BG Parang blade break issues -- Something to be concerned about?

M

maskedbacon

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Jan 3, 2011
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Hi guys,

I bought a BG Parang a while ago, and it fits my needs very well (cheap, good weight, comfy, reasonable edge retention). However, I've been seeing reviews on Amazon as well as a scary video ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMW4Frpnn3s ) talking about how the blade can snap off from the handle at the first screw.

Now I've put mine through some abuse... it's gone backpacking with me a bunch of times, processed a ton of wood, I've thrown it at trees (because... well... I have no excuse), and it's kept up, no problems. I'd be sad to have to retire it out of paranoia, so this is where I turn to the experts :)

It seems like people who have blade-breaks on this thing have it happen when their knife is new. Could it be something to do with the manufacturing process, or is this something to be concerned about at any point in the knife's life? Is there any way I could check to see if the thing is ready to bust on me? Or should I just give it up and move on?

(I did just buy a Condor Golok, but it's a tad heavy and not quite as comfy to me)

Thanks!
 
Sounds like the tang is too hard...maybe they started out hardening them a bit too much before they realized what's up.
 
Just keep it on! Keep trying! You will break it sooner or later. What one man made - another can break.
 
If you've processed tons of wood and thrown it at trees and it's still in one piece, I think you're parang will be fine. I've seen a whole lot more positive reviews of this machete than negative. I own one, and I love it.
 
This was discussed a while back and it looked like everyone had similar experiences who had tried one. Even the smaller knife had breakage issues if I remember correctly, try a forum search of Bear Grylls Knife you should find a couple of those discussions.

However, there are a lot of good machetes out there, there's really no need to go with this one, if you shop around you might be able to find something similar and more reliable for a lot less. In this case, I'd go with my $10 Fiskars machete over that, just because of the breakage issues with this one.
 
just being labeled bg i would try to break it, and get my money back.:)

off topic, but kinda on.....kinda pricey for what you get isn't it? i don't care for that tang design. looks from the video like a double partial push style tang...am i seeing that wrong? i'd prefer a full or almost full tang for that kinda money. take bg's name off it and make it a full tang....


edit: i looked at a better picture of the parang outside of the video, i get the issue. it is a full tang, and it broke where the first bolt is. disregard my full tang comment. i had a warped view of it's construction from that short video....my apologies.
 
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That's an awful large bolt hole for a reduced tang that narrow. I'm kind of scratching my head over how anyone could have thought that was a good idea. :foot: If they had kept the tang the same width as when it first entered the handle it would probably have been fine.
 
Well that's not very comforting.

I am gradually coming to terms with breaking up with my lil buddy... I just spent an hour sharpening the golok and I think we'll be able to become friends.

... although this wandering eye is looking at Condor Bolo's...

Thanks for the feedback, guys :)
 
Also keep in mind that the majority of naysayers don't actually own/haven't used a BG parang. They are basing their opinions on their dislike for Bear Grylls and a couple of video reviews. As I said before, if you look into the reviews in depth you'll find way more positive reviews than negative. I have several machetes, and the BG parang is one of my faves. And guess what; I have a huge dislike for Bear Grylls' show (I don't know him personally, so I can't say I dislike him). Function over fashion.;)
 
Hey Davey,

I am aware of the dislike towards Mr. Bear, but the fact that there are numerous reviews and stories of people having their blades snap all in the same place sounds like a real and serious design flaw. The thought of that heavy blade going airborne is certainly not comforting to me, so I either need to be reassured that people with that problem were either suffering from a manufacturing defect (like the metal was forged too hard and not checked or something) or I'm going to go elsewhere. I make my knives really really sharp so I don't want one of them flying at anyone (including myself).

Would anyone be so kind as to explain how this could happen to just a few people? Is there a hardening process that could be not totally controlled that could cause this?

Thanks again!
 
I'd like to see them reduce the size of that bolt hole. It honestly doesn't take very much to securely hole a handle on, so they don't need to be that large. I like the overall design and would genuinely like to see Gerber have success with it, but either the hole needs to be smaller or the tang needs to be softer. Possibly both. :)
 
I would LOVE it if they made this machete with better steel and gave the option of a leather friction sheath. As a premium line or something. I'm checking every month to see if KaBar or Cold Steel or some other company has made their own version of it with better materials... so far, no luck :(

To me, there's just something about the weight / thickness / shape of this blade that makes it a perfect all-arounder. It's thick enough to baton and it has good heft in the swing, but thin enough that you aren't worried about control due to weight and it doesn't drag you down for long trips.
 
Is that thing super hefty? I'm looking at machetespecialists and they say it's barely heavier than the golok, but the golok doesn't feel like 1.3 lbs to me.
 
Oh it's nice and hefty. The overall weight may not be much different, but you've got more forward weight on the parang.
 
I like them both quite a bit--my recommendation for one vs. the other would depend on the tasks you wanted to do with it. If you were looking for something about the same size as the BG parang for shelter building, wood processing, etc. I'd say go with the Condor golok. If you plan on doing more trail-blazing or site clearing I'd go for the Condor parang. There's a fair bit of overlap in function between the two, though, so I think it ultimately comes down to personal preference. They're inexpensive enough that most folks wind up with both. :D
 
Hmmmmmmm. We'll see how the golok handles in my next backpacking outing :) It's still so heaaaavy though. Man up, someone once told me.
 
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