Ningning Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | High Polished High Carbon Steel | Wenge Wood Handle with Brass Bolsters and Leather Sheath BF-183
Original price was: $292.95.$219.71Current price is: $219.71.
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 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-183 is a karambit balisong with wenge panels and brass bolsters, mirror polished blade. Wenge is a wood with strong opinions about how it wants to be worked, so this page is mostly about the wood.
Wenge is open grained, and that is the whole story
Most handle woods are close grained: the pores are small enough that a sanded surface is effectively smooth. Wenge is the opposite. Its pores are large, arranged in dark lines that run the length of the board, and after finishing you can still feel them with a fingertip.
That texture is not a defect and we do not fill it flat. Filling wenge with grain filler produces a surface that looks like dark plastic, which defeats the point of choosing it. Left open, it gives grip in a way a polished wood cannot, and it makes the handle instantly identifiable in the dark.
The cost is that it is slightly harder to clean. Anything fine enough to sit in those pores will sit in them. A dry brush deals with it in seconds.
Why it splinters if you rush it
Wenge is famous among woodworkers for producing splinters that are unusually unpleasant, and it earns that reputation because the grain runs long and straight and the fibres separate cleanly along it.
For a handle, that means every edge has to be broken by hand and every hole has to be drilled with a backing block or the exit side lifts. Machine it fast and you get a panel with a whiskered edge that looks fine until somebody runs a thumb along it.
This is one of those materials where the difference between careful work and quick work is obvious to the hand and invisible in a photograph.
Wenge against the other dark options
| Wenge | Rose wood | Buffalo horn | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colour | Near black, grey brown lines | Orange to red brown | Black with amber streaks |
| Surface | Open pored, textured | Close grained, smooth | Polished, glassy |
| Grip when damp | Best of the three | Good | Good |
| Care | Oil once a year | Oil rarely | Oil once a year if stored |
If you want the dark look and you actually intend to hold the knife, wenge is the one. If you want the dark look on a shelf, horn is prettier.
Brass, and why not steel here
Wenge is so dark that steel bolsters disappear into it under most lighting. Brass gives the pivot end a warm point that separates the mechanism from the handle visually, and as it darkens it moves towards the same brown as the grain lines rather than away from them.
Specifications for this wenge karambit balisong
| Overall length | 24 cm |
| Blade length | 12 cm |
| Blade | High carbon steel, mirror polished |
| Hardness | 58-60 HRC |
| Handle | Wenge wood with brass bolsters, finger ring |
| Sheath | Fitted leather, included |
Ordering the BF-183
Sharpened, tuned and checked by hand, with a fitted leather sheath and a gift box.
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. On wenge we would put it on the blade, because engraving into open grain never reads as cleanly. 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
8 reviews for Ningning Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | High Polished High Carbon Steel | Wenge Wood Handle with Brass Bolsters and Leather Sheath BF-183
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 warranty
Nicholas Hughes –
Photos don’t do this knife justice at all. Cool that these are made by actual Filipino craftsmen right here in the USA. Action is smooth right out of the box. No break in needed. This shop clearly takes pride in their work.
Peter Jackson –
This blade came razor sharp out of the box. Action is smooth right out of the box. No break in needed. If you’re on the fence just get it. You won’t regret it.
Patricia Rogers –
This blade came razor sharp out of the box. Great buy overall.
Margaret Scott –
This showed up faster than expected and looked incredible. Blade came shaving sharp straight out of the box. Telling everyone I know to check this seller out. Good to know real Filipino makers are behind this, and shipping from the US was quick too.
Nicholas Cruz –
Ended up ordering a second one after how happy I was with the first. Comes with a nice pouch which is a nice touch. Beyond happy with how this turned out.
Eric Foster –
Ordering again from this company the second I finish writing this review. Action is smooth right out of the box, no break in needed. This is the kind of purchase that makes online shopping worth it.
Angela Stewart –
This showed up faster than expected and looked incredible. Pivots feel dialed in with zero blade play. This flips cleaner than knives twice the price. Handles have a great grip even during fast flips. This is my third order from Balisong Butterfly and they never disappoint. Would send this as a gift again in a heartbeat.
Ahmed Torres –
Didn’t think a balisong at this price could feel this premium. Pivots feel dialed in with zero blade play. This is my new favorite in the collection.