Butterfly or balisong knives may date back to 800 A.D. Developed in the Philippines, the butterfly knife is both a valued utility blade and one of the oldest weapons of Escrima, the Philippine art of self defense. With a little practice the balisong deftly opens with a flick of the wrist, qualifying the knife as a one-hand opening blade.
The balisong first became popular in the U.S. when American soldiers brought the knives home from the Philippines during World War II. Modern balisong knives are much different than those antique types, with a wide range of quality and some good modern ideas. The type of construction influences the strength of the knife — layered designs built of riveted slabs aren’t as strong as knives built with one piece grooved or channeled handle sections. The operating concept usually is the same as the centuries-old invention, with handle halves that fold back over both the spine and edge of the knife.
Balisong knives feature both traditional materials like rosewood and brass, and modernistic designs of stainless steel and machined aircraft quality aluminum. In the Philippines the knives are common — in the U.S. good balisong knives can be hard to find.
If you’ve seen guys flashing balisong knives around, you know there’s a trick to handling these knives, and the Ellington training butterfly knife gives you a chance to learn without serious damage.
The action is stiff, but the Cold Steel Paradox is a very solid Americanized version of the standard balisong.
Smith & Wesson’s Folding Tanto Powerglide solves many of the common problems of the modified balisong, at a bargain price.
If you're a martial artist training in the Filipino style, the Bear & Son's Black Butterfly is a big step up from a balisong built only for practice. The hollow ground edge arrives razor-sharp, and the drop point blade is the right size and style for ordinary chores and ...
The Silver Vein Armor Piercing Butterfly from Bear & Son Cutlery of Alabama features a high carbon stainless steel blade in the Japanese tanto style. Tanto blades were designed for penetration instead of slicing, but the lighter construction of the Silver Vein's handle makes this knife a better choice for cutting ...
The Folding Powerglide Tanto from Smith & Wesson uses some of the basic concepts of the balisong or butterfly knife, but modifies the system enough to qualify as a two-handed pocket blade. Though the action is slower than the traditional Philippine version, the Powerglide still provides the same compact ...
The Cold Steel Paradox operates smoothly but differently from the traditional balisong or butterfly knife. The modified design was created to put this knife in the same category as folding pocket knives. Any truly one-handed opening knife is subject to legal restrictions, and the Paradox is not a one-handed ...
This inexpensive mock butterfly knife by Ellington Manufacturing is designed only for safe training. Construction is similar in weight and action to the real thing, but durability is minimal. Still, balisong adepts need to start somewhere, and this simple and safe trainer is that set of "training wheels" you'll need. ...
There are so many things about this knife that disturb me that I have to remind myself that I own both a fantasy sword that's probably totally useless and a kris style dagger that actually says "Combat Knife" on the handle. So I guess I can't be too upset ...
Hosted by Michael Janich, an accomplished instructor who specializes in edge-weapon self-defense. One of the only available DVDs devoted solely to the balisong knife.
This DVD has recently been updated using digital production techniques, including views from multiple angles, and slow-motion sequences for clear instruction. Michael Janich takes you all the way from the ...
This balisong sword is a replica of the Damascus Blade used by Alita in "Battle Angel Alita: Last Order". The sword is wielded quite impressively by the title character in Yukito Kishiro's Manga movie.
It's quite an impressive knife -- gorgeous, large, heavy, and sharp. The handle is made of stainless steel and ...
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