CRKT HalfAChance Parang - FYI

[The Heretic]

I've had it for a couple of weeks now. Got it on sale on Amazon for $25 - which I could not pass up (normal price is $45). If it goes on sale again I will buy a couple more.

The weather was nice enough today that I tried it out.

I think it is the best machete type blade I have so far.



I have a CS Magnum Kukri which I think is one of the worst.

The Kabar Kukri was the best I had, but I think this CRKT HalfAChance is better. Has slightly better balance, sharp and swings well enough to cut even light grass, but works about as well as the Kabar on saplings, suckers and limbs. I think the handle could be a bit larger, but I have large hands and I wear gloves when working in the brush. It handles briars better than the Kabar.

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[Libertas7]

I've had it for a couple of weeks now. Got it on sale on Amazon for $25 - which I could not pass up (normal price is $45). If it goes on sale again I will buy a couple more.

The weather was nice enough today that I tried it out.

I think it is the best machete type blade I have so far.

View attachment 342081

I have a CS Magnum Kukri which I think is one of the worst.

The Kabar Kukri was the best I had, but I think this CRKT HalfAChance is better. Has slightly better balance, sharp and swings well enough to cut even light grass, but works about as well as the Kabar on saplings, suckers and limbs. I think the handle could be a bit larger, but I have large hands and I wear gloves when working in the brush. It handles briars better than the Kabar.

The handle definitely looks comfortable, and that's kind of a must have on a machete.

 

[mjbskwim]

The handle could be replaced with wood pretty easy if you wanted it bigger. Or get some handle bar tape and wrap it up
That's one of the types of machetes I've been needing to get
Can't ever have too many

 

[The Heretic]

The handle isn't long enough.

I suppose I could make it longer with wood, but it isn't that bad that I am motivated to do that.

 

[DB is Here]

Just bought one, can't wait to use it and throw the piece of junk Harbor Freight tool one away. I should have known better, I've bought only a few cheap tools and a machete isn't one to cheap out on.

 

[mjbskwim]

Just bought one, can't wait to use it and throw the piece of junk Harbor Freight tool one away. I should have known better, I've bought only a few cheap tools and a machete isn't one to cheap out on.

Oh contrare keemosabi?( don't as I ever k ew how that was spelled)
Most of the world runs on "cheap" machetes. They do most fruits and vegetables with them. They butcher pigs with them.
The cheap ones are still great wall hangers. Heck I like the cheap ones cause I don't get pissed when I hit dirt or such
Stupid spell check changed the 'great wall' to capitals lol

 

[DB is Here]

Oh contrare keemosabi?( don't as I ever k ew how that was spelled)
Most of the world runs on "cheap" machetes. They do most fruits and vegetables with them. They butcher pigs with them.
The cheap ones are still great wall hangers. Heck I like the cheap ones cause I don't get pissed when I hit dirt or such
Stupid spell check changed the 'great wall' to capitals lol

Fair enough. But the cheap ones have no weight to them which makes it hard to use to bust through the thick crap encroaching on my property, Plus the steel is so weak it's dull with less than a full days work.

 

[The Heretic]

I will keep the ones I bought that I don't like (Cold Steel) for trading or backup or to maybe give to someone who is helping, but I won't use them myself.

As mentioned, they make you work harder, and then there is the issue of safety; when swinging a machete around cutting, I don't want one that will break and/or bounce/glance off what I am trying to cut.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

$25 is a great price, but every once in a while amazon has these for sale. Amazon.com : Kershaw Knives 1074X Camp 18 Clam : Hunting And Shooting Equipment : Sports & Outdoors

I have read good things about them and they come in different blade lengths.

 

[coupeowner]

Thank you for the recommendation. Just bought one. Great reviews on Amazon as well.

 

[The Heretic]

Worked a short day today and I worked from home, so I got a chance to take this out and clear some brush, prune some bushes, etc.

Found it is actually better than a hatchet for limbs (up to 2 inches); it is thin enough that it takes a deep cut, whereas the hatchet chips away at it with smaller cuts even though the hatchet weighs more and has all of its weight in the head.

In short, I am liking it and I was not much of a fan of large blades like this in the past. It even does an okay job at splitting kindling, although the hatchet is better for that when the wood is thick. It only weighs 6+ ounces so it has a definite advantage in weight - for that weight I think it is a pretty good tool and I might think about actually carrying it along in general.

If I were in the market for a zombie blade, this would be it.

 

[The Heretic]

 

[DB is Here]

I picked one up from your report. It's weight and balance is excellent. It made quick work of the blackberry's & small weed trees that were encroaching on my property. She's a keeper.

 

[The Heretic]

BTW - while looking at a Kershaw machete on sale, I noticed that the Half a Chance was being offered on Amazon for $22 (when available - which I assume means it isn't in stock?), so I ordered two more as that seems like a killer deal to me.

One is none, two is one, three is?

Anyway, I will give the other two to my kids.

Amazon.com : CRKT K920KKPC Halfachance Parang Fixed Blade Knife, black : Sports & Outdoors

 

[WAYNO]

This is interesting. With the half-price offers, I must repeat what I was told by CRKT. They told me, be careful of knock-offs, as they are rampant.

But in a machete, if a knock off works as well as the genuine Taiwan-made product, half-price is a very good deal.

WAYNO.

 

[mjbskwim]

This is interesting. With the half-price offers, I must repeat what I was told by CRKT. They told me, be careful of knock-offs, as they are rampant.

But in a machete, if a knock off works as well as the genuine Taiwan-made product, half-price is a very good deal.

WAYNO.

Soooo, are the knock offs made at the same factory in Taiwan as the genuine? And what is the difference? They forgot to mark them "CRTK" ?
Shouldn't make fun I guess,they are just trying to make a honest dollar

 

[The Heretic]

According to Amazon, this is the same one I bought in January for $26.

If it is a knock off, then it is a pretty good one.

 

[WAYNO]

Back when CRKT was the original rage...I had one and I was surprised it said TAIWAN on it. I had hoped something with as American name as Columbia River Knife and Tool would actually be made in America. I contacted CRKT to ask if all their products were imported from Asia, and I was told all the genuine articles come from Taiwan. The knock-offs are made in China. He said be careful, as there are many knock-offs of their product, and he also said the most obvious difference is the price.

That's all I know.

They could have named the company, the Shiukuluan River Knife and Tool Company.


WAYNO.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Just bought one, can't wait to use it and throw the piece of junk Harbor Freight tool one away. I should have known better, I've bought only a few cheap tools and a machete isn't one to cheap out on.

IMHO, as a Journeyman Machinist for 25 years, I never trust Harbor Freight cutting tools! Basically, anything with a heat treat.
Poor steel can not take a proper heat treat! Also, IMHO, cast iron is where the Harbor Freight stuff shines. The Chinese have been casting iron for thousands of years. A Harbor Freight vise might be twice the size of a Wilton of the same strength, but, it will cost 1/10th as much!

Ok! I'm going to jump on the CRKT Parang boat. They sound pretty good! 'Course I need another machete like I need another one inch.....well never mind.
At least the Parang has a point on it! I detest a machete/bush knife without a point!!! What the heck! The designers never needed a point, so none of us ever will?!?!

Thanks, Heretic, for an excellent report!!!

 

[The Heretic]

IMHO, as a Journeyman Machinist for 25 years, I never trust Harbor Freight cutting tools! Basically, anything with a heat treat.
Poor steel can not take a proper heat treat!

I learned that the hard way (well, I knew this, but I learned to check first, the hard way). When I was going to LCC (Lane CC) I was taking a machine shop course as part of my degree (Ag & Industrial Equip. Tech) and my project was to make a puller (generalized, to pull wheel bearings and such). While the shaft was okay, I chose some bar stock for the arms from a bin that was marked as heat treatable steel (after asking the instructor, Neely - who literally wrote the book on practical metallurgy) and then proceeded to heat treat it - it didn't work, the arms bent like mild steel because that was what it was. Someone had put the wrong stock back in the wrong bin.

Also, IMHO, cast iron is where the Harbor Freight stuff shines. The Chinese have been casting iron for thousands of years. A Harbor Freight vise might be twice the size of a Wilton of the same strength, but, it will cost 1/10th as much!

Thanks, I didn't know that - I need a vise or two.

Ok! I'm going to jump on the CRKT Parang boat. They sound pretty good! 'Course I need another machete like I need another one inch.....well never mind.
At least the Parang has a point on it! I detest a machete/bush knife without a point!!! What the heck! The designers never needed a point, so none of us ever will?!?!

Thanks, Heretic, for an excellent report!!!

I have a number of long blades, some are ok, some not worth using, this one is the best I have. Not saying there are not better, but so far, I like this one the best.