Stainless Steel Balisong Knives
Stainless steel balisong knives offer low-maintenance durability and a bright, polished finish. These handmade Filipino butterfly knives use 440C stainless blades with traditional horn and hardwood handles, made in the classic Batangas style and shipped from the USA.
This is the shelf for people who will never oil a knife and would like us to stop suggesting it. Every blade here is 440C, so a sweaty pocket, a coastal summer or a forgotten wipe will not leave orange freckles on it. Handles run from kamagong set in stainless, through brass with bone, carabao horn or Philippine deer horn, to solid brass, and two of the nine open to the full 29 cm. If you are torn between stainless and a traditional carbon blade, the comparison below the grid should settle it. For the steels themselves, read our balisong steel guide.
Showing all 10 results
Bird Handmade 440C Stainless Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Brass and Bone Handle | 24cm EDC Flipper Gift for Him | BF-16
Black Widow Spider Handmade 440C Stainless Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Brass and Carabao Horn Handle | 24cm Lightweight Flipper Gift | BF-17
Cat Handmade 440C Stainless Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Brass and Bone Handle | 24cm EDC Flipper Gift for Him | BF-19
Blade Materials – 440c Stainless steel
Caterpillar Handmade 440C Stainless Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Brass and Bone Handle | 29cm Full Size Collector Gift | BF-20
Blade Materials – 440c Stainless steel
Catfish Handmade 440C Stainless Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Solid Brass Handle | 24cm EDC Flipper Gift for Him | BF-21
Centipede Handmade 440C Stainless Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Brass and Philippine Deer Horn Handle | 24cm EDC Flipper Gift for Him | BF-22
Chicken Handmade 440C Stainless Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Brass and Visayan Philippine Deer Horn Handle | 29cm Full Size Collector Gift | BF-23
Cockatoo Handmade 440C Stainless Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Stainless and Kamagong Wood Handle | 24cm EDC Flipper Gift for Him | BF-24
Cockroach Handmade 440C Stainless Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Stainless Steel and Kamagong Wood Handle | 24cm Lightweight Flipper Gift | BF-25
Set of 6 Bird Handmade 440C Stainless Steel Original Filipino | Groomsmen Gift Set | BF-16-S6
Bulk set discount: 15% off. Buying this set of 6 costs 15% less than buying the same knives one at a time.
This set is 6 of the same balisong: Bird Handmade 440C Stainless Steel Original Filipino. It is the same knife sold on its own single listing, packed together for groomsmen, a wedding party or a flipping crew. Every knife in the box is the same model.
Buying the set costs 15% less than buying 6 single knives. If you want names on them, tick text engraving, type one name per line and each name goes on its own knife.
Stainless Steel Balisong Knives
9 stainless steel balisongs, $114.95 to $247.50, median $137.50. If you want a butterfly knife that will not rust, this shelf and our VG10 and 440C shelves are where to look.
Stainless means a chromium content high enough, around 13% and up, to form a passive oxide layer that stops corrosion before it starts. On a balisong that matters more than on a fixed blade, because a butterfly knife lives in a pocket, gets handled constantly, and has pivots where moisture collects and is hard to reach.
Who This Shelf Is For
Humid climates. Coastal air. Anyone who handles a knife with damp hands or carries it daily. Also anyone who simply does not want maintenance to be part of owning a knife, which is a perfectly reasonable position and not a lesser one.
The trade-off is honest: stainless steels are generally harder to bring back to a screaming edge than plain carbon steel, and the very best edge-holding steels are not stainless. For everyday use nobody notices the difference.
What Is on This Shelf
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Knives available | 9 |
| Price range | $114.95 – $247.50 |
| Median price | $137.50 |
| Steels | 440C and VG10 stainless |
| Trainer option | Free on every knife |
Common Questions
Is stainless steel good for a balisong? Yes, especially for everyday carry and humid climates. You give up a little edge retention against tool steels like D2, and gain freedom from rust and maintenance.
Will a stainless butterfly knife rust at all? Not under normal use. Prolonged salt exposure left unrinsed can still cause pitting. Stainless resists corrosion, it is not immune to it.
Do I still need to oil the pivots? Yes. Oil at the pivots is about smooth action, not rust. A drop occasionally keeps the knife flipping properly whatever the steel.
Which stainless should I choose? VG10 for the longest edge life, 440C for the easiest sharpening and best toughness. Both are fully rust-resistant at the prices on this shelf.
Can I order a stainless balisong as a trainer? Yes, for the same price. Same blade, same handle, with the last pass on the stone left off. Stainless is the shelf where that matters least: a trainer lives in a bag and gets sweated on, and this is the steel that will not come back freckled with rust.
Stainless balisongs still without a home on this page
Stainless is the low maintenance answer. It will not patina on you, it will not care about a damp pocket, and it asks for a stone slightly more often than the tool steels do. That is the entire trade. Fitted leather sheath included, trainer or live blade at the same price, 58-60 HRC.
- BF-22 Centipede 440c Original Filipino Balisong butterfly Knife - $178.75
- BF-21 Catfish 440c Original Filipino Balisong butterfly Knife - $247.50
Stainless or High Carbon: The Maintenance Question
If you have ever found a rust spot on a carbon blade the morning after a humid night, you already know why this page exists. We sell both steels and we like both. The real difference is how much attention each one wants from you.
| 440C stainless (this shelf) | High carbon | |
|---|---|---|
| Damp pocket or humid air | Resists it | Spots if left wet |
| Colour over time | Blade stays bright | Darkens to a grey patina |
| Routine care | Wipe off, rinse after salt or sweat | Wipe dry and oil the blade regularly |
| Edge | Clean working edge, holds a little longer | Takes the keenest edge, quickest to resharpen |
| Stored in the leather sheath | Tolerant, as long as it goes in dry | Keep both the knife and the sheath dry |
| Best for | Humid climates, coastal air, daily carry | Traditional feel, owners happy to oil |
Prefer carbon anyway? The traditional shelf is that way. For a side by side of every steel we sell, including D2 and Damascus, see D2 vs Damascus vs 440C.
A Low Maintenance Routine That Actually Gets Done
Stainless is forgiving, not immortal. After salt water, sweat or anything sticky, rinse the blade in fresh water, dry it, and get the water out from around the pivots with a cloth. That is the entire blade routine.
The part people forget is the handle. Brass darkens if you leave it alone, which some owners like and some polish off. Horn and bone are natural materials and move slightly with the weather, so let them live somewhere with a steady temperature rather than on a car dashboard. Kamagong set in stainless, on the BF-24 Cockatoo and BF-25 Cockroach, is the least fussy pairing on this shelf.
Picking Between the Nine
Size first. Seven of these open to 24 cm and suit most hands and pockets. The BF-20 Caterpillar and BF-23 Chicken run the full 29 cm Batangas length at 220 and 225 grams. Then weight: the BF-25 Cockroach is the lightest at 155 grams, and the solid brass BF-21 Catfish is the heaviest of the 24 cm knives at 185 grams. After that, pick the handle you like looking at. You will be looking at it a lot.
More Stainless Questions
Is stainless or high carbon steel better for a humid climate? Stainless. High carbon steel spots quickly in damp air unless it is kept oiled, while 440C takes the same conditions with nothing more than a wipe. If you live near the sea, this is not a close call.
Can I keep a stainless balisong in its leather sheath? Yes, as long as the knife goes in dry. Leather holds moisture, and while 440C tolerates that far better than carbon steel, a knife put away wet and left for weeks can still mark.
Will a stainless balisong develop a patina? No, the blade stays bright. The brass on these handles will darken over time, so if you want a knife that shows its age, that is where it will happen.
Buying for a wedding party? The groomsmen butterfly knife sets come as six matched knives, 15% less than buying them singly, and each one can carry its own engraved name.
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.