Description
Bull horn is never twice the same. The scales on this balisong run close to black with grain that only shows when the light catches it at an angle, and the brass bolsters put the weight forward of your grip where a flipper wants it.
| Overall length | 11.4 inches |
| Blade length | 5.7 inches |
| Handle length | 5.5 inches |
| Steel | 1095 + 15N20 Damascus, 352 layers |
| Hardness | 58–60 HRC, oil tempered |
| Weight | 7.7 oz |
| Handle | Damascus Balisong Butterfly Knife with Beautiful Brass and Bull Horn Handle |
Fits: the flipper who wants the biggest Damascus balisong in the line. At 11.4 inches open with a 5.7 inch blade and 7.7 ounces on the scale, this is a large knife by any measure and it moves like one.
Bull horn as a handle material
Horn is keratin, the same protein as a fingernail, and it behaves accordingly. It is tough, slightly flexible, and warm to the touch. Left in a dry room for years it can shrink very slightly and lift at a pin; kept in normal household humidity it does nothing at all. The color varies from piece to piece and often within a single scale, with lighter streaks running through the dark. That variation is the material, not a flaw.
5.7 inches of pattern-welded blade
That is a long blade for a balisong and it gives the pattern room to show. The layering runs the full length and continues onto the bevel, which is how you know the etch went into forged steel rather than onto a surface. Something worth understanding before you buy Damascus at any price is how the steel is actually made.
Where the 7.7 ounces sits
Brass bolsters at the pivot end mean the mass is concentrated close to the axis of rotation. That makes the knife easier to control than the raw weight suggests, because you are not swinging a long lever with a heavy tip. Rollovers are stable. Aerials take commitment. This is a knife that rewards slow, clean technique rather than speed.
Keeping horn and steel happy: Wipe the blade dry and oil it thinly; pattern-welded carbon steel marks quickly from skin contact. The horn wants the opposite of dryness: keep it out of direct sun and away from radiators, and if it ever looks dull, a trace of oil on a cloth brings the depth back. Do not soak the handle, and dry the pivots after any contact with water.
Ownership questions
Will my horn look like the photo? Roughly. Expect the same dark base with lighter grain, but the specific figure is unique to each pair of scales.
Is 11.4 inches too much for a beginner? Yes, for most. Learn on something in the eight to nine inch range and come back to this. The beginner tricks guide starts at the beginning.
What if I want the same steel in a wood handle? The Damascus balisong with a wooden handle is the equivalent build in timber, and lighter for it.
Model: BMK-DB-31
Justin Hanto (verified owner) –