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Balisong Knives
DLT Trading carries butterfly knives built for people who actually flip them, from American made classics to titanium balisongs machined for competition level rollovers. A balisong is two handles counter rotating around a single tang, and everything that separates a great one from a rattling import lives in the pivots, the pins, and the balance point. This collection sits alongside the rest of our knives, and every bali here was chosen for the same reason: it opens the same way on the thousandth flip as it did on the first.
What Makes a Balisong Knife Different
The balisong traces back to the Philippines, where it earned its reputation as both a working tool and a martial arts blade. Closed, the two handles cover the edge completely. Open, they lock together into a solid grip, usually secured by a latch. One handle rides the spine side and one rides the edge side, and learning which is the safe handle and which is the bite handle is the first lesson every flipper learns. The modern bali song knife owes a lot to Les de Asis, whose Bali-Song company became Benchmade, and the Benchmade 87 still carries that lineage today.
Pivots, Pins, and Handle Construction
Bushing pivots give a smooth, controlled swing with less maintenance, while bearing pivots spin faster and reward aerials and rollovers. Channel construction machines each handle from one piece for rigidity, and sandwich construction bolts liners and scales together for tunability. Handle material sets the feel. Titanium brings weight and durability, 7075 aluminum keeps the knife light and quick, and G-10 adds grip. MachineWise machines its titanium balisongs in Phoenix, and LDY builds the Sirius, Kite Ti, and Orion in aluminum and titanium for flippers moving up from their first bali.
Blade Steels for a Butterfly Knife That Gets Used
Entry balisongs run 440C and D2, steels that sharpen easily and handle daily cutting without fuss. Step up and the options get serious: S35VN on the MachineWise Serif and Opus, S45VN on the Medford Viceroy, M390 on Poikilo Blade builds, Elmax on the Microtech Tachyon III, and MagnaCut on the American made CRKT M16 balisong. Our knife steel comparison breaks down edge retention and corrosion resistance across all of them.
Choosing a Real Butterfly Knife
A live blade balisong and a practice model share the same handles and pivot, so the choice comes down to how you plan to use it. Many flippers learn on a dull blade, like the Boker Plus Papillon Trainer, then move to a sharp version once the combos are second nature. For a knife that flips well and carries well, look at blade length, closed weight, and whether the latch stays out of the way. The Spyderco Janisong takes a different road entirely, reworking the balisong into a practical folder that keeps the bali feel. Ownership rules for butterfly knives differ from state to state, and our knife laws by state guide lays out where they stand.
American Made and Collector Grade Balisongs
Some of the best balisongs ever built come out of American shops. Kershaw butterfly knives like the Lucha and Moonsault are made in the USA with KVT ball bearing action, the Tachyon III pairs a 4.5 inch bowie blade with ceramic bearing pivots, and MachineWise serializes and tests every knife before it ships. On the import side, the Poikilo Blade PM3 S2 Bali was shaped by flipper community feedback, and the Cold Steel Arc Angel brings an aluminum handled bali to a working price. Whether you are buying your first balisong or chasing a limited titanium drop, this is where the flippers start.