Gereber BG Parang Machete: My initial thoughts (updated with a bit of testing).

J

J.Davey

Joined
Feb 10, 2004
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1,620
So, my parang arrived today. First off, it was nicer than I expected. In photos, the handle has kind of a cheap appearance, but in hand it's quite nice, and has a nice, solid feel to it. The handle is a little wide, but I also have smallish paws. The lanyard it comes with is useless. No biggie, as it's easy to replace. Now onto the juicy part; the blade. The blade isn't as thick as I had hoped, but it is plenty thick enough for some heavier work. It's on par with the Gerber Brush Thinner in thickness, maybe a teeny bit thicker, but not much. The blade was sharp out of the package (actually, the sharpest machete I've purchased...but I haven't owned a Condor yet:D), and only needed a little touch up to bring it up to my machete standard. The coating is very nicely done, and the machete doesn't say "China" anywhere on it, so you can still look like a super-patriot in front of your friends:;). The sheath is very well made, but I was under the impression it would be set up for vertical AND horizontal carry; it's not. Vertical carry only.

All in all, I'm very happy with this $30 purchase...so far. I'll truly know how much I like it once I have a chance to use it.

One more thing. The little 'survival' fold out it comes with is useless to anyone who isn't a complete moron. It shows little diagrams of stuff and why they're important, but gives absolutely no instruction on how to do any of it. Pointless.
 
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I modified mine to remove most of the cross hilt on the back side of the grip. It felt like a hot spot was rubbing on the web of my hand. After I bobbed it the grip feels just right to me. Hopefully I will be able to give it more than a little light workout.
 
I'm having GAS again. Please don't tell me I have to buy another blade. The thing is less than $40, no?
 
Okay, after a bit of usage (cutting up winter fall branches mostly, nothing more than a couple inches thick, but frozen), I would definitely recommend this parang/machete. No damage to the edge and held it's edge better than expected. I could do without the rubber on the handle, but it wasn't overly bothersome; I just wish it was a harder rubber. The finish holds up surprisingly well, too. Sorry, no pictures, though. Maybe next time.:thumbup:
 
I had a chance to use mine today. Mostly hacked on some small sticker bushes and then switched to some small 3/4 inch trees which it never had any troubles.

Then I attacked a 2 inch well dried maple branch. The blade chopped into it with relative ease. Just the weight of the blade falling on the branch was enough to chop it deeply. After that bit the blade showed no sign of wear for the effort. Not so good for the Myerco machete I had with me. It rounded the edge as I knew it probably would on that hard maple. It needed sharpening anyway.

Gerber did a good job on this one.
 
I made some marshmallow-roasting sticks w/ mine today, among other things. Really, really like it. Swings well, cuts very well, stays sharp. I tend to choke back on the handle, I could do without the forward inch and a quarter or so of rubber. The sheath is a notch below the knife in quality and design, but at the price point it's hard to fault. This will be my down & dirty chopper for the forseeable future, and I bought one for my son as well.
 
I got my BG Parang out this weekend. My son and I attacked some well seasoned wood from a clear cut from a couple years back. The Parang handled it all really well. I was curious how I was going to like the angle of the blade but it really dug in great! I really appreciated how the handle/blade angle keeps your knuckles out of the action. This would really shine in blackberry vine removal :) I found the Parang to have an interesting sweet sot. I am used to choppers usually having the sweet spot out front. With this one, it is closer to the handle when cutting heavy stuff. The tip area shines when getting into more lightweight slashing. It makes for a very versital tool. For the $30-$40 price tag you truly get more than your money's worth with this blade.
 
bladerique said:
Is it true the thing has a hollow/concave edge, likely ground from a smallish wheel?
Click to expand...

It is a hollow grind, but it seems pretty shallow, almost comparable to a flat saber grind (but with a slight concave). Hard to explain, but once you see it up close, you'll get what I mean.
 
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Bill Siegle said:
I got my BG Parang out this weekend. My son and I attacked some well seasoned wood from a clear cut from a couple years back. The Parang handled it all really well. I was curious how I was going to like the angle of the blade but it really dug in great! I really appreciated how the handle/blade angle keeps your knuckles out of the action. This would really shine in blackberry vine removal :) I found the Parang to have an interesting sweet sot. I am used to choppers usually having the sweet spot out front. With this one, it is closer to the handle when cutting heavy stuff. The tip area shines when getting into more lightweight slashing. It makes for a very versital tool. For the $30-$40 price tag you truly get more than your money's worth with this blade.
Click to expand...

Thanks for chiming in Bill! I've been a big admirer of your large fixed blades for quite a while now (I WILL own one eventually:o), and it's good to see that you like it, too! I think if people would get passed their prejudices against Gerber and BG they'd come to find this one of the better machetes on the market. The more I use mine, the more I like it.:thumbup:

I also totally agree about the sweet spot; for me, it seems to be right in the center of the curve.
 
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