OK, I love this blade. It's thick, well balanced, and feels great in the hands. I feel like an elven warrior with this sexy beast.

The sheath on the other hand is a major complaint.
First of all, it has two snaps on it. This is annoying. Who wants to deal with snaps when you're just looking for a way to free up your hands? On top of that, my middle snap separated from the sheath.
Second, it (well mine anyways) is SOOOOOOOO tight. It's unusable. It's dangerous. There's absolutely no way I would have this thing on my hip and try to use the machete with. I'd be more likely to cut myself trying to force it in and out than have a usable sheath. I'll likely only use the sheath for storage.

Now I also bought the Condor Tool and Knife El Salvador Machete, 18-Inch Micarta Handle, Leather Sheath .
It has a great leather sheath. Why? Because it's loose and easy to slip the machete in and out of. The good news: the parang has the same blade length and easily fits in it.

The same goes with the cheaper Condor Tool and Knife Eco-Survivor El Salvasor Machete with Canvas Sheath (18-Inch) canvas sheath, which I also own.

So again, the blade is awesome. The sheath? Good for storage. So if it's cheaper at the time (we all know how amazon.com/marketplace prices fluctuate), just get the blade only: Condor Tool and Knife Parang Machete Only with 17.5-Inch .

I have purchased less expensive machetes but many are not heat treated or have lower grade steel. This has 1075 carbon steel. There are others that make 1085 and 1095 Steel but they cost even more. This is a well made one, and I consider this the bare minimum for a usable machete. I use my machetes to trim brush, saplings, and tall weeds. I also use it like an ax to chop off branches. We live on just under 8 acres so we have a lot of foliage, trees, etc.

This design is based out of Malaysia where their brush is much thicker. The blade has three main segments: forend for skinning animals, the mid segment for chopping and the rear for carving. The grip is a hardwood with a flared out square bottom that tapers towards the top of the grip. Because of the balance, I hold this past the flared bottom for more control.

This has a black coating which protects against blinding glare when working in the sun. The edge is exposed. Balance is excellent and I have great control. It is always best to swing in an arc or direction that moves away from the other hand, your face, and body. This is not designed for a novice, as it can likely and severely injure you. A bounce back or a chop that comes towards you can have deleterious and disastrous effects.

For a machete, this is as heavy as they come. It is very durable with respect to the blade and edge. I have used it to chop and cut with ease. An unintentional glancing blow at a boulder, and it dented the edge, slightly. Lesser blades would have been rendered useless, broken, or badly bent.

This has a leather sheath with two brass snaps. Because of the flared fore end, it would be difficult to make a design that would fit with just one snap. The sheath has a nice belt loop which swivels on a button. It is comfortable and keeps the machete out of the way when walking around the property.

Because this has no sharp point, it is more of a chopper, slasher and cutter, as opposed to a stabbing type of blade. If you need to stab, then it is best to go with a baring, Bowie, Tanto or Latin style machete.

Overall, I'm very pleased with the design. It's tough and it is a great chopper/hacker.

This is my third Condor purchase, they are a little expensive for machetes, true, but they are half the price of Traditional Filipino Weapons. They are thick bladed, full tang, high carbon steel, well forged and well honed (at least all mine have been). I still sharpen mine regularly using ceramic rods, but anyone who buys an edged weapon and thinks they will never have to sharpen it, is fooling themselves. The black protective coating is very tough, though not infallible; I split an old, very hard 1" thick hardwood board down the center with my Golok, not realizing there was an old nail in the center, the machete had no problem cleaving the nail, there was no blade damage (though I did have to re-sharpen), but the black coating chipped a little on both sides where the two halves of the nail scraped by. I am thankful Condor uses a coating, since the blades are good quality, high-carbon steel, they can rust. On to my complaint, and it's not a minor one to some people: the finish of the handle was terrible in comparison to my other two. I realize that their knives are hand sanded on a sanding belt, and it appears the worker was new to sanding handles (just a theory); the handle was poorly chosen wood from a heavily knotted piece, the sanding was uneven at best, and the butt of the handle were burnt black where the sander hits the end-grain (a common problem with hardwood). The brass rivets also have some burrs due to the poor sanding. It's not a problem for me, I will hand sand it for a few hours until it's immaculate then refinish it; the knotty hardwood will look beautiful when I am finished. I will post some pics. This experience confirms what others have said about quality control, Condor needs more. By the way: I love the open-top sheath with this one, so much more that the traditional sheath with the Golok, but the lower snap strap is unnecessary, I keep it unsnapped and the strap turned 90 degrees behind the sheath, out of my way. I wore this thing about 10 hours on Saturday, working in the yard, very, very comfortable carry!

Very Well Made blade. I wanted a "better" machete than what I keep around the house. I have an assortment of cheap stamped blades that I don't really care about, but occasionally I need something with a little more heft.
Now, I'm no jungle guide like some of the reviews here, just a normal guy that can appreciate a well made blade. I read the reviews, and knew what I was buying, and this is one sweet parang!
It arrived yesterday, but with the rains in my area it was a few days before I could try this one out. Right out of the box it has a really nice edge, so I knew it would cut like butter. I have a small property, but a lot of overgrowth on one fence line that needs to be chopped back on occasion.
Not having much time, I decided to clear about a 3 foot path made up of mostly palm frons and vines. Nothing major by any means. I hacked away for about 45 minutes and gave it a rest. This is certainly a heavy beast, but well balanced and very controllable.
While cleaning and re-oiling the blade (carbon steel) I noticed quite a few chipped edges. Mind you, this was palm frons and vines. No tree limbs, no metal to metal contact, not hitting anything larger than 3/4" tree branches. the whole time.
The blade made quick work of the light duty job, but I'm a little disappointed that there are so many tiny nicks on the working portion of the blade.
This wont take long to work out, and I expect to keep the edge maintained, but I wasn't chopping down a tree or anything.

In short, I love the parang, and I certainly feel like it was worth the money I paid. I won't hesitate buying another Condor, but I just wasn't expecting the nicks. Not a major deal I guess. If it gets worse when I actually use it for real work, I'll update this review.

Shipping was perfect, as Amazon has this down pat by now, no complaints there.

I thought at first this machete would be too bulky and hard to wield in the bush when I first unwrapped it. The blade was sharp and ready to go. I tried it out clearing Douglas Fir saplings while clearing trails and it worked fine. I've used the 14 inch machete that Condor makes and I really like it's weight. I work as a landscaper and Estate Manager on a wooded property in Northern California so I know my way around forestry tools. The smaller 14 inch is a good choice for carrying around all day, the 17.5 inch seemed too awkward UNTIL I used a strap from an old computer case and strapped it to my back "Bolo" style like they do in the Phillipines. It goes out with me on the property all the time now. I still like the 14 inch for close and crowded work but this 17.5 inch really packs a punch. I might modify the handle a bit because I feel it "digging" a bit in my palm. The angle of the blade and handle help with the work and really make the blade work for you. As a survival/bushcraft tool I'd go with the smaller 14inch or the Kukuri since they would be more useful for "small" work.
And then there is the sheath. I beg Condor to re-think making this two snap sheath. I hate it so much I'm going to get a custom one made for the blade and toss the factory one. The 14 inch sheaths are so much nicer. The 17.5 has nice leather etc. for it's sheath but it's just too unwieldy. It's well worth the money but the sheath has to go.