Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knives
Handmade karambit balisong butterfly knives put a curved talon blade and a finger ring on the classic butterfly frame, each with a fitted leather sheath. A karambit cuts by drawing rather than pushing, which makes it far better than a straight blade on rope, webbing and cardboard, and far worse on a chopping board. Forged by our Filipino makers in high carbon, matte stone washed D2 and hand-forged Damascus, with micarta, wenge, walnut, rose wood, buffalo horn, bone and mother of pearl handles, and brass, copper or titanium fittings. Every one can be ordered as a live blade or as an unsharpened trainer at the same price, chosen above the Add to Cart button. New to the shape? Read our guide to the karambit butterfly knife, check balisong laws by state before you order, or browse the full butterfly knife catalogue.
Showing 1–12 of 16 results
Handmade Damascus Steel Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | Buffalo Horn Handle with Brass and Titanium Ring and Leather Sheath BF-184
Damascus on a curve, which is the one place the pattern does something a straight blade cannot.
Blade Material – Damascus Steel
Handle Material – Buffalo Horn with brass fittings, anodised titanium finger ring
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | Black Coated High Carbon Blade | Copper Handle with Titanium Ring and Leather Sheath BF-180
A copper handle against a black blade, with an anodised titanium ring. It is the loudest thing we make and we are not going to apologise for it.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, black coated
Handle Material – Copper, finger ring in anodised titanium
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | Black Coated High Carbon Blade | OD Green Micarta Handle with Titanium Ring and Leather Sheath BF-175
OD green micarta, a black coated blade and an anodised titanium ring. The least traditional knife in the range and the one most likely to actually live in a pocket.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, black coated
Handle Material – OD Green Micarta, finger ring in anodised titanium
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | Forge Finished High Carbon Steel | Buffalo Bone Handle with Brass Frame and Leather Sheath BF-182
A dark forged blade against a pale bone handle in a brass channel. The greatest contrast we can get out of materials that all came off a farm.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, forge finish with polished edge
Handle Material – Buffalo Bone in a brass frame, brass finger ring
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | Forge Finished High Carbon Steel | Olive Burl Wood Handle with Leather Sheath BF-185
Olive burl against a forged blade. Olive is the only handle wood we work that people recognise by smell before they recognise it by sight.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, forge finish with polished edge
Handle Material – Stabilised Olive Burl Wood, finger ring
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | Forge Finished High Carbon Steel | Rose Wood Handle with Leather Sheath BF-169
A karambit blade on a butterfly frame. Two designs that came from opposite ends of the world and turn out to fold together rather well.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, forge finish with polished edge
Handle Material – Rose Wood, skeletonised frame with finger ring
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | High Polished Blade | Buffalo Horn Handle with Brass Bolsters and Leather Sheath BF-173
Black horn, brass bolsters, mirror polished blade and a steel ring. The most traditional set of materials we put on the least traditional shape in the range.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, high polished
Handle Material – Buffalo Horn with brass bolsters, finger ring
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | High Polished Blade | Skeletonised Full Steel Handle with Leather Sheath BF-170
No wood, no horn, no bone. Steel all the way through, drilled out to bring the weight back down, and nothing on it that needs oiling once a year.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, high polished
Handle Material – Skeletonised steel with finger ring
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | High Polished High Carbon Steel | Mother of Pearl Handle with Brass Frame and Leather Sheath BF-178
Mother of pearl set into a brass frame. It is the most difficult material we fit and the one most likely to be imitated by somebody else in plastic.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, high polished
Handle Material – Mother of Pearl in a brass frame, finger ring
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | High Polished High Carbon Steel | Rose Wood Handle with Brass Bolsters and Leather Sheath BF-174
Rose wood, brass bolsters and a blade polished to a mirror along a curve. Polishing a straight flat is patient work. Polishing a curve is patient work that fights back.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, high polished
Handle Material – Rose Wood with brass bolsters, finger ring
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | High Polished High Carbon Steel | Walnut Handle with Brass Bolsters and Leather Sheath BF-177
Walnut and brass. Walnut is the wood people overlook because it is the wood their grandfather's furniture was made of, which is a strange reason to overlook anything.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, high polished
Handle Material – Walnut with brass bolsters, finger ring
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | High Polished High Carbon Steel | Wenge Wood Handle with Brass Bolsters and Leather Sheath BF-183
Wenge, which is the darkest wood we work and the only one with grain you can feel with your eyes shut.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, high polished
Handle Material – Wenge Wood with brass bolsters, finger ring
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Handmade Karambit Balisongs, Made to Order in Batangas
A karambit balisong is two ideas welded into one knife: the curved talon blade of a Filipino and Indonesian karambit, mounted on the twin-handle butterfly frame of a balisong. The curve flips inside the channel the same way a straight blade does, and the finger ring sits where the safe handle would be. Every one on this shelf is forged, ground, fitted and tested by hand, and prices run from $215 to $340.
If you want the long version, how the curve behaves in a flip, where the shape came from and who it suits, that is in our guide to the karambit butterfly knife. This page is the shelf: the ones we have made and can ship.
What a Curved Blade Actually Does
A karambit cuts by drawing, not by pushing. You hook the material and pull, and the curve concentrates the whole edge into a moving point. On rope, webbing, cardboard, packing straps and hoses this is not a small improvement over a straight blade, it is a different tool. Anyone who has tried to saw through a nylon strap with a straight edge knows exactly why the shape exists.
What it is bad at is anything needing a flat edge held against a board, or a fine point pushed into something. It will not slice an onion, which is what the balisong kitchen knives are for, and it is a poor letter opener. We would rather say that here than read it back in a review.
The finger ring is the other half. It stops the knife leaving your hand when it is wet, which is the entire reason the shape survived on fishing boats and in fields for a few hundred years before anyone put it in a video game.
Steel and Handles on This Shelf
| Steel | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| High carbon, forge finished | Traditional look, easiest to resharpen | Patinas, needs oiling |
| High carbon, high polished or satin | Clean lines, the classic finish | Same care, marks show sooner |
| High carbon, black coated | Low glare, less fuss about rust | The coating wears at the edge |
| D2 tool steel, matte stone washed | Hard use, edge retention | Harder to bring back at home |
| Damascus | Pattern, collecting, gifts | Costs more without cutting better |
Handles run from working to ornamental: OD green and black micarta for the ones that will get wet, wenge, walnut, rose wood and olive burl for warmth in the hand, buffalo horn, buffalo bone and mother of pearl for the display pieces, plus copper and a skeletonised full steel frame. Brass and steel bolsters where the balance wants weight.
Trainer or Live Blade, Same Price
Every karambit balisong here can be ordered as a live blade or as an unsharpened trainer, at the same price either way. Same steel, same handle, same ring, same weight: the only difference is that the trainer's edge is left blunt. You choose in the option just above the Add to Cart button. One knife, one price, two edges to pick from.
On a curved blade this matters more than on a straight one. A karambit flips in an arc that passes closer to your fingers than a classic Batangas profile does, and learning that arc on a live edge is how people end up explaining a hand injury to someone who does not flip. Learn it blunt, then buy the sharp one, or order the same knife twice.
A Word on the Law
Two separate things apply to this knife. Balisong legality varies by state and by country, and karambits and other curved or ringed blades are named separately in some of those statutes. Check both before you order. Our guide to balisong laws by state covers the current position across the US, and it is your responsibility to confirm what applies where you live.
Questions Buyers Actually Ask
What is a karambit balisong? A butterfly knife with a curved talon blade and a finger ring instead of the usual straight Batangas profile. It opens and closes with the same two-handle flip, and it cuts with a drawing motion rather than a pushing one.
Is a karambit or a balisong better? They are not competing. A balisong is a carry and opening mechanism; a karambit is a blade shape. This shelf is both at once. If you mean straight blade versus curved: straight is the better general knife, curved is much better on rope, strapping and cardboard and much worse on a chopping board.
Can I buy a karambit balisong as a trainer? Yes, and on this shape it is the sensible way to start. Every knife here has an unsharpened trainer option at the same price as the live blade, chosen just above Add to Cart. Nothing extra ships alongside a live blade; it is one knife with the edge left blunt if you pick that.
Are karambits legal? It depends entirely on where you are. Some jurisdictions regulate butterfly knives, some name curved or ringed blades separately, and some do both. Check your state and local law before ordering, and read our balisong laws guide as a starting point rather than as legal advice.
Is a curved blade harder to flip? Slightly, at first. The tip travels a wider arc, so the same flip that clears your knuckles on a straight blade may not on this one. The mechanics are identical once you adjust for it, which usually takes an afternoon on a trainer.
What steel should I choose for a karambit balisong? High carbon if you will sharpen it yourself and want the traditional feel, D2 if it is going to work hard and you would rather not think about the edge, Damascus if it is a gift or a collection piece. All three are named on every listing, because a shop that will not tell you the grade does not know it.
How much does a handmade karambit balisong cost? On this shelf, $215 to $340, depending mainly on the steel and the handle material. Mother of pearl and Damascus sit at the top, micarta and rose wood at the bottom, and the blade work is the same across all of them.
Does it come with a sheath? Yes, a fitted leather sheath is included with each one, cut for the closed knife rather than bought in a generic size.
About our balisongs
The balisong began in Batangas, in the Philippines, and every knife in this collection is made in that tradition. Our knives are made by Filipino artisans and metalworkers, many from families with generations of experience, now working in the United States.
Blades are ground in 440C stainless, D2 tool steel, VG10, high carbon and Damascus steel. Handles are fitted in kamagong ebony, carabao horn, Philippine deer horn and bone, and every knife ships with a fitted leather sheath. Both live blades and trainers are offered.
Before a knife leaves the bench it passes a four-step quality process: 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.
Most orders ship in 1 to 3 business days and arrive in 4 to 8 business days across the USA, or 8 to 14 business days internationally. Out of stock knives are handcrafted to order in 2 to 3 weeks, and every order ships worldwide with tracking.