Balisong butterfly knives D2 steel blade
The word “semi-stainless” gets used as though it means stainless with a modest disclaimer. It does not. It means this blade will rust if you treat it like a stainless one, just more slowly than a carbon blade would.
D2 sits just below the chromium threshold for true stainless, and most of the chromium it does have is bound up in carbides rather than free to protect the surface. In a dry climate you will never notice. In a humid one, or if your hands sweat heavily, you will get freckling on the flats within weeks of neglect.
The routine is thirty seconds. Wipe the blade after handling, especially the tang and the pivot area where sweat collects and nobody looks. A light film of oil once a month covers you. Never sheath it damp; the leather will hold moisture against the steel all night.
Do that and a D2 blade stays clean for decades. Skip it and you will be polishing spots off. If that sounds like more than you want to think about, our 440C and VG10 shelves ask nothing at all.
47 D2 balisongs, $121.00 to $357.50.
Showing 1–24 of 47 results
Ahas Hand Forged D2 Steel Balisong Snake Blade Knife| Stag & Brass Engraved Bolsters Handle | Premium Butterfly Knife with Snake Shape Leather Sheath BF-149
Specifications
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Overall Length: 11.42 inches (29 cm)
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Blade Length: 5.51 inches (14 cm)
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Weight: 205 grams (7.23 oz)
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Blade Material: D2 Steel Snake KnifeHandle Material: Stag with Brass Engraved Bolsters Handle
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Sheath: Premium Leather
Personalise it: initials or short text engraving $19, custom logo engraving $29. Choose on this page before you add to cart. Free gift box included.
Amihan Filipino Traditional Series D2 Steel Beautiful Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made With Rose Wood Handle BF-99
Bagani Filipino Traditional D2 Steel Beautiful Dagger Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made Gift For Him With Rose Wood Handle BF-111
Bagwis Filipino Traditional Series D2 Steel Beautiful Tanto Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made With Rose Wood Handle BF-100
Balete Philippine Visayan D2 Steel Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made Gift For Him With Stag Horn Handle BF-122
Bundok Philippine Visayan D2 Steel Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made Gift For Him With Stag Horn Handle BF-121
Dalisay Filipino Traditional D2 Steel Beautiful Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made Gift For Him With Rose Wood Handle BF-110
Dangal Filipino Traditional Series D2 Steel Beautiful Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made With Rose Wood Handle BF-101
Giting Filipino Traditional D2 Steel Beautiful Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made Gift For Him With Rose Wood Handle BF-103
Gubat Pandayan Traditional Series Hunting Balde D2 Steel Beautiful Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made With Burl Wood Handle BF-96
Habagat Pandayan Traditional Series D2 Steel Beautiful Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made With Cool Handle BF-94
Hiyas Filipino Traditional D2 Steel Beautiful Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made Gift For Him With Rose Wood Handle Best Quality Knife BF-113
Kalayaan Filipino Traditional D2 Steel Beautiful Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made Gift For Him With Rose Wood Handle Best Quality Knife BF-115
Lakan Filipino Traditional D2 Steel Beautiful Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made Gift For Him With Rose Wood Handle BF-105
Lingkis Dagger Snake Filipino Traditional D2 Steel Beautiful Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made Gift For Him With Stag Horn Handle BF-117
Liwayway Filipino Traditional D2 Steel Beautiful Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made Gift For Him With Rose Wood Handle BF-109
Marilag Filipino Traditional D2 Steel Beautiful Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made Gift For Him With Rose Wood Handle BF-112
Molave Pandayan Traditional Series Hunting Balde D2 Steel Beautiful Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made With Rose Wood Handle BF-97
Mole Handmade D2 Tool Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Brass, Carabao Horn and Jigged Bone Handle | 29cm Full Size Collector Gift | BF-78
Monarch Handmade D2 Tool Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Brass and Bone Handle | 29cm Full Size Collector Gift | BF-79
Mongoose Handmade D2 Tool Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Brass, Carabao and Deer Horn Handle | 29cm Full Size Collector Gift | BF-80
Mongrel Handmade D2 Tool Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Brass and Kamagong Wood Handle | 29cm Full Size Collector Gift | BF-81
Monitor Lizard Handmade D2 Tool Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Brass and Kamagong Wood Handle | 29cm Full Size Collector Gift | BF-82
Monkey Handmade D2 Tool Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Stainless Steel and Kamagong Wood Handle | 29cm Full Size Collector Gift | BF-83
Your D2 blade is looked after. What does the handle need?
The description above deals with the steel: wipe it, oil it once a month, never sheath it damp. Good. Now look at the other end of the knife, because that is where most D2 owners do their accidental damage. A semi-stainless blade forgives a missed week. A rosewood panel left on a sunny windowsill, or a stag horn handle soaked in a sink, may not. Every D2 balisong on this shelf has a natural or composite handle insert, and each material wants something slightly different from you.
What the 47 D2 knives here are actually wearing
We went through every D2 listing and counted the handle inserts. The spread is wider than the thumbnails suggest.
| Handle insert | D2 knives | Product codes | Main enemy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosewood | 19 | BF-97 to BF-115 | Drying out, direct sun |
| Kamagong, alone or mixed with micarta or stainless | 8 | BF-81, BF-82, BF-83, BF-86, BF-87, BF-90, BF-92, BF-93 | Very little |
| Stag horn | 8 | BF-116 to BF-122, BF-149 | Soaking |
| Bone and jigged bone | 5 | BF-79, BF-84, BF-85, BF-89, BF-91 | Soaking, dyes and stains |
| Narra burl wood | 3 | BF-94 to BF-96 | Drying out |
| Horn mixes (carabao with jigged bone or deer horn) | 2 | BF-78, BF-80 | Heat, very dry air |
| Micarta with stainless | 1 | BF-88 | Nothing worth mentioning |
| Mother of pearl | 1 | BF-141 | Hard floors |
Wood handles: rosewood, narra burl and kamagong
Rosewood is the most common D2 handle we make, and it is the one most likely to look tired after a dry winter indoors. The fix takes a minute. Rub in a small amount of oil with a cloth, leave it ten minutes, and buff off everything that did not soak in. Narra burl wants the same treatment, and because burl grain runs in every direction it drinks unevenly, so two thin coats beat one thick one. Kamagong is dense and naturally oily and mostly just asks to be handled. Whatever the wood, never put the knife through a dishwasher. We should not need to say that, and yet.
Stag, horn and bone
Stag horn, on eight of our D2 knives from BF-116 up, is tough and grippy and hides scuffs well. Horn and bone share one weakness: water left on them for long periods. A splash is nothing. An afternoon soaking in a sink can lift the finish or open fine cracks as the material dries. Carabao horn also dislikes heat, so a car dashboard in summer is a poor place for the BF-78 or BF-80. Wipe these handles with a damp cloth, dry them, and they last generations.
Mother of pearl and micarta: the two extremes
The BF-141 wears mother of pearl, and its own product page says it plainly: pearl is brittle, and a drop onto tile can chip a panel in a way that will not polish out. Keep that one off hard floors and away from learning sessions. At the opposite end, the BF-88 Neanderthal uses micarta and stainless. Micarta does not care about sweat, water, sun or neglect, and the D2 blade does not care much either. For owners in humid climates who want a genuinely careless knife, that pairing is hard to beat.
For the blade side of the routine, our balisong rust and care guide has storage advice. The full D2 traditional collection shows every handle side by side, and if you would rather skip blade care altogether, 440C balisongs are fully stainless.
D2 handle care questions
What is the most common handle on a D2 balisong here? Rosewood. 19 of the 47 D2 knives on this shelf use it, the Filipino Traditional series from BF-97 to BF-115.
What oil should I use on a rosewood or burl handle? A light oil suitable for wood, applied thinly with a cloth and buffed off after about ten minutes. Keep it away from the pivot, where oil traps grit.
Can I wash a stag horn or bone handle under the tap? A quick rinse and immediate drying is fine. Avoid soaking, which can open cracks as the material dries out again.
Which D2 knife has the lowest maintenance handle? The BF-88 Neanderthal, with micarta and stainless inserts. Micarta ignores water, sweat and sunlight.
Is the mother of pearl D2 knife suitable for flipping practice? No. Mother of pearl is brittle and can chip on a hard landing. Practise with a trainer and keep the BF-141 for display and careful handling.
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.