Bagyo Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | Satin Polished High Carbon Steel | Buffalo Horn and Bone Handle with Brass Frame and Leather Sheath BF-181
Original price was: $331.95.$248.96Current price is: $248.96.
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
Handmade in Austin, TX. Ships Worldwide.
Every knife is built by hand in our workshop in Austin, Texas, by Filipino makers trained in the Batangas tradition. We ship to any country we are allowed to send a knife to. Free shipping inside the United States, 49 USD flat everywhere else. Shipping and delivery times
Not quite what you want?
Pick your own blade, steel and handle in our custom balisong builder.
The BF-181 is a karambit balisong built the traditional Batangas way: a brass channel frame with blocks of buffalo horn and bone stacked inside it, and a brass ring at the end.
How a sandwich handle is actually made
The brass is not a decorative strip. It is a folded channel, and it is the structural handle. The pivot goes through it, the ring is fixed to it, and everything it carries could be removed without the knife falling apart.
Inside that channel, blocks of material are stacked end to end and pinned through. Horn, then a thin slice of bone, then horn again. Each block is fitted individually, filed flush with the brass, then the whole assembly is finished as one piece so that your hand cannot feel the joins.
It is slow work and there is no way to speed it up, which is why almost nobody builds handles this way any more. Two flat panels screwed to a frame takes a fraction of the time.
Why the spacers exist at all
Originally, economy. Horn came in irregular pieces off an animal and long clean sections were the valuable ones. Building a handle from short blocks meant the offcuts became usable, and a pale spacer hid the join between two pieces that did not quite match.
The visual effect was a by product that turned out to be better than the intention. Alternating dark and light down the length gives the eye a rhythm and makes the handle read as longer and slimmer than a single block of the same size.
So a cost saving became a signature. That is how most good design happens and it is worth saying, because the alternative story, that somebody sat down and designed it, is usually a lie.
Two materials, two different care needs
| Buffalo horn | Bone | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Keratin, same protein as a fingernail | Mineralised collagen |
| Dislikes | Prolonged dryness, which can crack it | Long soaking and thermal shock |
| Care | A trace of mineral oil once a year if it lives in a case | Nothing at all |
| Ages by | Deepening, showing more amber in the light | Warming slightly to cream |
In practice, handling the knife covers the horn’s needs on its own and the bone never asks for anything. The only real mistake is leaving it wet.
A satin blade, not a mirror
Satin is a directional finish, ground and then hand finished in one direction so the surface carries fine parallel lines. It sits between a mirror and a stone wash: brighter than matte, far more forgiving than a polish.
On a traditional handle it is the correct choice. A mirror would out shine the brass and turn the whole knife into a jewellery piece, which this is not.
Specifications for this traditional karambit balisong
| Overall length | 24 cm |
| Blade length | 12 cm |
| Blade | High carbon steel, satin polished |
| Hardness | 58-60 HRC |
| Handle | Buffalo horn with bone spacers in a brass frame, brass finger ring |
| Sheath | Fitted leather, included |
Ordering the BF-181
Sharpened, tuned and checked by hand, with a fitted leather sheath and a gift box. High carbon steel, so wipe it dry and store it out of the sheath.
Or take it as a trainer instead. Identical frame, identical weight, no cutting edge, and the price does not move.
Laser engraving is $29, chosen on this page. Free shipping inside the United States, flat $49 worldwide.
Every knife is checked for lockup, pivot action and edge before it goes in the box. Nothing ships that we would not keep for ourselves.
Processing
Most orders leave the bench in 1 to 3 business days. If the knife you picked is not in stock we forge it for you, which takes roughly 2 to 3 weeks. Engraving adds a little time on top of that.
What shipping costs
- United States: free on every order.
- Everywhere else: a flat 49 dollars for the whole order, however many knives are in it, so two at once ship for the same as one.
How long it takes
- USA: 4 to 8 business days
- International: 8 to 14 business days, longer if customs takes an interest
Those are carrier estimates, not promises we can enforce.
Tracking
A tracking number reaches you by email as soon as the parcel is collected. Carriers often take 24 to 48 hours to start showing movement, so a quiet first day is normal.
Customs and local law
Import duty, VAT and customs fees are set by your own country and are yours to pay. Balisong law varies by country and by US state, so it is worth checking yours before you order.
The full detail lives on Order and Shipping and Return or Exchange.
Hand-forged in the Batangas tradition
The balisong was born in Batangas, Philippines. Every knife in this catalogue is made by Filipino artisans and metalworkers, many from families with generations of experience, now working in the United States. Blades are ground from 440C stainless, D2 tool steel, VG10, high carbon and Damascus, and fitted to handles of kamagong ebony, carabao horn, Philippine deer horn and bone.
Checked four times
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.
Engraving available
Initials or short text $19 in the font you choose, a custom logo $29. Select it above Add to Cart and upload the logo file at checkout.
A sheath with every knife
Every knife includes a fitted leather sheath. Both live blades and trainers are offered, and every order ships worldwide with tracking.
Buying more than one?
Trade pricing starts at ten pieces and reaches 45% under retail at volume, with your logo on the bolster. See wholesale and bulk, or design one from scratch.
Owner reviews
What owners say
3 reviews for Bagyo Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | Satin Polished High Carbon Steel | Buffalo Horn and Bone Handle with Brass Frame and Leather Sheath BF-181
Shipping and returns
Processing
Most orders ship in 1 to 3 business days.
USA delivery
4 to 8 business days, tracked door to door.
International
8 to 14 business days. Customs times vary by country.
Made to order
Out of stock pieces are handcrafted for you in 2 to 3 weeks.
We ship worldwide. The customer is responsible for customs, VAT and local legality.
Returns and exchanges Read the warrantyRelated products
Hedgehog Handmade High Carbon Steel Original Filipino Balisong Butterfly Knife with Brass and Kamagong Wood Handle | 24cm EDC Flipper Gift for Him | BF-57
A hedgehog is unhurried and hard to argue with, and the BF-57 is that sort of tool - plain steel that sharpens easily on a stone and simply keeps working.
Blade Materials – High Carbon Steel
Handle Materials – Brass with Kamagong Wood Inserts
Overall Length – 24cm
Blade Length -12cm
Weight -180g
Eric Bishop –
This balisong is a genuine work of art. Ordered from Balisong Butterfly before and the quality stays consistent every time.
James Ward –
This is one of those purchases that just makes you smile. Definitely bookmarking this seller for future orders.
Christine Jones –
This is exactly what I wanted and then some. Pivots feel dialed in with zero blade play. Handles have a great grip even during fast flips. Weight is perfectly balanced for flipping. Happy customer here, through and through.