Hand-forged by Filipino makers in Batangas tradition. Every order ships with tracking.
Handmade by Filipino artisans
Ships in 1 to 3 business days
Worldwide shipping with tracking
Hand-forged by Filipino makers in Batangas tradition. Every order ships with tracking.
Handmade by Filipino artisans
Ships in 1 to 3 business days
Worldwide shipping with tracking
Everything about how a balisong feels in your hand comes down to choices you are about to make. Pick them below and the price, the weight and the balance move with you. When you are happy, it goes to a Filipino maker in our Tennessee shop and gets forged, ground, fitted and tuned to that exact sheet.
A sketch on paper, a photo of a knife you saw, a CAD file, a screenshot with arrows on it. If it explains the knife, we can read it. Upload it here and a maker looks at it, tells you honestly whether it can be forged, and comes back with a firm price and a timeline.
There is a $50.00 review deposit, because a real person spends real time on this. It is fully credited against your knife when you order, and refunded in full if we tell you we cannot build it.
Most builders hand you a list and hope you recognise the words. Here is what each decision changes in the hand, in plain terms, so you are choosing rather than guessing.
Sandwich handles are layers pinned together: traditional, light, easy to service, and they can be retuned forever. Channel handles are milled from a single block, so they are heavier, quieter and dead solid with no rattle. Skeletonised removes material for speed and is the choice of people who flip hard and fast.
Almost all of the weight comes from length. 22 cm sits around 150 g and moves quickly. 24 cm lands near 175 g and is where most flippers settle. 29 cm is the full traditional Batangas length, over 200 g, slower and more deliberate but unmistakably authentic.
Brass and copper put mass at the pivot end, which makes the knife handle heavy and forgiving on timing. Titanium takes mass out and makes it blade heavy and lively. The balance bar in the builder moves as you choose, so you can see it happening.
Peened pins are permanent, traditional and beautiful, and mean the knife comes to you tuned and stays that way. Torx screws let you strip it down, clean the pivots and set the tension exactly where you want it. Neither is better. It depends whether you like tinkering.
High carbon takes the keenest edge and will patina if you neglect it. 440C and D2 are far more forgiving day to day. VG-10 holds an edge a long time. Damascus is chosen for the pattern first and the performance second, and every billet is different.
Carabao horn and kamagong are the traditional Batangas materials and no two pieces match. Micarta and G10 grip better when your hands are damp. Stag has natural ridges that lock into the palm. Pearl and mammoth tooth are display materials, chosen to be looked at.
Two honest limits. Engraved and custom-built knives are final sale, because they cannot be sold to anyone else. And balisong law varies by country, state and sometimes city, so please check yours before you commission one. Our state-by-state guide is a starting point, not legal advice.
Every custom build can be finished as a blunt trainer for the same price. Same steel, same handles, same tuned pivots, no cutting edge. It is what we would suggest if the knife is a gift for someone who has not flipped before, or if you want to learn the tricks on the exact knife you will eventually carry sharp. Choose it in the Edge step above, and read the trainer guide if you are undecided.
Engraving is cut into the bolster rather than the blade edge, so it works on any build, sharp or trainer. Initials, a name, a date or a short line of text is $19 and you pick the font. A logo, emblem or company mark is $29, with the artwork uploaded at checkout. Both together is $48. Full detail, including placement and fonts, is on the engraving page.
A run of several knives is a wholesale order rather than a single commission, and it is quoted separately, with your logo on the bolster and private label both on the table. Clubs, shops and corporate buyers all start on the wholesale page.
Builds start at $149 for the base specification and most finished commissions land between $250 and $450 depending on steel, handle material and packaging. The builder shows the exact figure as you choose, and there is nothing added afterwards except shipping where it applies.
Three to four weeks for the build, plus one to three days if you added engraving. Damascus and mammoth tooth can add a little more, because we wait for the right material rather than use the wrong one.
Yes. Use the upload panel above. A sketch, a photo, a CAD file or a marked-up screenshot all work. A maker reviews it, tells you honestly whether it can be forged, and comes back with a firm price and timeline. There is a $50 review deposit that is credited against your knife, or refunded in full if we cannot build it.
Around 175 g suits most people: enough mass to swing predictably through a full rotation, light enough for long sessions. Go lighter if you have small hands or want speed, heavier if you like a slow, deliberate feel. The builder estimates the weight of your exact combination as you go.
Personal. A latch keeps the handles shut in a pocket and gives the click some flippers love. No latch is cleaner and silent. Both cost the same and neither affects how the knife flips once it is open.
Until we start cutting, yes. Reply to the confirmation email and we will adjust the sheet and the invoice. Once material has been selected and work has begun, the spec is fixed, because a half-built custom knife cannot be resold.
Yes. Up to ten in the builder itself. For more than that, email sales@balisongbutterfly.com with the spec and quantity and we will quote the run and give you a realistic date.
Not sure yet? Look at what we already build. Every knife in the collection started as one of these sheets.