Ulap Handmade Karambit Balisong Butterfly Knife | Satin Polished High Carbon Steel | Wenge Wood Handle with Brass Frame and Leather Sheath BF-186

The BF-186 is a karambit balisong with wenge panels set into a brass channel frame, a brass ring, and a satin finished blade. It shares its wood with the BF-183 and almost nothing else, which is the interesting part.

Bolsters against a full frame

The BF-183 has brass bolsters: small blocks at the pivot end, with the wood carrying on to the butt and the ring fixed through it. This knife has a brass channel running the entire length, with the wood sitting inside it like a filling.

Neither is better. The frame is the traditional construction and it is more work, but a bolstered handle is lighter and puts more wood against your palm. Pick by which of those you want.

Satin, and why it is the underrated finish

Satin is directional. The blade is ground and then hand finished in one direction so the surface carries fine parallel lines, and light travelling across it produces a soft even sheen rather than a reflection.

It sits precisely between the two finishes people usually argue about. A mirror shows every fingerprint and every new scratch. A stone wash hides everything, including good work. Satin shows the grind lines, which is what you want to see, and forgives ordinary handling, which is what you want forgiven.

It is also the finish that ages most gracefully. Scratches on satin run in the same direction as the finish and disappear into it. Scratches on a mirror sit there forever, mocking you.

Wenge inside brass

Wenge is open grained and near black, brass is smooth and bright, and putting them directly against each other is a hard join to get right. The wood has visible pores running to the edge and the brass has none, so any gap at all reads as a gap.

The panels are fitted proud and then filed down flush with the brass as a single surface, so your thumb crosses the join without finding it. That is the part of this handle that takes the time.

Over the years the brass will darken towards brown while the wenge stays where it is, and the contrast will soften. It looks better then.

Weight, and what it does to the swing

A full brass frame is noticeably heavier than bolsters, and most of that extra mass is out towards the ring. On a karambit balisong that slows the swing down and makes it feel more deliberate.

Whether that is good depends entirely on you. If you like a knife that moves quickly, buy the bolstered one. If you like knowing exactly where the handles are through the whole arc, this is the one.

Specifications for this wenge and brass karambit balisong

Ordering the BF-186

Sharpened, tuned and checked by hand, with a fitted leather sheath and a gift box. A drop of mineral oil on the wenge once a year, and nothing else.

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.

A full brass frame and a pair of small bolsters are structurally different things, and our guide to balisong anatomy explains the terms for each part of the handle in more detail. The Ulap sits in our karambit balisong range. The Ningning carries the same wenge wood on bolsters rather than a full frame, for a lighter knife with more wood against the palm.