Fake Bidor parangs
Yes, they are out there , beware. Some say imitation is another form of flattery , but unless you know it is a fake, you can be easily be cheated when buying a parang. Fake Bidor parangs should be avoidedas they may be made of inferior quality steel, I’ve even heard of some using rebar ( construction steel ) and their heat treatment may be of suspect as well. If you buy a fake Bidor Parang, you may end up with a piece of useless metal.
The genuine Bidor Blacksmith workshop
When I first went to the Bidor Blacksmith many years back, Ah Pin mentioned to me that there are many fake Bidor parangs out there. Initially I thought not much out of it, until recently when I went around looking for various types of Parangs sold here in Malaysia. Whenever I had the time, I would drop by a hardware shop and get whatever parang brands I could find. And much to my surprise , many have the word or name “BIDOR” stamped or stuck on them , despite not being made in Bidor.
Mr. Chin Pin Yon ( Left ) and His Son in law – Foo Yong Ming ( right ) with the magazine article
As far as I know, there are two parang blacksmiths in Bidor, and they are just about 100 meters from each other. One is Chop Kwong Yuan Loong and the other newer one is Mak Heng Seng . There may be a few other small traditional makers around, but I have not seen them. Chop Kwong Yuan Loong is the authentic Bidor parang maker and they have been featured in the Tactical Knifes Magazine ( July 2012 issue ) , as you can see in the picture above. Outdoor Dynamics Sdn Bhd gets their parangs from Chop Kwong Yuan Loong . Outdoor Dynamics also supplies parangs to Machetespecialist.com , so yes, they do sell authentic parangs from Bidor. As for the other Blacksmith in Bidor, we did attempt to meet them some time back, but they were cold and uncooperative. 
Authentic Bidor Parang Stamps – The Crossed swords and BIDOR are their trademark. The Crossed Swords and BIDOR MALAYSIA are these made specially for Outdoor Dynamics.
Bidor is a town in Perak, Malaysia , so if the parangs are not made there , it would be wrong to put the name “Bidor” on it. Imagine a knife with the word “Seki City” but made in Iwata Japan. That would be misleading and not right. Some red flags that these are fake Bidor Parangs are: Stamped BIDOR , but the factory address is in another state , has the Bidor Stamp, but use a different Logo , ie instead of the crossed swords, they have the picture of a Bear or 3 stars. One even copied the sticker but had a different address ( in another state of course ) and another just stamped “BIDOR” without the crossed swords.
Below are some pictures of the fake Bidor parangs. I am not sure of the quality , but if they need to copy someone else, then that from the start is not good.
So if you are looking for authentic Bidor Parangs, keep and eye for the red flags. In my opinion, a brandless parang is better then a fake Bidor parang. To be sure, buy your parangs from a reputable dealer.
Thanks for the advice on the fakes. It is hard to tell which is the real bidor. I find it strange that if you can make parangs or other product why not use your own brand instead of faking it? Unless it is really bad quality and you need to disguise it.
Hi E,
You can spot the fakes, but you need to know the real Bidor parangs well. I agree with what you mentioned , I suppose some people prefer to ride on someone elses popularity to get more money. Nothing wrong with making your own brand and identity, just that it takes time for the brand to build. If anyone was into the business for real and plans to be in it for some time, they definitely need to build up their own brand.
After reading your fake parang article I noticed the Fake bidor you have second from he bottom is for sale on the outdoor dynamics website.
http://www.outdoordynamics.com.my/prd~images/47327e2c51ce9acc20e76a961a564c92.jpg
Is this a mistake?
Hi Matthew,
Thank you for the comment.
The Bidor parangs sold by Outdoor Dynamics are all 100% genuine Bidor parangs sourced from the factory itself. They do not sell fake Bidor Parangs.
I believe you said so because of the sticker on the parang? Some of the fake ones do have the “identical” sticker, just that their address is different. The graphics and layout of the stickers are very much just like the real ones.
Searching the net I came upon this online shop based in Malaysia selling parangs. http://www.crilight.com.my/Agricultural+Necessities
Judging by the markings they are not genuine Bidor parangs, can you guys tell me what you think about these parangs? Are they any good?
Hi Tadej,
Yes, looks like another copycat, make sure you get Bidor made knives from reliable sources and thank you for the comment!
What do you think about Gerber Bear Grylls Parang? Is it a good investment? Thanks for oppinioin!
Hi ,
Thank you for dropping you comment here. I have held and tried the BG Parang and sorry to say that I’m not a fan of it. I find that the BG parang is big – it has a very wide blade , which is also thin. This makes the parang pretty unwieldy in the jungle. The grind is also not something you would find in a parang. Traditional parangs have a convex or apple seed grind so they do not stick too much in wood and bamboo.
I have no problems with that however, the parang design is up to anyone’s interpretation . Some people love the BG parang, and thats perfectly fine.
How to just buy handle..and the sarung..
Salam en Zulkifly , unutk sarung dan hulu , cuba hubungi Outdoor Dynamics – info@outdoordynamics.com.my atau 04-6563345
From what I heard, felda settlers trust this brand for their palm oil harvesting sickles.
Hi Anak Felda,
Betul tu. memang cap pedang ni termashur and well know locally.Their main products are palm oil harvesting sickles and rubber tapping knives.
Ada Billhook?
Hi Ez, Buat masa ni tak ada lagi, tapi ada dalam perancangan
Hi, I still remember that as a kid watching my dad opening durian with his parang. Those days the parang has wooden hilt with subtle carvings. Same with the wooden sheath. But after moving house many times dgn dukacitanya all gone. So when I saw a A1 branded parang for sale in a shop nearby I was super happy and bought it. Anyone knows any story about the A1 branded parang? I hope it’s made in some kampung and not in a factory. No soul…..
also, are wooded hilt with parangs with nice ukiran still being made? Or do we need to go to some Iban or Kadazan village in Sabah or Sarawak
hi Ipman whack angmoh… what a name 🙂
Yes, I have heard of A1 too, but their origins elude me. There seems to be many copies / fakes around as well.
Yes, they still make them especially in Sabah / sarawak. You can easily get them at the tamu / weekend markets.
Assalamu’alaikum En. Ahmad Nadir Askandar,
Anak saya baru beli online dari ThomasTools sebagai hadiah harijadi saya pada hari ini 22 Mei 2020.
Kualiti Myparang memang memuaskan hati. Teruskan usaha menghasilkan produk yang bermutu.
wlkmslm. Terima kasih atas komen dan sokongan saudara
Where can I buy Bidor Duku Chandong blade blanks? Or even the cheap plastic handled Bidor Parangs? I’m in Canada, and am having difficulty finding either…
Hi Rae, Thank you for the comment. Unfortunately we do not sell the blanks or the plastic handled ones anymore.