Are butterflies worth a dern?

Are butterflies worth a darn? Not in my opinion. Some people like them, but I'll tell you one thing: the cops don't. Any decent folding knife will open just as quick (and with less fanfare) than a butterfly. I've been told that street fighters view a guy with a butterfly as someone throwing out a challenge. And many places have foolishly outlawed butterfly knives.

I've got many knives that will open just as fast as a switchblade, yet they are perfectly legal and the switchblades aren't. So far lawmakers have not moved on these other knives, but whether they take any action on them or not has to do more with how they're depicted in films. It was REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE and other movies that got the switchblade banned. (Not that the gangs were using them; they were using kitchen drawer knives because switchblades weren't robust enough).

Anyway, in my view, most butterfly knives aren't worth the extra money or the extra hassle. They are fun to practice with and there are good ones available. In court they can get you in trouble.
 
A well-made butterfly knife (also known as a balisong knife) is the strongest folding knife you can get. The force is distributed to three co-equal load-bearing pins. Keep in mind that in the fleamarket cheapies, what I refer to as the Charming Chineese Cheapies, CCCs for short, those pins are probably made of hollow, soft, aluminum and are set into blow-molded Zamak; even the strongest design is rendered weak if it's made poorly and of poor materials.

The balisong lock mechanism is very binary meaning that it is either locked or not; there's no half-way state. A liner lock, for example -- especially if it's poorly made or even if there's some dirt in it -- can get into a sort of half-way state where the lock portion of the liner moves into position enough to make the blade feel locked, but it is only partially-locked and will collapse under pressure. The danger here is that most people don't look at their liner lock each time they use it to make sure that it locked all the way; if they hear the click and the blade feels secure to finger pressure, they assume it locked fully and is good-to-go. Most -- not all -- other locking mechanism designs have similar partially-locked states that they can get into.

Another major advantage of the balisong design, IMHO, is that it's very simple and very open, very inspectable. You can see the whole lock mechanism and you can inspect it without disassembling the knife. Contrast this with, for example, Benchmade's Axis lock. The Axis lock has two springs in it that both contribute to locking it. There have been cases reported wherein people have disassembled their Axis lock knife and been surprised to find one of the two springs broken. That lock mechanism was half-broken and yet you couldn't tell from outside of the knife because that part of the mechanism is hidden. Since most people don't want to disassemble their knives frequently, it's nice to have a lock mechanism where everything, every part, is observable from outside the knife.

The last nice thing about the balisong lock mechanism is that it doesn't use a spring of any sort. All spring parts will eventually fatigue. And making spring parts is a more complicated and demanding process which means greater defect opportunities.
 
as an EDC, or as a 'neato pocket toy', i think the bali is a great design. i've got a couple that i carry in my rotation as utility knives.

but yes, as an LEO, i'd say that if you do some fancy 'fan' opening you might attract unwanted attention. but sadly that can be true of -any- knife these days.
 
carry a SAK or Leatherman for utility
a butterfly(properly named, Balisong) for reliable edc
Speedsafe for legal switchblade-like action
fixed blade for abuse/camping

like they said, all depends on what you're wanting out of the blade
 
I think there great knifes, there fun easy to use and reliable. But you have to gt a good one or it will break. I've used them for a little over a year and I can have it open in a number of positions quickly. It's also helped me with my dexterity, reflexes, and blade awareness.
 
Balisongs are fun knives.

Just keep in mind that the good ones start at about the $70 price range, and that you may not be able to legally carry one.
 
to answer your question YES, YES, YES...balisongs are VERY strong as Chuck mentioned and worth the extra money for a good one like a BM42...I mean come on...a knife you cna actually play with! What more can you ask for...lol...yeah sure it stinks cause the laws are strict and all, but for around the house, nothing in my opinion is more fun or practical than a balisong!!!!!!
 
The balisong is more than worth a "dern." From any sort of closed position in my hand, I can open it to any open position (tip up/down, edge back/forward, etc.). The lock is tougher than any out there, and almost 100% reliable. As an EDC, I can't think of anything better (laws being taken into consideration ofcourse).
 
Over here in the Philippines, a good 4" Batangas balisong made from high-carbon bearing steel costs less than ten US dollars. I got one with a shallow hollow grind from spine to edge and carried it for years. Excellent workhorse. Takes a razor edge (literally, I've used it to shave my face many times) and sharpening is effortless.

The pivot develops a very small amount of sideways and vertical play after a while, but that doesn't weaken the lock at all.
 
I may have to buy a few..They are legal to carry in my state according to the law book. Where is the best place to purchase them from on the net ? and who has the best selection. ?

Thanks
 
I looked on the net mainly all I can find is the 10 dollars ones. The Benchmade's
are about 180 to 200 dollars are they still the premium ones or are there other makers known for quality. ?

Thanks
 
Noss,

the CCC $25 and under knives are made from pot metal and are CRAP! it would not be a fair test of the balisong design to use a CCC. the BM 42 is the standard and should be the balisong to be tested. there are many more custom balisongs available now than 6 years ago, but they are pricey for the testing you do.

if you can find a Cold Steel Arc Angel to test, it would be on par with the BM 42.
 
Mikjk: I wasn't planing to test one to destruction. I was asking about them for my own use. After reading Gollnick's post about how strong they are it got me interested in one. I'm not a big folder fan well because they fold. I like a knife that I know is solid and will not close on my fingers during hard use. I can see how Butterfly's would be much stronger then other types of folders.

Yes when I test some folders. Testing a Butterfly would would make a great comparison in lock strength tests. If I do test one I'll test a known good one for sure not
a no name brand one that I can get at the mall for 10 bucks made out of poor metal.

Thanks for the info on them. I don't much about them or their history.. I just never paid any attention to them before. I see there is a forum here for them
so I'll spend some time over there and learn something new.
 
Oh, and for anyone interested in original Batangas-made balisongs, make sure you ask for bearing steel. The ones in stainless are crap.
 
Gollnick beat me to it and probably said it better than I could.

Yea, butterflies are worth more than a dern. IMO, quality butterflies are the strongest and best folding knives available.

Unfortunately, they have been unfairly singled out by lawmakers as more "dangerous" than other folding knives. I own several but do not carry them since they are against the law where I live.

So from a mechanical and esthetic point of view, butterflies may be the best. But from a social and legal point of view, they are widely frowned upon.
 
If you are looking to save money, a Spyderco Spyderfly or a Typhoon Kit would be a good choice. Those should run somewhere around maybe $70 or so.

Another possibility would be a Cold Steel Arc Angel second for $110.
 
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