Specs

Price: $ 35

Overall Length: 19.5

Blade Length: 13.5

Weight (with sheath): 25.4 oz.

Weight (no sheath): 19.4 oz

Generally speaking I have a strong dislike toward celebrity endorsed gear of any kind. The one exception I have found to this is the Gerber Bear Grylls line. I have yet to try a knife from this line that was not of great quality.The Gerber Bear Grylls parang is a very interesting machete. The first thing you notice is the blade's shape. The overall size is quite large and I would not include this in a 72 hour bag however I would put it in an INCH bag or with my wilderness survival gear.A recall was issued on this parang due to the blade breaking off. I'm not sure what Gerber changed since the recall but the parang I have has a full tang and the handle is bolted to the tang. I can't see breakage being an issue. Balance is awesome on this machete and you get a real nice swing.This machete's high carbon blade is heavy and thick at almost an 1/8th of an inch. I am not complaining about that at all I love the weight. My big complaint on this knife is the blade edge. The blade is not very sharp out of the package but running it across a whetstone a few times fixes this. I had no problem chopping branches and clearing brush.The textured rubber grip of the handle is very comfortable and fits your hand perfectly. An attached lanyard further enhances your grip and acts like a finger guard.Toting this machete is easy thanks to the great sheath it comes with. This sheath has a nice snug fit and a strap to keep the knife from wiggling in the sheath.Like every other Bear Grylls knife this parang comes with a survival priorities guide. The international signals for air rescue are printed on the sheath.Like I stated earlier I would not include this in a BOB because I do not feel you really need a machete for 72 hours unless your bug out plan is to head to the woods, however, I would definitely put this in my INCH bag. This machete has a nice grip, a good balance, high carbon blade, and a nice feel.4/5 only because the blade was not as sharp as I like it to be and the recall. If mine breaks I'll be sure to update but I don't see that happening.Full TangHigh Carbon Steel BladeI don't have much use for a machete but every now and then I bust it out just to see if it can handle the next ridiculous challenge I have for it. I've cut down numerous smaller trees and cleared lots of branches and brush. I've also split plenty of logs with it. As I said usually I only use it for dumb shit. Its held up well and the handle is still attached 4/5 still.