The parang is a Malaysian and Indonesian big knife, similar to a machete. Typical vegetation in South East Asia is more woody than in South America and the parang is therefore optimized for a stronger chopping action with a heavier blade and a "sweet spot" further forward of the handle; the blade is also beveled more obtusely to prevent it from binding in the cut. This is the same rationale and (in practical terms) the same design as the Indonesian golok and very similar to the Filipino bolo. A parang blade is usually 10–24 inches (25–61 cm) long; a blade that is 10 inches and shorter is called pisau (knife) and a blade that 24 inches and longer is called pedang (sword). Parang has a mass up to 2 lb and the edge of parang usually uses a convex grind. The parang has three different edges: t