Loftys Survival Tool is back....
- Thread starter JonathanD
- Start date
-
Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.
Maybe I am doing my self an injustice by never being drawn to anything which bears a 'celebrity' signature or affiliation but from my experience you are paying an extra 20% plus for just that. The designs are usually inferior from the original concept but modifications have to made to justify the tag. :togo:
It is a shame that there doesn't seem to be anybody out there that is producing good, inexpensive parangs like those that are made in South East Asia. They are tried and tested, and more importantly, used on a daily basis by people for whom bushcraft is a way of life.
It is a shame that there doesn't seem to be anybody out there that is producing good, inexpensive parangs like those that are made in South East Asia. They are tried and tested, and more importantly, used on a daily basis by people for whom bushcraft is a way of life.
I remember years ago when Lofty first brought out his Survival Tool .... Frank at Framar's had some of the first .... they were bigger than subsequent models I saw but had way too much weight in the grip .... and the temper was so soft the edge holding suffered .... the same issue of a soft temper applies to the Martindale Goloks and they can have ill fitting grips ....
The Parang's available from Valiant are the best in shape and grip that I have seen so far in terms of "being available" to buy over the internet .... I have both the Bandol pictured above and the Large Golok also pictured but the heat treatment is hit and miss along their length and they are a bit thicker than "ideal" for weight .... edge holding is better than the Martindale's and LW Survival Tool but they could be better ....
The Parangs available locally in Brunei are less to look at but thinner and have a better tempering ... you can take them thinner and they hold a better edge longer .... epitomised by RM as his choice of Parang they work well but are not available unless you have a contact over there who could get and post one out ....
Of the custom knife makers who do Parang's .... Stuart Wilson over on Britishblades could be asked to do a special light weight one .... but the ones I have seen him do are like Busse's .... thick and heavy but very effective choppers .... the same is true with Mick Wardell's Wilderbeest and the one done by Diving Sparrow Knifeworks in Canada .... all are full tangs and lack the weight saving of a hidden tang .... and basically are pretty heavy to carry.
The best I have found if anyone wanted a custom Parang with a hidden tang and good weight and proper heat treatment is by a German guy called Daniel Boll .... Google will give you a web site and there is a couple of pictures of his Parang's on a thread in the Forum of Ramon .... however the guy posting the pic's calls him Daniel Poll in error ....
I agree though with Extreme Pilgrim .... having someone enterprising who could supply a few from BTT/Serai would be a handy thing .... I'm suprised RM has not sorted out an endorsed "Parang" supply from there .... could be a huge money maker once the Woodlore Stamp was added to the blade ....
For now though the best out there are those supplied by Valiant .... unless you want to buy an expensive custom one ....
After Valiant .... by reputation the Golok available from Bark River is good .... I had one but it was a bit too light for my preference so I sold it on .... they come razor sharp though .... and a very good HT as well ....
Machete wise .... Tramontina make the best value for money ones AFAIK .... but you could benefit from a cheap belt sander and some decent belts to sort out ill fitting grips and re-profile the grind .... at least the Valiant ones are amazingly well finished on the grips .... probably the best thing about them .... but they also need re-profiling on the edge IMO .... then they are fine .... here is mine ....
Another option might be to go for a Khukri such as the long thin Sirupati style .... but again the weight is quite heavy .... getting something good and light is the hard thing to find ....
The Parang's available from Valiant are the best in shape and grip that I have seen so far in terms of "being available" to buy over the internet .... I have both the Bandol pictured above and the Large Golok also pictured but the heat treatment is hit and miss along their length and they are a bit thicker than "ideal" for weight .... edge holding is better than the Martindale's and LW Survival Tool but they could be better ....
The Parangs available locally in Brunei are less to look at but thinner and have a better tempering ... you can take them thinner and they hold a better edge longer .... epitomised by RM as his choice of Parang they work well but are not available unless you have a contact over there who could get and post one out ....
Of the custom knife makers who do Parang's .... Stuart Wilson over on Britishblades could be asked to do a special light weight one .... but the ones I have seen him do are like Busse's .... thick and heavy but very effective choppers .... the same is true with Mick Wardell's Wilderbeest and the one done by Diving Sparrow Knifeworks in Canada .... all are full tangs and lack the weight saving of a hidden tang .... and basically are pretty heavy to carry.
The best I have found if anyone wanted a custom Parang with a hidden tang and good weight and proper heat treatment is by a German guy called Daniel Boll .... Google will give you a web site and there is a couple of pictures of his Parang's on a thread in the Forum of Ramon .... however the guy posting the pic's calls him Daniel Poll in error ....
I agree though with Extreme Pilgrim .... having someone enterprising who could supply a few from BTT/Serai would be a handy thing .... I'm suprised RM has not sorted out an endorsed "Parang" supply from there .... could be a huge money maker once the Woodlore Stamp was added to the blade ....
For now though the best out there are those supplied by Valiant .... unless you want to buy an expensive custom one ....
After Valiant .... by reputation the Golok available from Bark River is good .... I had one but it was a bit too light for my preference so I sold it on .... they come razor sharp though .... and a very good HT as well ....
Machete wise .... Tramontina make the best value for money ones AFAIK .... but you could benefit from a cheap belt sander and some decent belts to sort out ill fitting grips and re-profile the grind .... at least the Valiant ones are amazingly well finished on the grips .... probably the best thing about them .... but they also need re-profiling on the edge IMO .... then they are fine .... here is mine ....
Another option might be to go for a Khukri such as the long thin Sirupati style .... but again the weight is quite heavy .... getting something good and light is the hard thing to find ....
Last edited:
I've emailed the supplier of Loftys parang twice now with no reply. Obviously the customer service stinks, so I'll not be sending one penny their way. A Valiant has been ordered.
Maybe I am doing my self an injustice by never being drawn to anything which bears a 'celebrity' signature or affiliation but from my experience you are paying an extra 20% plus for just that. The designs are usually inferior from the original concept but modifications have to made to justify the tag. :togo:
It is a shame that there doesn't seem to be anybody out there that is producing good, inexpensive parangs like those that are made in South East Asia. They are tried and tested, and more importantly, used on a daily basis by people for whom bushcraft is a way of life.
they can be made id you want a big knife guy look at Stewart Wilsons stuff however its custom hand made in UK so no where near the price level
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=52491&highlight=
i can get blades cut and put an edge on em but again its still not as cheap as the stuff thats out there
peopel will pay hundreds of £££s for a Woodlore but refuse ot pay more thna a few £££ for a big blade
ATB
Duncan
I thought you might need to rescue some dusky maiden from a jungle stronghold, or evade a warlord try to steal the gem you and your newly acquainted writer friend found.
I thought I'd take a look, but it's another fiver for postage and the minimum order is 20 quid so I gave it a miss.
I thought you might need to rescue some dusky maiden from a jungle stronghold, or evade a warlord try to steal the gem you and your newly acquainted writer friend found.
Fat chance, my missus would shout.
Similar threads
