Parangs, Barongs?

R

Return of the J.D.

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A question for the cantina. On a recent look through John "Lofty" Wiseman's SAS Survival Handbook, I saw that one of the knives he recommended for heavy-duty wilderness survival applications was a parang. From the picture and specs he gave, what he had in mind was something shaped kind of like a Valiantco parang lading, with a backward-curving blade and a tip sloping toward the edge, sheeps-foot fashion. His recommended blade length was about 10 inches to a foot--which is a good deal shorter than the Valiantco versions. He also recommended that a parang have a wooden handle with a bolted-through tang.

This piqued my curiosity. I'd seen the Outdoors magazine review of a similarly-shaped (but longer) Valiantco parang, and have long been intrigued. But it occurs to me now to ask y'all: does anyone know where to get anything vaguely like this affordably? Valiantco's offerings are very attractive, but their blades in this configuration seem to run around $100 or up, which is a bit beyond my means just now. Also, a 12-inch-blade variety strikes me as easier to fit into my family's potential outdoor uses--either backpacking or to leave in a car emergency kit--than one of the full-size Valiantco versions. Anyone here know where something like Wiseman describes is available? I mean, with functional steel, not a tourist knockoff.

Thus far, of course, I've stocked my family's survival kits with HI khukuris, which put a good deal of chopping power and versatility into a manageable package--but I'm curious to experiment with other kinds of cutlery, too.

While I'm at it, I'm also intrigued by the filipino barong; I see that Cold Steel makes them, but, again, the price of their offering is a bit steep. Anyone out there know of an inexpensive place to acquire a functional one of these?

Thanks!
 
I'd stay away from barongs. Those are swords and not meant for utility use.
 
Can't remember the name for sure, but somebody will correct me if I'm wrong--Valiant Trading Co. They carry functional bladeware along those lines.

Edit: never mind. Just saw the part about Valiant in your post.
 
kamagong said:
I'd stay away from barongs. Those are swords and not meant for utility use.
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Sure--but still interesting pieces of steel. And besides, you never know when you might have to go hand-to-hand with a boatload of Sulu Island pirates . . . . (Well, maybe that doesn't happen too often here in Arizona--but you can never be too prepared.)
 
I think Dave Rishar has a cold steel barong. I also think I remember him saying (I love reading Dave's posts) that it was very well heat treated and showing pics of the etch. I bet he's beat on it a bit. If I remember correctly he was pleasantly suprised with the blade. I wanna get one.

Bwray knows quite a bit about Valiant, I believe. Check out: http://stores.ebay.com/valiantcobladesusa_W0QQstorecachemissZvaliantcobladesusaQQtZkm

I think the guy to ask here is Steve Ferguson. He is IMHO an expert on these types of blades. Friendly guy too.
 
Andy, you give too much weight to my limited knowledge. But thanks.

J.D., I seem to remember that this "Jungle Knife" was recommended by some survivalist or other. http://www.loink.com/ShowView/product/503/39
Looks like it could be useful. Made by Martindale, I think.

The Camillus Becker Patrol Machete has always seemed like it would be good. I've never handled one.
http://www.camillusknives.com/1mainframe.htm?bkt/bk6.shtml~main

This guy's Philippine bolos look interesting. No experience with them though.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Philippine-Mach...62585QQcategoryZ42576QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Steve
 
Yea, all humble, then all full of the correct answers. You made my point Steve. You're quite a resource in your own right.:thumbup:
 
The CS barong is hanging on, but I'll admit that I don't thrash it like I thrash my HI blades. That being said, the etch showed a heat treat far better than I'd expected from a production piece, the wood was excellent on both handle and scabbard, and I've been satisfied with it overall. It strikes me as being more of a weapon than a tool. (Which is fine, if that's what you're looking for.) It will most likely run over $100, though. Is it worth it? Probably, but that doesn't lower the price any.

Steve knows far more about stuff from the P.I. than I do. I'm just a guy that enjoys chopping things up, and my collection doesn't feature any historical pieces from this area. His does IIRC.
 
Read about parangs, pedangs and barongs, then get your HI khuk and do your chopping.

A barong can be used for wood, but I don't suggest it. The tip looks a little fragile.

But in a close in big knife fight, I would take one in a minute. SUperb balance and the grip won't slip out of your hand even if it is wet. Powerful and very fast weapon.

I have no experince with any of these made in America. But an Indonesian well made laminated blade is awesome. Hmm, I will follow this thread because I woulld like to get a good chopper and while mine will do the job, they are antiques and are retired unless I find a theif in the night. THEN I will do some chopping with an antique!
 
Hey J.D., I've been watching this thread and finally decided it would be okay to provide a little guidance. Incidently, neither Suwandi nor I are offended by comments, good or bad, about Valiant blades. Suwandi takes all comments as data for improving his products and I feel the same way. So keep the discussions open, honest and freewheeling.

First, if you are concerned about cost (as we all are), be aware that the Survival Golok series is by far the best buy from Valiant. The ornamental carving on the horn handles has been left off resulting in prices that are well below their usual level.

Survival goloks are available in the following blade lengths: small - 13 3/4", medium - 14 3/4", large - 15 3/4", extra large - 17 1/2" and XXL - 19 1/2".

The large horn golok is similar and ratchets the blade length down to 11". Smaller still, the massive golok kelapa has a 9 1/2" blade.

My personal experience with these blades consists of a side by side comparison of the 20", 20 oz small golok and a 16" 26 oz KH khuk. Performance chopping through an old dry 2x4 was about equal. Have a look at the Valiant website provided below to explore for yourself.

Incidently, I have suggested to Suwandi that he include some full tang models in his line and that he call them "heavy use" models. It could happen.:)
 
How about wedging? Do the goloks and barongs wedge in wood ? Are they tip heavy ? Easy to swing ?
 
Kris Cutlery also has barongs that may interest you (though a little more then $100) their quality is very good (at least in their swords I have handled/owned)
 
AstroD, I saw no evidence of wedging in my test on the golok. Quite the contrary, chips were flying and I was taken aback by the penetration achieved by so light a blade. I believe the same features that yield good penetration work to resist wedging as well. The polished, full-convex blade is hard for the wood to get a grip on ... so the blade goes in easily and comes out the same way.

The blade has a distal thickness taper but is wider near the tip. The net effect is a balance point about three inches in front of the blades base .... slightly blade heavy....gives one the feeling that there's something out there to throw into the target with the wrist. There are two natural hand positions on the rather large grip: close to the base of the blade for control, or back in front of the ball of the handle for power. Both grips feel good.:thumbup:
 
stevomiller said:
Your honorable Mr. Ferguson, may I present http://www.reflectionsofasia.com/bolo.htm. They carry the same bolo, but distributed from here in the states. They are currently out of stock, so I couldn't buy one. Mr. Aardvark can shed some light on their quality, though.:)
Click to expand...

What delightful music on that website!!!!:thumbup: :D :cool: It usually pisses me off when music starts automatically playing with no visible means of turning it off except by muting your system.
I found myself trying some of the different pages just to hear the different tunes. Kinda reminded me of the minuettes(?) played in France in a lot of the old movies.
Some ethnic music is like this which is light and delightful and others is like a cacaphony of wildfowl...
 
stevomiller said:
Your honorable Mr. Ferguson, may I present http://www.reflectionsofasia.com/bolo.htm. They carry the same bolo, but distributed from here in the states. They are currently out of stock, so I couldn't buy one. Mr. Aardvark can shed some light on their quality, though.:)
Click to expand...

Thanks Stevo! I'd like to try that round Ilocos bolo, and the Batangas. :thumbup:

Steve
 
Return of the J.D. said:
A question for the cantina. On a recent look through John "Lofty" Wiseman's SAS Survival Handbook, I saw that one of the knives he recommended for heavy-duty wilderness survival applications was a parang. From the picture and specs he gave, what he had in mind was something shaped kind of like a Valiantco parang lading, with a backward-curving blade and a tip sloping toward the edge, sheeps-foot fashion. His recommended blade length was about 10 inches to a foot--which is a good deal shorter than the Valiantco versions. He also recommended that a parang have a wooden handle with a bolted-through tang.

You have just described the Martindale Golok #2. I have one and like it alot. It comes with a file for sharpening which works well. I just made a kydex sheath for mine. Here is a link:

http://www.cutsforthknives.com/catalogs/1/MM.htm

Thanks, Steve
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Yup, I like the Golok 2 as well. It also has a distal taper which improves blade speed. For my money, it beats the 12" blade Ontario Survival Machete hands down.
 
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