Why Don't You EDC a Butterfly Knife?

Not a felony... I have been arrested multiple times while in possession of a balisong/switchblade. Just a misdemeanor charge.



At one time, I was all about the bali.
 
I did in my teens, legalities of them keeps me these days. That and a nice one is pretty expensive.
 
I carry a BM 51 from time to time, I like it but regular one hand opening knives are just more comfortable for me to open. Maybe if I owned a few more quality balis I'd carry them more often, pushing a button on my autos or using a Spydie hole is easier and takes fewer movements.
 
Its illegal and its intimidating to normal people. Unreasonably so on both counts perhaps, but that's how it is.

I personally think its a good design because you get a nice hand filling handle. Blade grinds and shapes tend not to utilize the already small amount of available space though. Most of them have stupid and unnecessary swedges, and bullshit weapon like appearance instead of being a nice full flat grind with a usable blade shape.

Also too expensive for what you get usually.
 
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Had one as a youth, haven't really thought of buying another one though I like to play with the one I had. I suppose I'd like another one if it was a gift but I don't think I'd pay for one, as far as edc'n I feel that they would be kind of intimidating as I work in an office lol
 
When I was a young man the only people that carried them were dorks so to me they have that stigma.
 
I don't carry one because I don't own one. Which precludes the carrying of one.

I also don't have any interest in them at all. I believe they are perfectly legal where I live.
 
I agree we need a good sub $100 option.
I would carry one, likely I would also have a SAK for the sheepel.
 
Most of my folders are quicker to deploy than my butterflies. I haven't found any super steel butterflies. My butterflies didn't come with pocket clips, although they aren't hard to add.
 
Moxy said:
Once you master the Quick Draw they're just as fast as any flipper.
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That's precisely why I don't own, let alone EDC, one. The things I cut will wait for the time it takes me to "deploy" with a slip joint or thumbstud, and I have no need or interest in having to "master a technique" to open my knife.
 
Had a generic bali as a teenager back in the old country, wasn't the most convenient knife to deploy there but it sure did look cool. :D Biggest problem with it was the slick handles and the fact that it was difficult to deploy it discretely, without waving it all over the place. After it got stolen I ended up replacing it with something more traditional (some kind of Buck 110 clone), tactical knives weren't really affordable back then.
 
I used to when I could! Bradley Mayhem is still up there with my favorite EDCs.
 
The stigma and legalities hinder the opportunity for them to become more popular. I had one a few years ago. Really just a piece of junk, but I enjoyed it. I carried it a bit since it's legal here, but I generally prefer blades with pocket clips. It just isn't convenient enough to carry all the time. I think I'd love to have one again though. Like others have said, it's just too expensive to get a quality one. Otherwise I may carry one on occasion. I would need to always have a more people-friendly knife on hand though. I hate drawing negative attention to myself in public. Unfortunately, a bali tends to do just that. This thread is making me miss mine though...
 
I suspect that the legality of them in many states is a large reason why they're not more popular (and with good reason, how many people want to own/carry something that is illegal).

That said, the two things that you mention they're good for, are far from the most important things in a knife to me. Speed of "deployment" is very near the last thing on my mind when I use a knife. The package, or apple i'm cutting will still be there in the 1-5 seconds it takes me to get my knife out and opened. The second thing you mentioned is lock strength, which, as I understand it, is an area where Balis excel that I again hardly consider. As long as a locking knife stays open better than a slipjoint, I'm totally ok with the lock strength. Anything more "intense" and I'll just use a fixed blade.
 
It would be interesting to compare butterfly knives with other mechanisms for strength/reliability. I'm not sure the extra manipulation required is really justified though as other 'locking' mechanisms these days are pretty sound, from classic back locks (Buck 110), Axis lock, framelock (Sebbie 21) and Tri-Ad. All these seem simpler, quite possibly stronger and more than adequate for my uses anyway, plus none of those have any legality issues.
 
I've picked up a Benchmade Mini Morpho in the last year (used and at a great price), and I find it in my pocket on the weekends, fairly often. I've taken the time to learn how to quickly open and close a bali, over the years, and it is a fun way to keep your hands occupied when you are in a safe environment (i. e. at home!) The practical characteristics are no longer relevant, with the strength and ease of opening found in almost any modern production knife. Really the only reason to carry one, is that it's fun and cool. For those that can afford a quality one, it is definitely worth having in your collection, but probably the practical EDC-ness of them is a bit over-rated. Most have thick blades, poor blade-to-handle ratio, and usually no pocket clip.

That said, the mini Morpho would make a great EDC knife. It's smaller than most, very light, has a pocket clip, and a high flat grind, plus, it's blue liners are quite spiffy looking, which ticks most of my EDC requirements. Hence my EDC rotation for the weekends. I just have to be careful, as my 8-yo son likes to pick it up and check it out. I never let him out of my sight, when he has it in his hands.

On occasion, I'll find a reason to carry my Microtech Tachyon II Tanto. Definitely not practical, but oh, so cool. :cool: :D Way too thick of a grind for much real use, but I make it work, because I can. "Why, yes, I can cut that thread for you." :D

If you can, do. If not, it's fun to dream. We are knife knuts, after all, and who doesn't like a cool knife? :D
 
In addition to being illegal where I live, if I need a weapon, odds are I'm going to need it immediately. In a gun I don't want any safeties & in a knife I don't want to have to depend on my flipping skills to survive. There is a good chance of my screwing up the opening of the knife at the worst possible moment.
Now if it wasn't illegal and I wanted to devote 40-50 hours practice to mastering opening it under stress, sure it would be OK.
 
AntDog said:
Yep! I'm in the same boat you're in. What's up with that? Nobody makes an around $100 quality balisong.
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Back in my day...:D I bought a Benchmade 51 for just over $100. That was before the whole MSRP thing:rolleyes:

I am allowed to carry one, and I know how to flip them. I just don't like the opening/closing method. Too tedious and it me look like an 80's gangster.
 
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