Does anyone have a real balisong?

Smoke · Jan 5, 1999

Not BM, Perrin or generic but the real thing made in the Philippines.
The only forumites besides myself who I think may have one is
grnamin (?) and Silat1 but then I could be wrong.
TIA,
smoke

grnamin · Jan 5, 1999

Yup! Got one, but it's at home in the Philippines! Carbon steel blade forged from ball bearings, bone handle (stinky). Punched through a peso coin with no damage to tip.

-Greg

Smoke · Jan 5, 1999

Hi Greg, nice to see you're around. What kind of bone, carabao?

Check your mail.

Mike Turber · Jan 5, 1999

Yup,

Got several. Have no clue where though but I have the classic Brass ends with bone handel insets. Some have jimping on the spine. I also have a 3 footer that I could never actually use. It made a great display though when I was doing gun shows.

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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com

Smoke · Jan 5, 1999

Mike, have ever tested out your "29"? The 3 footer that is.

Jonathan · Jan 5, 1999

I have one bonafied Philipino with bone insets and a kriss blade. All hand done. Also have one that I have been told is, but am not to sure of it.

Mike, that 3 footer sure would look good alongside the rest of my butterfly collection. Largest one I have now is a 14" Taylor. Do you have that one lying around so next time I get to Jax I could try it....er....ummm....see it?... ;o)

Jonathan

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Live every day as if it was your last, for some day it shall be.

dano · Jan 6, 1999

yup...i have a "real" bali also...brass handles with some type of wood pinned in, the balde is a modified spear point with a sharpened false edge, no other marks except for a small "X" on each side of the blade...

--dan

p.s. I live in daly city, cal, home of the largest phillipine community in the U.S...we even have the only Filipino fast food chain, Jolly Bee,in the U.S...real bali's are still scarce...probably "underground"?

Yekim · Jan 6, 1999

I ahven't been able to get ahold of areal Balisong, but I have had the great plaesure of watching some genuine Philipinos play with my Benchmade. It was way cool......I felt like such an amateur....YeK

Silat1 · Jan 6, 1999

I do have several balisongs from batangas and other provinces from the Philippines. on my last trip to the Philippines, I had the ability to watch them made at one factory in the Pangisanan province. These were all brass handled with the carbon steel blade. I have been using these blades/balisongs for a number of years and personally like these instead of the old Benchmade balisongs. I have 2 with the Kris blade, a couple of bowie blade designed, and a double edged stilletto ground style. But the best one I like is the one that I picked up in Batangas when I was tdy in the Visayas region of the Philippines

Bill

White Knight · Jan 6, 1999

I've got an original. My great-uncle brought it back from the Philippines shortly after WWII.It's very small (not quite 6.5" opened). Has a bone handle with a dark material used at both ends. Blade and liner are darkened from age.

clyde · Jan 6, 1999

Out of curiousity what do real one cost in
the philippines?

Mike Turber · Jan 6, 1999

Smoke,

If I can find it. I just moved my business and I am sure it is somewhere amongst the many boxes out in the warehouse. When I find it I will take a pic.

------------------
Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!
www.wowinc.com

Dan K · Jan 7, 1999

Greetings,
Yep, I've got 6 or 7 of 'em. Mostly as described above. Most have small, rather weak pins. The heat treat is inconsistant as well. A few years ago I was playing with one and droped it on the floor and the blade broke in half. Yet another "just like it" was stabbed through the top of an oil drum and was used to pry a window open, with no damage.
Happy Trails

tk · Jan 7, 1999

I've got two, both with a forged carbon steel blade. The more interesting of the two has smooth, yellow bone handles; not round, but geometric. a The blaed is about a quarter-inch thick at the pivot, but is tapered down to about 3/16ths for most of its five-inch length. Typical pinned construction. Perhaps somewhat crude, but it cuts very aggressively.

Nemo · Jan 8, 1999

Hello,

Fred has offered to me a real balisong made in the famous village.

I can picture it for you if you want.
It's a 5 inches beauty and solid as a rock.
A real weapon ...

Send me a Email and I will picture it !
(As I don't pass so very often around here...I wish I could stay connected night and day but in France, local com are expensive...

Cheers,

JM)

Brian Lavin · Jan 8, 1999

I have one that was given to me by a co-worker of Philipine heritage. He knew I was a knifeknut, (wonder how he figured that out ?)and gave it to me. He'd purchased it a few years back when visiting relatives there. Got it out in the country in a little village from the guy that made it. It's not very big but it's pretty well made considering the primitive tools he said they used there. It lives in my desk drawer now, amuses my grandson now and then.