Comparing Big Blades: Latin Machete vs S E Asian Parang

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: https://pekiti.com/blogs/news/eddie-j...