Comparing Big Blades: Latin Machete vs S E Asian Parang
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- Why the difference between designs of Latin machetes and the jungle blades of S.E. Asia?
A large reason is the type of vegetation each is designed to cut. In Central and South America, the purpose of the machete is to cut light vegetation for long periods of time, either working in agriculture, or clearing a trail in a jungle. A thin, green vegetation, such as grass or vines won’t require a heavy blade to cut effectively. When we move to S.E. Asia though, much of the work is done on bamboo (so much so that anthropologists refer to many indigenous people of the area as “bamboo cultures” due its ubiquitous use among the people there.
The Collins machete has a blade of 17 3/4” (45 cm) and weights 14.8 oz (420g), while the blade on the Bidor parang is 3/4” (1.9cm) shorter and weights just over 1 pound (515g). The blade stock of the machete is much thinner, at .10th of an inch or around 2.5mm, while the parang is 1/4” (6.35mm) thick at its thickest. All this makes each blade very well suited for the environment it is needed to work in.
For more on this subject read my blog post at: pekiti.com/blo... - Спорт
Great explanation of grips and purposes of both tools. I live in South Florida and the Latin machete service me the best for the type of foliage in my area.
The Caribbean machete (jíbaro) has a wooden handle which has been whittled down for smoothness and about half of the SE Asia barong's pistol grip. That allows much less fatigue using a two finger grip. It is also wire wrapped.
I am from the Caribbean and was taught machete craft by an illiterate man of African descent who worked the sugar came fields since he was a boy. Nobody around uses those 'Latin' machetes for professional agricultural work. They are not practical for repetitive work. However...I stayed over for several months in my minivan at the forest property of an Arawak shaman locally known as *el brujo* and he did use a cheap copy of the US Army machete and I found it is a better tool for *traversing* the jungle. So I went ahead and purchased an Ontario military machete, 18" and fabric sheath. It's heavy yet I prefer the pinch grip forward of the handle. I will not sharpen the blade until I get used to it because it can be an effective weapon against feral dogs. I've had my small dogs attacked by feral packs before.
Have you tried the Ontario military machete?
Yes, I own several Ontario machetes. I like the new handles better than the old square one. Thanks for the info on agricultural use of the machete in the Carabbean. Yes, each culture that uses a tool in different environments will often have different designs and use them differently. I tell my students, look at the blades of the working people in that area or job. If they use that blade for work, it will have features that best fit that specific task and environment.
I have the Ontario 18” military machete. I find it quite long and heavy very far forward for most of what I do. I have wrapped the handle in sports tape and tend to choke up on the grip so that my forefinger and thumb actually wrap around the ricasso and my 3 other fingers wrap loosely around the taped grip. Gets the job done but it’s a bit long and heavy for general camp site tasks.
Very good explanation of the mechanics of jungle tools. Thank you for the video :)
Thank you Tuhon! It's nice that you share your knowledge with us! 😁😈
i own both types and I’m a user of parang all my 50 odd years … the technique of using wrist action and letting the blade do the work is the key to use the parang … and yes, not a death grip … if I may add, the way we grip the handle varies upon the task on hand … eg when clearing bushes close to the ground, we grip it horizontally with the thumb gripping close to the butt or peak of the handle and not the whole handle … the wrist action remains … sometimes we grip it with the butt pressing the palm when poking things if you know what I mean … like stabbing something … and sometimes we grip the blade itself (the blade closer to the handle is always not sharpened) for small tasks like slicing etc …
Thank you for the added details on the use of that tool.
I was thinking what you just described. The Asian style handle allows for a wider variety of use angles and different styles of swings to change up arm fatigue.
The Latin handle is more restrictive on your wrist. A simple task like chopping things on a bench or table would highlight that by making table height very important for wrist fatigue due to that angle restriction.
I've always thought the American style (Latin) machetes I've used would have been more comfortable with more hook at the bottom. Even for just walking around and relaxing with it hanging down, it would be nice. I should buy the Asian style and see if I like it better.
If you use a sword correctly, there won't be much strain on your hand or wrist, because you're throwing cuts from the hip. The sword should be an extension of your arm. Keep it rigid with your arm let your body mechanics do the work.
Well, not exactly. With a firearm, you do NOT let it slide in your hand. The recoil of a powerful magnum will remove it from your hand if you do that, and your face is the next stop.
You should only see the backstrap pivot, not slide. But the finger-side, does work the same, it gives the lower 3 fingers leverage to open up a bit, and then pull it back into place.
The pinch portion of grip should not move though.
I'm not convinced you should be letting a machete slide in your hand either though. Seems like a good way to have an unsafe event with your machete (more common than you would think). Or at best, create blisters. The hump is meant to fill the palm, and give great leverage to the pinky & ring finger. And pivot on the axis of the index finger & thumb. The hump should fill and un-fill your palm. But I don't think you want to have the handle sliding through your grip where you're pinching it.
It may work fine to handle it that way without any force being applied, but if you discharge a revolver, or hit a significant chunk of wood with a machete (which can cause it to want to turn, rebound, or pull free from your hand), you're going to want to have the pinch part of the grip controlled, not sliding.
Not even the lower fingers should be "sliding" really, just uncurling & recurling. The handle shape (used properly) would work as intended with your index finger and thumb webbing superglued to it. Just not the palm, as the hump goes in & out of the pocket of your palm. And with a revolver at least, if you let your fingerprints change position during recoil, you're never going to hit anything with a constantly changing grip.
The parang handle is very much like the recurve at the base of an axe handle.
Parangs are much heavier than latin machetes though. MUCH thicker blades. Different purpose. Latin machetes are for vines/reeds/grass/etc. Parangs are more a halfway point between that and a handaxe. Personally I like the blade & handle shape on parangs, but in a thickness in between the two, around 3mm (1/8"), and long. Uses the weight leverage of length to chop rather than thickness, while still thick enough to resist damage, and still light enough to clear underbrush without totally exhausting yourself ;)
You're very right about how the lower fingers do fantastic work with that grip shape though. And axes, parangs, and traditional revolvers are all using the same trick, yes.
Just don't hit an uneven piece of hardwood with a grip so loose that the whole thing slides in your hand. Or discharge a firearm with a grip that loose either ;) But yeah, let the lower fingers be "springy" and it takes a lot of the effort out.
Which one would you think is the better weapon? The thick blade or the light and fast thinner blade? I'm speaking of the models that don't allow for stabbing?
My usual advice on this subject is to choose the tool that will be useful to you in the 99.9% of the time you will be using it as a tool for normal, non-combat tasks.
@@TuhonBillMcg makes sense to me especially since a tool is more useful then a weapon. I guess using is training no matter what the use is. Thanks tuhon . I’m a PTK student in Maryland I’ve trained with Bobby and Apollo Ladra. Hope I get to met in person sometime. Have a good one.
The tool better to make a wooden spear is the better weapon.
Seriously, don't pick a machete based on which one is the better weapon, it's a tool first and a weapon second.
I agree with the other comments here: pick what you would use most/want to carry. *PNW for traversing, I'd go for the light one.* It's easier to move over and keep cutting through light stuff/low effort, rather than get held up/worn out chopping through thicker brush. *Camping, probably the heavy* to cover hatchet purposes.
But *even in a defense situation, the ideal weight is determined by the use.* If the person is completely unarmed or has a shorter knife, then I'd go for the light machete for faster chops. But if they are coming at you with a crowbar, I'd _wish_ for the heavy one that doesn't deflect too much when protecting my head from a heavy crowbar strike.
As for the spear comment, it has reach but untrained is also a big risk of an opponent succeeding at getting inside your range (hence many militaries throughout history training to swap to a sword once the pike block gets broken). I'd take the machete over the spear, but *why not both* if you have time to make that decision? Cut a javelin and keep the machete in your other hand. Now you are dangerous even beyond your stab reach and if they try to grab the javelin, they bind their selves right in machete range.
Also, I don't generally see people carrying spears around. Even as walking sticks, they are more cumbersome than something chosen as a walking stick, and it stands out. Also, if you are going through brush where you need a machete, the extra length vs a decent walking stick will get hung up frequently and be outright annoying the whole time.
@@andrewstambaugh8030 The situation where you'll be carrying a machete is out in the jungle or forest (i really hope some of yall arent considering conceal carrying a machete in the city for self defense) where you can easily carve a wooden spear for yourself. It's not like you're supposed to be always carrying a spear with you 24/7 lol, just like how you're not supposed to be carrying a machete around with you 24/7. The machete is a tool that allows you to process and make things you find out in the wild to make things that will benefit you. Aka using the tool to make a weapon that will defend yourself from human or animal.
And I don't think I need to explain why the spear is a much better weapon then what is essentially a big knife.