Why Don't You EDC a Butterfly Knife?

[Lycosa]

Because you CAN open it with one hand, fast or slow or medium speed! And, they come in a variety of blade choices.

 

[singularity35]

That's it right there, people can argue all day that you should just open it two handed but in that case why even carry a balisong. If I was gonna carry a balisong and open it two handed I might as well take one extra step and open the blade on my leatherman instead.

The problem with the leatherman is you have no choice. With a bali or any other one handed knife, you can choose to open it with two hands to respect the sensibilities of people who may be alarmed with a fast deployment. And if needed, like when you're holding on to the material you're cutting, you still retain the choice of opening with one hand.

I wonder why a bali becomes impractical when it's just a folding knife like any other folding knife. It doesn't need to be a self defense tool. I used it to slice green mangoes for years during out drinking sessions back in my college days. Used it a lot for our version of ceviche when we took our sessions to the beach.

Additionally, I a bali for years when I graduated and started a farm. There's no lock to slip inadvertently. Only a catastrophic failure will cause a bali's lock to fail. The pins or the handle breaking are the only causes of lock failure on a bali. More common is the blade breaking and since most balis usually have thick geometry, it's not all that common too.

Balis are the most common utility knives in the Philippines carried by workers, farmers, and tradesmen. Flashing a bali here alarms people depends mostly on what the user is doing or looks like. A lot of people use them to open tin cans for their lunch since carrying a bali is much more convenient than carrying a can opener and multi tools are more expensive than balis here.

 

[Hickory n steel]

The problem with the leatherman is you have no choice. With a bali or any other one handed knife, you can choose to open it with two hands to respect the sensibilities of people who may be alarmed with a fast deployment. And if needed, like when you're holding on to the material you're cutting, you still retain the choice of opening with one hand.

I wonder why a bali becomes impractical when it's just a folding knife like any other folding knife. It doesn't need to be a self defense tool. I used it to slice green mangoes for years during out drinking sessions back in my college days. Used it a lot for our version of ceviche when we took our sessions to the beach.

Additionally, I a bali for years when I graduated and started a farm. There's no lock to slip inadvertently. Only a catastrophic failure will cause a bali's lock to fail. The pins or the handle breaking are the only causes of lock failure on a bali. More common is the blade breaking and since most balis usually have thick geometry, it's not all that common too.

Balis are the most common utility knives in the Philippines carried by workers, farmers, and tradesmen. Flashing a bali here alarms people depends mostly on what the user is doing or looks like. A lot of people use them to open tin cans for their lunch since carrying a bali is much more convenient than carrying a can opener and multi tools are more expensive than balis here.

I get the fact that they're a sturdy fast and convenient utilitarian blade, but they have to be slow when your trying not to scare people.

A small fixed blade is always fast and even stronger. It's perfectly fine if if people want to carry a balisong for the simple fact that they like them, but i don't think they offer any advantages over anything else other than they're handle length.

 

[brownshoe]

Because I'm not a douche bag

Beg to differ.

I carry a Benchmade 31. Its a great EDC. Its blade shape is designed for EDC. It can be readily opened with one hand w/o flash. It has a a clip. The blade will never close during use.

Kind of suprised there is so much prejudice on what is usually a more open minded forum. If you hate the Balisong, maybe you need to look at how you feel about Eastern cultures. It's a utility knife, just like the German levelock switchblade. In the 50s they were marketed as fishing knives and some were made in Europe.

 

[singularity35]

I get the fact that they're a sturdy fast and convenient utilitarian blade, but they have to be slow when your trying not to scare people.

That goes with any folding knife.

A small fixed blade is always fast and even stronger. It's perfectly fine if if people want to carry a balisong for the simple fact that they like them, but i don't think they offer any advantages over anything else other than they're handle length.

Some people can't carry a fixed blade and I'm sure that scared people will be scared whatever knife you carry. Besides nobody's saying balis are better than any other knife.

What I'm trying to say is that they are the same as any other folding knife. Not less useful and not any more dangerous.

But then, nobody ever changed anybody's mind in an internet discussion....

 

[Hickory n steel]

That goes with any folding knife.




Some people can't carry a fixed blade and I'm sure that scared people will be scared whatever knife you carry. Besides nobody's saying balis are better than any other knife.

What I'm trying to say is that they are the same as any other folding knife. Not less useful and not any more dangerous.

But then, nobody ever changed anybody's mind in an internet discussion....

Not true, a one handed lockback can be opened just as you normally do . A balisong has to be opened slower than you usually would.

People are normally scared by attention grabbing things such as knife size, noise, or fast movements. A small fixed blade ( under 6" oal ) is silent and not attention grabbing, especially if you just draw it casually .

 

[singularity35]

Not true, a one handed lockback can be opened just as you normally do . A balisong has to be opened slower than you usually would.

Why is that? If I opened my military the way I normally do, skittish people would probably be as scared.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Why is that? If I opened my military the way I normally do, skittish people would probably be as scared.

I would normally open a balisong fast if I carried one as that's what they're for, but a lockback is something I thumb open as the flick does nothing real for speed and only makes a louder noise.

Let's just agree to disagree as I don't need speedy folders anyway and maybe there something I'm not seeing. Balisongs are cool and everyone wants what they can't have, but I just don't see they're practical advantages.

 

[G. Scott H.]

I edc balis every so often, and they work just fine for such use. :thumbup:

 

[singularity35]

I would normally open a balisong fast if I carried one as that's what they're for, but a lockback is something I thumb open as the flick does nothing real for speed and only makes a louder noise.

Why do you keep arguing that they should be open fast? What they are designed for is convenient carry of a reasonably strong folding knife. They are designed to be opened however one wants.

Let's just agree to disagree as I don't need speedy folders anyway and maybe there something I'm not seeing. Balisongs are cool and everyone wants what they can't have, but I just don't see they're practical advantages.

You keep putting words in my mouth. Once again, nobody is saying that they are better than any other folding knife. What I am saying is that they are as practical as any other folding knife. Your only argument against practicality is just how it's supposed to be opened. It's not any harder or easier to open as any other folding knife.

We were never going to agree in the first place since you were attributing qualities and design elements into a bali that were never stated as such.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Why do you keep arguing that they should be open fast? What they are designed for is convenient carry of a reasonably strong folding knife. They are designed to be opened however one wants.



You keep putting words in my mouth. Once again, nobody is saying that they are better than any other folding knife. What I am saying is that they are as practical as any other folding knife.

We were never going to agree in the first place since you were attributing qualities and design elements into a bali that were never stated as such.

How do you open a balisong then ?

 

[singularity35]

How do you open a balisong then ?

However I want.

Whoever said that there's a particular way to open a bali?

I can open it slow or as fast as I can, depending on my need. Just like I open any other one handed folding knife. If I don't need it fast, why do I have to open it fast?

 

[Hickory n steel]

However I want.

My point was that most people Praise their speed and consequently they likely flip them open.

Why do they have a latch to keep their freely moving handles closed ? Could it be that they're supposed to be freely moving because they were designed to be quickly flipped open for convenience.
People can open their knife however they want, but i can't think of any reason other than speed for the balisong to exist when friction folders are stronger and easier to construct. I'm gonna have stick with my theory about them being designed for speed.

I think we have both made fair points , but we're just never gonna agree.

 

[singularity35]

My point was that most people Praise their speed and consequently they likely flip them open.

Why do they have a latch to keep their freely moving handles closed ? Could it be that they're supposed to be freely moving because they were designed to be quickly flipped open for convenience.
People can open their knife however they want, but i can't think of any reason other than speed for the balisong to exist when friction folders are stronger and easier to construct.

I think we have both made fair points , but we're just never gonna agree.

Just because I can doesn't mean that I have to because I can.

Say I have a 4WD truck, does that mean I can't drive it on the highway?

Balis have a latch so they don't open inadvertently in your pocket. Take a buck 110. It was designed for two hand opening. Does the fact that some people can open it with a handle drop make the opening method wrong?

You logic is flawed. You are arguing backwards. The fact that some people can do very fast openings does not mean that that was what balis were designed for. Additionally even if they were, what's the problem with carrying them as utility knives? Does the fact that they can be opened fast diminish their utility?

What about the emerson people? Does the fact that a knife is waved mean that they have to wave it each time? Does the design for speed make emersons impractical for utility carry? A feature of a knife is just a convenience that you can choose to use.

People can open their knife however they want, but i can't think of any reason other than speed for the balisong to exist when friction folders are stronger and easier to construct.

Logically the fact that you can't think of any reason does not mean that the conclusion is there is no reason. It just means that there's a reason that you haven't thought of.

I have stated several times that the reason for the balis's existence is convenient carry. Just like any other folding knife. I wonder why that's so hard to accept.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Just because I can doesn't mean that I have to because I can.

Say I have a 4WD truck, does that mean I can't drive it on the highway?

Balis have a latch so they don't open inadvertently in your pocket. Take a buck 110. It was designed for two hand opening. Does the fact that some people can open it with a handle drop make the opening method wrong?

You logic is flawed. You are arguing backwards. The fact that some people can do very fast openings does not mean that that was what balis were designed for. Additionally even if they were, what's the problem with carrying them as utility knives? Does the fact that they can be opened fast diminish their utility?

What about the emerson people? Does the fact that a knife is waved mean that they have to wave it each time? Does the design for speed make emersons impractical for utility carry? A feature of a knife is just a convenience that you can choose to use.




Logically the fact that you can't think of any reason does not mean that the conclusion is there is no reason. It just means that there's a reason that you haven't thought of.

I have stated several times that the reason for the balis's existence is convenient carry. Just like any other folding knife. I wonder why that's so hard to accept.

I figure that if it was supposed to open two handed it wouldn't need a latch as the handles wouldn't move so freely . If it's just there because they become loose they probably would've just come up with a way to keep it from wearing in so badly ( also wouldn't happen if they opened them two handed like you claim they're supposed to )

My examination of the design and construction of a balisong points towards speed, I just can't see how the original designer could have thought it was better than the world common friction folder unless his intentions were for it to be swung open one handed.
Can you think of a logical and practical reason a more involved knife construction / design than a friction folder when you claim its also designed to be opened two handed ?

 

[AntDog]

He's saying it CAN be opened slowly, and even with two hands, regardless of how it was DESIGNED to open.

Understand?

 

[Hickory n steel]

I did a bit of research and found some information regarding the earliest depiction of the balisong design is apparently an illustration in a French book dated 1710 which resides in a museum in theirs France.
So since the balisong was not actually invented in the early 1900's Philippines but rather much earlier, nobody really knows the intended operation of the original designer or even who it was.

I choose to believe that it was designed to be operated one handed while you choose to believe it was designed for two handed operation, technically neither of us is wrong.
Your assessment of the design may not seem to logical to me, but I'm sure many others will find it perfectly logical.
let's just stop trying to convince each other.👍

 

[AntDog]

You CAN open a Bali, under the radar, with two hands.

You don't HAVE to, but you CAN.

 

[Hickory n steel]

He's saying it CAN be opened slowly, and even with two hands, regardless of how it was DESIGNED to open.

Understand?

I understand perfectly. What I probably should've just said in the first place is that I would feel weird having to operate the knife differently to open it slowly. I don't try to one hand a two handed folder nor would I want to open a two handed folder with one hand.

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

I miss Chuck Gollnick with his nice research and historical anecdotes. AFAIK, it was designed to be highly reliable folder that won't close unless the material breaks. Consider the technology advancement in 1800. Making a high precision lockback is more difficult than making a pinned constructed Balisong.

I know it's true from personal experience, because 20 years ago I made a comb balisong (before people started selling them), by drilling my aluminum comb, cutting & shaping bamboo slabs, and using nails as pin (both pivot & stop pin). Doesn't need to be accurate or perfect, just to ensure it lock open (by hand grip) and closed (by latch). By same principle, Opinel designer also tried to make a reliable locking folder within the limitation of manufacturing capabilities of the era.

That's my understanding of the design. Old Finland Balis with the plastic handles offered the same practical use but cannot be flipped reliably because the handle is light. I think the brand was Hackman or something.

Only when metal/heavier handle started to be used, some people found it can be flipped. Thus the art of flipping developed.