Traditional Balisongs
Traditional balisongs are defined by how the handle is built. Every knife on this page uses a full brass channel frame: the brass runs the length of each handle, the pivot and finger ring are fixed through it, and buffalo horn, bone or wenge is fitted inside and filed flush. It is slower work than screwing panels onto a frame, and it is how Batangas balisongs have long been made.
The three knives here put that construction on a karambit blade. Each is 24cm open with a 12cm high carbon steel blade, a brass ring and a fitted leather sheath. BF-181 alternates horn with bone spacers, BF-182 sets pale bone against a forge finished blade, and BF-186 pairs wenge in brass with a satin polished blade. Every one can be ordered as an unsharpened trainer at the same price.
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Bagyo Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | Satin Polished High Carbon Steel | Buffalo Horn and Bone Handle with Brass Frame and Leather Sheath BF-181
Black horn and pale bone alternating down a brass channel, with a brass ring at the butt. This is the oldest way of building a balisong handle, put on the newest shape in the range.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, satin polished
Handle Material – Buffalo Horn with bone spacers in a brass frame, brass finger ring
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
Ulan 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
Ulap Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | Satin Polished High Carbon Steel | Wenge Wood Handle with Brass Frame and Leather Sheath BF-186
Wenge set into a full brass channel with a brass ring, and a satin blade rather than a mirror. The quiet one.
Blade Material – High Carbon Steel, satin polished
Handle Material – Wenge Wood in a brass frame, brass finger ring
Overall Length – 24 cm
Blade Length – 12 cm
Hardness – 58-60 HRC
Sheath – Fitted leather, included
What makes a karambit balisong traditional, when the curved blade is the new part?
The karambit shape came from the Indonesian and Malay archipelago, not from Batangas, and putting it on a butterfly frame is a recent idea. So nobody should call these three knives traditional because of their blades. They earn the word through their handles, which are built the old way, and that way is slower and rarer than most people realise.
The brass channel is the traditional part
On most modern balisongs, two flat panels are screwed or pinned to a frame. On these three, the brass is a folded channel that runs the full length of each handle, and the channel is the structure. The pivot goes through it and the finger ring is fixed to it. Horn, bone or wood sits inside the channel as a fitted filling, filed flush with the brass and finished as one piece so your hand cannot find the joins.
That construction is what we mean when we say a knife looks like a Batangas knife. It takes far longer than bolting panels to a frame, and it gives a heavier handle with more weight towards the ring. Over time the brass darkens and becomes the dominant colour.
Three knives, three finishes
All three share the same size: 24cm open with a 12cm high carbon steel blade, a brass finger ring and a fitted leather sheath. What differs is the blade surface and what fills the channel.
| Knife | Blade finish | Inside the brass channel | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| BF-181 | Satin polished | Buffalo horn blocks with bone spacers | The most traditional: alternating dark and pale down the handle |
| BF-182 | Forge finish with polished edge | Buffalo bone | The highest contrast: a dark blade against a pale handle |
| BF-186 | Satin polished | Wenge wood | The quiet one: near black wood inside bright brass |
The spacers on BF-181 started as economy. Long clean pieces of horn were valuable, so makers stacked short blocks and hid each join with a slice of pale bone. The pattern that resulted turned out to look better than a single block, and it became a signature. Most good design has a story that dull.
Living with high carbon and natural handles
High carbon steel is not stainless. Dry the blade after use and oil it lightly before storage, and expect a grey patina to develop. Horn dislikes long spells of dryness. Bone is hard and stable. Wenge is open grained and near black. None of them needs much beyond a wipe with a cloth.
If you want a traditional balisong with a straight blade instead, our traditional balisong knives category holds ten, in high carbon and D2. For the full curved range, see the karambit balisong collection, and for how the two knife families differ in the hand, read balisong vs karambit.
Traditional balisong questions
Is a karambit balisong a traditional Filipino knife? The blade shape is not. The karambit comes from the Indonesian and Malay archipelago. What is traditional on these three is the handle: a full brass channel frame with horn, bone or wood fitted inside, the way Batangas balisongs have long been built.
What is a brass channel handle? A folded brass channel that forms the whole structure of each handle. The pivot and finger ring attach to the brass, and the natural material inside is fitted and filed flush with it.
What is the finger ring for? Retention. Your index finger goes through it, so the knife stays with your hand even when your grip is wet or loose.
Do these knives rust? The blades are high carbon steel, so they can if left wet. Dry them after use and oil them lightly before storing. The brass will darken naturally.
Where are the straight blade traditional balisongs? In the traditional balisong knives category, which holds ten knives with straight blades in high carbon steel and D2.
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.