Balisong Knives

[CDRGlock]

I made a post in the late summer/early spring last year regarding Balisongs. Now, I cannot stop purchasing them. I have learned how to open them for defense and for doing maneuvers.

I purchased a video called "Mastering the Balisong Knife" by Michael Janich. It is rudimentary compared to what you can learn from folks like Vincent Dark, Helix and LoOsey. Fur.

I have now amassed about 43 knives with 14 Productions (mainly Benchmade), 14 Filipino handmade Balisongs and 14 customs. I have 4 customs that are coming.

I still look for more. I buy and sell them all the time.

In Florida, we can carry Balisongs as long as we have a concealed weapons license. Not many other states allow knives of this type or size.

So are there other Balisong enthusiasts, here?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[shockwave]

Yep. I have 5 of them. Once you start pursuing the balisong bug, you're in trouble - seems that you never find the "perfect" version. So you always wind up chasing one more.

I'm always looking for a line on how to get more Filipino handmade models.

[HotGuns]

I bought several of them back when I was in the Philliphines and learned how to use them. I saw a Phillpina woman cut up her cheating boyfriend in a bar. In less than about 5 seconds, he looked like he'd been run through a chesse slicer, there wasnt a spot on him that you could touch without getting bloody. It didnt kill him, it is sure made him think twice about cheating on her.

They can be wickedly efficient knives. I actually use to draw and throw them with pretty good accuracy. Its been quite a while since I've done that though.

[mr.stuart]

Wonder if they are Ok in Texas,legal I mean?

[tokerblue]

I've always loved balisongs and own several, but don't carry them since they are illegal in CT.

[Superhouse 15]

I bought my first Benchmades in 1988 I think. I have several and have been making them myself for a couple years. I'm not happy that Knifekits dot com won't sell sharpened butterfly blades anymore. You have to buy them as a "training blade" or some such nonsense and grind them yourself.

Just shows how little some people understand.

[2edgesword]

I own a few and can do twenty or so openings/closings. Having said that one of the fundamental properties of a knife that I am considering as an EDC for self-defense is a strong locking mechanism which is not typically a characteristic of most balisongs.

In addition, while I can do numerous openings and some of the basic openings are very quick, they do require a measure of fine motor skill that I would not want to rely on under the stress of a deadly force encounter.

Having said this I've seen Filipinos that have probably been flipping since the time they could walk where these things may not be an issue. For most of us the time spend learning the various openings and flipping, in addition to the legal obstacles that exist in many states, would in my opinion better be used in learning empty hand skills and the deployment/use of a simple folding knife for deadly force self-defense if your primary self-defense tool is a knife.

[CDRGlock]

I bought my first Benchmades in 1988 I think. I have several and have been making them myself for a couple years. I'm not happy that Knifekits dot com won't sell sharpened butterfly blades anymore. You have to buy them as a "training blade" or some such nonsense and grind them yourself. Just shows how little some people understand. Try not to screw up so bad they name the screw up after you. (Station 15 saying)

May we see some of your work?

[shockwave]

the time spend learning the various openings and flipping, in addition to the legal obstacles that exist in many states, would in my opinion better be used in

Hey. Let's not generate any kind of phony mystique here, OK? It's two handles and two hinges and a blade. You let one handle go and the other one swings around and opens the knife. It isn't rocket science and it doesn't take a Shaolin master to do it. People act like it's some special skill. It ain't.

Any fixed blade knife will deploy faster. Pretty much any folder that you can open with a wrist flick will open faster. And of course any auto or assisted opener will deploy faster than a balisong. A balisong is a very poor choice of defensive weapon from a mechanical standpoint.

From the view of your potential assailant, however, seeing a smooth butterfly knife draw can be intimidating. Might end the engagement before you have to get into the bloody mess part, which you kinda want to avoid.

[Biggie313]

I bought one for kicks. Play with it when I'm bored. Illegal to carry in MD

[CDRGlock]

Hey. Let's not generate any kind of phony mystique here, OK? It's two handles and two hinges and a blade. You let one handle go and the other one swings around and opens the knife. It isn't rocket science and it doesn't take a Shaolin master to do it. People act like it's some special skill. It ain't.

Any fixed blade knife will deploy faster. Pretty much any folder that you can open with a wrist flick will open faster. And of course any auto or assisted opener will deploy faster than a balisong. A balisong is a very poor choice of defensive weapon from a mechanical standpoint.

From the view of your potential assailant, however, seeing a smooth butterfly knife draw can be intimidating. Might end the engagement before you have to get into the bloody mess part, which you kinda want to avoid.

Agree on all points. Depending upon the opening technique of a balisong, it can open as fast as any folder with a thumbstud - if the balisong had no latch. I find a spring latch to be slow. A T-latch opens faster and easier, and latchless is the only way I would carry a balisong (or a Spring Latch, already sprung open).

In the upcoming days, I will share with all of you my various balisongs that I have bought in the past 6 months. I have amassed 43 balisongs.

[rks2]

Wonder if they are Ok in Texas,legal I mean?

To my knowledge, autos and balis are both illegal to own and to carry in Texas, unless you are LE. balis are considered a switchblade under Texas law and are therefore prohibited weapons, unless you are a curio, but good luck proving that in court. btw, having one of these is a third degree felony. if I were you i would leave the autos and balis alone.

[CDRGlock]

To my knowledge, autos and balis are both illegal to own and to carry in Texas, unless you are LE. balis are considered a switchblade under Texas law and are therefore prohibited weapons, unless you are a curio, but good luck proving that in court. btw, having one of these is a third degree felony. if I were you i would leave the autos and balis alone.

Florida allows the concealed carry of any knife, any size or any mechanism except for ballistic knives. That's good for me.

[QKShooter]

There is some past PA court precedent set when a judge ruled that Balisong/Butterfly knives would not be considered to be a prohibited weapon in Pennsylvania.
AKA NOT in the switchblade category. So...I'm best guessing that they are PA OK.
That having been said the knife style just doesn't do much for me personally.
But, it's always whatever floats your boat. This is America.

[2edgesword]

Hey. Let's not generate any kind of phony mystique here, OK? It's two handles and two hinges and a blade. You let one handle go and the other one swings around and opens the knife. It isn't rocket science and it doesn't take a Shaolin master to do it. People act like it's some special skill. It ain't.

Any fixed blade knife will deploy faster. Pretty much any folder that you can open with a wrist flick will open faster. And of course any auto or assisted opener will deploy faster than a balisong. A balisong is a very poor choice of defensive weapon from a mechanical standpoint.

From the view of your potential assailant, however, seeing a smooth butterfly knife draw can be intimidating. Might end the engagement before you have to get into the bloody mess part, which you kinda want to avoid.

No phony mystique just stating the facts. It's two handles versus one. It's two hinges instead of one. It requires more manipulation to open versus a folder. It requires hand strength to "lock" the blade in place and keep it securely "locked". It requires doing all of this under stress. Balisongs are illegal in some jurisdictions. The discussion of folder versus fixed blade is non sequitor but if you wanted to put them in order of preference it would be fixed blade, folder followed by balisong.

As for mystique, I think your line "From the view of your potential assailant, however, seeing a smooth butterfly knife draw can be intimidating" is loaded with mystique.

And yes, in my opinion the vast majority of individuals interested in edged weapons self-defense would better use there training time in learning carry, deployment and applications utilizing a folding knife.