Balisong ... yeck is the word!

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TitaniumKnutt

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Besides being a VERY UGLY knife, you can't possibly use a Balisong for everyday use now can ya?! I mean, in public areas it would be frowned upon and looked upon as a weapon, not a tool. Also, it's got to be an awkward knife to cut with.

More for flashing around than for using I would think!

Just my opinion here, to stir up trouble with Balisong lovers, if there are any that is
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Ti


[This message has been edited by TitaniumKnutt (edited 06-12-2001).]
 
The Filipinos, for whom the balisong is probably one of the most common everyday utility knives, would no doubt take issue with your statements.

With the blade out and the handles held closed, the balisong has superb lock strength for a "folding" knife. The standard clip-point blade found on most examples is a perfectly useful all-around utility style.

A well-made balisong, far from being ugly, is a beautiful example of the knifemakers' art.

It is not necessary to "flash around" a balisong in order to use it; in fact, a simple drop-open maneuver can be used to open the knife quickly and spare any latch damage to the blade (which is sometimes incurred during flipping).

Basically, your post is wrong in every possible way.
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-Razor

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AKTI #A000845
 
I think that a lot of the negative connotation I have about the Balisong is based on the guys I knew in high school who used to carry them. Most of them were idiots who were just as likely to cut their own fingers as successfully deploy this knife and it was always for show as opposed to utility.

Since I've been on this forum I've learned a bit about balisongs and have a bit more respect for their upside and the traditions associated with them however its still hard for me to get past images of some fatigue clad high school punk who though he was hot **** because he could get the blade out without spilling his own blood.

Balisongs have always conjured images of Indiana Jones shooting the swordsman who was spending more time flipping his blade around than using it. That being said...I can certainly understand the addictive "fiddle factor". One handed openers of any kind lend themselves nicely to idle play. I'm sure messing about with a balisong is similar.
 
i agree with razoredj. i use a bali for my edc and find that it works just as well as, if not better than, any other folder i've tried. there is no question about lock strength, as any amount of spine-whacking will fail to close the blade on my hand. i can open my bali just as fast as (again, if not faster than) most anyone with a regular folder (with the possible exception of the emerson wave). it also takes some skill to open a bali, which just makes it neat. titaniumknutt, you may also be pleased to note that the handles of my favorite bali are made of Ti.
i think you'll find that there certainly are plenty of balisong knuts as well. check out the balisong forum, hosted by our very own beloved bfc.
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later, man. open up that mind of yours.
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aleX.

(edited for a grammatical error.
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"i flip you... i flip you for real..."

[This message has been edited by alex_111 (edited 06-12-2001).]
 
I have a BM 42 and consider it a very well-made, fine knife.

I would not consider it a general utility knife, but I look forward to learning about the various ways of handling it as a way of increasing my general knife knowledge.

There have been many "junk" balis made and also some very expensive collector pieces.

Legalities become important in many areas, such as NYC and other metropolitan areas where possession of balis is an outright crime. Where I live, just outside NYC, I fall under the general state law which does not prohibit balis.

All that being said, there is lots of room in this hobby for a wide variety of individual tastes.

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Dick

AKTI Member # A001365
 
titaniumknut,

My brother-in-law carrys a Balisong as his EDC and claims he will never carry anything but that. He is a computer tech and I have seen him whip that thing out and use it to cut cable ties inside a computer. My interest was peaked so I borrowed one of his older balis and started working. I have now found that if I want to sit around and 'fiddle' with a knife that bali is what I head to first. I suggest you get one and try it, don't carry it if you are not comfortable but give it a shot.

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Jason Cadden
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Webmaster
Smoky Mountain Knife Works, Inc.
jcadden@smkw.com
 
Nerd,
Growing up in Queens, NYC, I'm sure glad now that I never got in any real trouble when I was young - 'cause I carried a butterfly a lot in my teenage years. Young & stupid, I guess. I just thought it was real cool when I saw my friend open one, and "had" to have one. I got another friend of mine to teach me, and take me to buy one. They all seemed so stiff compared to his nice & broken in one. Finally he relented and old me his
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. Then he scolded me for not even making sure it was "clean". (Knowing my friend, I really should have asked).

The only time I remember using it in public was to pop the bottom of a beercan to do "shotguns" in a club parking lot. The other guys we had met drinking in the parking lot were suitably impressed.

I stopped carrying it after a few years, and have no real interest in balis anymore.
That was and is the only bali I own, and I will not part with it, as the friend who sold it to me died during his college years of leukemia.
 
RH ... sorry to hear about your friend there, keeping something once bought or given by a friend is very comforting to ones innerself when looking or thinking about that item ... brings that friend back to life in a way!

I don't know guys, but to me a knife has to be a usefull all around tool as well as have good looks to it , not a flash dance or weapon which is a want-a-be tool.

 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by TitaniumKnutt:
RH I don't know guys, but to me a knife has to be a usefull all around tool as well as have good looks to it , not a flash dance or weapon which is a want-a-be tool.
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I do not own a butterfly knife but it appears to me that there is a Zen like inner peace that could be achieved by manipulating one. To become adept at many different openings and closings to me would prove a high mental dicipline and a good bit of coordination. I have seen them opened "quietly" without causing problems with onlookers. It isn't what I would use as an EDC (I prefer my UDT which I open with my left hand on the blade as if pulling the blade out, when I feel it necessary to not let it thwack) but I like the idea of being able to work a butterfly without being cut. I'm kind of at a loss for words to describe what I feel but I would someday like to have a butterfly knife so that I could feel the mental flow that has to come as the knife is put through it's paces.

bob
 
right. so, my second post here... for that i apologize.
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but Ti.knutt, don't you realize that the bali was originally invented as a tool? dig those philippinos, man. they make 'em and use 'em because they work well as tools. if someone were to invent a knife for a weapon, it's doubtful they'd make something that requires much effort to use.
aleX.

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"i flip you... i flip you for real..."
 
I repeat: A balisong is only "flashy" if you choose to manipulate it in that manner. Don't blame the tool; blame the operator.

-Razor

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AKTI #A000845
 
So you don't like Bali's Titanium or Mark what ever your name is now. That is your opinion but why after all the time you have been on the forums start a thread like this? Every knife collector has knives on there list they don't care for myself included but I also have the common sense to know that what I don't like others do. Same as guns,cars, blah blah blah. I happen to have a great fondness for Italian switchblades which I know isn't shared by most people on here and I could give a rats ass cause all that matters is I like them but I'm not going to start stupid threads about it.I'm sure if you list your favorite knife a hundred people would tell you they think it sucks. So what was your point?
Bob
 
TitaniumKnutt... Your opinions are just that... yours. And I have to respect that. And now for MY opinion.

It seems that you're doing something too many people do. Bashing something because maybe you don't understand the knife. A quality balisong is probably the STRONGEST locking folding knife in the world. There is now such a selection of balisong blade styles, that I cannot imagine being without the proper knife for the job. The handles themselves do more than any simple folder could hope for (pliers, nail puller, wire stripper/cutter... the list goes on). The openings themselves can be used to strike an opponent (very effectivly). And although it may seem that a large part of the openings and "flashy" manipulations are just for show, they have purpose. One, they're just damned fun. Two, it allows an accomplished balisong practitioner to access and use the knife under any condition, no matter how it is held in the hand. It helps to develop a feel for the knife that you may never get with a simple folder. Not to mention the fact that it increases dexterity and hand strength. Martial artists don't ever expect to be attacked by a wooden board, but that doesn't mean it's not effective for training. And if someone thinks the knife is hard to use or cumbersome, maybe it's not the knife's fault.

And don't judge the knife based on some idiots you've seen in your life (especially high-school kids). Some of us take it seriously, never trying to impress anybody or be Mr. Machismo. It's a skill.

And if you think they're ugly, then that's just fine. It would suck if we all liked the same designs.
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~Dave

"One in the hand is worth two in the sheath"
 
Strider ... don't get me wrong! I'm just bewildered as to why some see a Balisong as a good utility tool and good looking as well
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Not bashing the Balisong users, just curious as to why with a little fun thrown in is all!
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Ti
 
some se the bali as a good utility tool because they have found that it works well as one. it's not a delusion, it's based on experience.
as for the good-looking bit, well, i don't see why you think they're ugly. so there. the gate swings both ways.
why not refrain from attacking something that you don't understand? that's the closed-minded aspect that i pointed out earlier. i didn't mean "you'd better like balisongs, or you're closed minded."
ever heard of the crusades? take a look at the middle east lately? they're killing each other because they don't understand aspects of each other's culture. this has gone on for aeons. some of us probably think that's silly, but then we perform the same way on a smaller scale. let's try to be a little more tolerant than that, eh?
peace.
aleX.

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"i flip you... i flip you for real..."
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">I'm just bewildered as to why some see a Balisong as a good utility tool and good looking as well</font>
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You've been provided with plenty of answers. I should think your bewilderment would be somewhat reduced by now.

-Razor

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AKTI #A000845
 
Man - o - Man, has this place become an uptight place. Just funnin' with you while trying to understand Balisong addictions that some of you have. Yes, everyone has their own tastes and there is nothing wrong with that. There is also nothing wrong with having sport on a subject while trying to understand at the same time.

This place ain't what it used to be, that's for sure! It was much better a while ago. And yes, that' just my opinion and doesn't need to be yours.

Sorry I ever brought this subject up ... just looking for reasons why Balisongs are liked by others with some fun thrown in. At least I meant it to be a little fun too. I was wrong!

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Ti
 
Although I no longer carry a balisong, I believe that they are very practical knives which just got a bad reputation the same way that switchblades got a bad rep through movies and a couple of jerks. I did, however, carry a balisong eleven years ago when I was doing research in the Sudan. The balisong was an old Benchmade and it was a wonderful knife. I cut more melons with that knife than I can count. The blison worked fine as both a kitchen knife and a general work knife. It became even more important after I lost my SAK Electrician. The knife was also a bit of a security blanket in a country that was potentially dangerous for a U.S. citizen even though I don't like to emphasize that aspect of pocketknives.
 
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