A History of (Modern) Balisongs! 🎓

Today we're learning this history of Butterfly knives and the way they have changed over time. With companies like Benchmade bringing them to America and Squid Industries making them more accessible, this is an important perspective I think we should all have!
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[@MintSergal]

Glad to see you like the Bear and Son XP. Its 440 steel btw, yes 440, its not heat treated, you can bend the blade LOL. Don't forget its zinc handles, so it'll break on first drop lol. On a serious note, people don't realize how different balis were back in the day. I still remember when washer was the standard and the Alpha Beast BLEW UP the market. It's so crazy how as time has gone on, things have gotten better and cheaper. Seriously, it used to be that you HAD to pay at least 300 or 400 for bushings! (This is ignoring the tach 2 because it was just before my time) People don't really understand how important Squid is. Before him, the only things you could get was Kimura or a 51. He really changed the hobby in ways that people just don't understand Its so crazy to see this community grow so much in the past ~7 years!

[@jeradstumbluer8521]

i have a question, when was "back in the day"?

[@MintSergal]

@@jeradstumbluer8521 gosh had to be around 2014 to 2015?

[@tree2992]

I was surprised he didn’t talk about BRS between the benchmade and squid eras. When I joined the hobby, BRS was the gold standard. Alpha beasts and reps were all over Instagram . I see that iconic 3 chevron design in lots of other Bali clones and in pop culture (thinking valorant in particular). Seems like BRS has fallen off, following trends rather than leading. I’m curious about the backstory

[@koreanfreak7433]

Have a sw lucha and can confirm squid had to have been the inspiration behind its design. Almost exact same handle length and once I get the flytis it should handle just like the squid🙏

[@MeshuggahDave.]

true true, just got my two squiddies for my boys and a squiddy B engraved for me, for them when im gone... That 51 or the bradley kimura. you can still get kimuras out here in las vegas at PVK for a good price. around 80-90$ I bought some steel BM clones, 47 + 49, and loved them but found them to be very heavy and therefore much more dangerous. I cant wait to check out the CHAB clone from slash2gash seeing how most people say that it flips better than the OGCHAB. The frankenRep too just because I will probably never see either of originals in my lifetime.

[@chrisbyers1]

I started out as an EDC knife collector. eventually I wanted to span on what knives I wanted (fixed blades, karambits, balisongs). then blade HQ had a sale on their orange morpho 51, so I looked up a review, and found out about the modding and flyti options. bought it, bought handles, eventually modded it myself with a custom ano. I've never been the same since and not exclusively collect balisongs. I'm a novice flipper, yet I still try. my bali collection is extensive with orcas, planarians, squiggle 6x on bushings, soon to be alien too. I'm very glad I found the community, and I'm sure my experience is similar to some others. thanks will :)

[@jarrettm3728]

Same got a benchmade barrage custom now i want a bali a otf a hunting knife a fishing knife a para 2 a 940 and a survival knife

[@jarrettm3728]

O and a flipper

[@Spacecadet3890]

Got a lucha to have a bali in my collection now i have a bunch of bali and can flip alright

[@samuelskinny]

That gold knife, I flipped from 2008-2019. I've had a couple other versions but that was it. I remember going online and seeing nothing so I thought that was it. Untill I saw your channel I never knew things got better! Thankfully you helped me see the light!

[@nacho_flips8143]

Yikes, glad you saw the light lol

[@joshchu]

regular folder carrying dude => encounter lock failure => switch to carrying balisongs => sees Jeff Imada videos=> well, might as well start playing with the thing

[@sleepy_wendigo]

As a Balisong hobbiest, I can definitely appreciate a nice folding or otf knife, but generally I don't care nearly as much about them.

[@robertkelton5831]

If you've never handled a well tuned BM 42 or BM 43 with the t latch you don't know what you missed out on. While it was 440c and ran on washers they were self lubricating phosphor bronze. Carried one for 4yrs locked up tight till the end, flipped like a dream, and no play. Btw, Benchmade ran on bushings back in the day.

[@bradenwright2586]

Just curious what BM ran on bushing back in the day? I had some old PCC, BM67, a BM42 that I still have and had bushing installed by a modder. Just curious bc it’s the main reason I got rid of most my BM balisongs

[@ds2td]

23:02 “Svix when Svix was around” :( Prayers for Svix 🙏❤️

[@ZedEyeEyeEnOh]

great video, I just wish you talked about what BRS did for the community.

[@jarrettm3728]

N hom

[@LonestarTaoboy]

Denton, TX born and raised. Got my first Balisong in 1982 when it was all the rage from a shop in Grapevine.

[@erickcornel2312]

over the year of me collecting ive learned alot about balisongs like flipping and backstory im happy i got into the hobby even though i have to put so much effort into it with me not having anyone to help me through upgrades nor support from anyone irl but i have a small bit of the comunity im hoping for some leway on christmas but whenn you get nothing for 3 years you kinda lose hope

[@RingOfShameful]

It's great how through this history you can really see how the hobby evolved, and came full circle with the kershaw lucha, replacing the cheap balisongs and setting a standard for every day, convenience store knives that actually are of good quality.

[@DerReubus]

Very cool vid. My first balisong I got in Tijuana in 1985. It’s an International Series Bali-song that I still have. It’s got pins, and has gotten pretty loose over the years, and the tip is chipped ever so slightly, too. I learned little more than basic openings and closings back then (normal and inverted), and then kind of forgot about it till the pandemic, when I found it in a box of old stuff. That was March of this year (2021), and that’s when I started learning more than just the basic openings, etc. I saved up a little and got a Maxace Serpent Striker, and swapped in the training blade, and was off to the races! Now I have quite a few flippers, including some clones, but, due to the fact that the guitar is my main hobby, I absolutely never flip live blades. I just don’t see the need. Anyway (this has gotten long-winded), your channel was one of the first resources I found, and have since enjoyed the hell out of your channels! Love your stuff, and plan on joining your Patreon once I’m able. Thanks, and keep it up!

[@WillHirschFlips]

This is rad! I love hearing everyone's stores

[@Behindtheadrenaline]

I started out with a Bear and Sons trainer, it sucks but it's what I learned the basics on. Sharp balisongs are illegal in my country so only trainers here, but no store import trainers so the community is insanely small, expensive to get hold of them on your own, but bought a Kershaw Lucha trainer for myself for xmas.

[@nah10hawaiian85]

What do you think of the kershaw lucha? Im thinking of getting a live blade. Either kershaw lucha or the atropos demon.

[@Behindtheadrenaline]

@@nah10hawaiian85 I am very impressed with it, it was heavier than I imagined but it carry momentum fantastically, the latch weighs a lot so worth removing, I heard the live blade is even better than the trainer so I would absolutely recommend it.

[@4esv]

@@nah10hawaiian85 Probably a little late if you're as impulsive as I am but I've had the live blade for a bit now and it is excellent. All the tolerances come dialed in perfectly and the momentum carries like nothing else. I will say it is very handle biased and for that it excelsa at rollovers and aerials but not much else. To take the flipping from 8/10 to 10/10 you need to cough the $100 for the handle and hardware upgrade from flyti.

[@lacouilledanslpate1809]

I always as a new flipper (1year) asked myself how balisong evolved to be what they are now... Now i have a awnser so thank you Will it is some awesome work to you do !!!

[@Cannon912]

Great video, I think it's important for a lot of the younger people in the hobby to learn why things are the way they are. Like others have mentioned, I do think more should've been said about BRS and Hom. Another thing is (I could be wrong here) but I'm pretty sure the Microtech Tachyon III came out before the Krake Raken and was on aluminum channel handles. I got mine in 2016 and I remember when that was coming out, people were saying that aluminum was a dumb choice because the tang pins were going to destroy the handles.

[@meltdown537]

I would love to see a video about the origins of balisongs. Hell, I would love to see you and Brandon go to the Philippines!

[@atypk3285]

Thank you for mentioning the lack of availability of balisongs outside of the US, I live in france and there's pretty much nothing available easily, other than Luchas (which was my first real bali). The only place to buy balis is Lamnia, which is a Finnish company, and the closest knife maker we got is Atropos in Russia. I really hope the hobby takes off in Europe and we can get some cool stuff like you guys in the US. (Also if anyone knows any other good websites for balis and mods in europe, I'd really like to know, I've been searching a while)

[@joseflipsok614]

Funny you made this video bc recently I wrote a paper for class about balisongs and I really went into the history of them too

[@ronaldachacoso8263]

The original balisong from Batangas had handles made from carabao horn brass. They were also known as bente nueve or veinte nueve (29) which was its standard length in centimeters

[@zillahero]

my first bali was a bradley kimura 2 back in 2010 when it came out i think. i just watched the movie kickass and was like i gotta get one of those. that thing served me well

[@WillHirschFlips]

Yessssss love the old kimura

[@killroygodfrey2985]

I found your comment about some people in the balisong community not liking other types of knives very interesting. I myself was a collector of other types of knives way before I found the balisong community. I've been collecting knives in general for a little over half my life now. I have easily well over $1k spent in non-balisongs and will be continuing to add even more in the future. I also have over $1k spent in balisongs despite only being in the community for around a year and a half. Balisongs are my favorite due to their flippability and usefulness and I plan to keep collecting them for a long time. What I found interesting was that I have a friend I got into flipping who is the exact opposite of me in that regard. I got him into flipping almost exactly a year ago and he has a few scrappy knives from China but I also convinced him to get a squiddy and a Triton V2. He has plans to get a Krake Raken as well due to my guidance and from trying out mine. However he doesn't have any interest at all in collecting other types of knives and never has. I just found it funny because I go against what you said but my friend is the perfect example of it. Great video Will

[@BlakeHarrisonChannel]

You talking about the cheap balisongs reminds me of when I used to flip these balisongs I got from chinatown. Those things sucked and fell apart when flipping. The tang pins actually broke the handles and gave me stitches! lol! - Atlas

[@MRREE-zw6xc]

The Lucha is one thirsty beast! It is the only knife I have that has drawn blood. It definitely makes you flip a lot better when you got to respect the sharp edge of that beast!

[@chucklesdeclown8819]

i think boutique needs to be added to this discussion because people thought pinsless was crazy remember that, but now its like pinsless is like the next thing and tang pins are starting to make somewhat of a comeback because of other new makers that hit the scene despite people apprehension towards those two systems after zen pins came into the fray, they are still being used. this hobby still hasn't been explored to an extent that it needs to for so long but now that people are willing to come in and give it a try, now it seems like every knifemaker is making a bali, scorpion 6 just announced their edc and flipping model, there are still loads of people on reddit and insta proposing their designs and this hobby is still growing. when i entered the hobby, it was like late 2019 and now it feels like everybody and their mother is making balis, as a matter of fact, i'm surprised you haven't made one yet will XD. anyways its insanity that even just 2 years ago it was just squid, hom, and brs and now its new names, old names, forgotten names. i cant wait to see the hobby the next year, let alone by year 4ish

[@jarrettm3728]

I still will die on the hom brs cross i am getting my first n literally cant get a fucking hom or brs n it makes me mad i am currently seriously thinking about a flytanium fly one i really want hom though

[@mrskelebones3149]

Im glad to know you got the bear & sons, Sergal and I are pretty good friends. They were telling me about this knife lol.

[@elvishui4450]

I am a flipper in Hong Kong and I am looking forward the balisong community grows all around the world!

[@SA8TER21]

I know this is a later comment but I think around 2011-2014 BRS and Jerry Hom really kept the flipping alive. Then Squid came around to figure out how to make getting into flipping easier and more affordable. I think I remember him messing around making the squid trainer for fun then realized it could be made much easier and quicker than Ti stuff. I could be wrong but it was still around the Jerzey Devil days.

[@james6028]

I wanted a benchmade 42 so bad back in the day but living in australia I was never able to order one. to hear that they are now an expensive collectors item is a real kick in the teeth. after all these years I still have never managed to get my hands on a quality flipper until today I was able to snag myself a glidr antarctic . cant wait to try it out!

[@pridefulworm]

This was a really interesting video. Thanks will

[@tylerzmeng]

I got interested in balisong in highschool around 2016 cause at the time i had an interest in edc folding knives, and I enjoyed many different skill toys; cardistry having been the most recent pickup. As you said, all the options at the time were either really expensive or not that good. I started on the bali-yo pen which broke after about a month before I bought one of those steel sandwich amazon trainers. Since I live in canada where live blade balisongs are illegal, this trainer got confiscated by airport security at some point due to a fear that it might cause issues later on in my travels. It was at this point that I stopped flipping since there were so many barriers to entry. With my continued interest in skilltoys, I've been tangentially noticing the increase in balisong's popularity over the years; and seeing the market for balisong trainers grow, made me feel ready to get back into the hobby. I've now been flipping for a total of about 3 months but I started 6 years ago. I'm glad you guys built up the community as much as you have in my absence.

[@flippingbalisong3452]

at the end of the day, you like to say end of the day. this was a really cool video btw, i quite enjoyed it!!

[@massiverise2388]

glad to see your nails arnt painted, first video I watched becase of this, and this is my favorite balisong channel!

[@princewhite.]

2:59 I remember buying one of those knifes in like 6th grade so about 6 years ago and a week ago I just started flipping it I order a new one tho but I got pretty good at it

[@timrodriguez1]

The next time you come to the California Bay Area, I would love to teach you how to ride electric unicycles, iffen you want to...🤘🤠

[@WillHirschFlips]

Hell yeah!

[@kingofkings5536]

What about the brs Bali’s I know they have been around for some time??

[@SAckTheGoof]

well guess im glad i started on balisongs about a year a go, the one i got isnt like a really expencive one, its a cheap one, but its not bad, made out of aluminum really nice build quality, and it doesnt feel like shit when you flip it

[@samblack8801]

New case leek!

[@WillHirschFlips]

😉

[@stacyrider58]

Those are really Nice Knives

[@theycallmewoodstock1756]

I started with my dads 30 year old Balisong last February Since then I made the jump to making my own prototypes after getting an internship at a cnc shop

[@violetsweet1660]

i have really reaped the benefits of history here, having started last year with a squiddy (which made me fall in love with flipping) and then progressing to a lucha (i was one of the people who was into conventional edc knives; i handled one in a knife store and bought it from that. i didn't even know it was unusually heavy at first because i knew the squiddy was unusually light). after that i got a nautilus which i totally adore, and then the flytanium TI handles and ceramic bearings for the lucha which i also totally adore. now that i know how hard finding flippable knives in the past was, it sure feels like i picked a good time to start. also i have to say that getting into balisongs has all but killed my interest in conventional folding knives. you can't do tricks with a PM2, though you can open one by holding onto the hole with your thumb and index and flinging it.

[@mathewdega8962]

Man thank you so much for making dis video always good to learn more about it and doesn’t it all seem like a revolution but like a country’s revolution like some people didn’t like a design for example like the squid but than they did and I never knew that like squid was the first big company I thought it was BRS or benchmade

[@nicholasanderson1071]

Could you do a video on your new case?

[@enviiuss]

I’m so glad that you are careful with the kershaw because I have the same knife, and I made the mistake of sharpening it out of the box, and I am still a beginner flipper. I got some PRETTY deep cuts. Never touched a trainer though.

[@benhoward4660]

I live near Denton and I loved the mini mall, so sad that it burned down, wasn’t that on Christmas?

[@pepavasata6790]

Where is BRS?

[@michaeljones8478]

Love the topic man because I live in Trinidad and the currency is 7 to 1 us and like for example I own I kraken clone and to buy it I paid around 600 TT for it 😅

[@Poeticskulls]

I got a bear and son blue 117(I think)a little while ago for my first balisong and I absolutely love it. The only bad things so far is its kinda heavy and the paint likes to come off but it was the only live blade in my price range. I don't know how it compares to others cause I'm only 15 and the only experience I have is the cardboard one I made that I don't even call a balisong it's just trash.

[@NiobBlg]

What is that trick at @29:06 after the fan? Thats so sick

[@hitbyabus4615]

Those silver and gold ones are actually really cool in my opinion, i might get one

[@hitbyabus4615]

I did it

[@MeshuggahDave.]

3:45 its amazing that you still own your first zinc CCCs lol mine were trash days after purchase. I used to hustle for money to buy those from the headshop when i was in highschool. Those are made out of zinc. they arent even really metal lol

[@p_ineappl_e]

I actually made a balisong. It’s like the squiddy C and made of acrylic but it’s sandwich. My only issue is I’m using extra balisong hardware for it and I don’t know where to ger balisong hardware for the proper price

[@bimmypedersen8412]

Great video. But both Atropos with the Demon lite and NRB with the Doosh (and prolly some othe makers/models) did the channel aluminum handles with live blade before squid

[@WildWolf-pu4pj]

it's really neat how Lucas has mostly shaped modern balisong design

[@qwertpoiuy430]

It wasn’t only him… Brs was the true innovator. They suck now, but they got the ball rolling

[@olivierdetiege2696]

Very nice vid will,an nice from you to care about people overseas 2, but at here (Europe) we can find our ways to get our hands on good balis, it becomes more and more popular here also,in fact i have a quite nice bali collection with a bit of all brands 😀 the only thing we miss here are custom makers that wanna sell their products overseas... I would love to get my hands on a monarch or hom specter or even an osp matrix... hope that will change one day so we also be able to buy those masterpieces

[@netunooog]

My best bailsong not what I expected/wanted at all. I have a nautilus, mermaid, want to get bland lucha and send it to my friend to customize but then I got g10 nabalis. I really hate to say this but $27 usd got 0 tap and 0 play and well it flips very good but my handles the metal part are different color blues, chips in my g10 handle that you can tell were never fully finished with 1 different colored orange. Scuffs on both metal handles and the trainer blade. It's a bit smaller all around and bit heavier then what I'm use to but it is easily my best bailsong when you look at price to performance, mine is lock tight with latch removed, I had to rip off the spring that holds the latch because one of the screws stripped but it was totally safe and not included a spring flying across my room lol, ill find it maybe. After that experience I got a juicy short heavy mmmhhhh in my hand. I love it

[@unknown121290]

Broo downtown minimall, I’ve got so much stuff from there, I was sad when it burnt down :/

[@elliotvall8580]

My first balisong was made out of Lego, it was very loud and had very bad tap, even worse than those in the begining of the video. It was probably the worst knife ever, but i think that is how you should learn things, first you get the more trash things that are harder to flip with, then you move on tho better knifes and its gonna feel much better and you’re gonna learn much more and have a better understanding of balisongs by learning the basics the hard way than having it easy all the way

[@tutzdesYT]

Very insightful video it is here. Big companies getting into mass-scale and reasonable-price butterfly-knife production is both promising and frightening. In a lot of hobbies it brought a lot of good and a lot of bad. It makes the hobby popular and stuff readily available to everyone but also strangles small companies, that made all this progress possible. These relatively tiny workshops are run by true knife enthusiasts, who love knives, balisongs and flipping. I met AtroposKnife crew at some expo recently (awesome guys). Konstantin Sazhin owns quite a collection of balisongs and only of handful of those were made by his company (AtroposKnife). That's how you know a person is a true fan. Nowadays in Russia the availability of butterfly knives is pretty limited. There are mostly Maxace models, Kershaw Lucha, some Bokers, AtroposKnife + very expensive boutique stuff + cheap garbage + Chinese clones. It is pretty hard to find Squid Industries or BRS knives locally. Maxace basic models (Serpent Striker, Banshee, Hellcat) cost like low-tier Atropos and stock steel Lucha have higher price than mid-tier Atropos (with anodized milled titanium handles). So currently it seems like in Russia AtroposKnife is the way to go. I'd like to have more variety but what we have is really not bad.

[@akyro3042]

i acctually really like your first knifes… i have a life blide with the same quality haha

[@zachliveris2881]

Dude you are such a squid die hard fan lol

[@WillHirschFlips]

Considering his prevalence and history in the hobby, it's kinda hard not to be loool

[@zachliveris2881]

@@WillHirschFlips krakens are nice but I'd much rather pick up a rep or AB

[@blue-jr4iv]

Love his flipping style

[@nickymamolaable]

Microtech tachyon was the shit tho

[@WillHirschFlips]

Microtech was really doin it early on, sad to see them drop off like they did

[@hitbyabus4615]

3:16 you know, mine came and it was dull so I sharpened it, and just like that, it was sharp

[@LuciferArc1]

If it weren't for clones, there might not have been as much incentive to innovate and create cheaper yet still high quality flippers. My first balisong was a 4x clone by Kenfong. It was titanium and had perfect tolerances despite not having bushings...idk how he did it. It was great starter knife for getting me into the hobby and tbh...its still one of my favorites. Sure my grail is my valkyria but I still like cheaper knives like squids. Glad to have all these new options. Makes the hobby more fun

[@jax5407]

I got one of those cheap China Bali’s for $10 when i was like 16 complete garbage learned pretty much everything i know on it tho, 21 now and a couple months ago it i was flipping and one of the handles snapped sending it flying across the room got sad i had nothing to flip so i bought the lucha 🙃😂 thought i should share, loved the history lesson and love the vids ur the goat

[@guppyfiah3537]

Will: Mentions how the Lucha gave him is worst cut Me: HEY I DID THAT

[@wymanscorneroftheworld8777]

Question about carrying these. I notice eveyone removes pocket clips and latches for better flipping, i edc a knife and as i am getting into flipping i want to replace my carry knife witb a balisong as a fun fidget hobby. Where/how do you all carry these (some dont even come with clips) where you have quick access for use ?

[@WillHirschFlips]

I just carry them in my front right pocket without a latch, and have gotten used to pulling them out in a way where I don't get cut

[@wymanscorneroftheworld8777]

@@WillHirschFlips thanks, thats where i normally carry my pocket knife on a clip. I assume pivots up so it doesnt open up ? Maybe you could add this in a video to show us your fishing it out without injury technique

[@kurimawsvlogph4479]

I think you need to try acquiring the kind where it all originated from.

[@petarsjencic1602]

My dad have 1 from army its same as 2 first, by same i mean its same brass pins but its really good for me, im not complaining

[@rike1175]

shouts out the downtown mini mall

[@dukflips9416]

THE CHONK CASE

[@kirop7]

Man, your hate against the 51 always saddens me. I have a Kraken, a Replicant a HOM Ti Bas R and others and I STILL very often prefer to flip my 51. Might be because it was my first more expensive bali and because of muscle memory but it is so comfortable and easy to flip for me. I would seriously pick it over most balis

[@jaygatsby1924]

MY OLD ONE IS LIKE THAT BUT SUPER floppy, & DARK BLUE GLOSSY CAMO I was a kid for sure 😂💀

[@soap5340]

When are we getting a stitched steel alien review???

[@WillHirschFlips]

Soon as I can!

[@1683clifton]

I really liked my bear mgc bali. It broke so there's that but I had a "damascus" tanto that was the shit. Do they make anything with better pins? Or am I just wishful?

[@bestvolibearuseast]

i quit flipping for a long time because balis were so fucking bad back in the day. It was very frustrating to say the least. squid and kershaw are truly a light in a dark time.

[@MeshuggahDave.]

5:26 lol yeah and now a days they sell them for nearly 100 bucks on some sites. The higher priced items all fell off and now they're trying to sell trash as good stuff.

[@imienazvvisko]

Have similar knife as first one in my collection. Its pretty depressing that you can flip them so good while people struggle to do anything on better ones ;)

[@whiles3834]

Will I have a question about loctite drying should I wait till 12 hours of drying or 24 hours?

[@WillHirschFlips]

24 is best, I'm going to make a video about that stuff soon though!!

[@lacouilledanslpate1809]

@@WillHirschFlips Did you not already make a video about it ? Just before the serpent striker 2 review if i remember correctly... Love your content btw merry christmas to you an Brandon and a happy new year !

[@King_Dripp]

This video is great, but I have to say it’s Will’s equivalent to a dad saying, “back in my day.”

[@jackeldridge8212]

It sucks that balisongs are illegal in the UK. The best thing I can get is something off aliexpress which is disappointing but I do very much enjoy this hobby 😁

[@KDRUI]

there's a new pelican case!!

[@CowboyTalksTooMuch]

I had a really long comment that kept getting deleted. I thought you were mad at me Will. :( Trying to remember what I said, but it's really interesting how the history of balisongs has diverged between the flipping culture and modern balis in the US and the traditional ones still being made today here in the Philippines, and how little each of them crosses over, if not outright unaware the other side exists. For example, how many flippers even know what "balisong" stands for? But in spite of that, the way the knife itself has crossed continents, cultures, and generations is pretty amazing. Les De Asis was part Filipino, and through his uncle brought the balisong from Taal, Batangas to the states. Jody Samson under Benchmade develops the weehawk profile (itself inspired by Italian picklock stilettos), and changes the game completely. Years later the 42 and the weehawk profile makes its way back to the custom makers still making knives back home. Circle of life. As for the cost, that's another wild one: you can get a custom, handmade, 1:1 to your exact specs balisong made here for as little as $60 (granted, a lot of that is the materials used like common spring steel, brass, and bone/wood), but still, the knives are no less works of art. They're still being made by the last few artisans where they were born, in the towns in Balisong/Taal, and they're designed to be amazing daily knives that last lifetimes with care, rather than skill toys. They're still mostly built in traditional ways; washers, bushings, and zen pins aren't even part of the equation. And that $60 is also an interesting price point in the tiny slice of the venn diagram between traditional balis, regular EDC folders, and flipper balis. $60 barely registers as a CCC, $250 you're already hitting top tier steels for EDC folders, and $250 is just mid tier for flippers (trainers, even). Modern flippers are quite hard to come by here in the local community because they're simply out of the budget of most locals (non-custom, "ordinary" balis barely push $10), and many folks don't know how to order online/ship stuff back home. But that hasn't stopped the local community from being collectors and enthusiasts of the local blade--the Balisong Pilipinas Facebook group is almost 8,000 strong and extremely active. Anyway, wow that turned into an essay, hope this finally goes through and I was able to share some useful info!

[@beatmaniaiidx]

*stands* *starts clapping* Bravo… bravo… I appreciate you sharing your knowledge and information… I think this video is a quick history of American Bali’s between the late 2000s to now. Which he does very well. Balisongs were always seen as a “criminals/gangster’s”. Always seen as illegal, even when they were not. To see them more accepted brings a big smile to my face. I alway wondered what the Taal locals would think of Modern American balisongs. There’s a million dollar idea “Taal’s react to American Balisong’s” 🤣 side side note : Benchmade’s claim to Discontinuing the 42 was due to a Titanium shortage during the Iraq War…. There words not mine.

[@jamessydenstricker2342]

Haha dang! I have a bear ops 8 and it’s actually fairly decent!

[@MeshuggahDave.]

24:36 that is an angry blade sir, careful. mark my words, it yearns for blood, yours if no one else. Starve it too long and it will bite you hard, it will aim for you. I have had several. I would consider changing the original hardware back or a different set. Best place for those is in a satchel inside a lockbox under the bed or in the closet lol

[@lordofluckgaming9740]

My original benchmade 42 is coming today:) I paid 500 bucks for it

[@garrettdavis8974]

Does anyone know what the little bag on the left is called? Thanks

[@thatbaliguy4982]

Has anyone told him that the benchmade 51 is disscontinued

[@danktank2595]

This is a nice video, but It irritates me how he completely skips over what BRS did in the early half of the 2010s. I started around the same time as you (2014) and the knife I would always see amongst high level flippers of the time was the alpha beast. Obviously, new ideas and quality control from BRS has been really lackluster nowadays, but you can't ignore what they had done for the community around that time. Also, HOW COULD YOU FORGET YOUR CHAB!?!?!?!?!?!

[@masterbeishline542]

Yeah that really irked me too, squid is definitely better and more revolutionary compared to them but brs was still the first company to truly make the first decent flippers, can’t believe he just completely skipped out on that

[@mathewdega8962]

What the hell your right tho he didn’t but wtf bro I never knew the alpha beast was around at dat time it was prolly better than any other balisong but I don’t get why he didn’t mention jt

[@qwertpoiuy430]

@@mathewdega8962 it was the first good flipping balisong. The benchmade 42 was one of the last to have titanium handles, that’s what made it flip great. So brs made a titanium handle knife with a much better design for flipping. Also annoys me that he did not put the kimura.

[@elchicharron9503]

@@masterbeishline542 Definitely better? Squid's only titanium knife is $750 and unavailable. I like the flips and feels of squid's knives, but I'm not spending $300 on aluminum. I wish they'd create a competitor to the replicant with similar materials and pricing.

[@ZedEyeEyeEnOh]

@@elchicharron9503 the naut is kinda that

[@Person-cv9dj]

I actually became interested in the balisong throught the teamfortress 2 game because the spy class uses a butterfly knife

[@trapperscout2046]

The early to mid 2010s balisong market was a joke. All of the mid-range $90-$100 balisongs like the original Bradley Kimura series, the Spyderco Spyderfly series and the Benchmade 40 series were all discontinued and the next best thing for those of us who didn't want to shell out close to $300 or more for a good balisong were the Benchmade counterfeits from China websites like Aliexpress and DHgate.

[@josephascroft4774]

Consider yourself lucky bro, in England if you get caught with a balisong that is anything more than my spyderco pen or my “benchmade” balisong comb then you’ll be arrested in no time,you guys are blessed with that cheap stuff lol 😂

[@genich1r0]

i have a stock kershaw lucha, its a decent knife but my only problem is that the design the handles are uneven if you look at them from the bottom of the knife its uneven and i think it throws off the blance and its so hangle biased and heavy as shit i got pinched so hard by it than i have 2 red dots on the pinch site, its blood and also the sadwich handle design for me gives nearly no grip because its 2 small areas of grip compared to channel handles where there is 1 huge grip area. hopefully i get a squiddy b for my birthday on tuesday but imo if you're looking for a lucha its better to get the flytanium handles because aluminum is lighter than stainless steel and i believe the handles are even.

[@pamp1t026]

can u give link of your small bag

[@thecr4ckcrusader.700]

I will now rearrange my schedule to fit an extra 30 minutes

[@weesupersteve]

I need a good trainer as I am in the UK , any recommendations

[@AetherDrake]

The 51 certainly isn't a great flipper, but I think Benchmade was trying to make something light for EDC use. Having carried an unmodded 51 for a few years now, the weight and size make it dissappear in a pocket.

[@WillHirschFlips]

I do agree it makes a great EDC,

[@jay.6863]

What does edc mean?

[@Polarity-91]

The one history class I pay attention in😅

[@maelstrom5517]

Luckily the newer balisongs are better, the have zen pins now and the quality is a lot better too, even comes with thread locker if I'm correct

[@alvinharp3437]

No mention of the Philippines?