Butterfly Advantage?

fulloflead

fulloflead

Joined
May 3, 2002
Messages
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I once owned a beautiful Bali-song from before Benchmade bought them.
Like an idiot, I sold it a few years ago.

Now I've got the butterfly itch and I don't know why.

Sure, they're FUN, but is there REALLY any advantage over a tactical folder?

I realize that a locked-open Bali-song is stronger (lock-wise) than a tac.
But other than that, butterflies seem to be a little slower...

I don't know. I'll probably buy a few just to have them again and because they're fun. But I think a nice auto or tactical folder is a more practical EDC.

Is there any reason or situation where a Bali-song would be BETTER than, say, a BM Axis AFCK or a SOCOM Elite auto?
 
Well...


First: They're fun (as you mentioned).
Second: They look cool when you open them:cool: .
Third: A folder is boring when you have nothing to cut whereas a balisong can provide hours of entertainment for cutting and non-cutting purposes.
Fourth:They're fun (as I mentioned above:D )


I think you should try posting this in the Balisong Forum. I'm sure they can provide more help than me:) . Have fun!


-DC2
 
Originally posted by fulloflead
Is there any reason or situation where a Bali-song would be BETTER than, say, a BM Axis AFCK or a SOCOM Elite auto?
Click to expand...
To scare the hell out of sheeple! :D
 
Isn't the risk of dropping/flinging the knife greater with balisongs? Especially under stress. So I would never want to have a balisong for SD purposes.

That being said, I haven't handled one before. I have a Cheetah on order, so I can find out exactly how fun it is to flip.
 
When I got my SWAT butterfly, with its thin, flat-ground 5" blade, I immediately put it to work in the kitchen. It did fine. But I also learned another advantage of the butterfly design: it's very open, which makes it easier to clean. Gunk does not get hung up inside of it, because the inside is the outside and the lock is self-cleaning when you open or close it. It would probably be an ideal filet knife in the field -- or by the stream :) -- because it cleans up so nicely.
 
Someone mentioned that butterfly is slower then auto. but IMHO it depends on your training. Theris some people in balisong forum that can do 10 open/close surine in 9 seconds (or even faster)
so less then .5 second for opening IMHO it's pritty fast :) it depends on your carry options but you can get bali down open :)

and ofcourse IT's FUN !
 
I don't think there is much of a chance of dropping one during a simple opening or closing, at least no more so than using a thumbstud on a folder. The only times I have dropped mine are when trying to learn complicated maneuvers. The only knives that give you a really firm grip at all times are OTF autos, and fixed blades since you don't have to adjust your grip at all to allow the blade to come out.

As far as an advantage for balisongs, I remember hearing of someone that was approached by a group of kids in a mugging attempt, flipped open his balisong and scared them off. Opening one in a quick solid fashion without hestiation is VERY intimidating!!

Of course firing open your HALO, probably would give a very similar effect! :D
 
As I mentioned in the other recent thread on butterfly knives, bali's are very simple in construction, with very few points of failure. And with bali's, even if one of the handles breaks off, you still have a usable knive (which is only really useful in wilderness survival situations). Opening speed and not dropping the bali are skills that are highly dependent on the amount of practise. And in reference to opening speed, I have personally made the decision to go with the slightly slower balisong, over the Emerson Wave folder, for the added security of the strength of the bali when opened (yes, it a trade off).

Also mentioned in the other thread are the other uses for a bali besides as a knife in a SD mode. It makes for an excellent yawara/kobuton. It makes an excellent small flail device. You don't need to worry about the bali opening in your pocket when you carry it without a sheath.

Couple of previous threads on the topic. Thread 1. Thread 2.
 
look at the links in my sig, that is why I own a balisong...

I buy for the flip
 
Other than the pure fun of playing with them, I don't see any advantage for a balisong. A decent tactical folder isn't going to fail in any real-world situation, so any advantage in locking strength is only on paper. And the tactical folder is going to be at least as fast as the balisong (if not faster); it doesn't really matter how many times that you can open the butterfly in ten seconds -- it really only matters how fast you can open it *once*. That said, a balisong is a blast to flip around and practice with, which makes them well worth owning in my opinion. My last one got stolen :( , but I plan on replacing it sometime soon.
 
I can understand the curiosity of wether a Tac is superior to a Bali. I have switched from Tac knives to balis' exclusivley. I love the design. It is so damn simple. I also truely believe the lock strength of a Tac is not nearly as strong as an open and latched Bali. As far as for defensive purposes are concearned, I like having the bali for use as a pressure point device for PPCT. Also they are much more fun to play with. A Bali can keep my occupied for a long time where as a Tac folder is just nice to look at.
 
Icon of Sin,

I just watched your "boards and butterflies" video. You've got some amazing moves (with the blades, that is)! Keep up the good work.
 
Originally posted by tribalbeeyatch
A decent tactical folder isn't going to fail in any real-world situation, so any advantage in locking strength is only on paper. ..it doesn't really matter how many times that you can open the butterfly in ten seconds -- it really only matters how fast you can open it *once*.
Click to expand...
You've mentioned the one thing that made me switch to the bali from the other folders. No matter how poorly maintained the bali is, it'll always open and lock up. I had a situation where the lock on my Terzuola ATCF failed to engage due to debris in the knife. That was my fault in not properly maintaining it. But, even with total neglect, and simply throwing a bali into my pockets without a sheath, my EDC bali's never failed to open whenever I need it.
 
One more point: due to the design we can keep the blade clean because you never have it exposed to anything and you don't touch the blade to open.

I can still pick my balis, open, slice a cake for my son, even if my hand is dirty repairing my car :D, cause I don't have to touch the blade!

Besides, the handle shape is good for other application (i.e. closed, it can be anchor to your groceries plastic bag, so carrying is more comfortable. Other folder is not so 'sticky' in shape when closed)

On normal tac folder (exception is OTF), at least the spine is open. With a dirty hand, you won't open it clean.
 
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