ow it’s like that but with the big D lol
Cool way to remember it. Thank you Joshua.
Np I just wanted to help without insulting anyone
What china used to cut the Japanese in chunks
most of them come with a good edge except the condor rely on it mass for chopping and is the cheapest which explain the poor sharpness
A law abiding citizen doesn't need a reason to own a sword, or a firearm other than love of said item.
Weapon or not?:
Very interesting comment. You are correct if this law abiding citizen lives in a place where every single person is law abiding and good.
Law abiding citizens need protection not because of themselves but because of all the non-law abiding bad people that have weapons (knives, swords, guns).
Sadly I don’t know of a single place in the world that has only good people.
Out of curiosity if it can take police officers 5 to 30 minutes to respond and if a bad person with a weapon (knives, swords, guns) is attacking you, do you have a better chance of survival with zero weapon protection or with weapon protection (knives, swords, guns)? Again, the bad person has a weapon and is attacking you.
You should try to answer that with logic and not emotion.
The answer is a good person is safer with a protection weapon to be able to protect themselves from bad people with weapons. When I say weapon I’m referring mostly to knives, swords and guns as those usually are the weapons used.
I’m only saying this so You don’t ever find yourself getting attacked by a bad person with a weapon and you don’t have anything to protect yourself with. Most likely you will lose the fight.
Pepper Gel Spray could be a good possible protection too. Always have a weapon that you are good with and train with.
Take care now.
Dadao was made by the inspiration of guandao
Guandao came first,by many centuries
Swords are designed to kill people. People are interested in their history, techniques, and cool factor. You don't need any justification beyond that. The whole premise of using swords for trimming brush is a little silly.
theWZZA Well they began as tools similar to how machetes are used, then were made better into actual swords for killing people. Machetes are not meant for killing people.
What movie shows someone swinging a dao by the ring lol
These swords are pronouced "DA-Dao". The DA is prounced as Dah. Please don't prounce it as Day. LMAO
Tiandi mains be like👁👄👁
Duh-Dow.
Pls bro I need one this remember I subscribed pls bro I need one pls!!!!
mikael olisa Hi Mikael. What do you need? A sword? What is your question? The best sword here for the price is the Condor sword. I think the Black Cold steel sword they stopped making and I tested the black Cold Steel sword out with chopping and it’s good except for the ring on the end pops off when hitting hard branches. The end of the Condor sword does not pop off. Both are full tang but the tang of the Condor is part of the ring where the tang of the Cold Steel sword is not and therefor it’s a weak point. Hope that helps. 😊👍
@@1lifelive570 I need the black cold sword thanks for asking are you gonna sell it to me.
рекомендую посмотреть =)
th-cam.com/video/GPSfG4sQaJg/w-d-xo.html
That pronunciation is just wrong. Just so wrong. Think of da like “ahh” and dao like “ow”
Picked up the hanwei sword and what a peice of shit. First time I used it guard, handle and wrap came loose the tang is thin in the handle. What a peice of shit. Made in china what can you expect. Guard is made in three pieces instead of kne solid cast makes for a cheap and shitty guard that will always come loose. Shitty craftsmanship. Would never recommend even as a wall hanger I cant bare to look at it anymore.