“If it ain’t broke, fix it ’till it is”
It is easy to look at the standard, off-the-shelf Malaysian parang and mistake design evolution for flaws. Someone new to the jungle might quickly draw up a list of its failings and mentally redesign the parang into something heavier, full tanged, stainless steel bladed with off-the-scale rockwell hardness; ending up with something more in common with an axe.
I’ve seen some survival knives that have gone this route, some are even designed for two handed wielding (!) and are heavy enough to fell an ox….but I’ve never had the need to fell an ox, or wield a parang two handed. The main task a parang is used for, in the jungle at least, is cutting green vegetation and the hardest task I put it to is cutting dead bamboo. If I need to split heavy logs for firewood than I use gluts. So why over design something for a purpose is shouldn’t be put to in the first place?
The parang is made of carbon steel and, in the humidity of the jungle, will rust. So why not go with stainless steel? But here’s the thing, rust is on the surface only and can be easily taken off, so it’s not such a big problem particularly if the parang is in daily use. Also, carbon steel is easier to sharpen than stainless steel. Similarly a very hard edge to the parang is not as advantageous as it might at first appear as it would make sharpening the parang more difficult.
Which brings us to rat tail tangs – these appear to be a design flaw but have advantages that a full tang does not. A rat tail tang means that the parang is more forward weighted and also reduces the shock waves coming up through the parang when you’re chopping. But, perhaps more importantly, a rat tail tang means that you can fix (or attach a new) handle very easily in the field….something that it is far more difficult to do with a full tanged blade.
The belief that a heavier bladed parang is superior to a lighter blade is also not necessarily the case. As an analogy, imagine trying to play badminton with a tennis racket and you’ll get the idea. The parang is used with a lot of wrist movement and, if it is too heavy, your wrist will get tired fast.
When I first started using a parang here in Malaysia I suffered from the same (slightly arrogant) assumption that I knew better and that there were ‘obvious’ flaws in the local parangs my Malay friends were using (which, for me, were the lack of retaining pins and the use of the rat tail tang). Years later and I can see the advantages that these supposed flaws offer and the problem that I imagined (i.e. the blade coming out of the handle) was not such a huge problem as it is so easy to fix should it happen.
Of course, you may be thinking, the idea of a blade flying out of the handle (due to the lack of retaining pin) is a bit scary however, when it happened to me, the blade came out with the force of the downward chop and didn’t altogether leave the handle so it’s perhaps not quite as bad as you might think.
…saying that, I still keep my distance when following behind anyone swinging a parang just in case the blade does fly out, or (and this is more common) the handle slips out of the person’s hand.
All this is not to say that retaining pins, stainless steel, full tangs etc are necessarily ‘bad’, rather that the Malaysian parang design has some intrinsic benefits to someone in the field as long as you know how to take advantage of them.
Hello Paul,
Thanks for that article, I was wondering how to repair my parang’s plastic handle if it were to split, now I know!
I like the technique with the melted plastic bag!
The Parang has been developp in a wide area, through generations of users.
It is comparable with aes for european people.
The shape, materials, and construction has been thought out.
Some criterias to add:
– making a good stainless steel is more complicated/ expensive
– rust is not that big of a deal, if the handle/parang junction is well sealed
I like the Machetes, they are mostly full tangs, but as it is a thin blade, the weight disctribution is good (tip-oriented weight). There are Tramontinas on hardware stores in malaysia (the chain with a pinguin) you should try one of the small models, they are light, are really great for jungle stuff (12 to 14″ should fit you). The long models are more heavy, have more vibration an the “ding” you don’t like.
Thanks again for the excellent video, a great pleasure to watch!
Ciao 😉
Hi Wawa,
Many thanks for the comment and sorry for the slow reply but I’ve been away for the lost two weeks. I like your comparison with axes in Europe and it’s a valid point. I have to admit that I had my reservations about parang design here at first but it was more out of ignorance than anything else.
I have one of the larger machetes (can’t remember which brand) but didn’t like using it because of the vibration and tendency to glance off….however, you are probably right that a shorter one would be better in that respect so I’ll give it a try at some point.
Anyway, thanks again for all the support.
Cheers!
Paul
Hello Paul,
I forgot to talk about the flying tangs.
I used some oriental billyhooks, with only friction to retain the handle on the eye of the blade.
I flew out many times (especially one model that I did the handle in one hour one the border of a Jungle) but I never felt threatened by this.
Reasons are:
-it doesn’t fly really quick. As humans, we have a quick reflex to raise forearms to protect the head anytime something flies in that direction.
-it doesn’t go far, 3 meters at most. People should stand at about 5 meters if someone is chopping a long and thin blade (machete, golok, parang, billyhook).
Now I changed two things;
– I put a better handle on it, with lots of retention.
– I check systematically the quality of retention, if I sent this is loose, I fix it.
Typically, machetes that slip from the hands travel faster and more far than loose tang.
Thanks for uploading Paul 😉
Hi Wawa,
Very good points you make there and it is worth others taking note to check their parang handles from time to time. When it has happened to me I felt the parang coming loose (it got the shakes) well before it actually came out of the handle.
I agree with you also about the speed a parang flies backwards if someone lets go of it (a worryingly common occurrence!) and it is vital never to stand to close behind someone when they are using a parang for this reason. I had a blade come out of the handle once while using it and, as you say, it didn’t go far and only came out on the downward chop.
Good points, thanks.
Cheers!
Paul
Thought you’d like this new blacksmith vid I made in January. It’s very raw!!!
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ias73IADzMA
Hi Grayson,
Many thanks for the video link – great video!!! That guy is so fast (and still has all his toes!) – fascinating. Sorry my reply to your comment has taken so long but I’ve been away for the last couple of weeks.
Anyway, thanks again for posting such an interesting video, really enjoyed it.
Cheers!
Paul
Hey Paul
Lucky for me I’m going to Malaysia very soon. You may remember my machete videos I sent you. Are there any small blacksmiths making parangs or are they made in big factories? Where to find parangs? I’m going to Kuala Lumpur.
Hi Grayson,
Great to hear from you and I do remember your machete videos very well. There are some smaller parang makers over here in Malaysia although the majority are factory made. The main place to buy factory parangs is in Bidor which is a couple of hours drive north of KL – the factories there have show rooms with an impressive array of all sorts of parangs.
I don’t personally know the smaller parang makers here but a friend of mine (called Keong) does and he might be able to help you out with arranging a visit. He has a website called Sepuh Crafts and you can contact him there if you wish. He is far more knowledgable on parangs than I am and has a varied and interesting collection.
Here is the link: Sepuh Crafts
Hope that helps,
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Paul,
Another great and timely video. I get questions about full tang parangs ALL the time , and although it can be done, I refuse to make / sell them. Mate, if a design works for hundreds of years, there must be something right. Parangs are daily use items in Malaysia, East and West . Villagers use them on a daily basis and not over a weekend or so. For an everyday tool, it will evolve until it’s as good as it gets , and for that, the rat tail tangs work – Period- ! And the longest you need for an all rounder is 12 inches.
Longer , heavier , full tang parangs are of certain people fantasies. They can be made , but why? Imagine a Lamborghini with simex 35″ centipede tyres – it can be done , but why bother?
Great video Paul, you covered some of the best benefits of a rat tail. Ease of repair is number one . Full tang handles also fail and yes, you can use it without the scales, but if you have ever used one without the scales , you will be making a new in no time. and it’ll be harder to repair compared to a rat tail .
Another point to bring up is about the pin. It does offer some security , in case the parang comes “flying out” . However be weary that too large a pin will weaken the tang. Tangs are about 15mm wide and 5mm pin will leave you with only 10mm of steel to absorb and hold the huge forces when chopping. The pin should just stop the parang from dropping off, and it offers no extra strength to the handle or parang. The pin should be just enough for its job , and too big a pin will be a disadvantage and dangerous.
Another point about the tang is that it is NEVER hardened. This is to prevent it from snapping off . I’ve asked the Bidor Black Smiths – Ah Meng and his father in law, and they have never seen a broken parang tang ever before. It could happen to , if the heat treat is done wrong. As you mentioned in your video, the spine of the parang is also not hardened, ie ONLY the blade / cutting part is hardened. That why you can see lots of mushroomed parang spines, especially if the owner used it for batoning ( usually with a hammer ! )
As for the sharpening stone, I remember my grandmother in Kelantan used to have one in her garden. It was so used that the surface was like a saddle. Sadly , i could not find it anymore recently. I also remember seeing a guy sharpen his parang by putting sand on a piece of wood and rubbing the parang on it. It is slow, but it does the job if there is nothing else.
Cheers!
Hi Nadir,
Many thanks for such an interesting post and apologies for my slow reply (I’ve been away for the last couple of weeks)
I really like your comparison with a Lamborghini with Centipede tyres! (that would be something to see…I imagine the car would simply fall apart under the strain!).
A very good point you make about the pins not being too large and something that is well worth bearing in mind…as you say, all they need to have is the strength to retain the parang so no need to overdo it. I guess that’s the problem with a lot of these survival type knives as it’s often a case of over building them (the British Army parang is a good example) and ending up with something that’s too heavy and difficult to repair.
Also good point about never hardening the handle section (which would otherwise get too brittle) – there’s a Youtube video of a $200 + survival knife (I won’t mention the brand to save some blushes) that this guy is using to chop through some wood and the tang snaps at the handle as he is filming!
I love the idea of using sand on wood to sharpen the parang and it’s definitely something worth knowing if no suitable rocks are around. I have to give it a try now!
Thanks again,
Cheers!
Paul
Hello Nadir,
I am glad you refuse full tangs parangs.
The design has been this way with a long time of experience, over a large population. You’re protecting your culture, I value that very much.
The Parangs I have from you are amazing.
The steel is soft, it doesnt break, and easy to sharpen.
For the kind of use you will ask in the Jungle, I can’t think of anything more efficient than some sorts of Parangs/ Goloks/ Machetes.
They are commonly cheap, great quality, and available.
there are one kind of parang I really liked (but couldn’t bring due to my airline tcompagny). It was a duku-chandong like shape, with a 16″ blade, but it was REALLY thin.
It couldn’t chop any wood, but is was excellent for cutting light and green vegetation (for refreshing a path in the forest)
It would’ve been of great use in a group, when the trail opener has it, and if it would be one other parang who could chop some wood.
That one was really specialised, so much less versatile; which is one of the main features of thoses blades: They can do almost anything.
if it is the best tool for one particular task, it is hypers pecialised, and less versatile
If it can do well a large variety of tasks: it is versatile and not (so much) specialised.
I prefer all around blades, as a common Machete, Parang, or Golok.
Have a great time in your Forests Nadir and Paul.
Be safe.
Another thing i noticed is that Axes are never pinned into their handles. Why? If you compare a parang tang which is fitted and held in with epoxy or molten plastic ; to an axe head which is held by friction only ( wooden or steel wedge ) , you could say the construction is almost the same, but i’ve never seen an axe head pinned or glued into its handle. Axes are much heavier and are subjected to higher forces , not to mention , are swung much more compared to a parang.
Cheers Paul! Keep em coming!
Hi Nadir,
Thanks for the post and a good point you make about axes. Same with Chankul handles (and I’ve rehandled quite a few!) where you just trim the hanlde a bit, bash the spade bit on and then hammer in a small metal wedge and saw off any excess wood that protrudes from the bottom….never had one come loose!
Cheers!
Paul
Hi Wawa,
Good to hear from you again. whatever your airline cant let through, we can send over…. haha. drop me an email if you have pics, I may have something similar tucked somewhere in my office.
Pau; + wawa, here is something for you guys – http://www.myparang.com
Hi Nadir,
Thanks for the link – very interesting!
Cheers!
Paul
Hey Paul,
Great instructional video as usual. Do you only use non-pinned parangs now? I liked your parang rebuild video with the two smaller pins. I still like the idea of pins for safety and two smaller ones are better than one big one on a rattail tang for sure. Nadir made some comments about axes and indeed they use pins now on axe heads for competition and hard use axes for safety reasons. It is hard to compare axe heads and rattail tangs for retention since the eye shape and wood swell is what holds the axe on. The rattail tang is the exact opposite and with nothing but handle friction or adhesive of some sort holding it on which can fail at a higher rate than axes.
Another option for safety instead of pins that is very effective is a lanyard but one that is attached in front of the handle. You could put a small hole in front of the handle or I bet even a constrictor knot around the blade directly in front of the handle would work fine. The lanyard loop is above the blade and you put your hand through it and wrap it around your wrist a few times but leave enough room for the snapping of the wrist action. If your hand slips off the blade just dangles there instead of flying into your buddies head or your leg. You probably know what I am trying to describe here and I am being too descriptive but maybe not. I use this safety lanyard technique with my Khukuri for hard use and I love it. I can e-mail you some pics of my set up and what I am talking about if you like so you can post it. Now it wouldn’t be practical to use for when you take it in and out of the sheath a lot but for the lead person on trail clearing duty it would be perfect.
Speaking of Khukuris have you ever used that design there? Just curious and if so any pros and cons compared to the parang. I have found my Khukuri to be the best all around use design in a wide range of environments from hardwoods in summer to the boreal forest in winter.
Have a good one,
John
Hi John,
Many thanks for a very interesting comment. I have quite a few parings now and I’d guess the majority of them do have a retaining pin in. As Nadir pointed out in his comment the retaining pin should not be too large as, if it is, the hole drilled thought the tang is in danger of weakening the tang. However a small retaining pin seems like a good idea with the one caveat being that if you need to repair/change the handle you have to have a nail with you so that you can bang out the retaining pin in the field.
So, with the rat tail tang either don’t bother with the pin or, if you put one in, add a nail to your kit so that you have it with you should it be needed.
I know exactly what you are describing (very clearly) about the lanyard loop and I’ve seen a few people demonstrating this on Youtube. I am not keen on using it as if the parang slips out of your hand on a downward chop there is a risk that it swings back round on the lanyard and cuts your leg. I’ve seen a few people lose grip on a wet parang handle on a downward chop and it usually flies forward and away from you so, as long as no one else is standing nearby, shouldn’t be a problem. The time a parang came out of its handle on me was on the downward chop – i.e. it was the impact of the chop that finally loosened the tang – I’m not saying that it couldn’t theoretically fly out on the backward swing but I think it is more likely to come out on the impact of the downward chop.
Anyway, thanks again for the post and it is always good to remember never to stand too close to someone using a parang…just in case!
Cheers!
Paul
I have been a quiet observer of this website and I find it very informative.
However, I feel a need to comment seeing there seems to be a ‘debate’ between a ‘rat’ tang and a ‘full’ tang. If we look back in History, a parang or it’s variants, were originally intended to be a farming tool (mostly for clearing bushes and cultivation); and like any farming tool around the world, it would eventually be often used as a weapon by peasants/farmers who couldn’t afford to own a ‘proper’ weapon.
The ‘rat’ tail design, was probably thought of, more out of need due to limited access to resources (such as metals) and the result of the forging process, in the distant past.
The ‘full’ tail design, was thought of, more from engineering due to modern machinery and techniques.
Having owned a parang (passed from my grandfather) during my youth, and used an Ontario Machete during my service, I feel a parang with a ‘full’ tang would be the best of both worlds.
Should the parang comes off the handle, the only way to properly fix it, is to rehandle it with a new handle and retaining collar. In Singapore, due to tight rules and regulations, I don’t have that luxury anymore.
In the service, when the pins on my Ontario machette become lose, I could always use my paracord and wound it up tightly, around the handle and the full tang. Should the handle breaks, I can just do away with the handle and just wound up the paracord around the full tang.
I cannot do that with a parang with a rat tail design.
There is no harm to accept new findings and technology to improve and otherwise, already excellent tool.
Hi Shafie,
Great to hear from you and many thanks for the very interesting comment. I agree with you that the parangs would have originated as farming tools in most parts of the world, however, if you look at, for example, the Penan tribe I think it was also a tool used for hunting and fighting right from the start.
I’m not sure whether or not the rat tail tang was used because of lack of resources or not – there isn’t that much more metal in a full tang than a rat tail tang – it’s hard to know for sure. These days, however, there isn’t that problem and yet most of the parang makers here continue to use rat tail tangs so there must be some reason for this…
I’ve seen a number of parings that have been refixed into their handles that have then been used for years without problem. Ideally, as you mentioned, a collar is used at the hilt or, in the way I was shown, actually banged into the wood. If you check back on one my early videos I showed the way I was taught to rehandle a parang from scratch using this type of internal retaining collar. With this method no glue is used at all (!) and there is nothing but friction holding the rat tail tang in place. That parang from the earlier video is still with me and hasn’t come loose to date.
With a rat tail tang, making a new handle is easy enough in the field whereas with a full tang it’s much more difficult. You could, as you point out, wrap the handle with paracord but personally I’d prefer a wooden handle. As with a lot of gear this all comes down to personal preference.
Anyway, thanks again for raising some very interesting points.
Cheers!
Paul
I have a little parang of that design, which came with the handle but not attached. Made a complete mess of trying to get the handle on. Molten plastic everywhere, with the tail coming out the side of the handle in the end!
I imagine trying to put a pre-fixed handle back on would be much, much easier than fitting it the first time. So my hint of the day, never buy one with the intention of fitting the handle yourself…
Hi Alan,
Many thanks for the comment and sorry for my slow reply but I’ve been tied up with other stuff for a while now and not had the chance to do any junglecraft (or site maintenance!)
The parang I fitted the handle to in the video has been used almost daily in the garden since and no problems with it getting loose, so that repair seems to have done very well indeed. Here in Malaysia you can buy the plastic handles separately for a dollar or two and that might be worth doing as they’re easy enough to fit and the slot is already there. If you are interested I think Outdoordynamics Malaysia sell them on their site and can ship internationally.
Thanks again.
Cheers!
Paul
up here in the pacific northwest of america, i’d make a wooden haft and use pine pitch glue.
i smiled with your short speech on freehand sharpening. only because that’s what i do every day and never put any stock in these jigs and fixtures on the market. i find them quite laughable really.
Hi Oncoming Storm,
Many thanks for the comment and good point about using pitch. We have something similar here (called damar) but even if you add charcoal/oil it is a bit brittle and I think plastic bags work better (if less eco!)
I know what you mean about free hand sharpening although I guess the jigs do allow you to consistently maintain exactly the right angle to the blade so they should be more accurate. Saying that, there’s no way I’m going to carry one around in my pack!
Cheers!
Paul