$50 VS $750 Balisong 🤯 (Why are they so expensive??)

[@WillHirschFlips]

Okay so many of you have asked about the Flipping experience between these. Here's something to know: Yes, the Falcon flips good. No, it's not as good as the Kraken. You have to consider that Squid literally invented the idea of a aluminum channel balisong. They did all of the work when it came to prototyping and creating that idea, the Falcon just exists as a design that stands on the back of their work. With something like the falcon, they design it but they don't iterate on it. They don't tune every single one out of the factory for you and they don't quality check it like a smaller manufacturer would. The Kraken is on its 2.5 version with more potential updates in the future. This is because Lucas at Squid is always listening to community feedback and making much needed changes to his products to improve with time. This is something you do NOT get with the one. They are not part of the community, and they don't care about improving their products for us. This is one of the biggest reason to support smaller makers, because they support you back. The alien does not flip 700 bucks better then the falcon. It is worth that much because of the love and effort that was put into designing and creating it. If it's not worth that much to you, that's okay! It's all about what you find value in. All I want to point out is that comparing prices between a giant industry company like The One and a small business like Squid Industries is silly, they do not operate on the same scale at ALL. The price difference does equal more quality, but it also means a lot more then that.

[@elringa2617]

Bro wdyt of Theone brs alpha beast knife clone? For a new flipper

[@zachjones7851]

Where did you get your falcon? Also how do you feel about AliExpress?

[@comoki2038]

i would hope to god that my balisong would be getting quality checked if it costed upwards of 150-225$ CAD. Thats something you expect at that price, I don't see why you're making that a staple feature.

[@jkstdstang]

@@zachjones7851 got mine there no issues at all. Takes a few weeks to come in. Not my favorite blade shape but its definitely good for the low price point and offers a lot of value. I would recommend it for beginners or as a beater to practice flipping as its great for those things and dirt cheap.

[@SubVet84]

So as far as functionality is concerned, the Kraken is the best? I care about functionality of my weapons, not time spent on design. I would like to know what balisong on the market is the best as far as functionality and operation? I’m not going to spend double or triple on a knife just because someone can’t afford the machines to make it.

[@maxyboi3797]

stich must be an absolute giga chad to do all of that by JUST HAND holy bro

[@trashfl1pper914]

Lol

[@WillHirschFlips]

It's true

[@VerbenaIDK]

he is a legend

[@thegrandnil764]

I blacksmith, and ive been thinking about getting into making balisongs.

[@jonchikponchik1717]

@ixYoseph what you mean by that

[@theo-uc6ot]

As a knife maker I can appreciate this video. Not many people understand why price are so high but THIS ⬆️ IS WHY! beautiful knife and great video. Thank you Will.

[@zinzanb337]

I think it is going to be really interesting to see how aliexpress balisongs flip

[@qwertpoiuy430]

Great flips great

[@canaantravis]

Most of them flip great if they're from a reputable manufacturer like baliplus or theone, I do like how the one is making original designs now and would love to see this trend continue

[@GHLukinator]

It's basically hand-made vs machine-made, hand-made is always going to be higher quality but more expensive

[@Randy-nb6fw]

as technology gets better the difference in quality will get smaller and cheap knifes will get just as good. I think we are nearing that point as the quality of some of the knifes coming out of china these days is getting pretty crazy

[@canaantravis]

Not necessarily, there are plenty of "name brand" balisongs that are also CNC milled, and in general cnc milling is going to be way more precise and have less flaws than hand made, the whole "hand made" or "quality crafted" thing is just marketing. While yes name brand knives are certainly always going to be better than something off aliexpress. that's usually due to quality control, not actual manufacturing processes. And the fact that aliexpress sellers don't tune their bushings before shipping they just give you a random assortment for u to do it yourself, where as most "quality" balisongs are pre tuned from the manufacturers.... emphasis on "most"

[@bukisantv1392]

Yeah but 750$ is just ridiculous and i think noone will argue with that... I understand the work but if i just wanna flip a balisong I would much more prefer to buy a triton or firefly which are still really good for that.

[@grundlefoot]

@@Randy-nb6fw China =/= bad products

[@robertistheone5049]

Nothing compares to handmade items your paying for the time effort and love/passion the creator has put into said item

[@Gjinn1229]

handmade knife mostly just for collector, as a normal flipper all i care about is p/p, a $50 with 8/10 and a $250 with 10/10 i already know what i'm gonna get

[@pepavasata6790]

Finally something to send people when they say the standard knives are too expensive.

[@ItsMinoAgain]

So what I'm hearing is other than the 'spirit' and manufacturing process. The knifes are basically the same.

[@dean3789]

Honestly after hearing about the work put into the $750 knife, it seems like a pretty reasonable price and even a good price for something of that caliber.

[@AtomicFrog77]

Second this !

[@austin3873]

😂

[@mohammedabb985]

Feed 100 poor people or buy a $750 knife?

[@aironasvitkauskinis7893]

@@mohammedabb985 buy a 750$ knife.

[@karlluigi1987]

if you only knew how much more hard work Balisong makers from the Philippines do, yet the price of their balisong is just around $10 dollars.

[@Kenoji8]

I think another point that has to be kept in mind with the more expensive offerings is that partially, you are also paying for insurance on these knives / balis. With Squid and Stitch, I'm sure that if something is not right or something was machined wrong or went wrong in your experience, contacting the manufacturer will allow you to get your item looked at or tuned up with no additional charge (or a low charge), since they know their product inside and out. However, when it comes to the Chinese manufacturer who just ordered parts to make the knife and send it to you and it ends up breaking or having issues (which is much more likely in the long run given how the knife is manufactured), who can you really contact? Plus, the response will most likely be: "Well, hey, it's $50. You can just buy another one."

[@Ulises_The_Jackal]

Orange nails still so cleeeeaaan for 4 vids in a row

[@WillHirschFlips]

This polish has held up great I'm very happy

[@jeswe_8460]

Love seeing the explanations as to how these are made! Thanks Will

[@krakenstew9454]

Idk how out of the box Raken flips like, but my Falcon has crazy handle play and taps. It took me half hour of taking apart and reassembling to figure out that the factory made bushing is too thick. Luckily I have a super fine grinding stone so I actually had a lot of fun grinding the bushings to the perfect size. Now it flips perfectly and it doesn't have any handle play unless I press it hard.

[@krakenstew9454]

I'm a person who loves engineering and working so I think it is fun and worth the cheap 40 bucks price. I still hope one day I can have enough money that I can support Squid Ind tho.

[@prod.ayyniko]

what about the performance tho? how do i know which one is just better for the money im going to be spending

[@ethanhutchison7301]

Now i can explain to my friends why i spend so much on balisongs. Thank you so much, i love you will!

[@erichamil8775]

you just very passionately discribed,a standard issue machinist/tool and die/mold maker. which i am damn proud to be. we are a dying breed as everything is now n.c. controlled. manual machining practices are an art form that take a life time to learn and master. its sad that no one really wants to continue this life choice, but younger gen people are just not capeable of serious work and good work ethics.

[@redzy861]

I get both arguments but as a consumer I just want what is going to flip good for cheap, I own a Squiddy B and Falcon One and love both of them.

[@james6028]

same but we arent the target customers for this kind of product. this like comparing a casio to a rolex when you only want a watch that tells the time

[@ztek_3]

As a mechanical and aerospace major who does machining regularly, I really appreciate this video.

[@roguereality3646]

You explained a big problem in the knife making business in general very well, I use to do blacksmithing and bladesmithing and when people see the price tag they freak out. And with all things in life you get what you pay for. And thanks for introducing me into a new hobby now I have something else for people to think I'm weird for knowing how to do lol

[@helifear3558]

i bought the new triton for christmas with money i got and had to explain this to my dad why i paid 150$ fir three pieces of metal i drop on the ground

[@jkstdstang]

I hear people comparing knives based solely off materials all to often and attempt to value them the same bc they are both say Ti and m390 or whatever while one is 150 bucks and another is 300 just bc its the same or similar materials but a product made in China and one made in American are not synonymous as you nicely illustrated in easy to understand terms . Great subject and one that needed addressed.

[@Kim_E]

Im sure the Krake Raken is good but i dont think the manufacturing process being more complicated makes it worth 5x the price of the Falcon, like, thats a huge difference

[@sensei5971]

So it's more expensive because you have to pay the workers more in America than in China, and those expensive knifes are created by a small group of people, but how is quality involved? I get that the $750 knife was created by one person, but how is its quality any better just because it was handmade instead of a machine? I was hoping that u would describe the feels of flipping an expensive vs a cheap knife.

[@Randy-nb6fw]

tbh technology is getting so good that the quality is almost the same

[@Klaceyes]

that’s a sensitive part, if he goes right away and says that the flipping experience is the same or better un a cheap original from china it will be bad for U.S balisong makers as their sells will drop significantly it’s already hard for them, but i won’t defend em too, that falcon like the other originals (first original, the alien, and the other that have a weird name like theone III) will take mostly the outside market cause people care more about flipping experience than having a nice and smoothely made knife that costs 4x and more than those and justify by saying it’s cause of how it’s made

[@sam1bamslayer73]

like i was going to by the kraken but missed the drop and im waiting on the next drop but now im thinking if theres no difference in flipping why by the kraken

[@sam1bamslayer73]

wills video didnt help the argument of getting a getting something like a 250 dollar blade it actually made it worse and this videos really making me wonder of buying the krake raken

[@senata.s3034]

@@Klaceyes so Will talking about a chinese balisong being good or as good as a kraken will magically make the whole world stop buying balisongs from the US? " Their sells will drop significantly" lmao sure bud

[@BotchedBeta]

Also, the Kraken and The Alien flip much, much better than the One and other clone-like knives. Its almost night and day how nice the other 2 are.

[@napo130]

I don't have experience with any of those knives, however, the Kraken is like 5 times the price of TheOne, so...

[@SilenceUnspoken]

@@napo130 I mean the Alien is the same price range tho

[@SilenceUnspoken]

@@napo130 Nevermind my b, I hadn’t watched the vid yet and thought you meant the alien by the one not the custom made alien lol

[@napo130]

@@SilenceUnspoken I just meant TheOne balisongs in general

[@leo37194]

Man I got the Marcolo trainer on Amazon from your last video on the main channel and it flips so good

[@WillHirschFlips]

Yay good! I'm glad you like it!

[@Terr42002]

Right on Mr. Hirsch. If you don´t want to pay the price for a balisong, don´t. No one forces you to buy that one in particular. If a cheaper knive is good enough then buy a cheaper one. If you only look for good flipping performance, there are some amazing deals out there. Some examples are some of the stuff form Nabalis (Vulp, Vulp Pro, Wing, ...) or if you can get your hands on one an LDY (Orion).

[@dean3789]

TLDR: $50= Made in China by giant factories and workers paid almost nothing $250= classic American made, independent company and consistent quality $750= Work of art

[@lordofthefrogs1646]

Shit, a lot better than the main channel videos imo. Was expecting the same "high energy" video but got an actual sit and talk with some good points. I shit on the more expensive brand products a lot, but I'm just butthurt that I can't afford a sexy nautilus. Once I can my problems with squid industries will go away.

[@EthxnRhxdes]

bro got cheese on his fingies

[@brandon_crow1291]

Ok so I totally get it for these companies like Squid or creators like Stitch, my question though is in terms of big companies like Benchmade or Kershaw. Granted the lucha is under $200 but it's made largely at the same level as Theone. And the same can kinda be said for Benchmade. Those are the companies I take issue with. These multibillion dollar companies who have far greater ability to make these things on a large scale and who often outsource some of the manufacturing to China, and yet the charge quite a bit more than it seems they should. I think Benchmade is the worst example here as lets the honest, the "Butterfly tax" isn't just a made up thing. I don't know, maybe I'm totally wrong, but when it comes to these huge companies I think we let them get away with a lot in the way of price gouging.

[@carlazuz1201]

I agree with you for the most part. I think what you'd be paying for in a company like benchmade is 1.) the brand name and 2.) the fact they they do flip almost as well as or better than some of these companies like squid (yet not necessarily squid industries itself). And I'm not saying that's right or fair, I'm just saying I think that's how it is. In my opinion it's just the fact that everybody already knows benchmade knives are good and everybody also knows they're expensive that makes it ok for them to price their knives like that.

[@brandon_crow1291]

@@carlazuz1201 idk if "ok" is the word to use for the prices they charge. Accepted maybe but not ok. And I mean they flip decently and at the start when they were pretty much the only company when it came to Balisongs then sure. But now? No way. They're are companies making better products and sometimes selling them for less. Benchmade leans way to much on their brand name and far less on the quality, materials, and QC of their products. And that's not just for their balisongs, thats accorss the board. They're not competitive and flat out need to lower their prices rather than raising them.

[@jkstdstang]

Think you kinda missed the point. Benchmade and the Kershaw Lucha are USA made so again they have to pay more than TheOne to manufacture a bali which in return results in a higher end price. My falcon had some marring and dings out the box where you wont find that with the companies you mentioned due to higher QC standards that again cost more money. Nothing wrong with the falcon and is a great beater to practice with but it is not on the same level as the others.

[@lexiscollins2257]

You should do a video about what balisongs are the best at certain tricks do to the features they have.

[@killroygodfrey2985]

Great video Will. Was trying to find something to explain this to a friend of mine who’s just getting into flipping and this is perfect

[@tellulaire8168]

A mass manufactured product vs a product entirely hand made will of course have a big price difference

[@cvso30ssecondaccount39]

How did you enjoy the cyoz?

[@CurlyFront]

Family : The kitchen knife is to costly Me : Are you sure about that?

[@bottledwater3131]

Oh so that's why dual tone has an extra cost

[@WillHirschFlips]

Pretty much

[@paulwoolcock6364]

Love the passion and perspective in this vid ❤

[@grillsimon4548]

Kann you make a video about tap? Pleas🥺 love your vids man

[@WillHirschFlips]

Sure!

[@spxn5753]

As someone who cannot at all afford to spend the money on a proper balisong, not even enough for the Falcon, clones are a great help to me. They may not be as of upmost quality of built in the USA but I see it in this way: I am not ripping off squid industries if I buy a kraken clone because it is either a clone or nothing.

[@WillHirschFlips]

I think that's a fair viewpoint, and clones do often act as a gateway into the community for many people

[@spxn5753]

@@WillHirschFlips :)

[@braindeadlogic590]

I can’t wait for the main channel video

[@fitchyyboi]

Love the nails

[@eltjorietman3688]

The manufacturing process may be totally different, but is the flipping experience between those also totally different? Or is the difference not that big and paying 200 bucks isn’t worth it?

[@WillHirschFlips]

It's very different tbh, and we go over that in the upcoming video!

[@eltjorietman3688]

@@WillHirschFlips Im excited when that vid comes out!

[@SubVet84]

So they all function the exact same, it’s just the time spent for insignificant to minor design details that don’t impact the functionality? I tend to care more about functionality than design, and will spend the most on what operates the best, regardless how long it took to do something by hand vs machine. So which balisong functions and operates the best?

[@Pexodus11]

Machine shops charge a lot of money, especially with the cost of power and tooling. Those handles out of aluminum take like 2 minutes per cycle to machine. The titanium ones probably take like 5 or more minutes but the tooling is more expensive and you go through a lot more. With aluminum you almost never have to change tooling and don't need specialty tooling like with titanium

[@axelpihl5213]

Exited for the vid

[@drdundi]

1:30 OMG UR CAT IS ADORABLE

[@goodgamer2836]

Really good video! How do you not say umm or so for 20 minutes long?

[@WillHirschFlips]

I used to be in debate in high school as well as extemporaneous speaking, and you get 'umm' drilled out of you really quick in those classes haha

[@ASHISHMANGU1]

Atropos is another custom balisong company owned by Konstantine and sell awesome balisong for china price

[@BrokenTUT]

Is it basically man made vs factory

[@WillHirschFlips]

Even more so, it's giant factory vs small operation. It's all economies of scale

[@ElliottsCreations]

Great video, also digging the orange nails, Will. 👌

[@elitilly1620]

What would you recommend for a first live blade in the $100-150 range? I’ve been thinking either the Lucha or an Atropos knife but all I’ve flipped so far has been my $30 trainer you recommended. Love the video keep up the great work!

[@flippyfliperson4092]

I have a Kershaw Lucha. Would I recommend it as a first live blade, yes IF you want to mod it at some point. I had the standard lucha for a while, then I put alu handles on it. So much better. Other than that I've heard the maxace serpent striker is pretty good

[@flippyfliperson4092]

The lucha is great to learn on to be clear: pretty heavy though

[@WillHirschFlips]

Lucha is great and so is Atropos, though Atropos takes longer to get and more work to remove the latch and stuff

[@WillHirschFlips]

@@flippyfliperson4092 this

[@JENi-vx3yn]

Get Atropos. It's way better flipper than Lucha.

[@jvenegas1211]

Nummy nummy nummy more content from Sir. William Hirsch

[@emlynchurch1498]

can i ask where you got that bag? it looks super cool

[@WillHirschFlips]

Jerry Hom makes them!

[@htownsfinest2606]

Very informative but is everything done by hand?

[@pplewyy]

Nails look nice

[@ridwanbahri6415]

slayyyyy 💅

[@robertistheone5049]

Your breakdown is 100% accurate

[@dotexey]

Great video. I'm curious to here more about how the different builds impact flipping performance. Like what details improve what parts of flipping etc.

[@taylorlisle5836]

What happened to the balisong list, it's still in all your descriptions yet the link doesn't work anymore?

[@WillHirschFlips]

It broke I need to fix it

[@taylorlisle5836]

Ahh I see

[@bulletdancestorm554]

Very nice explanation of top down production vs horizontal production vs custom one offs. Look up your YKK zipper and see how they are produced for similar vibes.

[@SlurmpMergatroid]

But Will, is there a substantial increase in quality. There is more work put in but does that mean is it's a much better knife? I'm sure the more expensive one is much better but if I had a titanium knife made in China that flipped and felt the same as a hand crafted one, would that be of worse quality? I mean this in no way against you or any balisong knife maker, I'm just genuinely curious. I love your stuff man and I am beyond impressed with the effort and quality that goes into stitch's knives.

[@flippyfliperson4092]

One if helping a dude support his family the other is having a 9 year olds sweat and tears make your blade.

[@SlurmpMergatroid]

@@flippyfliperson4092 I'm referring to it in an economic sense. He didn't give a reason for getting one thing over the other besides how it was made.

[@canaantravis]

They cost 4 times as much, but they're only twice as good. In my opinion Wether that's worth it or not is entirely up to you. I think TheOne originals and American made balis both have a place in the hobby.

[@canaantravis]

@@flippyfliperson4092 ah but his sweat and tears are also helping support his family as well. (Also i promise China doesn't have 9 year Olds running cnc mills lol) Sweatshop labor is definitely a real problem in China, but it's not as bad as western media would have you believe. (China still a communist dystopia tho)

[@WillHirschFlips]

There is a ceiling to what is a better 'flipper' because eventually everything is a good flipper, but the build quality is vastly different

[@zebsagiggey7449]

have you got your hands on the BBFireFly it looks sweet. i just ordered one to test it out.

[@ayashuu]

Hey Will, I just got a Squid Triton and I know some basic tricks like chaplin, simple openings and a fanning, but would like to ask, how would I improve?

[@WillHirschFlips]

Learn some combos!

[@HashirEasa]

butterfly combs are the sword breakers of the balisong world

[@chipmccain.]

Really interesting lol, cant wait for the Ali express video

[@francescoluchena8302]

I know I'm late, but they say that the one's alien is bonkers

[@MgP376]

Can u please try out the Baliyo

[@godofm3tal1]

so your entire argument is summed up as one essential thing.. when you buy a mid level product at quadruple the price you're getting arguably the same thing but paying extra to support some random Joe in his business growth. save money and support myself.... or spend money to support someone else.... decisions decisions..

[@elobiretv]

The idea that you should overpay for something to "support" someone is just stupid. It's a business and you shouldn't feel bad for deciding to buy something cheaper from the Chinese.

[@natelund2914]

having to pay more for the process(employees, tools) is irrelevant on quality. All your paying for is the “soul” of the knife. Which isn’t worth it for a lot of people.

[@nacho_flips8143]

Will Hirsch, I have a question. I got into flipping recently but I already got a strike and a vid taken down, I was using a trainer, and when I appealed it was declined, do you know of any ways that I can post about flipping without it getting taken down?

[@WillHirschFlips]

That's weird, what did it say the strike was for? You want to avoid copyright content like music but as far as I'm aware flipping is fine on KZbin

[@nacho_flips8143]

@@WillHirschFlips it said that It was for a minor participating in potentially dangerous activities, my friends are having the same issue, I told them it was a trainer but it got declined 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@WillHirschFlips]

@@nacho_flips8143 huh that's bizarre, I'm really not sure what to do about that unfortunately

[@nacho_flips8143]

@@WillHirschFlips thanks for trying! I'm a huge fan of yours so it was awesome talking to you :)

[@SurSquidyt]

Damm, I did not understand how hard this process was, thank you for helping me understand

[@DriftFox1]

The falcon was from the AliExpress video not the Amazon

[@coopersoto]

the orange nails tho kinda go crazy

[@vyvanse70mg]

where the matt cook custom at

[@unidino8963]

1:30 hehe cat

[@bozo7610]

About to watch this on the toilet 🥶🥶😤😤😩

[@Shtinkyps]

if balisongs weren't filled with so much drop culture I wouldnt even consider a clone or alien but I just dont see a purpose for spending $250 on something that is even comparable to a $50 option

[@DeadlyBizzness]

“It wouldn’t be the same” the reason I want a Benchmade 42

[@Smile-ry8yv]

Please can someone tell me when do glider co restoke

[@mr.ph9859]

yay, aliexpress balis !!

[@08danv]

Good video. Toast knows it.

[@RingOfShameful]

When he was describing stitch making the knife, why did I think of jayce in arcane

[@borutootsutsuki4212]

"supply and demand" to make that short

[@mr.ph9859]

when the new vid coming out on the main ?

[@mr.ph9859]

IT CAME OUT !!! oh, that can get out of context easily

[@drepost6126]

So where can i buy one

[@maikonoliveira1024]

Where can I buy these knives?

[@gamingwithpurg3anarchy157]

I just bought my first knife and it's only $20 🤐 stainless china.. heavy.. lots of wiggle.. I can't imagine it's very good for a beginner.. or anyone.. but.. I'm happy to actually own a real balisong. It is a sharp knife..

[@zachliveris2881]

I have so many grails and its true that a $800+ doesnt flip any better than your standard kraks, abs, and reps. The grails may in fact feel extremely different, but if you're a serious flipper then you wont necessarily find a grail to be the better flipper at the end of the day. Everyone's preferences are different when it comes to balis though. For example I think the nami sucks and I'd rather just flip a kraken

[@buffoon4810]

Those balisongs are more expensive than me

[@CupidGaming522]

So basically just go watch a crash course on the economy and skilled workers. Supply/Demand, the way it's made, etc.

[@poppindoppins9239]

Hi can you do tutorials of these tricks?

[@iswearimworking6662]

Going back to watch this, post Vulp launch, is very funny. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a hater, I own 2 Vulps, it's just funny that these points about TheOne can all tie back to the Vulp.

[@ildale2995]

soooooo if ì dont have money i can buy a good clone?

[@WillHirschFlips]

I'd say yes, it's not really 'ethical' but at the same time I think it's better for more people to have access to flipping then less

[@Faster-980]

Kinda off topic but I think your cat is really cute

[@rogerwestfall3963]

Got my sub!

[@MrRedSoldier1000]

Want to buy my Morpho 51 Benchmade $190

[@rizkiyoist]

This is exactly what happens with yoyos too.

[@sndrc9]

The fact that the ones with trainer blades are the same price as the real blade is really confusing. It is so much easier to make a trainer blade than a real blade.

[@grasstastic9922]

It’s the same material and different work for the details of the trainer, so it’s fairly equivalent

[@hadidorgham6756]

the way he explained it really shows his appreciation towards the products made yo, we can tell he can’t stress it enough when people be complaining about the high prices😭

[@trashfl1pper914]

Your so passionate about this topic I love it, you know how to make a good point and you do it well I have more respect for you than I did before (not to say I don’t respect you lol)

[@ethanloughlin9052]

So I'm wanting to get a balisong but I don't know what to get, I'd like to spend $60 or less but I want to get a good experience out of it