Bolo origin

[JeffS]

Can anyone help me identify origin of this Philippines bolo? 4mm spine (at ferrule), V grind, no peen, 25.2 cm blade, OAL 40 cm, 44cm in wood sheath, copper ferrule.

[Sajen]

Hi Jeff,

When I am not wrong it's from Central Luzon, Apalit. Attached are pics of similar ones taken from old threads. The one in up was mine but sold it long ago.

Regards,
Detlef

[Ian]

Detlef has nailed the ID Jeff. Probably mid-20th C.

[JeffS]

Ah of course. The distinctive profile is why I bought it, I knew I was remembering a thread. Apalit would have been the correct search term. Do others of this form also sport relatively thin blades? Compared to itak and tabak variants I have, this is very light. Tang only goes halfway down handle.

[Sajen]

Ah of course. The distinctive profile is why I bought it, I knew I was remembering a thread. Apalit would have been the correct search term. Do others of this form also sport relatively thin blades? Compared to itak and tabak variants I have, this is very light. Tang only goes halfway down handle.

Hi Jeff,

My one, and I guess yours as well, was very recent like Ian stated also, so I think that this is the reason why the blade is relatively thin and the knife doesn't have a full tang. Just my humble opinion. This was also the reason why I have resold my one again.

Regards,
Detlef

[Ian]

... Do others of this form also sport relatively thin blades? Compared to itak and tabak variants I have, this is very light. Tang only goes halfway down handle.Jeff,

I have seen these slim-bladed examples also. However, my impression of many of the Apalit knives is that they have chunky and substantial blades. The heavier blades may be tools for specific hard use purposes in agriculture, etc. However, some of the "fighting style' knives also have sturdy blades. I think the makers of these knives cater to a wide clientele, including those who collect souvenirs. If yoiu look back through the archives, I think you will find examples showing a range of these knives, from fancy little knives to heavy bolos.

My recollection is that many Apalit knives do not have full-length tangs.

Regards, Ian.

[Rafngard]

Not really the same as one of mine from Apalit, but also maybe not that different.

The blade is on the thin side, but does have a noticeable distal taper.

Have fun,
Leif

[JeffS]

Hi Jeff,

My one, and I guess yours as well, was very recent like Ian stated also, so I think that this is the reason why the blade is relatively thin and the knife doesn't have a full tang. Just my humble opinion. This was also the reason why I have resold my one again.

Regards,
Detlef

My example has a propper distal taper and the blade shows significant use and is older than the scabbard. I believe that the lighter design is intentional from a functional context.