Anyone used the "Johnny Wiseman" Parang Survival Knife

Bagheera

Bagheera

Joined
Oct 6, 1998
Messages
957
Hi,

Just a question, the former SAS member Johnny Wiseman, the author of several Survival books designed a Survival knife that looks a lot like an Asian Parang.
This Knife sold for about $300 in Europe and was way to expensve for me.

I used like to know if anybody has used one and has some remarks about it's usefullness.

The dimensions are, Blade 280 mm (about 11.3" grip 4.4" and it seems to have 3 distinct areas of sharpening varying between a 30 degree angle (for the chopping part) to a 20 degree angle used for delicate work.

Best regards,

Bagheera

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Bagheera,

I haven't used (or even seen) it, but am curious to hear any replies, too.

Wiseman's ubiquitous _SAS Survival Guide_ shows one on p. 24, noting the qualities/features you describe, and "weighing no more than 750 g (1.5 lb).

It appears somewhat like a khukuri, except with a very broad tip, resembling the head of a sperm whale. Given the mass at the tip, I imagine it is a bit thinner than a khukuri, however, in order to stay under 750 g.

Do you know how thick the Wiseman parang is supposed to be?

Curious --
Glen

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Thank me -- my posts make yours sound smarter.
 
Hi Glen,

I have the Wiseman "survival tool" in a German catalog and it states that it weighs 620 grams (compare to the old model Cold Steel LTC35 kukri weighing 490 grams).

I'm just curious if somebody has ever used this Wiseman Survival Tool (knife) and how it handles itself.
I've seen several nature documentaries about Asian countries were I saw the people using a parang for every cutting task from skinning a pecari to chopping down palm trees. Wiseman's tool is almost 100% formwise a parang.

I think I would prefer it to a big Kukri because of the "reverse" way the edge runs (not hooked).

Hopefully somebody has one and can report to us how it handles.

Cheers from Holland,

Bagheera


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I have seen the knife in Wiseman's book too and did some search in Yahoo. Nothing useful popped up that time. It still puzzles me.
I have the feeling that the US market generally preferes the Khukri for the same purpose and that is why so little is said about the parang. I hate to say that but I would think twice before paying $300 for it.
Probably, I did not help too much but at least participated in the confusion......

Best,

HM
 
Take a look at this. It looks like a parang to me and 1/2 the price!http://www.invis.com/kriscutlery/barong.html

 
Hi Bagheera and all,

Still no "confirmed sightings" yet, eh?

RE blade design: to my eye, Wiseman's parang (or, at least the design in the SAS Survival Guide) and khukuri are pretty similar for functional purposes. Their edges are very similar, as both have recurves which slope out into the chopping area and belly. The main difference (as I see it) is in the spine: on Wiseman's parang, it slopes up toward the tip, while the HI and GH khukuris follow the edge down toward the tip. (Hence, the khukuri has a "pointy" tip, while Wiseman's parang ends with something resembling a big sheepsfoot tip.)

BTW, Ross Aki makes an interesting straight-edged machete which he calls a parang, but which has not been reviewed, to my knowledge. (His straight-back machete, on the other hand, has two favorable reviews linked to his site -- incl one by our own Chiro.) See it at:

http://macheteman.com

FYI -- Glen

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Thank me -- my posts make yours sound smarter.
 
"Take a look at this. It looks like a parang to me and 1/2 the price!http://www.invis.com/kriscutlery/barong.html"

The Barong is a Filipino sword that is used for combat, not utility. It is from the southern Philippine Islands(Mindanao, etc.). I guess it could be used as a utility knife, but they would probably use a normal bolo for that and keep the Barong for fighting.


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K. Williams
Modern Arnis Student
AKTI Member #A000978
 
Yes, if its the Oakwood Survival Knife that Lofty put some design input into its development. I boke that one and know of several others that failed. Mine failed with a huge cresent chip to the blade. The design is good and the manufacturers tried hard to make it work. I don't know of any custom or manufacturer who can make this knife that wouldn't fail under the stresses it has to edure. Al Mar's Pathfinder failed which was similar. These heavy/hard made bush swords are too powerfull/long for their own good. If its going to be long then its got to be springy and light otherwise the metalugy cannot take it. The Blackjack big marauder is better and a whole lot cheaper - but no longer available. Lofty Wiseman is a great bloke, and educated a whole lot of us.
I can't find my Survival handbook but the other knife that you seem to describe is the Wilkinson Survival Knife which started at big ££££. When I was writing knife articles, someone tried to give me one. I gave it back as I hated it and I will slag it off anytime. That it is in the book has more to do with publishers than anything else.

[This message has been edited by GREENJACKET (edited 04-05-2000).]
 
Hello Mark Wood,

Thanks for posting the two sites I had a quick peek and liked what I saw.

You said you followed some courses from Wiseman could you send me some info on them especially pricing?

Cheers,

Bagheera

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You could just have one of the two khukuri makers on these forums to make a special edition. Parangs should be right up their alley.
 
Originally posted by Bagheera:
Hello Mark Wood,

You said you followed some courses from Wiseman could you send me some info on them especially pricing?

Cheers,

Bagheera
Click to expand...

I did the basic course in '87 and the advanced course in '89. Back then the cost was about 220 pounds for a week long course. I'd therefore expect the current prices (if he's not too busy with Castaway and the like !) to be a fair bit dearer. I recently dug out Lofty's address from the last time I wrote to him and sent of a SAE asking for details of any current courses (back in the late 80's he was offering an Island survival course that looked very interesting and I really fancy it) but I've not had a reply - he may have moved in the last 11 years !

I'm tempted by some of Ray Mear's courses (www.raymears.com) but they are a bit pricey (400 pounds) and Ray has a fair few other instructors to do a lot of the teaching.

There's a guy in the UK called Mick Tyler who runs courses out of Hereford which I'm tempted by (he's been going a good few years and is reasonably priced) - anyone in the UK come across him ?

The other option for me is a DIY job but I'm a bit stuck for where to go in the UK.

Mark
 
That blade shape looks great to me but the steel choice, although great for corrosion resistance, isn't the best. If that blade were made out of CPM-3V or 5160 or A2 I bet it would stand up to a whole lot more abuse. Jerry Hossom's short swords are a testament to these steels (A2 and 3V). The blade would have to be coated if it were going into the jungle but if Wiseman's blade were made of 3V no jungle would be safe!

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"Come What May..."
 
I've been watching Bladeforums for quite a while but only registered this evening... I'm a newbee. Like many I suppose, I too am interested in the parang noted by John 'Lofty' Wiseman in 'The SAS Survival Handbook'. I suppose I am a knife collector, but I restrict myself to knives that I can use... and I don't keep any in a drawer.

What drew my interest in Wiseman's parang was the blade profile and his interesting description of differential edges along a single blade. The knife simply made a great deal of sense to me and I've been hunting for this knife for several years. After extensive searches I believe the best production knife approximating Wiseman's SAS parang is the BCB International CM649 Survival Tool Machete (http://www.bcbin.com/store/comersus_viewItem.asp?idproduct=135)... but at 156.80 British pounds.........

This blade has every feature mentioned by Wiseman, including the triple cutting edges he mentions, although it comes in at
a hefty 1 kilo with sheath (2.2 pounds). It doesn't appear to mentioned in any review anywhere on the net, and 3 years of Ebay have shown no hits. Apart from the weight, every aspect of this blade is a perfect description of Wiseman's SAS parang. I am very tempted,.... comments? reviews?
 
I've got a lot of chopping time in with the parang lading:
ParangLadingDam.JPG

It's a very efficient tool - but also a very deadly one due to being tip heavy. It'll get you through the thick stuff here better than any other blade I've used. since it'll go through alder saplings with ease. For most it'd be far too dangerous, and a far better bet would be the survival golok from Valiant. V-Shrake has a review up here:
golok
Jean-Marc has some review here:
Outdoors
and a search on "Valiant" will bring up a lot of information in the reviews forum here and in the outdoor survival forum over at knifeforums.
I should have some pages up in a few days, too. I've just finished reprofiling a Cold Steel LTC to compare - and that's a different animal too, when properly set up.
 
I have owned the Johnny Wiseman parang for about two or three years now, carried it all around, and it´s a great knife.
I am aware that in the specs page it says that it weights 1 kilo, but it is not true, the weight is about 600g, and it is quite smaller than I expected when I bought it. For example, the handle fits my hand so tightly you cannot see the kraton if you look from the back of the hand side (I hope I said it clearly:confused: ).
Anyway, it is just the right size, and it is very, very forward balanced, as you can guess. It has a lot of chopping power, and it is light enough to feel very confortable with it. I defenetely like it a lot.
The coating does not come off, but mine is quite scratched. The scratches seem not to get deep enough to reveal the steel, do.
When I got it it was not sharp. Indeed, it was coated everywhere, even the edge, but I could get it sharp quite quickly. I don´t know if this is a "British thing", but my S.A.S. jungle knife was exacly like that too.
Recently I got a new one for my nephew, who is becoming a survival instructor, and the only thing I can say they have changed is that now the Kraton covers the whole handle, and in mine you can see the spine. Oh, also mine came signed in the blade, my nephew´s does not.
Overall, it is a very tough tool, very confortable and in a reasonably small and light package. Everything promised (but the weight) is accomplished, it takes an edge fast, it holds it quite well, and I have not been able to make the edge rool, nick, or whatever, not even when I broke a stone by mistake. True.
I whould buy it again, that´s for sure.
 
308760LoftyWiesmanSurvivalKnife.jpg


Here is the knife. I have it up against a one inch grid, and the markings on the forward end of the blade is the manufacturer's trademark.

It is a good knife, that is priced fairly. Yes it can break, and yes it is probably not as resilient as a 1/2 thick spring carbon steel chopper. So what; that is what your head is for. The knife can be used comfortably and efficiently, and the Stainless steel means it is easy to maintain as a rarely used item in a survival kit. If you break it, you are probably either testing the knife, or trying to muscle your way through a problem. There is a time to chop and a time to think. Remember that and this knife will serve you well.

n2s
 
I have just received one of these from xmas! an unexpected but more tha welcome present! I havent had chance to give it a workout yet, Im going to sharpen it up today, the othe posts are correct, it comes as blunt as a restaurant steak knife!!

The knife is very well balanced for chopping, the blade is very thick, its not as big as I would have imagined it looking at the photos, kind of like a 2/3 to 3/4 machete size. the handle is excellent and almost melts into your hand. Its also angled to bring the blade into a better position for chopping.

If I were in heavy undergrowth I would want to have this knife. Not sure how useful it would be in temperate zones however, I think I might favour a reasonable axe and smaller knife if possible in these areas, something like my new fiskars handy axe 1000 and my trusty old fallkniven A1. The thing to remember is these knives were developed in asia for jungles etc, we didnt develop them here, we developed axes because theyre better suited for the activities in this kind climate (chopping firewood etc) and we dont have many situations where we need to slash through thick undergrowth.

im going to try it out chopping some light firewood and then maybe next week on cleaing up some pine tree branches unfortuately I dont have a jungle handy to try it for its intended purpose!! but for now, off to the oilstones...
 
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