Balisongs...the other white meat

callahwj

callahwj

Joined
Dec 9, 2000
Messages
735
Hi guys. I've been hanging out on this forum for a while and I'm starting to get serious about balisongs. I saw a statement on Fred Perrin's sight that Balisongs were the ONLY fighting folders. I'm not saying I agree or disagree so please don't flame me, but I wanted to get reactions to this, so:
1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of a balisong for self defense.
2) What are the best carry methods and openings if one does use one for this purpose?
3) What would be the ideal butterfly knife for this purpose?
4) Do you trust yourself to open a butterfly knife more or less than you would to open, say, a tactical folder under the stress of a defensive situation.

Disclaimer: I don't intend this as a troll or anything, so if a moderater thinks it's too inflamatory, feel free to lock it. I am not advocating violence as a solution to interpersonal conflict, and this is a hypothetical question.

Thanks for your time,



------------------
William Callahan

"I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without
hate. And I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd
never expect it."
-Jack Handey

I'm one of those wierdos who likes Zytel.
 
i would rather choose pepper spray or tear gas 4 self defense then ANY knife!



------------------
"Kill one man and you are a murderer.
Kill millions and you are a conqueror.
Kill all and you are a god."
Jean Rostand
 
The balisong is great for self defense, when closed you can use it as a fist key to punch, you can use the tang and butt to strike different areas of the attacker etc. The manipulations can psychologically overpower the BG and he could back down, and, when partially open, you can use the handle as a flail to strike other areas. And when open there is no way that the blade could close on your fingers/hand (provided it is a quality balisong) because there is no lock to fail. More to come later, there is a bad thunder/lightning storm over my house.

------------------
Cameron

"And shepards we shall be, for thee my Lord for thee, power hath descended forth from thy hand, that our feet may swiftly carry out thy command, so we shall flow a river forth to thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be, En Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti"
A few of my balisongs
My ClubPhoto albums
 
preferably my .357 would be quite defensive enough.
biggrin.gif

Really when I started balis i wanted them for self defense but now they are just like toys or sress releivers. Hopefully I will never have to use it in a violent way.

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I have a sword in my pocket!
 
Apparently, Germans have perfected some new form of Pepper Spray or Mace, because I sure as hell would not trust my life to it over an edged weapon.

And yeah, I get first hand reports on it around here...it's a toss up. I don't like playing dice like that.

As for the BaliSong being the only Fighting Folder, Fred Perrin certainly knows what he is doing with a blade, no one would dispute that. But I think anyone could insert their favorite folder in there and that would ring true for them.

I think the PLUS that Mr. Perrin is focusing on is the STRENGTH of the design, and yet it retains its' ability to be opened one-handed. And I cannot fault it there...

I think it becomes a matter of opinion.

I also think it is the safest pocket knife that can simply be carried in the pocket as the "sheath" is some form of metal [the handles] and the design is more or less not sensitive when it comes to pocket debris, etc.

------------------
"You are no more armed because you are wearing a pistol than you are a musician because you own a guitar." ~Jeff Cooper
And the same goes for a knife...
And, I'm a Usual Suspect.
Some of my Knives and other neat things
 
The thing that makes a Balisong the perfect knife, in my mind, is the symmetry of the handles.

It might sound like a lame reason but, I love the fact that it feels the same in your hand in forward or backhand grip.

Plus, it makes it much easier to switch between grips with just a pivot.

------------------
Clay
www.balisongxtreme.com
Because......
getting 'em open
is half the fun!
 
I've had the occasion to pull out my balisong in order to end a fight before it got started,this is after all other options haven't worked.Luckily,I've never had to use it to cut someone else.I have used it as a flail in a couple of instances,because I truthfully did not want to hurt the opponent...but I did need to teach him a lesson in humility.


The balisong itself is a very good multi-use weapon,since it can be used open,half-opened,and completely closed.As far as actual cutting goes,unless it's a well made knife,there's always the possibility of a pin breaking,which would weaken the knife,and make it almost useless during the remainder of combat.

I would prefer to use something else as a weapon if given the choice,since I will only use my balisong as a last resort.But yes,it is a great fighting knife if you know what you're doing with it...but any knife can be used in the same way,but not all to the same effectiveness.The best part about a balisong is the fact that you *don't* have to open it if it's not necessary to do so,unlike many other fighting knives that are fixed blades.

Oh,and as far as carry methods,whichever you feel comfortable with that allows easy access..but always remember the legality of the knife and what your purposes for carrying it are.
If you're in a combat situation,never ever waste time doing a flashy opening...use the quickest easiest opening you can,for the desired grip.

------------------
*The* Lunatic Puppy
It wasn't me...It was my *good* twin..
My "inner puppy" made me do it..

[This message has been edited by MacCanine (edited 05-28-2001).]
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Clay:
Plus, it makes it much easier to switch between grips with just a pivot.</font>
Click to expand...

Hey, the divots for pivots are built in to most of them!
biggrin.gif


Clay, is your E-mail account working? I answered your E-mail the other day, and you were wondering about something, apparently your E-mail is bouncing or AOL don't like you none!
biggrin.gif


Let me know if you received it and if not, if you have a Hotmail Account or something, fire it off to me so I can answer you...



------------------
"You are no more armed because you are wearing a pistol than you are a musician because you own a guitar." ~Jeff Cooper
And the same goes for a knife...
And, I'm a Usual Suspect.
Some of my Knives and other neat things
 
even though I carry a BM42, if it got down to the nitty gritty I think the first one I grab off my belt is going to be my gerber combat folder, although flipping the song might make someone think twice.
 
I think one of the big advantages of a Bali is the intimidation factor. It can actually save you from a few fights.
There's a old story of three swordsmen sitting in a bar giving a hard time to a single man seated nearby. The man, calm and collected, simply reaches out with a pair of chopsticks and catches three flies by the wings. The three swordsmen run away in fear.
A slighty flashy balisong manipulation can show that you know what you're doing. It shows training. And although your fancy openings won't do much in actual combat, it reminds your assailant that where there's smoke, there's a fire.

But, in a sudden moment of attack, I would rely on a simple windmill. It's one of my quickest openings, and it rarely fails.

------------------
~Dave

"One in the hand is worth two in the sheath"
 
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