A Rant About Tap. (Balisong Opinions!! 🙀🙅‍♂️💢)

[@Rodrigo-ev7tx]

In a nutshell: Tap is just a thing for resellers and collectors. For performance, it won't affect in any way. You'll just get scratches on your blade but purely cosmetic things. Just flip your knive if you are a "flipper". You can reduce tap but it doesn't have to be perfect.

[@just2bad766]

I LOVE this comment. Finally some proper words. Will should ping this!

[@Ethan-wg4yc]

Thanks! This comment makes me feel better as a beginner 😅

[@vancepetitti7765]

Also, isopods are cool

[@opusjosh]

I'm not bothered with my new tapping. I am just curious as to when I SHOULD tune it and how often?

[@Inseverity]

It will affect flipping if the tap is bad enough

[@gongharder]

I'm from the southern Midwest, and we've always called that kind of isopod a Roly-Poly. Mad respect to all the Roly-Polies out there.

[@lexar4035]

I called em potato bugs

[@awgeezslick8802]

Michigander here - Roly Polies are tight af

[@michaelnichols9557]

Same

[@slixflips1012]

Maryland, same here

[@soloman5967]

yea roly poly is the only correct term for the bugger:)

[@rickzegooene2193]

It's the same with vibration in yoyos, as in when you lightly press your finger against a yoyo while it's spinning, how much can you feel it shaking. It's a result of imperfections in the machining (or banging the yoyo into the ground a lot), and a well made yoyo should be close to perfectly round with very little vibe. A lot of people who collect yoyos can't tolerate any vibe, but people who compete or just focus on learning tricks usually don't care that much because it doesn't affect performance at the slightest.

[@MalvitaR]

THANK YOU for making this video. I think the massive misconception about tap and the hyperfocus on it has been the bane of my existence You know I own two 6x’s, a 51, and a vulp with oversized bushings. They all tap, who fucking cares? They all flip great (and id also argue that people focus too much on bushings and that just washers isnt bad either) Also, it is FRIGHTENINGLY common to see someone complain about issues with a knife (mainly tap), and then not only state that they have none of the maintenance tools, but also refuse to buy them claiming they have no money. Then like…. Why did you buy the balisong if you cant upkeep it then bitch when you have issues??????? Also Jeffrey is a true king

[@s-p_a_c-e]

I'm always scared of you dropping the knife on one of those huge rocks lol

[@slixflips1012]

Tap has nothing to do with flip ability. It has however effected a couple of my knives with scratch marks on the blades. Purely cosmetic problem in my experience.

[@reviewforthetube6485]

Agreed! To me it Def isn't as big of a deal if it's light tap which most of these really high end brands if it happens it's usually very light! So no big deal lol.

[@Attackthattitan]

Except blade rub

[@timrodriguez1]

Bro, that’s a pillbug…lol. “It’s an armadisspididdum.”….😂

[@rochellesela8284]

That Isopod just had the scariest moment of its life.

[@BABOONGA]

Thanks for the vid. I've been bringing my trainers around my friends more while I learn to flip and if any of them get into the hobby, I don't wanna misinform them.

[@PinkSpace10]

Jeffrey is such a slay

[@TheRealName7]

My maxace pian luckily came with perfect bushings out from the box, almost 0 play and no tap, I think don't think tap is that bad but it can be a good sign of the tolerances of the Bali as you mentioned, and in my eyes tolerances is very important, very good tolerances makes the Bali sound good and makes the flipping experience good too

[@johannvantassel4604]

I'd say I don't really care about tap on my trainers, but if I were planning on selling or buying a knife second hand, I'd still take into consideration the tap. I've had aluminium handles get chewed up because the blade contacts it if I close it weird, and that trainer didn't even have tap. Tap is correlated with the condition of the handles/blade, so I get it if the price of a knife goes down if it has tap, but idc if I know I'm gonna be flipping it a lot.

[@Behindtheadrenaline]

I was afraid of tap before but then I got a Bbbarfly OG2, it have insane tap but play is nonexistent and flips fantastic

[@just2bad766]

That is...nit possible

[@Behindtheadrenaline]

@@just2bad766 I thought so too but I believe it comes from the insanely small relieves on the OG2

[@just2bad766]

@@Behindtheadrenaline if you have tap, you have enough play for the blade to touch the handle. Which means it has to have play.

[@WillHirschFlips]

@@just2bad766 you can have almost no play at all and tap can still happen due to how small the gap is between the blade and handles, especially with trainers.

[@Psychfiend21]

Tap ain’t that bad but it’s annoying when you buy a new balisong and it has tap AND play right out the box. But you get what you get for a $60 balisong am I right.

[@tsof_trinium6474]

i got my vulp yesterday. i just wanted to say thank you for making it. i was about to quit flipping the knives i had hurt so much than i got the vulp and i got back into the hobby without any pain or cuts and im very happy to have bought it. it develops tap cause the screws loosen it will happen with almost any knife tighten the screws or locktite and even then you wont even notice the tap unless your intentionally looking for it on a knife. play is the one thing that bothers me and thankfully the vulp has practically non. again thank you for keeping me from quitting flipping. you and nabalis

[@berserkbartender5924]

I went to a football game Friday and my friend found a cricket, he gave me the cricket and we named it Jeremy, I helped Jeremy watch the game

[@chucklesdeclown8819]

the thing is is tiny bits of tap is fine, but when the handles can scrape against the blade and cause rub, thats the problem to me, either that or the handle is off center, this is why i hate tap because i dont like my blades gettin scratches but sometimes i have to live with not being able to tune a balisong perfectly but this is where the milling a bigger area for a blade comes in, so while there is a little bit of play it still wont tap.

[@JonCL1981]

I noticed my Krake Raken felt a little rough this morning, and added lube, smoothed it right out, but I also noticed it affected the sound it made. Makes sense after this explanation of what lube does inside the pivots.

[@clarity4912]

sick flips bro

[@SpookyDscary]

I got banned for a week on the balisong Reddit’ for saying “people complain about tapping and can’t even do a basic trick” way I see it let people who don’t want to learn that it’s actually not that bad should just drive them selves insane “fixing” it

[@just2bad766]

I mean I agree with allot with the things you said. But after all tap means that your knife has enough play for the blade to hit the handles. That also means that it is possible for the blade to rub against the handles and leaving marks on the weaker material which will lower the value of given product. Of course your blade can slightly rub or it can rub alot although at that point it's not only rubbing anymore. It's stuck. Hardware is not the only thing determining the tolerances. For example I tuned my bushings very well but my osp blade is warped so I have tap. I will argue that I do have alot of understanding on modding and how a knife works. But for a beginner I'm sure this video was very helpful!!! GJ

[@WillHirschFlips]

The difference for me really is that tap is an indicator that blade rub can exist, but it is not an indication of weather or not you actually have blade rub

[@disuko]

i loved the random turn into the isopod 101 class

[@shubashubashubas]

The video was great, and I loved Jeffrey's cameo

[@Kingofkittens1]

Rollie pollie my guy, make a video about it NOW ITS A ROLLY POLLY… rollie pollie

[@G0ATHR0B]

I dont like tap on live blades just for the fact that it can really mess up your blade edge. Otherwise on trainers i really don't care.

[@maverick9708]

The small benefit for live edge (may not always work) the blade edge is substantially thinner which gives you *slightly* more clearance for the tolerances on that specific bite handle

[@WillHirschFlips]

If the handles are hitting the live edge of the blade that isn't tap, that's blade rub

[@sebsrey]

My buddy just gave me his OG vulp with the T8 screws and it has a significant amount of tap. This video has cleared up so much for me, thank you! I still ordered got the upgraded hardware kit though to try to get rid of the tap 8)

[@buckarooholiday]

my vulp will wear the tip and channel down soon enough that the tap will take care of itself

[@Skyfall-sv8df]

Thanks for this video. I found it very helpful.

[@virconvirmillion8037]

agreed with pretty much everything, but when it comes to flipping something that has tap vs no tap, yes it still feels smooth as long as its tuned down enough and all, but you can definitely feel like a vibration or what seems to be an instability in the framework. it doesnt affect the flipping per se, but you can feel it rattle as you flip it, maybe thats just me, but i hate feeling that rattle as i flip my balis so I like to keep them tapless. inherently though, tap isnt the demon many people make it out to be

[@camaroEE]

While I do agree with everything brought up in this video about maintenance and keeping things in order, I think it is important to bring up user experience. It may not affect flipping at all, but spending 2 or 300 dollars on a balisong and getting tap out of the box or even within a week or so can be extremely demotivating, especially if it doesn't go away after tightening and lubing the balisong. Overall great video and good points raised!

[@just2bad766]

Then... tune the bushings

[@just2bad766]

Or get bearings and you won't have that problem.

[@liamerickson3427]

yeah i just got my channel reaper ($450 i think? idk) and it came with tap which killed me a bit. i tightened it though and it went away and had zero play too. huge releif xD

[@Savorychicken41]

If you bought a $300 knife anyone would be upset if the knife developed tap in a few days from factory settings. But with a $65 knife it’s hard to complain, you really do get what you pay for and if you get more than it’s just a bonus on top.

[@zdely]

But if a bali has tap to a point where it hits the sharp side and damages the actual blade where is sharp, is that bad?

[@killroygodfrey2985]

Yes, if it's damaging your edge that's bad. You might not care about the edge in which case eh don't mind it ig but if you care about that stuff definitely tune it or get someone else to do it for you so that's not happening

[@WillHirschFlips]

That's blade rub and yes

[@Bowie0]

For some knives it’s much much harder to eliminate tap than others. Things like the slifT and the Gale don’t require as tight of tolerances like a replicant or Pian to remove tap.

[@warnerswanson9293]

Tap isn't a problem, it's once it tolerances are bad enough and the blade starts to hang up on a handle. Thats when it gets in the way for me. I can live with tap.

[@christopherjones1104]

my reaper is great the channels are so small that its going to have tap no matter what but it doesn't affect flipping in the slightest

[@WillHirschFlips]

Yeah that's how a lot of balisongs are, relief cutouts are a recent invention

[@monkewithanarcstar4682]

Ur the best balisong u tuber

[@WillHirschFlips]

Aww thank you!

[@mr.balisong5399]

Can you flip a balisong too much? And if so does that cause it to fall apart?

[@o_oo_o5874]

Tap is havening for me, but I have a AliExpress OG4 clone (non-shap), Will if you ever do see this (or any other fliipy flapper) how do I improve my helix?

[@dryelene]

Same my helix is like 60/40 rn

[@slingshotshooter7536]

what causes play in a bushings balisong ? how do you fix handle play ?

[@jaygatsby1924]

I never thought too much about tap But I don't have a good driver or lube This cheap trainer took a beating now realizing 💀 Thank you, I will definitely for my future one.

[@jhix9788]

Big words I call it rolly Polies

[@jonathanh3913]

I don't mind tap so long as when I carry my bali, its not super loud. My rep taps and I can barely hear it when I try to do a tap test. My demon's tap sounds like a squid trainer when it taps in my pocket

[@BlueWingedRino]

Tap is to balisong community as centered blade is to the folder community. Just something that the OCD can complain about.

[@bkgrnd1337]

the tap is the signiture of the BM 42

[@BlueWingedRino]

A well used 4x series balisong sounds like you are swinging a chain.

[@WillHirschFlips]

Haha that's true

[@jentacular1375]

Could you maybe post a slomo of your regular flipping flow? You do some interesting stuff that i'd like to learn

[@sganicocchi5337]

man once you just let go and flip with huge amounts of play you just improve a shit ton faster. my kraken has like half a handle of play and ive been learning off hand flipping pretty fast since i just let it fall more. went from cant do a clean double rollout to chaplin/normal aerials/transfers/bt8b/basic fan/helix within 4 days of just beating on the knife.

[@profex.]

Couldn't agree more, sometimes, if the knifes good enough, it's good to just let bad tolerances happen

[@Kokosnusskopf0]

I have a balisong with 3 inch handles and a 4,5 inch blade and it used to have terrible blade rub. Luckily the handles are made out of cheap plastic and so I was able to widen the cut outs in the handles with sandpaper. It’s still extremely blade heavy but at least it's somewhat flippable

[@devillnam7536]

in the upcoming balisong 101 video that you about to make can you tell us how to break apart the loctite

[@WillHirschFlips]

Great idea!

[@TheBlackRose666]

Iv flipped and had a good many balisongs and I never cared about tap. I kept them tuned sure but I never even cared about it tapping. Everytime I hear someone complain about it, it just makes me cringe. Not every knife you have is gonna sound perfect all the time.

[@just2bad766]

SV go rrrrrb

[@zerri02]

Whats the name of the guy who flips without screws?

[@slingshotshooter7536]

how to you fix blade rub? what you talked about the blade locking up in the handle 7:49

[@jesse4530]

For me, i like a slightly loose handle set up. But once the tap becomes anything more than just the tiniest bit, it is annoying. Any obvious tap affects my flipping.

[@Dabbo_007]

Just a tip if you cant get rid of the tap on your trainer put a little hocky tape on the blade. Less play between the blade and handles if youve tightend it and still has tap

[@fokinlazrsoits6043]

Actually had tap on the vulp out of the box. Now I know how to tune bushings and have 0 play and awesome flipping experience on my vulp. I actually gave it to a beginner friend of mine.

[@g405t]

So that's how mars looks! jk back in the day knives tolerances were ass, and did not have the parts like todays balisongs.

[@Kingofkittens1]

The only lube I have is speedcube lube, would that be safe to use for my balisong?

[@Leo_Elias_games]

My vulp got tap so I tuned the bushings used blue thread locker and oil and now no tap👍🏽

[@franekmmm2683]

Quick question. 9:19 How Am I suppose to get lube when the delivery costs around 225$ everywhere when the knife itself costs 60$ ;/

[@joira7790]

What kinda lube u tryna get that gets 225 in delivery costs?

[@edgelord3617]

Skill issue live in a different country ig

[@just2bad766]

Uhm so first off I don't think shipping costs 225 especially when you just use dollar as currency. Second just buy gun oil or whatever lubricant you prefer you don't need some flavoured overpriced bottle of lube from some knife maker.

[@BlueWingedRino]

In a pinch motor or mineral oil is totally fine.

[@richard_rico_norris]

Coming from the yoyo community to the balisong community, I see tap as a form of "vibe" in yoyos. Vibe in yoyos isn't a big deal until you get an actual pulsing vibe in them. Then it actually affects play. Likewise, tap doesn't really affect balisongs until it gets to the point of blade rub. Then, it's a problem. People are just really picky and think that you need an actually perfect product in order for it to perform properly. Which is very incorrect.

[@pridefulworm]

My vulp doesn't tap and it is even loose right now

[@WillHirschFlips]

I think this is kinda indicative of the differences in machining tolerances on cheaper balisongs, which is why so many people have had varying experiences

[@hahajema8360]

Is there a bali that wont develop tap?

[@bali_user3184]

Too many people in the community complain about tap. I don’t mind tap, but I do hate a knife with blade rub because it causes the blade to get stuck. And almost all of the best flippers have tap on their knives, and that’s because they flip their knives instead of freaking out about tap.

[@Gibbits5.7]

My friend's $4 balisong has so much tap you can put the latch on top of the handle! (he just got it)

[@reviewforthetube6485]

Tap is blown way our of proportion lol.

[@carolinetay4995]

How is the ntb biteblade titan?

[@WillHirschFlips]

I love it!!

[@gelatin.skeletin]

Full disclosure my Vulp arrived yesterday with fine tolerances. No tap, a tad of play. Tap really only matters for inked blades.

[@just2bad766]

Depending on what material your knife is made of materials have a different structure ect which means one will wear off the other leaving rubbing marks.

[@dough7726]

The thing for me is the balisong feels rattley when i flip it when it has a lot of play or tap

[@chipsauketchup4432]

okay

[@liamerickson3427]

i dont really care about play or tap from a cosmetic standpoint, i just hate the sound. i love the crisp and bouncy sound of the knife closing or opening on zen pins and the tap/ rubbing sound just annoys me a bit. even so, as long as the bite hanlde doesnt tap on my live blades, i dont care (that much)

[@sodalines]

i feel like if you buy a super over priced bali for 300 or more. It really should come tap less. And trust me some dont.

[@just2bad766]

When buying a 300$ knife I expect you to know how to tune!

[@sodalines]

@@just2bad766 true.. i feel you, but at the same time for that kinda money you should get a bali with no play and no tap.

[@just2bad766]

@@sodalines not every knife is the same and small tolerances exist. Because of that the perfect tune could vary resulting in maybe undersizing the knife. That's why makers often leave them oversized to avoid any real issues out of the box. You need to tune them a bit by yourself

[@Charlielx]

I hate tap because it makes any closing feel and sound awful. It doesn't impact flipping technically, but I avoid it at all costs.

[@qwickiegaming8597]

Tap does not exist in Machinewise products. Prysma hasn’t had tap in 3months, after countless times of hitting concrete.

[@ManHoldingTheSun]

Ft. Jeffry

[@blakevarner6493]

Fish bowl and Dog tank?

[@ghiblinerd6196]

In Brasil those insects are called tatu bolinha

[@playstuff5782]

I think proper bushing tuning requires a digital caliper.

[@just2bad766]

No it doesn't 😂 I tune with my analog caliper

[@WillHirschFlips]

Yes or some special measuring equipment

[@just2bad766]

@@WillHirschFlips tuning in general doesn't need anything except something to grind the bushing on. Ofc you can upgrade your equipment. I have an analog caliper and a Mitutoyo tool. But at a certain point you go off feel. Toolset can be useful but not necessary.

[@WillHirschFlips]

@@just2bad766 that's fair, though having measuring equipment really helps with being able to do it without assembling the balisong every time you need to check haha

[@just2bad766]

@@WillHirschFlips yeah, that is true. Reassembling is the way to get a good tune tho. Im from a machinery family so I have tools. You can buy good calipers for 20$ but adding those items up I can imagine it gets expensive for some.

[@Darthflips]

will trying to normalise tap lol

[@WillHirschFlips]

I mean tbh I'm just trying to help people be more aware of what it actually is

[@rochellesela8284]

HIII WIll

[@banana_splitz5679]

It’s funny when people freak out about tap, especially for trainers

[@just2bad766]

Would you prefer a mint from factory knife with tap and bad tolerances or no tap 0.001 perfect bushing and free swing?

[@banana_splitz5679]

@@just2bad766 obviously no tap. I’m just saying I’m not gonna sweat it to keep it perfect

[@PDXFlips]

Ok so Balisong hyperfixation and entomology overlap is normal. Isopods are my favorite

[@Baneowo]

what you end up havening

[@flys]

Him giving His Titanium Balisong Tap Makes My OCD Angry LMAO.

[@plasticchair8890]

im a plastic chair

[@WillHirschFlips]

You're doing a great job

[@Plane289]

Ive dropped a rep or 2. I know what blade rub is.

[@Uzoraki]

I should show yall my trainer😂 its crazy with half a hour of flipping its all loose it and i gotta screw it tight again with 2 cm space between the handles 0_o

[@just2bad766]

Loctite your god damn knife

[@WillHirschFlips]

Try using some loctite or Teflon tape on your pivots

[@Uzoraki]

@@WillHirschFlips oeh tape thats a good one havent thought of that but it a shitty one anyway best one i can get right now🤣

[@Ace-nf5ri]

Hey will

[@kryspinn01]

heyy

[@johnvedek3802]

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@ljfeflips]

I absolutely despise tap. Sorry, but I would never flip a balisong with tap in a million years.

[@WillHirschFlips]

I understand not liking it from an aesthetic perspective, my problem is people thinking it's a knife breaking technical issue which simply isn't true

[@holy_flipping]

All of a sudden ur ranting about how play doesnt affect ur flipping style because now the balisong u designed has tap/play i remember back in the day u use to judge balisongs on amazon/aliexpress balisongs in terms of play and tap and u would make fun of then where is dat now mr will hirsch.gay ???

[@kirop7]

In my experience tap does very much corelate with blade rub. Anytime my balisong developed tap, blade rub followed right after that and no, it doesn't have to get stuck to your handle to indicate that you have blade rub. Your blade will slowly get scratches / rubbed spots on it and as someone with ocd it can irritate the fuck out of you sometimes lol. That's really my ONLY issue with tap