Butterfly Knives?

Dave,

I love the Axis lock mechanism too. Being a natural fidget, I could play with that thing all day long. I think our friends at Benchmade have a real winner on their hands. And, I think you've selected a really nice knife and I know you're going to be pleased with it.

I just wish they'd make it the way God intended knives to be: tip-down!

And, I hope they never, ever, discontinue the AFCK or the mini. Change the name if you want to, but just keep making 'em.

Someone made some comment about BM offering Bali-Songs again. They are on the web page, true enough, but check out the details. BM is offering about fifty exotic customs at about $600 a piece. They sold out within days of the announcement (which was getting on a year ago now). Oh, and if you think the Axis has a pretty blade, check out the Tontos that Mr. Elishewitz did for the custom Bali-Songs. BM says these are the last of the Benchmade Bali-Songs. The tooling has worn out and they can't produce a quality product at a reasonable price anymore. New tooling isn't cost-justified based on sales volumes of these niche knives. A very sad conclusion for those of us who love the BM Bali-Songs.

Chuck
 
I think I'm one of the few remaining Americans who has not seen the FanDumb Menace yet. This is probably a new thread, but, since Dave opened the topic, I'll go ahead here. (The Internet is full of wonderful stuff hidden in strange places.)

How is the sword play in the Menace? From what I've seen, it's Japanese-style with a two-handed grip. I also seem to recall that the first movie was that way too.

So, tell me this: if these light saber things are made of light and, therefore, virtually mass-less, then why the two-handed grip?

Chuck
 
Ah! Common misconception! In the time of the original movies they may be weightless, but for these movies they are not. That's why every droid hit with them reacts as if it's been struck with a Louisville Slugger before coming apart. Surprising amount of inertial force for "light," eh?

Yeah... this thread is really drifting.

------------------

-Corduroy
(Why else would a bear want a pocket?)
 
Well Chuck, I got some great advice from you folks. My first 'real' knife ordered after reading the forum a little was an Endura 98. So I can experiment and see which works best for me, up or down. I'm really glad I didn't get the Voyager now. The clip ( and blade probably) is much better on the Spydie.
Dave
 
Didn't really mean to start a new thread, but hey? Yeah, the duels were definitely all angles, rolls and reverses. I have no idea if that's what a sword fight was really like but it looked great on screen. Except Liam didn't block that head butt and got a hole through his chest. Ouch!
Dave

[This message has been edited by volsfan (edited 27 May 1999).]
 
A tip - until you're comfortable, don't let go of the
handle with the latch piece - the edge on a single edged
knife always will be faced away, so you won't lose your
fingers in an accidental close
Click to expand...

WRONG! The handle with the latch is the safe handle on some balisongs; the other handle is the safe one on others. LOOK to see which is the safe handle EVERY time you pick up a balisong you haven't used before!

-Cougar Allen :{)
 
Seeing as how this thread is coming back around to bali-songs, I thought I would throw in my two cents worth. I carried a bali-song as a daily carry for almost 15 yrs. It is a great knife to work with, depending of course on the work. It was strong enougfh and durable enough to do what chores I had set forth and being able to open and close it quickly with one hand and not let go of what I was cutting on was a definite plus. The only reason I don't carry it now is that it is showing its wear now and is in a display case along with my other butterfly knives and since BM no longer makes the one I wanted to use as a daily carry, I have gone auto., but am looking for a good quality butterfly knife to carry once again.

And one more thing while I am rambling on. I personally had always found that manipulating a butterfly knife to be very relaxing. Of course there is a time and place to do such things. (Personal note: I have Never had to use mine in a violent nature and proud of it)
 
Check out the For Sale/Trade Individual forum. There's one of the last BM Customs with that Elishewitz blade. He's only asking $450.

Of course, without saying, this is not a knife you probably want to carry and use, much less learn with. This is one to put in the safe.

Chuck
 
I strongly recommend Benchmades if you can find them anywhere. They are the best I've seen to date. I recommend getting at least two sizes-small (4") and large (5" or bigger), so you can alternately develop speed and strength in your hands (and also come to a decision on what size you like best).

Welcome to the wonderful world of the balisong. You'll find it isn't difficult to learn how to use one. After a while, it literally becomes second nature. And there are lots of possibilities. Some people have even written books on manipulation. The bali is still the only knife I can deploy equally quickly with either hand. It doesn't require the preciseness of motion to operate that some tactical folders do.

------------------


Win
Knife lover, Philosopher, Humanitarian, and All-around nice guy
(all right, so I'm just a knife lover)
 
There's a couple in the for sale trade individual forum today, including a BM 45.

Chuck

 
sorry to get back to the off-the-thread subject, but indeed, the swordplay in phantom menace was a lot of japanese kendo techniques -- I think also that the stunt people used a lot of other things as well. In it's basic form, japanese kendo isn't as showy as a movie sword duel preferring to just go for the one killing stroke (matches usually last until someone gets a certain number of points and a competitor can easily get a point in less than a minute). I saw a lot of what looked like staff/naginata techniques involved, as well as some modern epee techniques. I'd also heard that the stunt coordinators used tree chopping and tennis to augment the fight sequences.

The first movies (episodes 4-6) featured more western style fencing (saber/longsword/ broadsword) than japanese, though it was stilla hybrid.

in any case, i am a perpetual fan -- it was the lightsabers that got me into swords and fencing and now into knives.
 
I agree with Jonathan that playing with a butterfly knife can be relaxing. There is something about that sound, click,click...CLICK! that is nearly hypnotic.I think the best and safest way to learn manipulating a butterfly is to start with the knife in the open position and learn to close the knife first. That way any confusion as to which side of the handle to hold is eliminated.

------------------
never a dull moment
 
i just got done reading this whole thread and it sparked my intrest i used to have in butterfly knives. I took my knife out and started flinging it about, closing and opening it when BAM!! I just smashed one of my mother's favorite glasses. Oops, be careful where you use these.
 
Should my endura need to function as impact weapon, it will nicely (the weight: about 175 lbs if I do my part!) and so can any folder, Bram has designed the best trainer in the world for reminding fols of this fact. Butterflys are wonderful toys and I shoud start playing with mine again, after twelve years of high impact activity I could use some dexterity again. They are alos not going to fail due to you grabbing the lock badly, and if they do not latch, so what? I have a virgin BM 45 that I love and would carry daily buut for the weight. Lets all hassle Benchmade to make more and we can all buy one or two, right?
 
Benchmade is still producing a limited edition Balisong Knife series. They produced 26 pieces with blades ground by Allen Elishewitz with prices $400 - $500, and are currently producing a series of 16 with blades ground by Pat Crawford. No idea of the price, but I'm sure they're up there. These should be quite collectable. I don't understand why Benchmade doesn't produce the standard models again. No one has ever approached their quality, and demand seems high. They can't be anymore "politically incorrect" than the auto's they produce.
A well made butterfly knife has quite a few advantages. A completely enclosed blade when closed, and one of the strongest locking mechanisms made in a folding knife.
 
The latest very limited BM Balis sold out within days of being announced. Sorry.

BM says the reason they've discontinued them is that the tooling, much of which has been in use for twenty or more years, has worn out to the point that they couldn't produce a consistent, quality product anymore. Demand for their high-end Bali-Songs does not justify the very high cost of new tooling.

These last few pieces are basically handmade.

Yes, these are sad times for butterfly lovers.

Chuck
 
Well im sorry, but i've just gotta bring this up. How hard could it possibly be to make a butterfly knife. You've got 2 handles, 1 blade, and all of this is connected with 2 metal pins.(oh yeah, and the latch) The thing shouldn't be that difficult to put together, It doesn't require extreme tolerances to make a decent balisong. It'll be the first folder I try to make(soon as I can grind a decent bevel
smile.gif
)
 
Mr. Yoda4561 is correct. The basic concept is quite simple. In fact, you don't even need the latch. Latchless butterfly knives are not unheard of.

I will ask you one question, though: have you seen a butterfly knife used, and I mean really manipulated? There's a lot of stress on the pins and on the ends of the handle where they join to the blade. This is where the cheapies break.

BM's are more complicated than you think. Get one and take it apart as your guide. There's are sleeves that goes into the blade where the pins pass through and washers on each side too. These give the blade much more speed and less wabble. There are no less than 14 parts in a good BM Bali-Song.

For me, a butterfly is not about being sharp, or about being strong to chop or stab with, it's about having a liquid-smooth action, about how the knife moves and how it feels as you manipulate it. A good butterfly feels like mercury, a metal that is liquid.

Balance is very important. Some butterflies are wonderful, they almost manipulate themselves. Others need more work or simply can't do some tricks because they aren't balanced. Personally, I can manipulate a BM model 45 much faster than a 44. They are the same knife except the 45 is a Weehawk and the 44 is a Tanto. The 44's blade is heavier up front and, for me, not as well balanced.

There are other little design tricks too. When the knife is closed, the edge should not touch the inside of the handles. BM's do not exhibit this, but the inside of the latch should have a hole or a groove so that if the latch falls against the blade, it won't dammage the tip. The latch has to properly lock the knife either closed or open. Many cheapies won't lock open. And, the handles need some treatment to give them a bit of a grip surface. This is why BM skeletonizes the handles on many of theirs.

So, making a butterfly may not be as easy as you think.

But, I would certainly encourage you to try. With BM's discontinuation, this is a great market opportunity.

Please let me know when you have one available and I'll be happy to test it and maybe buy it.

Chuck

[This message has been edited by Gollnick (edited 19 June 1999).]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top