Anyone have a Gerber Bear Grylls Parang Machete?

[ninja-elbow]

I'll steal some time and do my best to review the Prodigy. I owe mine that.

[Red Tamarillo]

Yeah, a review would be good.
I agree there are differences between a full tang and a full length tang. I sold my Cold Steel laredo bowie recently because even though people say it can take hard use, it has a cable tang for part of the handle. I like full tangs you can see on the side of the handle.

I was thinking some more about that famous LMF cuttting the electrical cable, and realised the butt cap being electrically isolated had nothing to do with the guy not getting electrocuted, as he was cutting with the blade, not hammering with the butt cap. The whole handle is electrically isolated.

Turtle have you considered some Boker Magnum knives like the Elk Hunter or Ouray:

http://www.boker.de/us/fixed-blade-knif ... GL683.html

http://www.boker.de/us/fixed-blade-knif ... Y1050.html

or there's the Kershaw Echo:

http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetails.php?id=160

or another Gerber, the big rock camping knife:

http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-22-01589-R ... B000VL4G30

[Duke Raze]

I received my BG Parang today. I ordered it on a whim when it went on sale for 30 bucks. I won't be able to test it for some time still but it feels solid and it is pretty Sharp already. The blade profile and levels look spot on. There is a little flex over all the blade feels strong. A little less flexible than my coldsteels. More so than other machetes I have used.

What I do not like. The sheath is awkward as sin. It has velcro and snaps. Less than ideal. It can not be quickly pulled from the sheath. I have no misconceptions about a quick draw for defense or any of that nonsense but I do see how I can do this 'simply' while on my belt. There is a finger groove I am not that fond of at the moment (pre work) and the handle feels rubbery. I am sure some of these opinions will change after I put in a few hours with it. Until then I like the design as a whole.

Now for the important part:
http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q82/ ... AG0215.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q82/ ... AG0214.jpg

[Turtlewolf]

I received my BG Parang today. I ordered it on a whim when it went on sale for 30 bucks. I won't be able to test it for some time still but it feels solid and it is pretty Sharp already. The blade profile and levels look spot on. There is a little flex over all the blade feels strong. A little less flexible than my coldsteels. More so than other machetes I have used.

What I do not like. The sheath is awkward as sin. It has velcro and snaps. Less than ideal. It can not be quickly pulled from the sheath. I have no misconceptions about a quick draw for defense or any of that nonsense but I do see how I can do this 'simply' while on my belt. There is a finger groove I am not that fond of at the moment (pre work) and the handle feels rubbery. I am sure some of these opinions will change after I put in a few hours with it. Until then I like the design as a whole.

Now for the important part:
http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q82/ ... AG0215.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q82/ ... AG0214.jpg

The handle may cause blisters because of the soft rubber texture, I like the hard rubberish material that kabar uses and it dosen't cause blisters with hard use.
Let us know how it works for you please and lets see if that stainless may work as well as your carbon steel blades.
Would be nice to see a chop off bwtween this one and your other machete style tools.
Cheers

[praharin]

Just debating which one of the two would make a better self defense weapon.

Neither. Machetes are too long to conceal and too short to give you a decent stand off.



I would prefer the Gerber if it were more of a traditional parang shape. If you look at a real parang, they tend to have more of a forward reaching belly rather than just sweeping back like the blade on that Gerber appears to.

[Red Tamarillo]

Machetes are too long to conceal and too short to give you a decent stand off.

A machete with an 18' blade is plenty long enough for stand off. I like my 21inch two handed latin as well. A 12" machete could be concealed inside a coat easily enough- afterall there are Bowies almost that long (if I had a choice I'd pick the 12" Bowie over the 12" machete as the Bowie should have a crossguard, the Cubans added crossguards to their fighting machetes after experience with them. But 12' machetes are cheap, and 12" Bowies are expensive).

I'm not sure what you're arguing? As you seem to want something longer than an machete for standoff, but you already say that you think machetes are too long to conceal. So anything longer you're not going to be able to conceal. Anything shorter than a machete has even less of a standoff.

I guess you're arguing you want an unconcealed longer sword or spear or axe? I agree a sword can be a better weapon than a machete (through having a crossguard), but sometimes not as easy to legally own.
A slightly cut down boar spear would probably fit your criteria too:

http://www.coldsteel.com/boarspear.html

[Rev]

Every time I read something about the Bear line of Gerber knives I think of Wal Marts 90 day return policy on knives. I'm seriously tempted to get one at a time and work the hell out of it.

[squinty]

I say do it and post reviews, with pics. Pretty please.

[Crazy Wolf]

I was thinking some more about that famous LMF cuttting the electrical cable, and realised the butt cap being electrically isolated had nothing to do with the guy not getting electrocuted, as he was cutting with the blade, not hammering with the butt cap. The whole handle is electrically isolated...

The thing is, when you're holding an LMF like a knife, it's pretty easy for your hand to come into contact with the butt cap.
Also, I'm not sure if there is a risk of the distance between the butt-cap and you being small enough that even when not touching voltage could bridge the gap and leave you an unhappy customer.

[praharin]

I'm not sure what you're arguing?

I suggest something from **these people** or something similar for a defensive weapon.

Smaller, and more "stand-off" distance.


I'm not trying to derail or ruin this thread. I know there is a place for machetes (I own a 12", an 18" and one $250 Rik Palm custom Knifete)

http://www.witchblades.com/bladegallery/knifete.html

Large blades have their place, but it's not defensive.

[Red Tamarillo]

I'm not sure what you're arguing?

I suggest something from **these people** or something similar for a defensive weapon.

Smaller, and more "stand-off" distance.


I'm not trying to derail or ruin this thread. I know there is a place for machetes (I own a 12", an 18" and one $250 Rik Palm custom Knifete)

http://www.witchblades.com/bladegallery/knifete.html

Large blades have their place, but it's not defensive.

Ah, I thought that might be what you meant. But remember not all of us can legally buy pistols.
Historically in the classic tomahawk and large knife dual wield, the large knife was also a defensive backup, in case the opponent got inside the arc of the tomahawk.
And from memory the guy wanted a backup to his guns.

I was reading an Ayoob article the other day (which I can't find now) where he mentioned a couple of cases where small blades (mostly folders) had come in handy, as backups for pistols, and when the bad guys had grabbed the LEOs pistol and there was a struggle. One bad guy got stabbed in the throat by a LEO, another slashed across the arm holding the pistol.

Note that was small blades. But a few weeks ago I saw a snippet of a Cold Steel bowie training video where the president had a good point that with a larger blade you can feel an opposing blade further away and do a few more blade on blade things- it made sense at the time (for all those bowie duels we get in).
A 10-12" bladed bowie is comparable to some of the smaller machetes we've all been talking about.

And remember there is some psychological effect of a big madass sharpened piece of steel (on some people, but probably not all). Not all standoff distance is material, some can be more intangible.

Another interesting thing I read in an Ayoob article was about semi-autos being pushed out of battery at muzzle contact distance (revolvers being okay, as long as you keep fingers away from that cylinder gap), and one cop having a light on his that prevented this in a struggle. I hope you've factored that in, in case they bridge that distance somehow:

http://www.amazon.com/LaserLyte-PB-1-Pi ... B001TKG7RA

[praharin]

I hope you've factored that in, in case they bridge that distance somehow:

In fact, I do. On a couple of levels actually.

1: extreme close quarters shooting training. Things like retention position firing and opposite (weak, usually, but not always) hand strikes can open the gap to prevent the



I am not actually trying to argue the effectiveness of a machete or long knife in a fight. The problem is carrying them. A big fuck-off knife on your belt draws a lot of attention. Pretty much everywhere outside of the Philippines and maybe some Latin American countries you just can't get away with a machete on your belt walking around town. That means you (probably) won't have it when you need it.

I think a ~4-5" fixed blade is pretty optimal in terms of concealability and ability to reach vital organs if someone is attacking you. When I concealed carry a fixed blade it's a Strider DB-L in a Kydex IWB sheath I made.

[Turtlewolf]

I hope you've factored that in, in case they bridge that distance somehow:

In fact, I do. On a couple of levels actually.

1: extreme close quarters shooting training. Things like retention position firing and opposite (weak, usually, but not always) hand strikes can open the gap to prevent the



I am not actually trying to argue the effectiveness of a machete or long knife in a fight. The problem is carrying them. A big fuck-off knife on your belt draws a lot of attention. Pretty much everywhere outside of the Philippines and maybe some Latin American countries you just can't get away with a machete on your belt walking around town. That means you (probably) won't have it when you need it.

I think a ~4-5" fixed blade is pretty optimal in terms of concealability and ability to reach vital organs if someone is attacking you. When I concealed carry a fixed blade it's a Strider DB-L in a Kydex IWB sheath I made.

I have to agree with all points here.
Cheers

[xombiechow]

Here I fixed it. I'd get down on that.

[Red Tamarillo]

Yeah, I do too. All practical and reasonable advice from you there. The smaller items people can actually carry are more important everyday than the longer more effective items.
Taking into account you don't actually need the 'most' effective items to be effective. There's lots of tools that are plenty effective enough.

I was more thinking of longer ones for around your property or in your car in non gun owning countries (taking into account other laws). A bit like how (gun owning) Jeriah has his 18" machete and D maglite combo.

[ShipWreck]

I received my BG Parang today. I ordered it on a whim when it went on sale for 30 bucks. I won't be able to test it for some time still but it feels solid and it is pretty Sharp already. The blade profile and levels look spot on. There is a little flex over all the blade feels strong. A little less flexible than my coldsteels. More so than other machetes I have used.

What I do not like. The sheath is awkward as sin. It has velcro and snaps. Less than ideal. It can not be quickly pulled from the sheath. I have no misconceptions about a quick draw for defense or any of that nonsense but I do see how I can do this 'simply' while on my belt. There is a finger groove I am not that fond of at the moment (pre work) and the handle feels rubbery. I am sure some of these opinions will change after I put in a few hours with it. Until then I like the design as a whole.

Now for the important part:
http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q82/ ... AG0215.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q82/ ... AG0214.jpg

I just went ahead and ordered one of these last night myself. I already knew that the sheath was not gonna be a quick draw deal. The Kbar sheath is better for that. But as stated originally - I will likely never use this machete. It's just going in with my bug out gear. So, the price is perfect for that.

And, I honestly was getting it for a backup self defense situation if the SHTF. I know the sheath is a trade off, but I wanted the extra length over the kbar. And, the shape of the Gerber is more in line for what I wanted for self defense.

Anyway - we'll see. It'll just go into the back of my gun safe anyway.

[xombiechow]

I received my BG Parang today. I ordered it on a whim when it went on sale for 30 bucks. I won't be able to test it for some time still but it feels solid and it is pretty Sharp already. The blade profile and levels look spot on. There is a little flex over all the blade feels strong. A little less flexible than my coldsteels. More so than other machetes I have used.

What I do not like. The sheath is awkward as sin. It has velcro and snaps. Less than ideal. It can not be quickly pulled from the sheath. I have no misconceptions about a quick draw for defense or any of that nonsense but I do see how I can do this 'simply' while on my belt. There is a finger groove I am not that fond of at the moment (pre work) and the handle feels rubbery. I am sure some of these opinions will change after I put in a few hours with it. Until then I like the design as a whole.

Now for the important part:
http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q82/ ... AG0215.jpg

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q82/ ... AG0214.jpg

I just went ahead and ordered one of these last night myself. I already knew that the sheath was not gonna be a quick draw deal. The Kbar sheath is better for that. But as stated originally - I will likely never use this machete. It's just going in with my bug out gear. So, the price is perfect for that.

And, I honestly was getting it for a backup self defense situation if the SHTF. I know the sheath is a trade off, but I wanted the extra length over the kbar. And, the shape of the Gerber is more in line for what I wanted for self defense.

Anyway - we'll see. It'll just go into the back of my gun safe anyway.

Coconut Test...

*Edit cause I couldn't spell Coconut right the first time. Thank you small town education!

[DeviantSaint]

Yeah, a review would be good.
I agree there are differences between a full tang and a full length tang. I sold my Cold Steel laredo bowie recently because even though people say it can take hard use, it has a cable tang for part of the handle. I like full tangs you can see on the side of the handle.

I was thinking some more about that famous LMF cuttting the electrical cable, and realised the butt cap being electrically isolated had nothing to do with the guy not getting electrocuted, as he was cutting with the blade, not hammering with the butt cap. The whole handle is electrically isolated.

Turtle have you considered some Boker Magnum knives like the Elk Hunter or Ouray:

http://www.boker.de/us/fixed-blade-knif ... GL683.html

http://www.boker.de/us/fixed-blade-knif ... Y1050.html

or there's the Kershaw Echo:

http://www.kershawknives.com/productdetails.php?id=160

or another Gerber, the big rock camping knife:

http://www.amazon.com/Gerber-22-01589-R ... B000VL4G30

I had a Laredo Bowie Modded into a Bayonet by a member here (michael Z williamson) because I wanted something more functional as a camp knife than the standard m9 bayo. It worked great, I dunno about a cable tang. Mike modded it a bit so who knows whats under there, but it seems solid enough. I didn't baton down any trees in afghanistan so I can't speak to that. However, I love it.

[Jsimmonsgr]

I refuse to own anything that is in anyway affiliated with that jackass. I swear that he is gonna be responsible for somebody dying from a unknown disease that was contracted from drinking elephant dung water.

I prefer Cold Steel, SOG, or KaBar for my survival blades.

[xLionx]

I refuse to own anything that is in anyway affiliated with that jackass. I swear that he is gonna be responsible for somebody dying from a unknown disease that was contracted from drinking elephant dung water.

I prefer Cold Steel, SOG, or KaBar for my survival blades.

Pretty sure that if he gets one person killed, he'll still be pretty far in the green on number of lives saved. Seems you're to worried about the people that haven't died yet because they watched his show to have read any of the stories of people surviving because they watched his show.

[RickOShea]

I refuse to own anything that is in anyway affiliated with that jackass. I swear that he is gonna be responsible for somebody dying from a unknown disease that was contracted from drinking elephant dung water.

I prefer Cold Steel, SOG, or KaBar for my survival blades.

Pretty sure that if he gets one person killed, he'll still be pretty far in the green on number of lives saved. Seems you're to worried about the people that haven't died yet because they watched his show to have read any of the stories of people surviving because they watched his show.

DAYUM !!!

[Jsimmonsgr]

I have gone through survival training. While I will say that some of the crap that man spews may be useful at times, most of it is pure crap. Want a good intructor for survival? Try Cody Mundin, try Les Stroud, try Dave Canterbury, all of these people are good instructors and don't suggest some of the crap that Mr. Grylls does, unless there is NO alternative..

Bear Grylls is the the survival world what the TV show Sons of Guns is to the gunsmithing world.

[cbr900]

Well I bought my first BG product...tried my best to hide it while walking through Academy. Honestly the BG Parang isn't that bad at all. I recently bought some very overgrown wooded land and the parang made short work of brush and smaller branches as I made a small path, it cut much better than than my standard machete by far. Don't think id ever use it as a weapon because thats why I carry a pistol. The blade has a very large sweet spot which makes chopping 1"-2" branches very easy. Having used it I can say I wouldn't care if it had hello kitty printed on the side the thing works and thats really all I care about. Only complaint is it comes about as sharp as a butter knife.

[praharin]

I have gone through survival training. While I will say that some of the crap that man spews may be useful at times, most of it is pure crap. Want a good intructor for survival? Try Cody Mundin, try Les Stroud, try Dave Canterbury, all of these people are good instructors and don't suggest some of the crap that Mr. Grylls does, unless there is NO alternative..

Bear Grylls is the the survival world what the TV show Sons of Guns is to the gunsmithing world.

Dave Canterbury and Cody Lundin did a show together in which Cody cut Dave's hand then together they cauterized it with gun powder. It may not be as disgusting as drinking your own piss, but that's pretty stupid.

I don't know much about Les outside of his show, but the fact that he released a line of knives through what has become of Camillus knives to compete with Bear's Gerber line tells me about all I need to know.


In other news, Camillus is apparently releasing a new US made line. New thread to follow... whenever I get one


Did you know that there is a somewhat well regarded ( ) member here that works for Red Jacket Firearms?