Bear Grylls Parang Recall

[Trunks]

[h=1][/h]"Gerber is voluntarily recalling our Parang machete, model numbers 31-000698, 31-001507, 31-000986, 31-001111, and 30-0006010, due to safety concerns. A weakness in the area where the handle meets the blade can cause the handle or the blade to break during use, posing a laceration hazard."

More here:

http://www.gerbergear.com/Frontpage...oduct-Notifications/Bear-Grylls-Parang-Recall

 

[mohd]

Gerber Bear Grylls parang is a production knife.
The traditional parang is a handmade knife.

Health Canada posted the reason as "A weakness in the area where the handle meets the blade can cause the handle or the blade to break during use, posing a laceration hazard".

IMVHO most probably the Gerber Bear Grylls parang which is a production knife was actually given a full hardening treatment which is very bad for a parang. Traditionally the tempering of the parang must be done with a zone hardening or differential hardening method whereby only the area of the cutting edge is hardened and the other part of it is left relatively soft.

I don't know much about the type of steel used for that parang. Few websites mentioned that it is made from "Robust High Carbon Steel Blade - Enhances strength, corrosion resistance and easy to sharpen" without specifically quoted the exact type of the steel used for it.

Could it be the steel type is the main problem?

Kindly take note that Gerber Bear Grylls parang is built with full tang and it has a rather thick and wide ricasso!
Meaning the problem must be from the type of steel and the heat treatment processes (i.e. including the full hardening issue)!

Again IMVHO if the Gerber Bear Grylls parang failed then the other Gerber products might be having the same problem due to the same tempering processes especially those made from the same type of steel.

mohd

 

[Expat]

Think you are spot on, Mohd.. Gerber's blades generally get a pretty poor write-up in the U.S.
regarding toughness (tendancy towards brittleness, if that's a word ) as well as difficulty in sharpening.
However, the same does not seem to apply to their other products such as multi-tools and saws, which get
very good reports...

 

[Swallow]

I just tripped over this news on Youtube last night, so searched the forum to see if was on here. Thought a bump was worthwhile as the recall notice says stop using them immediately. They seem to be sending out pre-paid packaging for returning them. Though the US site is an online form and the uk one

http://www.gerbergear.co.uk/Meet-Gerber/Product-Info/Product-Notifications/Bear-Grylls-Parang-Recall

gives a phone number.

 

[Laurentius]

That is not going to happen with my el cheapo bit of car spring otherwise known as my Spear and Jackson Machete, it is still cutting the grass and hacking the brambles, and if the handle comes off, well I'll just make another.