Lofty Wiseman Parang

R

Raymond1000

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Oct 8, 2006
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I watched the video in which Lofty Wiseman shows off his parang. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMLI6BhFV2c

It looks well designed, which should surprise nobody. Four cutting edges, including one for digging.

From what I can tell, they are no longer making and selling that parang.

I’d like to see someone like Condor produce an affordable version.
 
Thanks, Harpoon.

I'd still like to see a parang following the same basic pattern but made for a working man's wages. By someone like Condor or Becker.

Probably with a less ornate handle. I wouldn't buy one of the originals unless I could swing one and see how it fits my hand.
 
“Drawing on his years of experience living in the wilderness Lofty worked closely with the legendary knife designer Ivan Williams and Scorpion Knives to create the Lofty Wiseman Survival Tool”

I liked this knife a lot when I reviewed it 20 years ago (see below), though I have seen one of the Oakwood knives that snapped in two. The Scorpion version looks better, but I’d be interested to know who in Sheffield is actually making them. It’s a long time since I’ve spoken to Ivan Williams, but he was actually an art teacher then and the Oakwood was his first knife design, I’ve not heard of him designing any others, and despite their claim to go back to 1864 ‘Scorpion Knives’ didn’t exist then and were nothing to do with the project whatsoever.

I remember asking Ivan why the knives (made in Japan at the time) were made from 440A rather than 440C, and he said, “That seemed to be the thing to go for.”

Hope my review is of interest.





Interesting article (though take it with a very big dose of salt) relating to Staniforth Knives, who may or may not make the Scorpion knife here: http://www.fighttimes.com/magazine/magazine.asp?article=505 The article though seems to say their knives are machine-ground, and if this applies to the knife under discussion, they are far from the only Sheffield firm unable to differentiate between machine-ground knives and handmade ones when it comes to advertising. Names of cutlers get traded a lot in Sheffield and some of the big firms don’t even make knives themselves, they farm the work out to smaller firms around the city. I’m always wary of manufacturers who don’t seem to be able to stick to the truth.

For the price, you could probably get a good custom knife.
 
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The plot thickens! See http://www.britishblades.com/forums...s-Survival-Tool-vs.-Chris-Caine-Survival-Tool

"Interesting fact" (to coin a phrase): According to Ivan Williams, Lofty Wiseman actually had very little to do with the design of the Oakwood knife (though considerably more than Scorpion/Staniforth Knives did - ie none).

I'd get something from Condor, they already produce lots of good, honest choppers, at realistic prices.
 
From what I've been able to gather, the Scorpion / Staniforth models are still plagued with poor fit and finish, and poor balance. The Trueways Survival MkII version seems to have fallen by the wayside too - the most damning review was that the handle was too contoured and specialised for a single grip only.

I've actually been able to source some Malaysian-blacksmith made parangs that perform like a tool that Lofty would endorse, because its what a local would use :)
 
Daniel L said:
From what I've been able to gather, the Scorpion / Staniforth models are still plagued with poor fit and finish, and poor balance. The Trueways Survival MkII version seems to have fallen by the wayside too - the most damning review was that the handle was too contoured and specialised for a single grip only.

I've actually been able to source some Malaysian-blacksmith made parangs that perform like a tool that Lofty would endorse, because its what a local would use :)
Click to expand...

As a Sheffield lad myself, I'd love to be able to say it's a centre of cutlery excellence, but knife production has been very murky there for a long time. Too many Sheffield cutlers are happy to sell any old garbage, the same as they've done for decades.
 
Daniel L said:
From what I've been able to gather, the Scorpion / Staniforth models are still plagued with poor fit and finish, and poor balance. The Trueways Survival MkII version seems to have fallen by the wayside too - the most damning review was that the handle was too contoured and specialised for a single grip only.

I've actually been able to source some Malaysian-blacksmith made parangs that perform like a tool that Lofty would endorse, because its what a local would use :)
Click to expand...

I like a plain handle that you can hold and use in any orientation. For something like a parang, it should have some swell at the pommel. That reduces the chance of the knife slipping out of my hand in use.
 
This guy is a FN Ass! Mocked Ray Mears! Said about Steve Irwin's death " serves you right " Total piece of shit! i wouldn't buy anything he has to do with! I wouldn't piss in his mouth if he was dying of thirst!
 
The false edge is supposed to be for digging. That’s a good feature on a big survival blade.

But right next to the shovel edge is the sharp edge intended for cleaning game and delicate tasks.

Has anyone tried digging with it? Does digging mess up the main edge by the tip?
 
Raymond1000 said:
The false edge is supposed to be for digging. That’s a good feature on a big survival blade.

But right next to the shovel edge is the sharp edge intended for cleaning game and delicate tasks.

Has anyone tried digging with it? Does digging mess up the main edge by the tip?
Click to expand...

I've not played with the parang, but I've done plenty of digging. YES it will dull your edge. That's about as silly as what Victorinox did with their Equestrian model. Put the hoof pick right next to the tooth pick. Idiots.
 
Raymond1000 said:
The false edge is supposed to be for digging. That’s a good feature on a big survival blade.

But right next to the shovel edge is the sharp edge intended for cleaning game and delicate tasks.

Has anyone tried digging with it? Does digging mess up the main edge by the tip?
Click to expand...

On the original knife I think the false edge is designed for splitting. I always think it best to make a digging stick and save your knife, think that's what I'm doing on the pic in the article above. I may have used the Oakwood for lifting mushrooms or turf, but TBH it's that long ago I struggle to remember (a bit like yesterday! :D).
 
The Condor Pack Golock or Engineer Machete would seem to fit the bill for an affordable alternative, to me.
 
Raymond1000 said:
I watched the video in which Lofty Wiseman shows off his parang. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMLI6BhFV2c

It looks well designed, which should surprise nobody. Four cutting edges, including one for digging.

From what I can tell, they are no longer making and selling that parang.

I’d like to see someone like Condor produce an affordable version.
Click to expand...

Interesting how many of his techniques from blade carry to knife usage are based around avoiding injury at all costs. Beyond "chopping away from you" I don't see as much about this topic discussed.

-Stan
 
stanley_white said:
Interesting how many of his techniques from blade carry to knife usage are based around avoiding injury at all costs. Beyond "chopping away from you" I don't see as much about this topic discussed.

-Stan
Click to expand...

I have.

Here’s one example, stolen from a different thread for reuse: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/973648-The-day-the-hatchet-stopped

When I was a teenager we lived in an old farmhouse with central heating. The center was a wood furnace in the basement. Vents in the floors let heat rise into the ground and second story. The house sat on forty acres of land, most of it woodlot.

One of my chores was processing wood. I’d fell trees, limb them, and cut them into logs. The horse did the hard part, dragging the timber to the house for bucking. I usually used an axe for felling. It was good exercise, and let me practice my axe skills.

In those days I was under the influence of George Sears. When backpacking I carried a small belt knife (not a Nessmuk) and a double bit hatchet. A close match to the one pictured and described in Woodcraft. Except mine wasn’t custom made. When cutting furnace wood, I used a hatchet to limb the felled trees. Good exercise, good practice.

One day I was trimming branches when something deflected my hatchet. Right into my knee. My luck was in. The hatchet hit flat on, giving me a nice bruise. Had it hit edge on, that would have been a life changing event. Perhaps a life ending one, since I was out there alone.

I continued to use a full size axe. And yes, I got a lot more careful about clearing swinging room before I started chopping. But from then on, for anything smaller, I retired my hatchets. My Nessmuk double bit languished. Instead I used a trail knife or a heavy machete.

When instructing an apprentice I always say, “This saw doesn’t care. It will cut off your fingers just as slick as it cuts lumber. The safety must be what you provide.” Blades don’t care either, nor blunt objects. It’s not that big blades aren’t dangerous. They certainly are. I just consider them less dangerous than a pocket axe. The thing about a short axe is all that weight on the end. The very thing for which it is valued. All that inertia so far from your hand is hard to abort when a stroke goes wrong. It is easier to correct a trail knife mid-stroke. That is why I consider big blades less dangerous.

Mind you, this depends on circumstances. I continued to use a rig-axe when stacking rafters. On top of the building there is nothing but blue sky to deflect my framing hatchet. And on a job site there is emergency care available.

But in the woods? In an emergency kit? A full axe is fine in a truck kit, or your bug-out cabin. For a backpack kit? A big knife or small machete. For a smaller kit, a hunting knife and a saw. A kit for someone unfamiliar with hand tools? A hunting knife and a saw.

Your mileage may vary.
 
Jack Black said:
On the original knife I think the false edge is designed for splitting. I always think it best to make a digging stick and save your knife, think that's what I'm doing on the pic in the article above. I may have used the Oakwood for lifting mushrooms or turf, but TBH it's that long ago I struggle to remember (a bit like yesterday! :D).
Click to expand...

Bingo. A false edge can come in handy for tasks like grubbing roots or chopping bones, as well as aiding in penetration of a target. But marketing it as a digging tool is more than a little silly if you're going to also have the fine edged section right next to it. On something like a Condor Bolo, I could see it being a more viable digging tool--but certainly not the Wiseman parang.

Holmesmade said:
The Condor Pack Golock or Engineer Machete would seem to fit the bill for an affordable alternative, to me.
Click to expand...

I agree. The Engineer Bolo is a much larger chopper than you might expect from the product images, though. I'd say the Pack Golok is closer in both size and appearance. The Engineer Bolo is pretty darn boss, though, and the saber grind on it is lovely. Condor did a great job on it and it's one of my favorite releases of this year.
 
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