Description
A D2 balisong with a fluted black horn handle, scroll-engraved steel bolsters and a satin clip-point blade, supplied in a black leather belt pouch.
| Overall length | 9.1 inches |
| Blade length | 4.4 inches |
| Handle length | 4.7 inches |
| Steel | D2 tool steel |
| Handle | – Black Horn with Steel Engraved Bolsters |
Meant for: the buyer who wants the ornamented look without a patterned blade, and who would rather have a steel chosen for edge retention than one chosen for how it photographs.
D2 is a working choice
D2 started life as a die steel, used for tooling that had to keep a shape through thousands of impacts. As a blade steel it holds an edge a long time and takes a slightly coarser, more aggressive finish than a stainless of similar hardness. It is semi-stainless, which is the honest description: high chromium, but not enough to be called stainless, so it resists rust well without ignoring it. It is also harder to sharpen than most steels here, which is the price of the edge retention. We put it beside the alternatives in our steel comparison.
Fluted horn and engraved bolsters
The horn is not left flat. It is carved into shallow flutes that run diagonally across each handle, which gives your fingers something to register against when the knife is moving. That is a functional decision dressed as a decorative one. Engraved steel bolsters cap both ends of each handle in a scrolled foliate pattern, cut into the metal so the recesses stay dark while the raised work polishes bright with handling. The blade carries a long swedge and a hole through the flat near the pivot.
Maintenance
Wipe the blade down after handling and leave a thin coat of oil across it; semi-stainless is no licence to store it damp, least of all around the pivots, where water sits and does not evaporate. Horn is a keratin, so treat it like a fingernail: it hates heat and it hates being repeatedly soaked and dried. Keep it away from hot cars, and do not wash the handle. If the flutes dull, a dry cloth and a little pressure brings the sheen back; do not use furniture polish or oil on horn, which can leave it tacky. Grit in the pivots is the usual cause of a gritty action, and our pocket knife cleaning guide covers clearing it properly.
Points buyers raise
Does it come with a sheath? Yes, a black leather belt pouch with a flap.
Will D2 rust? It can, given salt and neglect. Far less readily than a plain carbon blade.
What is the plainer D2 balisong? The BMK-476 uses the same steel with stainless channel handles.
Model: BMK-735
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