UPSB v3

Manipulative Arts / Balisong/Butterfly Knife

not really legal in USA...

  1. Crzyazn
    Date: Fri, Nov 23 2007 20:26:27

    damn local laws......

    I want to start except I don't think it's legal in WA state

    roar, anyone actually know tricks here?

  2. blugyblug
    Date: Sat, Dec 8 2007 09:17:33

    I have no idea wat ur talking about, can u post a link to a video of it?

  3. K4S
    Date: Sat, Dec 8 2007 09:25:43

    QUOTE (blugyblug @ Dec 8 2007, 05:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
    I have no idea wat ur talking about, can u post a link to a video of it?

    usegoogledk3.gif

    ...search moar you lazy australian.


    ps: balisongs arent legal up here in Canada either...so i definitely don't own one happy.gif

  4. Crzyazn
    Date: Tue, Dec 11 2007 23:53:22

    damn you k4s

    although i could just get a ride to the border..... wink.gif

  5. Square
    Date: Wed, Dec 12 2007 02:11:52

    Fuck legality, I used to have plenty of 'em.
    Used to...

    They seemed to vanish the last time I moved... Had em all in a box with a lot of other things my parents didn't like...

    I wonder where they are...

    Bastards.

  6. Xenophobe
    Date: Thu, Dec 20 2007 02:17:41

    Unsharp "trainers" are technically legal.

  7. MX Freak
    Date: Fri, Jan 11 2008 20:41:42

    Actually you sure theyre illegal in the states? or did you mean the shipping to your state? cuz the fighting academy i went to sells some and dont you have to be known by local athority that youre selling weapons or somethin like that?
    Plus one other thing, it might even be illegal if youre a minor and your blade is more than 3 inches (then again ionno if thats jus a virginia state law or a national law)
    Oh, and one thing i know for sure is that here it isnt illegal to OWN one but it is illegal to carry one around (thats explainable)
    Maybe you might wanna check your state laws, ionno how just try

  8. MinorThreat
    Date: Tue, Jan 15 2008 23:30:30

    QUOTE (MX Freak @ Jan 11 2008, 12:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
    more than 3 inches (

    thats the rule here in CA as well for folding knives.

  9. afterplace
    Date: Sun, Feb 3 2008 17:25:03

    We have lots of that here in our country. It was invented here anyway (as far as I know). biggrin.gif

    I think it's being made more as a piece of craft than as your everyday knife. Although one can say that it has a functional design - both as decor and a knife.

    There are lot of cool videos out there. Just google and see how many tricks you can try without cutting your fingers laugh.gif

  10. Katantoon
    Date: Sun, Feb 3 2008 17:46:27

    actually my grandfather has one and i dont think it's illegal. not as long as u use it to someone or anything.... well thats in our country
    tongue.gif

  11. Voyager
    Date: Thu, Feb 7 2008 22:33:24

    I have had a few in the past and have cut myself on several occasions, it realy hurts especialy when you try to throw-spin and catch, and it lands blade down into your palm.... Owchhhhh

  12. MX Freak
    Date: Sun, Feb 17 2008 03:55:10

    heh, i jus have to ask my friend cuz he has one and its kinda dull so its aight if you touch the blade

    i remember my friend having trouble tryin this one openin trick, where theres no "formality" you just open it under a second (i think i know how to do it)
    been a while since i was in the fighting academy, might be goin back soon (sweet)

    [to Crzyazn] - Ask your parents if you can purchase one. look at which you like (without goin shopping crazy), check your local and state laws of purchase and possesion of a blade, check shipping availability and blah blah blah... all that frikkin crap but yea do those so you dont get busted
    try looking up some weapon sites and check their shipping availablity, cuz sometimes there are shippin restrictions.
    how bout lookin at Blade Empire link

  13. BaliYo
    Date: Thu, Feb 21 2008 17:18:55

    ...

  14. Alfvallarta
    Date: Fri, Feb 22 2008 02:30:27

    What was that, BaliYo???

  15. Coolatta
    Date: Mon, Mar 17 2008 01:37:25

    my friend buy em from china town and sells them in my school.
    (i live in NYC) biggrin.gif

  16. Betakuwe
    Date: Wed, Sep 24 2008 10:31:53

    ">" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350">

  17. TurbulentTurtle
    Date: Wed, Sep 24 2008 11:18:19

    Godammit, that was so hot...

    I've wanted a balisong for a while actually, but as far as I know, there aren't any places to actually buy one legally in Canada. I could ask some friends for hookups though, but I never really followed that through.

  18. KurtAB
    Date: Thu, Sep 25 2008 12:57:19

    I want one of these badly. I have been looking for them for awhile. They are illegal here, i just can't find them.

  19. Kam
    Date: Fri, Sep 26 2008 19:40:44

    yeah...it's such a pain to find them here in California as well...and I'm just too lazy to figure out the legalities of owning one.

    I used to manipulate balisongs/butterfly knives, and here are a few words of advice...

    Don't try juggling sharp balisongs...it's not easy to fool your family when you have over 20 cuts on your hands at one given time.

    Also, not a good idea to do this at school...it will most likely get you in trouble.

    that's all I can say for now smile.gif

  20. Betakuwe
    Date: Sun, Sep 28 2008 09:54:47

    QUOTE (Kam @ Sep 27 2008, 03:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
    yeah...it's such a pain to find them here in California as well...and I'm just too lazy to figure out the legalities of owning one.

    I used to manipulate balisongs/butterfly knives, and here are a few words of advice...

    Don't try juggling sharp balisongs...it's not easy to fool your family when you have over 20 cuts on your hands at one given time.

    Also, not a good idea to do this at school...it will most likely get you in trouble.

    that's all I can say for now smile.gif


    is there any tutorials on the butterfly trick(the one that looks like infinity and figure8)? unsure.gif

  21. daffy
    Date: Sun, Nov 16 2008 19:15:59

    i just got a butterfly knife. its sooo much fun! i can do some "fundamentals" like The twirl and others. its really fun. i got mine at a flea market for $8 its soo worth it!

  22. BeckWreck
    Date: Sun, Nov 16 2008 19:30:53

    i used to have one, but i decided it was smart to do it in public and some cop took it from me. damn cop...

  23. fatalfury28
    Date: Mon, Nov 17 2008 11:06:05

    its fun? XD

  24. T-roy
    Date: Wed, Nov 19 2008 03:46:05

    its a pretty fun activity even though im not very good

  25. nsforever1031
    Date: Fri, Mar 27 2009 02:28:25

    QUOTE (Coolatta @ Mar 16 2008, 09:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
    my friend buy em from china town and sells them in my school.
    (i live in NYC) biggrin.gif

    dude i live in nyc 2 (downtown) nd ive been lookin for a butterfly knife but i can't seem to find them anywhere! where in chinatown does he buy em? ive walked up nd down canal street atleast 100 cuz ive lived here for 9 yrs nd yet havent found any... if u could help me out that would be awesome biggrin.gif

  26. krouls
    Date: Sat, Mar 28 2009 10:17:32

    my father have these things, but I never played with it.

  27. darkinertia
    Date: Wed, Apr 15 2009 08:47:18

    QUOTE (Crzyazn @ Nov 23 2007, 03:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
    damn local laws......

    I want to start except I don't think it's legal in WA state

    roar, anyone actually know tricks here?



    i live in WA ( near seattle) and i got balisongs. i ordered them online at bladeplay.com and uniqueblade.com and ive bought some at the local tobacco shop. your allowed to have them for collection purposes, but not to carry.


    its like the poppy law; your allowed to grow poppies, but if you cut the bulbs and make heroin, your screwed.

  28. En-Nova
    Date: Mon, May 18 2009 02:53:19

    Are there any butterfly knife communites? (Like UPSB) I've been thinking of getting one, but I don't know where to learn tricks.
    Yes, they are legal in PA.

  29. IAreBenchmade
    Date: Mon, Jun 22 2009 17:36:45

    Balisong legality depends on if a state determines it as a "gravity knife". A gravity knife is a knife in which is opened with the use of hands.
    Its rediculous that NY doesn't consider it a gravity knife, but i still own 5 of them biggrin.gif .

    Edit: Balisongs are like marijuana, Illegal for the wrong reasons.

  30. Ice Clear
    Date: Sun, Nov 22 2009 05:17:39

    ive heard of some people making fake butterfly's, that arent exactly what you would call a "knife"
    i mean that the blade isnt a blade.. but i have no idea how..

  31. chili pepper
    Date: Tue, Apr 13 2010 03:49:32

    For those of you who dont know much about butterfly knives, if you have any questions, then Im here for the askin. im a noob when it comes to pens, but ive been flipping for five or so years, and not to toot my own mellophone, but im quite good jackson.gif I will try to answer some Q's i have seen in this thread. I dont do videos, however, due to a lack of recording device, so i can only refer you to other videos.
    Question #1: are they legal in ___________?
    the answer is: technically, there is a good chance that they are. In the US, i know for a fact that California will only allow BF knives with a blade under three inches since state officials consider them to be switchblades. there are BKs specifically for this, the one on my mind is 126 USD and looks like two pens when it's closed. Outside of the US, they are probably banned by the offensive weapons act in britain, and similar codes probably apply in places like australia and canada. Unfortunately, you probably can't whip one of these things out in public. I've tried before, and the end result is not good. even flipping a trainer butterfly that does not have a blade and tip (they are also commonly recognized by the holes cut into the blade to prevent sharpening) people are afraid of these things, especially when you get into crazy aerials. (i've seen guys fling a knife between their legs and eight feet into the air) Also, local law enforcement tends not to give a rat's ass about the actual law and WILL confiscate these knives whenever they get the chance. so be careful.
    There has also been dispute about this whole "gravity knife" thing. technically, using a sideswept basic opening, the knife can be opened without the use of gravity, but noobs tend to do what we call the "fag drop" or "butterknife" where they just kinda fling the thing out, then move a finger or two to get it into the open position. this makes it a gravity knife. moves such as the latch drop are also first learned by noobs with the help of gravity.
    Question #2: where can I get one, and for how much?
    Penspinners think they have it rough when they have to spend twenty dollars on a good pen. You guys don't know how good you have it in terms of pricing. a respectable butterfly knife that is universally known as the standard of knife construction against which all other knives are made is the Benchmade model 42. you want it? 280 USD, please. the ultimatum of balisong knives that is designed to still be functional, not just a work of art, retails in the range of 600 USD. the butterfly roses balisong by Audra Draper, sheathed in gold and rubies and a futuristic bearing system, is THREE THOUSAND USD. of course, there is another end to the spectrum. the absolute lowest I have ever seen a BFK run for new is 12 USD. These knives, along with anything inside the 12- 60 US dollar price range, are what is often referred to as CCC's, of charming China Cheapos. They are generally pretty smexy in their appearance, but will grow extremely dull, loose, and unusable quickly. A generic black diamond balisong, retailing around 20 USD, will most likely collapse from one of three things: the pins the blade rotates on will pop (they're aircraft grade alluminum), the blade itself will snap off from daily use, or the handle will snap off, sending the rest of the knife flying in any random direction, possibly at your face. it's happened before. These kind of knives are everywhere, and you will probably encounter this generic model of knife multiple times in your quest for a good knife. Within the 70- 200 dollar range, there are a few good balisongs, such as the tornado or spyderfly from spyderco, but not much else. these knives are available online and from collectors who know what they're talking about. the next tier of knives is almost exclusively available online.
    Question #3: okay, i think i found a good one, now how do I flip it?
    first thing: do not use the movie kickass as a guide to your flipping. that chick is kindof a fail when it comes to butterfly knives. also, she throws hers. never do this. You'll want to start with a basic opening. this consists of flipping out the knife so one handle is held, then rotating it in a windmill motion so the blade and the handle flipped out are reversed position-wise, and then a flip up to have the knife fully open. it's hard to explain, as are many knife tricks, so i would reccomend this site: balisonginfo. it contains tricks by Zenghost, who is awesome despite his flip-impeding long fingernails. you can learn most of your tricks there.
    Question #4: is there an organized community for this?
    not really. there is very little cohesiveness inside the community because it isn't really a very active movement. There are a few elites, however. BalianFabisong is basically the Jesus of balisong flipping on youtube and can string together tricks very effectively, Zenghost is the master of tutorials, and Chuck Gollnick of balisong collector (.com) is the master of collecting, and basically knows everything and everybody related to balisongs. he's become fairly inactive as of late, though.

    hope this helps!

    just a sidenote, me and my circle of friends have sucessfuly created a legitimate balisong with metal handles and a blade that is quite sharp. it was difficult, though. We have also created the Y2K firecracker trick, which is a variant of the Y2K where a snap of the wrist is used to send the balisong back around the thumb after a Y2K and a jerk in the opposite direction moves it into a kind of "writing position."

  32. Clyde
    Date: Tue, Apr 13 2010 09:23:07

    my vid
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqhIVGg5qrA