Currently MY Parang products consists two types of parangs – the Duku Chandong and the Golok. The Duku Chandong comes in three variations – the 12 inch, the 10 inch and the 12 inch heavy . As for the Golok, they come in two variations – the 125 and the 135. Below we look at them more closely , in fact this post will be more pictures than words. Enjoy!
General overview of MY Parang Products
The blade which is made of 5160 high carbon steel or commonly know as leaf spring steel and has real forge marks not those fake machine stamped one you see in other commercial brands. The blades are hand forged and each one is unique.
The handle is made of Eco – wood sourced from Croatia. They are farmed Beech wood and are a renewable resource. The handle shape is of a simple and traditional design . It has been proven to be a very comfortable handle and will not give you any blisters despite chopping away for hours.
We have made the handle slightly longer to accommodate large hands. The handle design enables various grips comfortably , from choking up to the blade, to holding the handle way back . Various handle position enables different cutting tasks. Unlike some modern parangs, their handle has guards and choils which hinder this natural use of the handle.
Another great feature of MY Parang products is that all the blades has a distal taper. This improves the balance of the parang, making it very lively and quick in the hand, without sacrificing chopping power. A distal taper is very difficult and expensive to achieve with a factory made knife. The spines are also all cleaned up and feature a brush finish. Striking a ferro rod with the spine should not be a problem.
The copper ring / bolster is aesthetically appealing and compliments the whole look of the parang. It serves a beautiful and functional way of transition between the handle and blade. Besides looks, it also serves to strengthen the front of the handle, where most of the shock happens during chopping. Under the copper bolster we have also inserted a brass pin across the handle and stick tang. This is to ensure that the blade will never some out in any circumstances. You will have to brake the handle to cause the blade to come out , something which we believe would be impossible with normal use.
Most if not all genuine parangs have an unsharpened blade section a few inches after the handle. This is to enable the hand to choke up further into the blade for more delicate cutting tasks. This feature can also be seen on the Duku Chandong.
To securely fasten the tang, handle and Copper bolster, we use industrial strength two part epoxy. We do not skimp on this as it is one of the most crucial parts of the parang. We have seen newspaper , hot glue, molten plastic , superglue and many other suspect ways of holding the tang in the handle, but nothing beats an epoxy specially formulated to bond wood and steel.
MY Parang Duku Chandong
The Duku Chandong or sometimes referred to as the ” Ray Mears ” parang originates from East Malaysia or as some people call, Borneo. It is a very common blade shape there . The Duku Chandong is a general purpose parang and it is very common to see people in Borneo using it in their everyday lives.
The main character of the knife is the sheeps-foot tip and how the handle is lifted up . While the sheeps-foot tip is very strong and suitable for prying, the upward handle causes the blade to arrive first followed by the knuckles. This is a great feature if you are cutting near the ground or near a solid object such as a big tree trunk , as it keeps your knuckles away and prevents if from getting bashed.
The blade also has a slightly upward curve, which produces a slicing cut. This type of cut is very effective at cutting small plants and shrubs.
MY Parang produces three different variations of the Chandong, the 12″ , the 10″ and the 12″ Heavy. The 12″ is the most common size and is often referred to as the ” go to” size. It offers good reach while not being too long nor too short. if you are looking for the best all rounder tool, this is the one to pick. The 10″ version is lighter and shorter. It is best suited for small tasks or when weight is a major issue. Despite it’s small size, it can still chop extremely well. As for the 12″ Heavy version, it is aimed more to those who will be using it to chop more than other tasks. Being made of thicker steel, the overall weight is considerably more and therefore is a beast at chopping. Heavy parangs do have a down side though, one is their overall weight and second, your arms get tired faster when using it. If you are going to use the parang throughout the day, we strongly get the 12″ version.
The above picture shows the spine thickness difference between the 12″ Duku Chandong vs the 12″ Duku Chandong heavy. You can clearly see the difference in spine thickness as well as the distal taper .
MY Parang Golok
While the Chandong is common in East Malaysia , the Golok is a very common design in West Malaysia. Goloks can be seen commonly sold in hardware and certain convenience stores throughout Peninsular Malaysia. It is common to have a golok or two at home, especially if you live in the suburbs. They are general use tools , from skinning animals to cutting weeds to opening coconuts.
Goloks can be characterized by the pointed tip as can be seen above. The tip is pretty strong and the point makes it easy to dig and pry holes. Due to the shape of the tip, it is not really suitable to chop with it, compared to the sheeps foot tip. Goloks also have a prominent belly which can sometimes be a problem with sharpening, especially if your sharpening stone is wide. The belly
The larger Golok, the 135 is a heftier parang which is more suitable for chopping and rough work. The smaller 125 is suitable for lighter work and is considerably shorter and lighter. We have no idea what the 135 and 125 mean, but they seem to be a universal “model” throughout Malaysia , ie a 125 golok bought in different states will be the same design and same length / weight.
Hi Nadir,
I was wondering if you plan on making a duku panjang. Really fond of that design but sadly since sepuh crafts is no more they are out of production. Would be very interested to see a MY Parang version!
Hi Harrison,
Thank you for dropping by and leaving a comment. Yes, we do have some parang panjangs ( prototypes at the moment ) we will most probably release them some time next year. if you have any nice pictures, drop us an email at boss@myparang.com .
I am interested in your 12 inch Dukuh chandong What is your price to Australia
Hi Jimmy,
Thank you for dropping by and for the comment. You will be receiving an email soon !
How much does the HEAVY Duku Chandong cost? Does it come with a sheath? If not, how much would a sheath cost?
Thank you
Hi Mark,
Thank you for dropping by and for the tiem to post . The duku chandong 12″ heavy is 830 grams or about 30 oz. Yes, they do come with a nylon sheath and price would depend on where you buy it from. Here is a list of who sells them – http://www.myparang.com/category/where-to-buy/
Hi,I am from Singapore and I am interested in the golok 125(smaller version of the two). May I know the price with the shipping cost included? Do you guys or have you guys shipped your parangs to Singapore before by any chance? I am not sure if it would clear the customs. Thank you for your kind attention.
Best regards,
Gerald
Hi Tew,
Thank you for dropping by and for leaving a comment. You can drop outdoor dynamics an email and they would be glad to answer your questions – info at outdoordynamics.com.my
Hi, Just brought one of your parangs .How do you measure the blade length from the copper ring to the end of the blade or just along the cutting edge. Im not sure if mines a 10 inch or a 12 inch .Regards Scott
HI Scott,
Thanks for dropping by. We measure from the tip of the blade to the start of the copper ring. they are hand made, so they might not be 10″ or 12″ exactly
Hi.. saya berminat sgt dgn duku chandong 10″ dan ingin membelinya.. tapi masalahnya website outdoordynamics under construction so x blh nk layarinya… jadi mcm mana sy nk order skrg? Berapa harganya dan Saya tinggàl di KL… tq
Hi Joe,
Saudara boleh lihat senarai penjual disini dan menghubungi mereka : http://www.myparang.com/where-to-buy-my-parang/
Hello, I have just ordered, but not yet received, a 10 inch MYparang Duku Chandong parang. I am looking forward to receiving it and using it. I appreciate you making authentic short tang MY parangs available for purchase in the USA. Ray Mears seems to receive a lot of credit for popularizing that model of parang.
However, I really became interested in Malaysian parangs after discovering 2 years ago the online information about them posted by Paul at Jungle Craft. I think Paul deserves a lot credit too for popularizing parangs. I am influenced by his opinions. He rates the Duku Chandong a great chopper for heavy cutting. But he also greatly favors short, lighter parangs for most work.
Ben Orford in the UK makes a “Pocket Parang”, with 8 inch blade. But it is very expensive, 375GBP. And it is full tang parang, which I think may be strong – but it lacks/ignores the refinement evolution of staying with the rat-tail tang of the original parang design, and the different balance it makes possible.
Have you considered developing and offering an 8 inch Duku Chandong parang. It may find a ready market?
I of course will know if I would find an 8 inch Duku desirable after receiving the 10 inch DC parang, But without yet ever using a parang of any model. I think I would find an 8 inch DC parang intriguing & a version I would want to order and try out for myself. Paul’s opinion guided me to select the model I ordered and not order the heavy DCP version. I guess I will know soon if I agree with him or if I decide I might have preferred the heavy model. If I like the standard model, I would be very keen to order an 8 inch DC version Thank you.
Hi David,
Thank you for your kind comments. You mentioned a few big names when it comes to parangs!
At the moment we do not have any plans for an 8″ parang , as we believe the 10″ is the shortest that would be practical. We do have some new models coming up which are much lighter.
Here most of the parangs come between 10″ and 12″. A longer one would be more for slashing weeds and not good for chopping / all rounder.
We do get inquiries for longer and heavier and not to forget full tang ones. But in real life, a small parang 10″ or 12″ , preferably on the lighter side is what we use here. Parangs are used daily and for the whole day , so a lighter parang makes your arms less tired. A big and heavy parang would be great for chopping a large tree , but you would be exhausted and your arm trembling by the time you are done.
Try your 10″ and let us know how it is.
Hi,
Couple weeks ago i had a chance to travel to Penang, one of my must to do task is ordering a Duku Changdong parang. However finally i ordered 2pcs: one of 10″ and one of 12″ normal version.
I was impressive on both about their appearance, the completion, the most interested knife i had hand-on ever.
During using, i can felt a bit tired in hand. It could be acceptable since that was a very first time i used a parang which has the curved handle, normally all knives in my country have straight handle.
However the curved handle is also well making the blade be heavy front when chopping, result the good impact to the object.
If i have to put them in the comparison, i prefer to the 10″. Simply because it is much more light and perfectly fit to my hand (i’m an Asian people). The 12″ one definitely is great too, but need more time to exercise my muscles first.
Thanks for the great products.
Thao
Hi Thao,
Thank you for the purchase and support!
We are glad that you like them, and yes, I personally like the 10″ better than the 12. It really depends on what you need it for.
Hi,how much for the 8”My parang Duku Chandong . Available at nilai Seremban area.
hi Mohan, They retail here for rm 255.00 You can check our dealers at the ” where to buy my parang ” page