Let's Talk About the Bark River Parang or ????

J

Jmboz

Joined
Apr 14, 2011
Messages
246
Before we start, please, can we just focus on the knives, not the companies.

BRK-Parang-BOG10.jpg


I'm thinking of picking up the Bark River Parang. I like the fact that it's A2 steel. It should perform better than the Bark River Bolo III's 5160 that seems to have had it's fair share of failures. Even though it's more pricey, it should still be a lot better choice than the Condor 1075 steel products.

I've been very happy with how my Bark River knives in A2 steel: Golok, Bravo 1.5, Trail Buddy III, Canadian Special, Fox River, Highland Special and TUSK have been performing and holding up under moderate use, and they are very easy to field sharpen and maintain.

What do you guys think of the Bark River Parang in A2? Are there equal or better non-custom big bellied alternatives that are similarly priced available?
 
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I have no experience with any of the above knives/parangs.

I just came here to say that you might look at the Johnson adventure blades "parangatang". It doesn't look like it has as large of a belly, but its worth checking out at least. It's a pretty hefty chunk of 1095 cro-van, and seems to occupy a bit of a middle ground in pricing.

Good luck with your search :).
 
It's missing the hump in the handle which is important for a parang / golok
 
spyken said:
It's missing the hump in the handle which is important for a parang / golok
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I currently have a Bark River Bolo II, and have no problems controlling it with my medium size hands. However, I can see how someone with large hands would have issues.
 
Even though it's more pricey, it should still be a lot better choice than the Condor 1075 steel products.
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Should be at more than 4x the price..... I'll stick with Condor.
 
I have the Bark River Parang, I can tell you this it is a beast of a knife! I bought it to chop down giant sunflower plants and process the heads for the seeds for birds. I was previously using a condor machete, however the light blade didn't drop the stalks with one cut, it was more of a chopping situation. With the Bark River Parang's thicker blade and heft it would easily drop the heavy stalks with one chop. After chopping about 20 plants the A2 steel blade is still very sharp. The handle seemed comfortable in my hand with no hot spots. The sheath is well built and protects the knife and user, but taking it out of the sheath needs to be performed off the belt and very carefully to avoid slicing up the sheath and yourself.
For heavy wood processing I would still use saws, axes, and hatchets. For light plants a light machete is still the tool of choice. The Bark River Parang is around $250., however this knife is one heck of a pile of steel! After use I washed it in dish washing detergent, wiped it dry and lightly oiled it down and stored out of the sheath. Hope this helps !
 
I have tested both the (shorter) Prototype Parang and the Grasso Bolo III (same handle) and have found them both comfortable in hand in extended use.


The handle would be the last thing to stop me from the new Parang,

...if the price doesn't scare you away, :eek: I suspect you will find it an excellent tool.


bKIC7fE.jpg

Prototype Parang


ifSLfve.jpg

Grasso Bolo III



Big Mike
 
Big Mike said:
I have tested both the (shorter) Prototype Parang and the Grasso Bolo III (same handle) and have found them both comfortable in hand in extended use.


The handle would be the last thing to stop me from the new Parang,

...if the price doesn't scare you away, :eek: I suspect you will find it an excellent tool.

Big Mike
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Nice picts, thanks Big Mike. I would have thought the problem someone with large hands might have is the handle sliding forward during use without its signature handle bump, but it doesn't sound like you have that problem. I generally use the two finger/thumb grip when chopping with the Bolo II and let its weight and velocity do most of the work, so no sliding issues for me there.

As to the price, it's not really that bad for a heavy chunk of A2, and it's only a bit more than a Bravo 1/1.5. Also, if the sheath is like the Bolo II, it'll come with a decent leather sheath. If I were to pick up a cheaper Condor, I'd probably have to further spend on a decent kydex sheath (or use it as an excuse to learn how to make my own). Plus it does have the Bark River's lifetime warranty, which adds both vaule and peace of mind, although shipping it back to BRKT would be a little pricey due to its weight.
 
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Jmboz said:
I'm thinking of picking up the Bark River Parang. I like the fact that it's A2 steel. It should perform better than the Bark River Bolo III's 5160 that seems to have had it's fair share of failures.
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What "failures" did the 5160 GBIII have?
 
MatthewSB said:
What "failures" did the 5160 GBIII have?
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I should have said both Grasso Bolo II's and III's. I've read several posts, which have included pictures, and users on Youtube showing chipping/folding issues on their Grasso Bolos. My own Bark River Bolo II's edge had some slight folding the first couple of uses, but after steeling it straight and some stropping with black compound, it's no longer doing that. I would speculate that's the same reason Bark River changed the steel in their Goloks from 5160 to A2. I remember reading some where that the Bark River Goloks (5160) had problem with edge retention and weakness as well. It seems that going with the A2 steel appears to have solved that problem since I've not read about any problems with them.

Here an example of a recent review showing the Bark River Grasso Bolo 2 edge folding from chopping/cutting bamboo:

20141011_123652_zps6c2abb18.jpg


http://www.australianbladeforums.com/vb4/your-tools-at-work/19745-bark-river-grasso-bolo-2-a.html?highlight=bolo
 
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Well, I took the plunge and decided to pick one of these up.

Here is is next to my Bark River Bolo II:



It feels really good in the hand, much better than my old Bolo III, which I ended up selling. The grip is very well designed and the palm swells really help hold the knife in place with the two finger/thumb snap cuts. Even though it's slightly heavier than the Bolo III, it feels lighter for some reason.

All they would need to do is remove the hump, add a swedge and they'd have a lighter, more awesome version of the Bolo III in A2 ready to go.
 
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gXyErBB.jpg


Just got my new Parang the other day.

It's everything I hoped it would be, SAVAGE!


Jmboz said:
It feels really good in the hand, much better than my old Bolo III...
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What about the Bolo III's handle that you didn't like?



Big Mike
 
OK, how about some test videos? I have been on the fence for a few months on buying the BRK Parang. I own a bunch of authentic Parangs from Malaysia, etc. and they are my favorite blades of any style, or brand, with the exception of my Valiant Goloks of course, lol. BUT there is a distinct lack of test videos out there so far and I know that would help make up my mind and probably a lot of others as well, so here is me begging for a video! ;-)
 
shooter11b said:
OK, how about some test videos? I have been on the fence for a few months on buying the BRK Parang. I own a bunch of authentic Parangs from Malaysia, etc. and they are my favorite blades of any style, or brand, with the exception of my Valiant Goloks of course, lol. BUT there is a distinct lack of test videos out there so far and I know that would help make up my mind and probably a lot of others as well, so here is me begging for a video! ;-)
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Being the BRK Parang is a new model just off it's first run, there hasn't been much testing yet.

I really look forward to putting mine to the test in the next few weeks. :thumbup: :cool: :thumbup:



Big Mike
 
13 months and NO UPDATES?

Whats the 411 OP? Some of us are still anxious to hear some first hand experience with one of these!
 
TKC has several Parangs in their 20% off section, for those of you still deciding about this knife... I just grabbed one for me!
 
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