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Posted: 12/4/2011 1:26:14 PM EDT
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Hey all,
My son (19) is looking for a butterfly knife for Christmas, I thought that before I went searching the internet I'd check here on what the characteristics of a good butterfly knife are, who are some good BF knife makers, and what the price range might be for a decent BF knife. Thx mark |
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Bradley Cutlery Honestly make the Best Balisong "Butterfly" Knife available for the Cash you will be spending on it .... the kimura series works great as a flipper and even better as a KNIFE!! I highly suggest you take a look at all there models ...
I wont advertise any other sites , But If you are having a hard time finding a good deal .. feel free to PM me . Kinda a Baliholic. http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k257/wendi-ty-yas-lily/P1010025.jpg http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k257/wendi-ty-yas-lily/P1010019.jpg |
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these are out of stock currently but are a new, very nice flipping knife.
bear ops and like he said above me, check your local/state laws.....most likely hell have to keep it inside, or in the backyard...dont carry it and dont leave it in a car.... have him watch some videos on youtube and check out this flipping forum....www.brokenbrains.us once you UNDERSTAND what your doing while flipping its not as dangerous as most people think, while the knife above is not a benchmade 42 it is still sharp enough to give him some nice paper style cuts on his fingers. the bradley kimuras are definitely a good knife for the price but it is a heavy steel knife. Something like a benchmade 42 has handles made out of titanium and is considered one of the best production butterfly knifes ever made....sadly they are no longer in production and there is a very high markup on them if you can find one used. The next best thing to titanium is g10...which is what the bear ops has for handles. Its a little more expensive than the kimuras, but I think its worth it. DEFINITELY don't buy a no name butterfly knife for 20 bucks....IT WILL fall apart guaranteed! To get a good butterfly knife you'll be looking at around $100.....and I really wouldn't bother with anything less than $80, because the quality won't be there and it might put him off of butterfly knifes altogether. I hope this helps, good luck! This is my benchmade 42 with a friend  ...
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| I dont think the blades are too long.....they are usually around 4 inches....but I'm not sure if that is too long. A big part of why they're illegal is because they're considered "gravity" knives....you don't need to physically open the blade with your hand....it can swing open. The fact that it is very scary to those who know nothing about them probably had a hand in making them illegal also lol. I'm not sure about Illinois, but if you want to get him one its not a big deal....just dont bring it outside. |
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Quoted:
Get him a nice knife, but also get him a trainer made by the same manufacturer. It will have the same weight and feel but the blade will be unsharpened. When I first got into flipping I thought I wanted a trainer, but after reading about it and thinking on it I decided against it. The only reason I didn't get a trainer as I figured with a live blade I'd respect it more and would pay more attention to my technique instead of getting lazy with a trainer or taping my blade. I guess I had more respect for the knife and was more concerned with proper technique and not cutting myself. That said I have had some cuts but keep the blade sharp and they don't even hurt and usually heal within a few days unless it's a nasty one. As for a beginner balisong, the Bradley Kimura series is the best bang for the buck. But be cautious as the blade is extremely sharp. More so than my new benchmades. I currently have a Benchmade 42 (best balisong out there IMHO), a Kimura II, Benchmade 32 Morpho, Benchmade 51, and Benchmade 53. I am currently looking into a Dalton. Of my blades, my favorite is the 42, followed by the 51. Good luck finding one and they are addictive. I started out with a 90$ Kimura a few weeks ago and now I have a whole bunch. |
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^ good advise there! I wouldn't bother with a trainer...it gives you a false sense of security. When he gets to the point of letting the knife go in the air then maybe a strip of tape across the blade and tip is a good idea.
The only plus I could see with a trainer is that you could go out in public with it....but you still could get hassled lol. But you wouldn't be breaking any laws. NIce collection bedore, and I have heard that about the new production benchmade balisongs not being so sharp...I think all of there knives in general. |
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Quoted:
Bradley Cutlery Honestly make the Best Balisong "Butterfly" Knife available for the Cash you will be spending on it .... the kimura series works great as a flipper and even better as a KNIFE!! I highly suggest you take a look at all there models ... I wont advertise any other sites , But If you are having a hard time finding a good deal .. feel free to PM me . Kinda a Baliholic. http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k257/wendi-ty-yas-lily/P1010025.jpg http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k257/wendi-ty-yas-lily/P1010019.jpg I would also go with the Kimura. I love the blade profile in that second pic. |
| I bought a butterfly knife at a swapmeet for $6 bucks. Took it home and ran the edge thru a benchgrinder to remove all traces of it. Wanted to practice flipping it. Glad I took the edge off as I'd have no fingers if I didn't. You should look at doing the same...for the same reasons. |
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Quoted:
^ good advise there! I wouldn't bother with a trainer...it gives you a false sense of security. When he gets to the point of letting the knife go in the air then maybe a strip of tape across the blade and tip is a good idea. The only plus I could see with a trainer is that you could go out in public with it....but you still could get hassled lol. But you wouldn't be breaking any laws. NIce collection bedore, and I have heard that about the new production benchmade balisongs not being so sharp...I think all of there knives in general. Thanks! I literally bought my first Balisong about 3 weeks ago...and over the past 3 weeks I now have a bunch! The 42 was the most expensive yet, by far. I see you have a 42 as well and you can no doubt attest to how awesome they are. I am sure you are well aware, but Benchmade is going to announce a new balisong at the SHOT show I do believe. They claim "42 lovers" will be happy with this new product so I can only hope it is as good as the 42 as they are selling for close to $400 for a NIB one these days. You can't even find a t-latch 42 for less than 250 it seems. As for the blades, the Benchmade 32 and 51 both use D2 tool steel which is great quality, but not stainless and will rust if not taken care of. That said I do not neglect my stuff so I do not have to worry, but some may. The blades are also pretty sharp but not nearly as sharp as the older 4x series blades it seems. I was extremely surprised at how sharp my Kiumura II blade is, much sharper than the BM's. Quoted:
Another vote for Benchmade. I used to have a bm42, then I lost it :( The Bradley is good, too, though not as good as a benchmade I somewhat agree. For a sub-$100 Balisong, you cannot beat the Bradley Kimura series. IIRC, Kershaw is making the Kimura's for Bradley, and Benchmade makes the Mayhem for them....and as far as I am concerned both Kershaw and BM make excellent production knives. You really cannot go wrong with either one, but if you are price conscious, the Bradley is definitely the way to go. Another thing about the Bradley Kimura is that it's a heavier balisong. The new 32 and 51 are very light compared, so if someone is looking for a heftier balisong the Bradley Kimura would fit the bill nicely as it is heavier and has a good balance. But the 51 is still a great flipper, just gotta get used to the weight difference. I would say if you got the extra dough, go for the BM51 (expect to pay around $165+shipping). If not, the Kimura is a great knife at the $90 range. Do not cheap out on a balisong as others have said. Bear and Sons has a bunch of cheaper balisongs but quality from what I have read is hit or miss. I would spend the dough on a Kimura or work up from that. Good luck...please let us know which knife you choose. |
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Quoted:
Another vote for Benchmade. I used to have a bm42, then I lost it :( The Bradley is good, too, though not as good as a benchmade Thats funny that you say that you lost yours..... my girlfriend bought me the bm42 about 4 years ago and I had a few too many drinks one night and was outside flipping(I do not condone this lol) and the next day I had no idea where it was so I must have dropped it outside that night....The one in the picture I found on our equipment exchange in the blades section a few months ago for a really good deal....but the last few years without it were horrible. I didnt know that about benchmade coming out with a new balisong.....I cant wait for SHOT show now!! |
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