Malayan Civet High Carbon Steel Original Filipino Balisong butterfly Knife BF-74
Original price was: $171.95.$128.96Current price is: $128.96.
The Malayan civet is a night animal, dark-banded and easy to miss, and kamagong suits it: the Philippine ironwood is close to black.
Blade Materials – High Carbon Steel
Handle Materials – Brass with Kamagong Wood Inserts
Overall Length – 24cm
Blade Length -12cm
Weight -180g
Handmade in Austin, TX. Ships Worldwide.
Every knife is built by hand in our workshop in Austin, Texas, by Filipino makers trained in the Batangas tradition. We ship to any country we are allowed to send a knife to. Free shipping inside the United States, 49 USD flat everywhere else. Shipping and delivery times
The BF-74 Malayan Civet is a 24cm high carbon balisong, 12cm blade, 180g, brass and kamagong. Everybody says to oil a carbon steel blade. Almost nobody says which oil, how much, or where. So that is this page.
What the oil is actually doing
Two different jobs, and they want different products.
On the blade, oil is a barrier. It sits between bare steel and the water in the air, and that is the entire mechanism. A film you can barely see is enough. A thick coat does nothing extra except attract dust.
In the pivots, oil is a lubricant. It reduces friction between the pivot pin and the handle so the action stays smooth. Here too, more is worse: excess oil creeps out into the handle channels, mixes with pocket lint and brass particles, and turns into a grey paste that makes the knife stiffer than it was dry.
Which oil
| Oil | Blade | Pivots | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mineral oil, food grade | Yes | Yes | Cheap, safe, available in any pharmacy. The default answer |
| Camellia oil | Yes | Adequate | The traditional Japanese choice. Works well, costs more for no clear gain |
| Dedicated knife oil | Yes | Yes | Fine. Usually mineral oil in a smaller bottle at a higher price |
| 3-in-1 or general machine oil | Avoid | Yes | Fine mechanically. Not something you want near food |
| WD-40 | No | No | It is a water displacer, not a lubricant. It evaporates and leaves the steel bare |
| Cooking oil from the kitchen | No | No | Vegetable oils go rancid and sticky. This is a genuinely bad idea |
If you want one bottle for everything, buy food-grade mineral oil. It will last years and it costs less than a takeaway.
How much, and where
- Blade: two drops on a cloth, not on the steel. Wipe the whole blade including the choil, where the edge meets the tang. That corner holds water and nobody dries it.
- Pivots: one drop each. One. Then flip the knife thirty or forty times and wipe away whatever comes back out.
- Channels: nothing. Blow them clean with air, do not oil them. Oil in the channel is how the paste starts.
- Handle: nothing. The kamagong needs no oil and the brass does not either.
How often: the blade monthly, or after anything damp. The pivots twice a year, and clean before you oil rather than oiling on top of dirt.
The mistake almost everybody makes
Oiling a stiff pivot without cleaning it first. A pivot that has stiffened over a year has stiffened because there is material in it. Adding oil to that turns dry grit into wet grit, which is worse, and then people conclude the knife has worn out.
Blow the channels out with compressed air, run a cotton bud along them until it stops coming out grey, and then add one drop. Nine times out of ten the knife comes back to how it felt new.
The steel: high carbon on a balisong
Plain carbon steel: iron, about one percent carbon, essentially no chromium. Everything above exists because of that missing chromium. What you get in exchange is the finest edge we can grind and a blade that comes back on any ordinary stone in minutes.
Heat treated to 58-60 HRC, where it rolls rather than chips when it lands on something hard.
The frame on this high carbon butterfly knife
Twenty-four centimetres at 180g, the standard size at the weight most owners settle on. Brass bolsters, kamagong inserts. Kamagong is Philippine ebony, dense and close-grained, and it is the one component here with no maintenance story at all.
Ordering, and what ships with this balisong
Unsharpened trainer, selected above Add to Cart. Everything on this page applies to it identically, since a blunt carbon blade rusts exactly as readily as a sharp one.
A fitted leather sheath comes with it. Free US shipping, flat $49 to anywhere else for the entire order.
Every knife is checked for lockup, pivot action and edge before it goes in the box. Nothing ships that we would not keep for ourselves.
Processing
Most orders leave the bench in 1 to 3 business days. If the knife you picked is not in stock we forge it for you, which takes roughly 2 to 3 weeks. Engraving adds a little time on top of that.
What shipping costs
- United States: free on every order.
- Everywhere else: a flat 49 dollars for the whole order, however many knives are in it, so two at once ship for the same as one.
How long it takes
- USA: 4 to 8 business days
- International: 8 to 14 business days, longer if customs takes an interest
Those are carrier estimates, not promises we can enforce.
Tracking
A tracking number reaches you by email as soon as the parcel is collected. Carriers often take 24 to 48 hours to start showing movement, so a quiet first day is normal.
Customs and local law
Import duty, VAT and customs fees are set by your own country and are yours to pay. Balisong law varies by country and by US state, so it is worth checking yours before you order.
The full detail lives on Order and Shipping and Return or Exchange.
Hand-forged in the Batangas tradition
The balisong was born in Batangas, Philippines. Every knife in this catalogue is made by Filipino artisans and metalworkers, many from families with generations of experience, now working in the United States. Blades are ground from 440C stainless, D2 tool steel, VG10, high carbon and Damascus, and fitted to handles of kamagong ebony, carabao horn, Philippine deer horn and bone.
Checked four times
Detailed hand inspection, smoothness and pivot testing, blade alignment checks, and durability and finish quality control. If a knife doesn't meet our standards, it never reaches our customers.
Engraving available
Initials or short text $19 in the font you choose, a custom logo $29. Select it above Add to Cart and upload the logo file at checkout.
A sheath with every knife
Every knife includes a fitted leather sheath. Both live blades and trainers are offered, and every order ships worldwide with tracking.
Buying more than one?
Trade pricing starts at ten pieces and reaches 45% under retail at volume, with your logo on the bolster. See wholesale and bulk, or design one from scratch.
Owner reviews
What owners say
10 reviews for Malayan Civet High Carbon Steel Original Filipino Balisong butterfly Knife BF-74
Shipping and returns
Processing
Most orders ship in 1 to 3 business days.
USA delivery
4 to 8 business days, tracked door to door.
International
8 to 14 business days. Customs times vary by country.
Made to order
Out of stock pieces are handcrafted for you in 2 to 3 weeks.
We ship worldwide. The customer is responsible for customs, VAT and local legality.
Returns and exchanges Read the warranty
Pamela Miller –
Solid knife. Glad I ordered it. Not my first Balisong Butterfly order and it held up to their usual standard. Action is good though it needed a little tightening on the pivots. Good product. Just not quite perfect.
Andrew Peterson –
This is exactly what I wanted and then some. I keep coming back to Balisong Butterfly because it’s always this good.
Sarah Wells –
Absolutely love this balisong. Fit and finish is way above what I expected at this price. Bushings feel buttery smooth after just a bit of use. Can’t recommend this enough.
Stephen Mercado –
Bought this on a whim and it turned out to be one of my favorite pickups this year. Comes with a nice pouch which is a nice touch. Will definitely order again for another one.
Edward Davis –
Five stars isn’t even enough honestly. So worth it.
Harold Clark –
Was nervous ordering a balisong online but so glad I did. Made in the USA and shipped worldwide with no long wait on my end. Can’t say enough good things about this purchase.
Laura Jones –
My neighbor was speechless when he tried flipping this. This flips cleaner than knives twice the price. Love that this comes from real Filipino balisong tradition but still ships worldwide this quickly. So worth it.
Alexander Harris –
This is the kind of balisong you show off without even meaning to. Love that it’s rooted in real Filipino balisong tradition but made and shipped from the US. Handles have a great grip even during fast flips. Love it.
Alejandro Lee –
Kept picking this up just to flip it after it arrived. Balisong Butterfly is quickly becoming my go to shop for balisongs. This flips cleaner than knives twice the price. Blade came shaving sharp straight out of the box. Definitely bookmarking this seller for future orders.
Patrick Hernandez –
This exceeded what I pictured in my head before ordering.