Parang vs Kukri

S

soapboxpreacher

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Apr 3, 2010
Messages
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Very curious if anyone has side by side tested these. I am looking to get one of each. I had a CS Kukri and it was crap! Handle was terrible and the edge was junk! Parang looks to be a better chopper and the curve outwards seems to be why it might chop better. Kukri seems like it would be awkward for certain task. But the kukri is typically thicker and might last longer. Found the below interesting especially because it is a gerber...which usually throws up a red flag...but still pretty cool considering.

[video=youtube;uS6DNb1eQ6I]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS6DNb1eQ6I[/video]
 
A freind of mine has a khuk, and he says that it chops wood better than a small axe. when you hit the wood them you have to have people cleared out on both sides becuase those pieces are going in opposite directions with rapidity. another friend of mine has the 2 handed cold steel khuk, and it is a piece of crap from what I saw. check out Himalayan imports, they have good stuff from what I hear, and they have their own forum here. now, my understanding of a parang is that it chops better than a grass and brush machete, and so I would assume that it was more for jungle work where you need to be able to go through heavier branches. I am a total noobie, but that is my understanding.

BTW, don't go for the bear grylls if you want a good first impression. at least get a condor.
 
Didn't look like that Parang was biting very deep into that standing tree he was chopping. I would have had that thing down in half the strikes with my Ontario or CS. Looks like it's too light or something.
 
CS definitely has it's ups and downs. I've had CS that was amazing, held a great edge, and held out for a long time. I've also had CS that sucked, had a melted edge, and I've had the lock on my Rajah III disengage by itself a few times. After that I stopped using it. CS customer service is also very unreliable, I've heard of people trying to contact them that have never gotten through, and I've heard success stories of knives being replaced within the week.

Parang and Kukri patterns both have a fat, curved, "hit spot", and both patterns can be found in a lot of places. I don't see one consistently outperforming the other simply based on pattern.
 
The Gurka Kukri SK-5 is nice from CS but at a Street price of 180...I cant justify it! I have a ESEE Junglas I would consider in a trade for i dont use it. But feel I might use the CS. I have seen alot of Khukuri house blade they are nice but not sure how the edge comes or how the handle feels. They arent too expensive. But just dont know much about them
 
Himalayan Imports doesnt make only khukuri.
There are Parang, Bowies , Small axes, kerambits, swords, katana, hunting knives and a quite few bushcraft blades.
Individually hand forged and differentially tempered 5160 spring steel.
 
Himalayan Imports offers great service and great product. The other Nepali kukri makers offer a pretty good product as well.

The HI are made from truck springs which MIGHT be 5160 (or 6150, 9260, or 1060, 1075, 1080, etc.......).
 
They seem like the HI are getting close in price to the CS SK-5 ? Is the HI that much better? I like the CS grip and the steel seems to be decent. Right length weight and thickness. General not a CS fan but this seems to be a decent kukri
 
There's just no substitute for an HI in terms of quality. Once you get one in hand, you understand that you've just purchased an indestructible piece of art that you can use HARD without any worry. Honestly, the only CS kukri that might come even close is their really expensive San Mai model, and you could buy 2 or even 3 HI's for the same price.

The only qualm I had is that HI's don't always come as sharp as you'd like; they like to allow users to put their own edge on. You don't really want a shaving edge or anything, but you can chop through a fairly large log (talking around 8", in my case) without much in the way of loss of edge. After all, it's like an axe or hawk in the sense that it's a blade-heavy powerhouse that uses its own momentum (or inertia) to do the work. They do take a different technique than other knives you may be used to as well.

That being said, be warned: you can't buy just one.
 
Opinions differ on the edge sharpness. I am of the school that, the sharper it is, the easier & safer the task at hand is. It takes less energy the sharper something is. Anyway, my suggestion is to get yourself an Ontario Spec-Plus Kukri for around $59 to your door. Sharpen it up good & use it hard. If you like it (which i am sure you will) then think of that same knife on steroids. That is a HI Kuhkri. They are as stated earlier: one HD piece of art that are chopping machines. ANY good Kuhkri deserves it's own custom kydex sheath, IMHO. There is a special way to sheath & unsheath a real Kuhkri, thats because it can & will cut through the edge & if your fingers are there, well, they get cut too. Here is a quick pic of my Ontario Spec-Plus Kukri.

100_1129.jpg


I modified the sheath with a D-ring, a swivel snap & a double snap belt keeper. Works excellent.

100_1130.jpg


100_1131.jpg


After i sharpened it, it will shave paper all day long, even after some hard use. It is 1/4" thick @ spine & a full flat grind & made in America-but not the sheath.
I have never use a parang, but have held the Bear Grylls. NOT impressed. I think youd be better off with either a Kuhkri or a Condor Parang-they make some good stuff.
 
I don't see one consistently outperforming the other simply based on pattern.
Click to expand...

Indeed. It depends on which application you are in.
Coming from a country that famed parang and a fan of khukuri, both have always been very useful in their areas of expertise.

Gotta choose one? Curved knife from Nepal.
 
FUZZ55 said:
Didn't look like that Parang was biting very deep into that standing tree he was chopping. I would have had that thing down in half the strikes with my Ontario or CS. Looks like it's too light or something.
Click to expand...
The BG Parang actually bites much deeper when you hit at an angle (like you should chop) instead of trying to chop straight on. Keep in mind, it's a 13 inch bladed machete and not an axe. As a survival tool, I definitely find it above average for toughness, compactness, and overall utility. Is it an ax? Nope. Will it chop firewodd if that's all you have to chop with? Yes.
 
I've got a condor village parang and before I bought it I was sold on the ontario kukri, which I didn't order and went for the parang instead, I can't sharpen the parang just yet and I'm looking for something to use until I get my sharp maker (someone else in our 3 person group could use the kukri too), my question is the same as the OP, which is better? I will have my own test after I get my kukri in but I just want some opinions so i know what to look for and maybe some hidden strengths/weaknesses as both blade types are extremely exotic
 
I don't think you should compare the two as they are perfected for different functions in their native lands.

Khuks are thicker and meant to chop heavy and dryer woods.

Parangs are thinner and are better for greener woods, brush, rattan and crop harvesting. A native parang will also be sharpened differently depending on front, middle or hilt area.
 
ah okay so there's one hidden strength of a kukri, northern use, so since I'm in New England I'd most likely benefit more from using a kukri for camping than a parang? cause my Village parang is almost a quarter inch thick, does that offset it from other parangs?
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
There's just no substitute for an HI in terms of quality. Once you get one in hand, you understand that you've just purchased an indestructible piece of art that you can use HARD without any worry. Honestly, the only CS kukri that might come even close is their really expensive San Mai model, and you could buy 2 or even 3 HI's for the same price.

The only qualm I had is that HI's don't always come as sharp as you'd like; they like to allow users to put their own edge on. You don't really want a shaving edge or anything, but you can chop through a fairly large log (talking around 8", in my case) without much in the way of loss of edge. After all, it's like an axe or hawk in the sense that it's a blade-heavy powerhouse that uses its own momentum (or inertia) to do the work. They do take a different technique than other knives you may be used to as well.

That being said, be warned: you can't buy just one.
Click to expand...

The kukri you made me is WAY tougher than any other kukri I own... it's indestructible under normal use and bites DEEP
 
Not all parangs are the same, and not all kukris are the same. One is not inherently better than the other--it depends on what YOU are doing that will determine what make/model is best for you.

In terms of the CS Kukri Machete (which is the one I presume you're talking about in the OP) the handle is improved greatly by a quick buffing with 400/600 grit sandpaper and the edge it comes with from the factory isn't an edge at all (in spite of CS' ad copy)--it's a "courtesy grind" to speed up the process of sharpening it yourself. Performance is vastly improved after you sharpen it up properly.
 
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