Released today, 17th October 2019. This mini but mighty parang has stirred quite some interest when we posted it on our social media way back in April this year. Back then, we just had some samples made out for testing and we were skeptical on how it would perform . An 8″ blade? Like seriously ??? What is it going to do? Would it be use-able?
Then we took it for a field test……..
And it was a GO ! It surprised us, and it will surprise you !
The MY Parang Duku Chandong 8″ was just phenomenal. We tried it on many different things , wood, bamboo, sticks, grass, branches and even in the kitchen. Cutting , chopping, prying , slicing. What we found out was that The MY Parang Duku Chandong 8″ is definitely not a full sized parang capable of taking down barrel sized trees. Unless you intend to do so, this 8″ Duku Chandong actually excels at smaller tasks and is capable of more that you think.
On our field test, we tried it on beer-can sized trees and it was a pleasure to use. We used it to debark , and it was a pleasure to use. We used it to pry open Durians , and it worked flawlessly! It is also small enough to use in the kitchen , dressing chickens or cleaning game. Cuts through meat and chops through the toughest bone. By all means, this 8″ Chandong is now our favourite.
It’s short length and light weight makes it such a pleasure to carry everywhere. When you sit , it is short enough to not yank on your belt. It is light and compact enough for weight weenies and barely feels like its there.
We foresee that this model will be one of the best selling models. If you want something light and compact, this is the one.
So now we have 4 different types of Duku Chandongs – The 8″ , 10″ , 12″ and the 12″ Heavy
Specifications for the MY Duku Chandong 8″ are as follows:
Blade length : 20 cm / 8 in.
Handle length: 17 cm / 6.7 in
Overall length: 37 cm / 14.7 in
Widest blade: 5 cm / 1.9 in
Weight ( blade and handle ) : 335 g / 11.8 oz.
Sheath length: 23 cm / 9 in
Width: 8 cm / 3 in
Weight: 145 g / 5.1 oz
Gross weight : 480 g / 16.9 oz
Release for sale in Malaysia on the 17th October 2019 . It might take a few months to reach international dealers. Click here to see where they are sold
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
Real forge marks , not stamped by machinesEach blade is different and there will never be two of the sameThe real Bidor stamps , the sign of authenticity
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.
The width of the handle is approximately 1″ , it looks smaller it the photo due to the camera wide angle lens.Overall length of the handle is about 6.5″ , large enough for most hands.
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.
The spine is sanded squareSpine thickness near the handle – about 7/32″ or 5mmSpine thickness at the tip – 1/8″ or about 3mm
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.
Copper rings improves the look of MY parang products
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.
Tang and bolster is glued using industrial strength slow setting epoxy
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.
MY Parang Duku Chandong – Top is the 12″, middle is the 12″ heavy , and the bottom is the 10″
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 difference in spine thickness between the Chandong 12 ” and the Chandong 12″ Heavy.Closer look of the spine thickness
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
The MY Parang Golok 125 and 135
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.
The tell – tale tip of the Golok
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.
Here are two duku chandong from my personal collection. These pieces were sent to me by a supplier and I decided to keep them to myself as I kind of like them. They come from Sarawak , or sometimes known as Borneo . Both are made by different makers as you can see there is some difference in their styles.
In East Malaysia ( Sabah and Sarawak ) Parang are called Duku and they basically mean the same thing. Just like how East Malaysia has the Parang Panjang, Parang Lading, Parang Pendek, Parang Bentong, Parang Jawa etc, there also different names for East Malaysian parangs or dukus – ie Duku Tangkin, Duku Panjang , Duku Chandong, Ilang and many more. All these names describe a particular shape, however, some parangs are very difficult to categorize as they may have different elements from a few or many different types of parangs.
The two Duku Chandongs in my collection
As you can see in the picture above, they are really well made. I love the simple and clean look of them. They both have some slight differences, which I’ll describe later on. The upper one is made of a dark – yellowish wood, which I am not sure is from which tree. The bottom one is made form a type of wood called Serian ( sometimes written Surian ) and the special thing about this wood is that it has sort of like a 3-D effect. It looks something like a cats-eye stone; if you have seen one before, you will probably understand.
The Duku Chandongs unsheathed
They both come with wooden handles and sheaths , and that is how traditional parangs are made. The more modern ones or those which are mass produced, are made with plastic handles and PVC sheaths. Wooden handles just make the parangs look much much better in my opinion.
As you can see form the above photo, the shape of the blade is almost identical and is a common duku chandong shaped blade. The famed bushcraft expert , Ray Mears once used a simillar parang in one of his episodes and since then, people have been referring it as the “Ray Mears Parang” , although all he did was use it. It is quite unfortunate that the Duku Chandong got a foreigner’s name, but at the same time, the duku chandong also got world famous.
The above two pictures show the parangs in my hand, I would have to say that their handles are very very comfortable and you can chop with them all day plus the next without having any blisters or hot spots. These handles are traditionally shaped and what that means is that the shapes have been used for centuries and are proven to have an excellent grip and extremely comfortable. If I had to look for fault, I would remove the slippery shiny varnish the maker put on the handles. The varnish does make the colour and wood grain pop, but it also makes the handle slippery , especially when you hold the parang with damp or wet hands. Like all my other parang i use often, the first thing I would do is to roughen up the handle with a wood file.
Above is a picture of both parang blades together. Notice the similarities in their shapes? you will also note the different finishing on each blade. The top one has a dark colour, and that’s how it looks after the heat treat . After the heat treat, only the edge is sharpened, compared to the bottom one , where the blade is semi polished with a grinder to clean it up a bit. Both methods do not change the way the parang handles, it just makes them look prettier. The definition of ” prettier” lies in the eye of the beholder.
If you noticed , the Duku chandongs are of different lengths, and different weight. The longer one is actually lighter and quicker in the hand, compared to the one with the polished blade or shorter one. Being shorter, the spine is much thicker as you can see in the picture above. A shorter and heavier parang is more suitable for chopping and heavy work, while a longer and lighter one would be more suitable for brush clearing.
Here you can see the two different ways of how the bolster is made. One is woven using mono filament line while the other has a steel ring. I’m not sure how much they contribute to the strength of the parang, but without the bolster, it would really look odd, and I don’t think I have ever seen a parang without a bolster.
Here is a picture of the sheath . Both these duku chandong sheaths are made by gluing two halves together. I have seen similar sheaths , but made out of one piece of wood, where the slot for the parang is dug out using special tools. One piece sheaths are hard to find and are not common as they are much harder to make.
So there you have it, these are two from my collection. More to come in the future.
All about Malaysian Parangs, Goloks and Duku Chandongs
