Balisong Knives for Sale

How to choose a balisong knife

A balisong knife is two handles turning around a single tang, with the blade hidden between them when it is closed. That is the whole design, and it has barely changed since smiths in Batangas were making them for farm work and self defence. What separates one balisong from the next is the steel, the handle, the size and how well the thing is put together. If you want the longer story first, our guide on what a balisong knife is covers the history and the parts.

Start with the steel

Steel decides how the edge holds up, how much care the blade needs and how it looks after a year in your pocket. Here is how the five steels in this shop compare.

For a deeper comparison, read D2 vs Damascus vs 440C or the full best steel for a balisong guide.

Then the handle

Kamagong is Philippine ebony, dark and dense, and it is the handle most people picture when they think of a Filipino balisong. Rosewood is warmer in colour and a little lighter. Stag, bone and carabao horn are natural materials, so every knife gets its own grain and texture. Brass bolsters and liners add weight, and a bit of weight helps the knife carry its own momentum when you flip it. More on that in the balisong handle materials guide.

And the size

Sizes in this shop run from a 15 cm pocket balisong up to a 29 cm full size knife, with 22 cm and 24 cm EDC lengths in between. Smaller knives are easier to carry and easier to learn on. The big ones look and feel like the old Batangas pieces. The balisong sizes guide shows what each length feels like in the hand.

The collections in this shop

Original Filipino animal series

The largest group, close to ninety knives, each named after an animal and made in 440C, VG10, high carbon or D2. This is where our longest running designs sit. Browse them in the authentic Filipino balisong collection.

Balisong Prime

Thirty knives in D2 and Damascus with premium handles and a leather sheath made for each one. See Balisong Prime.

Traditional, Visayan and Pandayan

Older blade shapes and old school handle work, closest to what you would have found in a Batangas workshop a century ago. Ten of them are also in our limited edition balisongs.

Karambit balisong

A curved, claw shaped blade on a balisong frame. Sixteen of them, and they flip differently from a straight blade, so expect a short adjustment. See the karambit balisong range.

Live blade or trainer

Every knife on this page is sold as a live, sharpened balisong knife. If you are new to flipping, pick the trainer option on the product page instead. You get the same knife with a dull blade, at the same price, so you can learn the moves without cutting your knuckles. Plenty of people buy the trainer first and the live blade a month later. Our guide on trainer butterfly knives explains when it is worth it, and how to flip a balisong covers the first moves.

Looking after your balisong knife

Wipe the blade after use, keep a drop of oil on the pivots and check the screws now and then. High carbon blades want a thin coat of oil before they go in a drawer. If the action starts to feel loose or gritty, the how to tune a balisong guide walks you through it, and the sharpening guide covers the edge.

Questions people ask

Good balisong knives to start with

If you would rather see what other people picked, these are the knives that sell most often.

• Hedgehog BF-57, high carbon
• Tindalo BF-129, Damascus tanto
• Moorhen BF-84, D2
• Hare BF-56, high carbon
• Newt BF-89, D2
• Dormouse BF-35, VG10
• Bird BF-16, 440C

Guides worth reading before you buy

• The 10 best butterfly knives this year
• What a good butterfly knife costs
• The history of the balisong
• Butterfly knife tricks to learn first