Only local parangs for me please

 

I love my local Malaysian made parangs

Local parangs have always been my choice for camping in the jungle. I will take an authentic locally made parang over any made in fancy mancy foreign  blade anytime. The parang evolved in its environment to suit its surrounding, user and uses. People have used and survived with it for generations and it is hard to convince me that it needed improvements.  There are so many parang designs, often each unique to its region and people but my favorites are still the ones from Sarawak. 

A junglas in the jungle?

An Esee, TOPS and Bark River in the jungle

I have tried quite a number of foreign made knives in the jungle. Especially during my time with OGM. I was initially drawn to these blades as well. Premium steel, coatings that reduce chance of rusting, full tang construction, high hardness, some with lifetime warranty (not sure what it really means to be honest) and sheaths that can be carried in so many different ways. They truly are well made knives and they do come at a hefty price tag compared to the local parangs. 

Despite all the praises for these foreign made knives, I find myself going back to my local parang. Parangs are much more comfortable and effective to use. I remember trying to use the Esee Junglas in the jungle to cut some bamboo. The edge does not seems to sink in as well as the parang. Perhaps it is the angle of the sharpened edge of the Junglas? And feeling of the blade swinging and eating into wood is just not there for me. A RM30 parang feels and perform way better. 

But of course one would argue many points to stand by the 'femes' Esee Junglas but usability wise for me, it scores poorly.

Local parangs are poorly made

Different parangs are carried differently

Yes and No. Depends on who made it and where you got it from. At a point of my (younger) life, I made many trips to Sarawak on adventure trips. Hike, camp, visiting remote long houses and even trekked for hours in search of elusive waterfall. On almost each and every one of those trip, myself and JC would usually end up with one or two parangs we bought off the waist of the local people we meet. Our 'willing sellers' are usually farmers or our guides. Prices range from RM50 to RM200 for the parang they are using. Are they good? Not much of looks but certainly usable. These are parangs the local carry and use on their farms, their hunting trips and food gathering excursions. Definitelly no show pieces! 

Now, if you buy one from a souvenir shop or one of those craft shops, chances are you gonna end up with a parang that would really look good on the wall. Nothing wrong with that, just that it may not do so well out in the field. 

Foreign made parangs are for them without skills

Foreign made parangs may just be passing air

I am of the opinion that foreign made parangs, pimped with high end steel, full tang and all other bells and whistles are suitable for those who lack the skill to use a large cutting tool like a parang. I have met countless Orang Asals (natives) with the most modest looking parang ever yet deliver chopping and cutting cuts effortlessly and safely. This isn't a shameful thing really. If I ever get the chance to visit some foreign places like Alaska or Africa and having no experience nor knowledge of the environment there, I would probably buy the most expensive gear I could get my hands on. 

The natives had the skills and knowledge. Have these and you work around what you have

One of the most common gripe people have with local parangs are the rat tail. People are constantly paranoid that their local made parang will break/ snap or even fly out of the handle when it use. Yes, IT has happened but if you know how to use and maintain the parang, this will not be a worry. Parangs are not pry bars and the rat tails can be installed in ways that will make it virtually impossible to 'fly out'.

Buy locally made parangs for the local jungle

It is all that you will ever need. If you are concerned of getting lost in the jungle and may rely on the parang for your survival, then perhaps you should hone your parang skills and jungle knowledge more before exploring into the great unknown. Otherwise even the RM1000 parang style knife you bought isn't gonna do you any good.