Replying to myself? Actually, someone was kind enough to email me an extensive exposition on balisongs, a trove of information which I have excerpted here for the benefit of all:
Dear Fishface,
A few months ago I bought a new Benchmade "economy" balisong from Knives International on the internet. All the BM balisongs except customs for $500) have been discontinued but they had a few of the economy model 239 and a few "deluxe" model 44 left. The model 239 has the thicker mirror polished blade of Sandvik stainless and cast Zamack handles with a rough black coating (not sure what it is made of but is designated with a suffix B). They also come in a nickel plated handle (rough but very shiny). Brand new they sold for about $50. The pins are exposed on the
handles and the blades is about twice as thick as the other BM balisongs...a little klunky but still very pretty to look at. I think this "economy" model will wear out much sooner than the more expensive Benchmade balisongs. Already it does not lock up as tight and is getting wobbly in the handles, even with a little oil on the pins.
I have also purchased new BM balisongs by watching the "for sale" on Bladeforums and Knifeforums. Every month or so something in the 4 inch blade size will pop up there like a Model 44 (tanto deluxe) or 45 (weehawk
deluxe, S for serrated) or 48 (thin utility blade deluxe) for $100. I have seen original store price tags on boxes of the BM deluxes from 10 years ago for $85, so the collector value is not very high. I have picked up 5 really good balisongs this way, and 2 that wereunacceptable. The trick is to try to avoid the ones that are defective or
have been abused. One I bought was said to be "99.9% perfect" but had the tip broken off and reground to try to (unsuccessfully) hide it. The Sandvik seems to hold up well against rusting. My own preference is for the 4 inch blades not the shorter 3 inch
models like the 30, 35 (weehawk blade) or 68 (utility blade). They flip faster (and cut you more often) and tend to pinch your fingers in the hinge of the handle. The difference between a 30 and a 35 is that the
30 (regular) has the pins showing and the holes in the handle are not countersunk but the 35 (deluxe) has the pins polished into the handle and the blade is a thinner satin finish, but same materials in both. They are
both really nice to look at and hold.
I have not used the Jaguar butterfly models that several knife dealers on the internet sell, but people tell me they wear out pretty fast and they aren't something you would show off as you would a Benchmade. But they are ok for just practice and can be bought for about $20 [note - the Jaguars are 420 steeel - FF]. I have been looking for a "better" quality butterfly and found it at Smoky Mountain Knife Works (smkwknife.com) made by Bear. They have a damascus bladed tanto that I just ordered for $38 and a cheaper line ($25) with epoxy coated silver veined or black handles. Bear is well known for their inexpensive damascus blades. Bear calls their tanto an "armor piercing" blade and it is very wide. They also make the tanto in a bead-blasted finish and have a damascus weehawk (on back order at Smoky Mtn).
For more information on balisongs, alsolook at www.mcs.net/~asia1/balisong.html and
www.kiddspage.com/balisong.html#Models.
