poll: why do you..brain mix?

sniperboy

sniperboy

Joined
Oct 19, 1999
Messages
2,836
How many people like balisongs because of "media influence" or because it is "rare", "underground" or even "illegal" to some degree. Just curious.

Another is: how many people are fanatical about balisongs and have resided in the Philippines for a long period of time? (let me scratch a tick for question 2 for myself but i never got into it until I lived in the USA. I don't believe many people in the Philippines really care about the balisong believe it or not.. much like philippino martial arts.)

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<A HREF="http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~soo/balisong/balisong.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~soo/balisong/balisong.html
</A> If you play with love you will be heartbroken; if you play with knives you will [bleed]


 
Actually, my friend (who, strangely, is not a knife nut) was into them first. I learned the double flip from him and then took off from there.

To tell the truth (as always), I think it's just a mechanical fascination. It's a cross between a Transformer and a knife. It makes neat clicking noises and changes shape. Need I say more?
 
TRANSFORMERS!
smile.gif
AMEN Frank! Why didn't I see it before!?!? So that is the true reason.

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<A HREF="http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~soo/balisong/balisong.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~soo/balisong/balisong.html
</A> If you play with love you will be heartbroken; if you play with knives you will [bleed]


 
There are lots of knives on the market and balisong is the only knife that requires special skills to open, close, throw, flip...
Mabuhay ang balisong.
 
I grew up in Central California, and grew up with the balisong. Remember that this was also the time that carrying a pocket knife to school was not considered abnormal. A lot of us brown-skinned folks had one in our pocket on a regular basis.



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-ramius
"oderint dum metuant"
 
Definitely the "gizmo" factor. Something unusual that requires skill and practice. You can't help but see one and think "Cool!". Oh, yeah - and they're just plain fun to play with, too.
 
I got into them through my martial arts training and went back to them after my Emerson CQC7 opened partway in my pocket and made me eligible for 15 stitches.
 
I first got hooked when I saw one being manipulated in a movie. It's been all downhill since.

When I think back to the stages I've gone through over the years, it's always been something else that attracts me to them.

~ First it was the look of a whirling Bali.

~ Then while studying Martial Arts, I liked it because no one else did it.

~ There was also a time when I thought they were great simply because people thought I was NUTs for playing with them.

~ Then, at work, I discovered what GREAT utility knives they can be.

~ Then while working out to music, I realized rhythm was a huge part of the picture, and explored that. (as a musician, I'm still fascinated by this one)

~ Now I'm kind of moved by how many people crave information on them......... and how little there actually is out there.

.......... I still wonder sometimes where all this will eventually lead to.


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Clay
www.balisongxtreme.com
Because......
getting 'em open
is half the fun!

[This message has been edited by Clay (edited 04-01-2000).]
 
My theory is that people gravitate towards something in which they have a natural skill.

For example someone with a superior sense of balance will ski or go for motorcross, etc.

I suspect that most who gravitate towards a balisong have naturally superior skills in eye/hand coordination.

Just my .02.

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Ron Knight
 
Gottah love the balisong..
Before i got into balisong i helped start the Yo-Yo craze on the south side of chicago, I just have a dactyl-fixation (must allways be doing something with your hands) So anyways, i was reasearching Yo-Yos online and came across a history article saying that it originated in the philipines, so, i searched "Filipino Weapons" it was only a short time later that i stumbled across clays site and was soon the owner of my china town cheapie, than i got my first jag (which is just over a year old now, the one with the inserts, replaced the pins, still going strong) i think the major allure of the balisong is flashing, twirling, clicking, in the end, were just as easily entertained as a carp looking at a lure
wink.gif
 
i got into bali's while in the martial arts & needed something that was better than the swithblade guys. graduated from snapping a BUCK open to flipping a bali. open.i also liked the option of striking while closed!
 
I was first introduced to the balisong by a friend of mine in high school. He is now a member of the Guardian Angels in south Florida. Have had an absolute fascination with them since. I have found that th eblai is one of the most useful knives I have ever carried. I carried a Valor version of the BM 259. Carried it for 12 yrs, it has been thru hell and back. It is now under glass with the rest of my bali collection.

Jonathan
 
The artfullness of the bali is what attracted me. First, it was the idea of a knife that requires skill and grace to deploy. A twirling bali is almost hypnotic, which brings me to the second point. While I only have one bali right now (a $7 POC), I still carry it whe I think I might need protection. If I actually needed to use something, I would go with the Gunsite or the Native (because the blade is so dull I was flipping it while holding the wrong handle and still didn't get cut.) BUT, If you open a bali skillfully, people will NOT mess with you.

The added benefits of a very strong lock and no chance of accidental opening are nice, but those are the main reasons.

There are a lot of knives that I want (Sifu, Bush Ranger, WW2 kukri) so it will be awhile before I get a BM 42, but I really want one...
 
ooooo- shiney!

I like the sound it makes, what it looks like and that it's a tool, disguised as a weapon
smile.gif


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"If the only tool you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail"
Such a funny quote, true or not.
-ediconu
 
My first exposure to buttefly knives was when I was a little kid and get a set of plastic "ninja" weapons to either go with a costume or just play with. One of the things included was a plastic balisong. It was easily the coolest thing in the set. I forget whatever happened to that thing, but the way it looked and the way it opened and closed was what got me interested.

Then a little while back I saw a picture of the BM 42 and instantly fell in love.

So for me the interest in balisongs is a mix of aesthetics, the opening and closing mechanism, and being seduced by the model 42.
biggrin.gif


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Simon Yu

"I look at it this way. If things get much worse I'll be too dead to care."

[This message has been edited by Simon Yu (edited 04-08-2000).]
 
My dad and grandfather used to love to make me wooden toys, includingc cars, rocking horses and, of course, swords and knives. I had more then my share or wooden balisongs, from the duct-tape and popsical stick versions i made to the hinged and flippable kind they toiled over. Like any kid, i broke each and every one out of the love of playing with them. Kinda pissed off and delighted the two guys who made them. My dad bought me my first "real" balisong, a pretty solid one from San Fran china town. After it was stolen (I hate kids), I worked through a few cheapies. I just ordered two Jag 239 copies, and can't wait. Just the thought brings me back to when my dad was showing me the first simple flips. I forget just about all of it, but hell, its cool to be a kid again.
smile.gif
(I'm only twenty, but that was still half a life-time ago).

[This message has been edited by afee (edited 04-17-2000).]
 
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