D2 Tool Steel Filipino Balisongs Butterfly Stainless Steel Brass with Walnut Wood Inserts Black Mamba Knives World Class Knives | BMK-484

Description

Four holes drilled down the blade, brass channel handles, walnut inserts held on copper pins. This is a balisong built to be flipped rather than framed.

Suits: flippers and collectors who want a real knife under the tricks. D2 takes a working edge, the handles close flush, and the fit-and-finish is done by hand rather than dropped out of a jig. It is a hobby piece in the traditional Filipino style, and it arrives sharpened.

Care: the three materials here all want something different. Wipe the blade after a session, because skin oil is what marks D2 first and it comes off with a dry cloth. Brass dulls to a warm brown on its own schedule; leave it or bring it back with a jeweler’s cloth, whichever you prefer the look of. Walnut takes a thin wipe of furniture wax once or twice a year and nothing else. Keep grit out of the pivots and put a single drop of light oil in each when the action starts to feel gritty rather than smooth.

What the drilled holes do

They take weight out of the far end of the blade. That shifts balance back toward your hand, which makes rotations start faster and stop sooner. The cost is that four open holes collect pocket lint and sharpening swarf, so they need a poke with a cloth corner now and then. They are also the reason the blade looks lighter than 4.4 inches of steel usually does.

How brass and walnut age together

Both darken, at different rates. Brass goes first, within weeks of regular handling, and it goes unevenly because your fingers land in the same places every time. Walnut takes longer and darkens more evenly. After a year the contrast between the two is softer than it is in the photograph, which most owners prefer. If you want to read more about how the handles themselves are put together, our guide to balisong construction covers channel and sandwich builds.

Who should look elsewhere

If you are learning tricks, buy a trainer first. This edge is live and a dropped balisong lands blade down more often than chance suggests. If you want a pocket knife, a balisong is slower to open one-handed than any lock folder and it has no clip. And if you want a pattern-welded blade rather than a tool steel one, the Damascus balisong is the same idea in a different steel. Our steel comparison guide sets D2 against the alternatives.

Common questions

Is the edge live? Yes. It is not a trainer and we do not sell it as one.

Do I need to check my local law? Yes, and before you order rather than after. Balisong rules are set at state and often city level, and they vary more than any other category we sell.

What arrives in the box? The balisong and a protective pouch and box. Balisongs carry closed, so there is no sheath.

Model: BMK-484