Valiantco Golok and other bladed weapons

[arnisandyz]

After some research, i have just placed an order for a Golok from Valiantco in Australia. These blades are said to be HANDMADE by Indonesian bladesmiths and made of carbon steel or DAMASCUS. They are beautiful to look at but even more funtional. There have been rave reviews on these blades (see attached) and there cutting ability. The value for what you get seems too good to be true, but from the sound of others who have ordered before me, they are very much for real. Even with overseas shipping, getting a handmade blade with this craftsmanship at these prices is incredible! If your into FMA or Indonesian Martial Arts you owe yourself to check them out!

http://www.valiantco.com/

for reviews go to http://www.outdoors-magazine.com/ look at bladed weapons for survival golok

 

[Cruentus]

Looks like some nice pieces. Thanks fof posting! :asian:

 

[OULobo]

I've known about Valiant for quite a while and I even indirectly aquired a weapon they produced that is since discontinued. It handles good and is pretty sturdy. The cool part about Valiant is that they actually get the names and designs for traditional weapons fairly right. They add a little bit of flare especially around the handles, but it is still pretty darn close. The only negatives are that they are so far away and that they are a little pricey compared to a) buying while bing in Indonesia b) real antiques on ebay.

 

[Flatlander]

Let us know how you feel once you've received the blade arnisandyz, and maybe you can help them generate some sales with a first hand account.

 

[Stick Dummy]

arnisandyz

Dude, PLEASE tell us once you get the Golok and work out with it a little bit.

Too Kewl!!

 

[arnisandyz]

arnisandyz

Dude, PLEASE tell us once you get the Golok and work out with it a little bit.

Too Kewl!!

I'll do a full review once I get them in. It takes 3 to 4 weeks for shipping.
thanks, Andy

 

[OUMoose]

Nice site! thanks for the link! I really like the look of their khukri and Kujang. /nod.

 

[arnisandyz]

I picked up my Goloks today! I ordered 2, the Survival Golok - Small and the Horn Golok-Small. Total cost including shipping and insurance was $130 for both knives. The Horn Golok is definately more ornate of the 2 and has a polished water buffalo horn hand and sheath with intricate carvings, very nice. I will probably not use it as a working knife (other than the occasional watermelon) and find a nice place in my home for display. It handles very fast. The handle is a little heavy for the length of the blade so it makes it feel a little light for a chopper.

On the other hand, the survival golok I plan on actually using. Like the horn golok, it has a horn handle, just less ornate. It came with a hardwood sheath with horn fittings. Its appearance is a bit more straightforward (less decorative) and functional. At first I thought the shiny polished handle would be slippery, but from my initial playing around with it, it seems pretty secure and fits my hand pretty good. The handle is NOT full tang. Some people might not like this. From my research, the reason for this is that it absorbs shock much better. Mr Suwandi also mentioned that the design follows traditional Indonesian (or Javanese?) blade design and he has never had a handle come off in use. The weight on this longer knife feels much better. When you pick it up it almost tells you what motion to make with it.

The blades on both knives seem to be of good quality and are very sharp out of the box. They are close to 1/4" thick at the spline but taper quickly. They both have a sharpened false edge. If you look closely you can see the "hamon" line where parts of the blade have been hardened. I haven't done any cutting with them yet, but I am anxtious to see how they compare to my Kukri and my Filipino Bolo. I'll give some feedback after I do some chopping.

In short, I am very happy with these blades! Some people might think that the price is high for a machete type blade. But these knive are definately more than that. They seem to be very funtional handmade works of art.

I'll see if Cthulhu can take some pictures and post them for me and he can give his impressions of them.

thanks

andy

 

[Flatlander]

Andy, that post has aroused me. I love knives. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....artyon: artyon:

 

[arnisandyz]

Correction to my first post...both knives do NOT have sharpened false edges, only the small horn golok (15") does.

Cut tests: upon returning home with my knives (swords), I put the Survival Golok (22") through a bunch of tests in my back yard ranging from light vegitation (thin brush) to heavy chopping (8" tree stump). The first was on my wife's plant (she'd kill me if she found out). The plant had very thin branches of about 1/16"-1/8" and small leaves about 2". Very difficult to cut with both the kukri and my bolo. They both push the branch rather than cut through. Using little effort and the weight of the weapon I did several redondo strikes with the golok, not only did it cut the branches on each pass, it sheared several of the thin leaves in half (half stayed on the plant and the other half fell to the ground) with a clean cut. Did I mention this blade was sharp? Using a #3 and 4 horizontal stroke I then proceeded to take out several young saplings (overgrown weeds) about 1" to 2" diameter. Using a draw-cut (pulling the blade rather than chopping), 2 or 3 would go down with one stroke. Pentetration was very good. I then proceeded to an old dried up stump, a small tree about 8" diameter I had previously cut down with my bolo. Using witik chopping strokes from various angles I proceeded to take a piece off the top. The golok chopped very good as well. The blade never got stuck and chipped wedges out very easily. At least as good as the bolo or kukri but with far less effort. The handle as mentioned earlier, is great, it really does absorb alot of the shock and feels more comfortable the harder you push the blade. After chopping, I inspected the blade. No major damage found. I tried the light cutting on my wifes plant again to see if it still held that sharp edge and it still cut the branches, but didn't shear the leaves. After a couple passes on the stone it was back to it original form or maybe sharper. Final Impressions: a very versatile blade that cut thin brush (like a thinner machete) and chop heavier trees (like a kukri). Similar results on thick material could be had with both the Kukri and bolo, but far more effort is involved. Very ergonomic handle design that allows you to chop all day. Ive never had a chopping tool that had an edge this sharp and held it for as long as the golok did.

Although in my previous post i said i would reserve my small horn golok for "decoration" I couldn't help myself, i had to test it. I'm glad I did, I now have a new appreciation for this smaller knife! The knife displayed similar cutting abilities on the light stuff as the larger golok, but required more effort on the heavier stuff due to the length and weight reduction. But for what you give up in cutting ability you gain in portability. Its like having a mini pocket machete. This knife feels like a good chinese vegetable cleaver (I use to work as a prep chef at a chinese restaurant) only larger. I can see it filling a variety of roles at a campsite from preparing food to chopping firewood, to riding along on your side wherever you go.

Stupidity and the sheaths: With all the good the goloks had, the sheath let me down a little. the retention is not that good. The blade WILL slip out if the sheath is tilted beyond horizontal. A quick fix that others are doing is to glue a small strip of leather to the inside throat of the sheath to make the fit tighter. After cleaning the larger golok I set it on a bar stool inside the sheath. As I was cleaning the other knife, I accidently bumped it. As it was falling I reached to grab the handle. Instead of the handle the blade dropped out of the sheath, the edge contacted my index finger and the weight of the golok falling drew across my finger what felt like the entire length of the blade. If this happened out in the woods I would not be a happy camper (sorry, couldn't resist)! For now, when not in use in storage a secured the blades to the sheath with paracord for safety.

In closing I was really impressed when I opened the package and even more impressed when I actually used them. It would be a shame if these blades are bought as decoration and never used, they are really that good.

 

[Feisty Mouse]

Dang. Now I want knives. I'll have to check the site out.

 

[Wes Tasker]

I own six pieces from Valiant and they have never dissapointed me. All the pieces are well built and handle beautifully. If anyone is in the market for some nice Indonesian/Filipino blades - I can't recommend them enough.

-wes tasker

 

[Stick Dummy]

Arnisandyz,

WOW!

Thanks for the update on the Goloks, they sound like real sweet additions.

You might get me bitten by the collecting bug again, especially since I will have plenty of room in my home studio when done.

That seems to have been real fast from order shipping time.

Have you tried them with any FMA/IMA drills yet?

How do they handle?

Looking forward to those pix once you get the chance..............

 

[arnisandyz]

Arnisandyz,
That seems to have been real fast from order shipping time.

The entire purchasing process was great. You can pay by Paypal. Mr Suwandi was in immediate contact and answered any questions I had. My package arrived 2 weeks earlier than scheduled. I think they build in some buffer time, in some cases they have to wait for the blades to be made.

Have you tried them with any FMA/IMA drills yet?
How do they handle?

The larger golok handles great for solo FMA work (with the exception of thrusting). Its about 22 or 23", about 5" shorter than the sticks I usually use. The weight feels very balanced and fast for a blade designed for chopping. You would think it would be overly tip heavy but its not. Its much lighter than my barong.

The smaller golok I use paired with a stick in a style called Taga Distancia. Its kind of like espada y daga, except rather than thrusting vitals with the dagger, it is focused on setting up a chop to the hand from long range ("beheading the snake?") The small golok is a perfect fit.

Its nice using live blades for solo practice, knowing how sharp these knives are really fine tunes your technique. Its most fun doing actual techniques to cut something, rather than in the air. I once chopped down half a tree with my bolo focusing on different strikes. My neighbor thought iwas crazy for not wanting to borrow his chainsaw.

 

[Flatlander]

("beheading the snake?")

I like that!