What Is a Balisong?! What You NEED to Know 

And don't forget, the number of hospital visits due to amateurs trying practice without safety measures is why it got banned for so long in a lot of states.

In our Filipino Dialect, Balisong literally means Broken Horn, ''Baling-Sungay". The handles of those earliest ones are two half's of carabao horns. - Yup the origin is foreign that made a home in our country. - We used them as weapons in our Filipino Martial Arts.

I carried one solely for utility purposes when I first joined the Infantry. It was a very useful one hand opening, closing, utility knife but I'd never want to use it as a combat knife since the blade's too thin, the entire structure depends upon a small tang pin that could fail and it's not as quick to deploy nor as strong as a fixed blade military combat knife. I had to get rid of it because some of my peers kept making an issue over it being illegal, though my superiors never said a word to me when they saw me using it to open my MREs and cut 550 cord. Nor did I ever carry it while off duty out of uniform. I liked it better than the Rex Applegate Folder I had before it. I enjoyed it for maybe a year til I got rid of it. Utility knife: Yes. Reliable combat knife: Never. I replaced it with a Gerber Gator clip point lockblade with non-slip grip that was a better, legal, utility knife while active duty in Army.

I love all one handed knives. I used to have tri fold, it has two hinges and you flip it down then up. Also the scissor action out the front knife. I carry a Frank B swingaurd, but I'm wanting to build a small to medium balisong for my shirt pocket.

Awesome James! I cant wait to see what's next. Spread the knowledge bro!

Great video, thanks for sharing it. My all time favorite pocket knife is was my 1968 U.S. Camillus Military pocket knife. ( I've heard some people call it a DEMO knife). I carried that pocket knife every day for 23 years. But I used it so much that I wore the springs out in it. I still have it, along with 3 other U.S. Camillus military pocket knives. But these days I carry a Victorinox Huntsman pocket knife.

Another great video. Please 🙏 make more. Can't learn enough about knives.

Great video James. I was definitely one of those people that would try to show off anytime I picked up a butterfly knife. I enjoyed learning some history of that knife. Many of my friends through life never knew the difference between switchblades and a stilettos. Maybe that would be a good future video?

I hadn't until this very video. Thank you for making a video just for me lol.

The Filipino Moro invented Bali-Song. island of Basilan almost became a French colony in 1844. So the French brought the Balisong back to Europe especially the Spaniards in 1521. The word is Tagalog. French use Fencing or Swords.

Great work James!!

Awesome!! Very cool and informative!! You should do the bowie or wharncliffe next!!

Thank you very much for the brief history of the infamous Balisong knife of the PI.

Bali = means Flip, fold, divide in half which for the handles. Song = means they include horn or tusk of an animal from batangas philippines.

Despite carrying these since '83 I never knew the, well, French connection. Thank you!

You SIR, ARE doing the truth justice. I have been mocked and scolded so many times by someone telling me fan knives originated in the Philippines... It is frustrating to see some dork with a full case of fan knives calling them balisongs and claiming they originated from the Philippines, spreading lies. They were gifts of princes and nobility, in Europe, specifically France. If you ever found someone out there nagging on this point in forum, that was me. Did you see all of those people telling me i was wrong? SUBBED

Hey Knife Life first time viewer and I wanted to share something with you about a few of the knifes I had then ask you if you will take a request for a knife to be presented on your channel. As a young man I had a very nice knife collection valued at over 3000.00$ that started by my grandfather giving me two knifes one was from Mexico and the other I am not sure. The one I am not sure about was a original stiletto, not the switch blade but the four sided thin icepick style that resembled something from mid evil times. The blade was about seven to nine inches long, the blade was like a Diamond shape with two edges making a side and it was about the size of a pencil but a bit bigger as it was not round if you know what I mean. It had an old cracked bone handle and a metal sheath that had three studs on the side and holes drilled through them then metal rings put through them for affixing to one’s waist. Then I had a Mexican knife with a Bowie blade any bowie blade lover would drool over. Wide oversized (just by a bit) clip point tip with very sharp tip and it tapered down to a small handle with small guard and a wooded handle made from two pieces of wood one either side of the blade handle. Then a eagles head pommel. It had a embossed or raised image of a Mexican landscape and birds flying, cacti, large rocks and it said “En la parte de atras de mi sucio amigo, dios se lo lleva” or in the back of my dirty friend God takes him. Then I had a original Springer switchblade that the spring had been removed and it was made like a folding blade but was still easily transferred back into functional operation and the spring and all the parts where with it just in a little bag. I also had, and this is the one I want to see if you could find, but it was a small dagger about seven to eight inches, it had a bone handle that was wider at the pommel then the guard but was flat went on a straight inward angle to the guard then the end of the handle where the pommel the handle went out in a ever widening pitch degree and the two square tips on either end where the length of the handle meets the end where cut just about two or three mm in ti made a 90 degree cut taking off the shape points where the two points of the end of the handle meet. There was a simple upward outward flair the gave a nice finger thumb test and point of resistance for thrusting. Then the blade was like super shiny and was a double sided boot knife with leather sheath and boot clip. It must have been from the seventies and the bone handle was stained from over the years. But the blade was stamped and said Kyber Japanese Steel stainless and the word “Kyber” was engraved very ornately and it was a superior blade. I gave it to a good good friend because I knew we where going to start to see less of each other because we made each other’s problems worse not better and I wanted something important from me to give to him. But I see these military Kyber knifes and I always think that’s not a real Kyber a real Kyber is true Japanese Steel.

I love Balisongs, but for my own personal use they wouldn't be my first choice as a self defense knife. That's more so because I can be a bit clumsy as I'm disabled with a movement disorder and it's a wonder I don't trip over my own feet...anymore. :P

You for sure studied that history on the known today butterfly knife. Germany was the place it was blueprinted. Although that knife was huge and not very easy to use. France got the design from after Germany vs French war. They also made it huge and clunky. Some how that design was brought to Philippines. They then made it smaller and one hand usage. Hense the balisong. Now history could be messed witj as is most history usually is messed with. Philippines, Batangas has put thst knife on the map. Now every country has this style of knife. You could buy one in Brazil. Not like Batangas balisong. But pretty close. Why they're illegal everywhere just makes no sense. And yes in the wrong inexperienced hands. It could be very dangerous. As in the person playing with it could get cut pretty bad. Anyway. Loved the video. As we say in the P.I. Salamat po.

I got a single blade Balisong in place of the Arkansas Toothpick I bought, due to the products being damaged before shipping. Least I got my Bowie in one piece.

bali tube helped me learn to flip

As a kid in the Philippines, we had no trainers back then. You got nicked and cut all the time. That’s how you learned. 🤣🤣🤣

bro just got to say thats a awsome trick in the first part 0:22

What is it used for?

French: Its Just a Measuring Tool Filipinos: This is Weapon!

>benchmade invented the balisong >westerners invented balisong The Spaniards killed by the tagalogs with this knife in the late 1500s Tagalog revolt will also be offended. The knife is invented in a small initially unnamed village in Batangas Philippines; now the village is named Balisong as part of the recent govts projects to preserve the art of knife making in the area. "Balisong" is short for Baling Sungay or literally Broken Horn since the design of the handle folds and the handle grips used are originally made from with deer horn. The Philippines before the Spanish colonization is known for metalsmithing iron, gold, red gold, silver, electrum, and brass; products are exported to Borneo and feudal Japan as part of the famous "Namban Trade" as the Japanese would call it. Borneo would mostly likely buy the metal products and Japan would mostly buy the "Ruzun Jars" There is a reason the handles of the first benchmade balisong are made of brass; that's because the original Philippine balisong uses brass as the metal frame for the handle. Notice that the writing and examples of the oldest balisong in Europe only dates back AFTER the Spanish colonized the Philippines, and to a region closely tied to 1500s Spain(Germany) Oral traditions are prominent in the Tagalog tribe back then because writing is used more often in govt functions like court summonings and court records; google search "Laguna Copperplate" as an example. The Spanish also destroyed all of the written scrolls in that era as part of deleting the "heretical" oriental writings. Remelting steel is also extensive in the Philippines since most of the iron is harder to smelt beacuse the there is mostly RED IRON ORE in the pacific. And since the balisong is a TOOL unlike the often heirloomed Itak and Kari's, they are one of the most recycled tools.

For me, it's the Balicomb

Until the smartphone era, without a knife - give a basket or a plastic bag full of green mangoes to a group of common Filipinos and you'll find out the majority of them are carrying balisongs. The Batangueno peddlers roving around the country are responsible for the widespread use of it - to which the knife itself has been also called "Batangas" (A Philippine province name to which balisongs are made). Lanseta, Biente Y Nueve (taken from 29cm length) are two among many widespread names for balisong being used in the country.

"pee-haie ro-wah" you make pied too low and roi too high "Kaing of zaaa jaungul"

Well they have different use, one is measurment, and the other one is concealed weapon. And then the balisong is a concealed weapon, so its undoubtedly from Philippines #same idea different purposes

Knife Guy now runs a channel called Knife Life. Go figure. 😏

definitely not of euro origins ill tell you that haha but the rest of the video is very educational

Another name..is ' vente nueve '

What a balisong is in a few words two handles one blade

The design originated in France, i think.but the term "balisong" originated in the phillipines.

3:31 i feel called out

I have a balisong with no blade and 2 handles(obviously) I don’t know what to name it because I want to start a brand for non bladed balisongs and butterflys with multiple models. Leave your ideas in the replys please PS: my balisong is made of legos so i dont have a actual balisong for defense or simple roulette

Its claimed that the first balisong was found and originated from france, hence french balisong. Then why is it named after philippine local word "balisong" if it is first originated in france.

This type of knife, num-chuks, and throwing stars were once common and easy to get, not anymore...

Unfortunately just like the switchblades in the 50s because of martial arts movies in the '70s and '80s and the flash of the butterfly knives used in the martial arts movies Many localities and states have banned the carry of butterfly knives 🤬

I don’t think it was invented in Europe , maybe they just trade for piece of bread to lapu lapu😅

Balisong originated in the Philippines

i always called it butterfly knife.. balisong.. this is more appropriate..

Sure, this definitely originated from France.. since they were diligent enough to document it in their books and they have no colonizers who obliterated their pre-colonial history and culture when they arrived.

Balisong is a pre colonial knife which originated in the Philippines, asian culture always set aside while everyone knows China first invented the gun powder but still western is finding ways to make them the oldest or the "First" by distorting everything. Still I respect opinion.

Balisongs are exclusively Filipino in origin. Anyone that says otherwise is ignorant to the suffering, colonization and erasure of history of the Filipino people.

man its just a knife on a hinge. it wouldnt be the first time 2 cultures on the opposite sides of the planet invented the same concept and the french one isnt even a knife there's no proof any of these french balisongs made their way into the philippines for them to "copy" the design. the only time I hear about these "french balisongs" is when they talk about the philippine balisong and nowhere else so I doubt these things were used widespread enough to end up in the philippines again. the french "knife" isnt a knife,its a measuring tool that resembles the balisong and uses a similar concept. no way does this disprove the philippines invented the knife usage of the concept

As a guitar player, I've decided the balisong is not for me 😋

Facts: Oldest known fan knives are made of silver and stamped so we know exactly how old they are and who made them and likely for what purpose. The truth is that the Philippines have never had the wealth that it would need to originate much of anything besides more workers and its own language. Their martial arts are likely derived from another culture as well as their weapons and the rest of their culture. USA owned the Philippines until around 1947 when we gave them BACK their independence after the american-phillipian war. The country is a shipping and trading route and has always been run over by the industry of greater countries. So when some phillipino stands there telling me that I'M insulting HIM, by refuting the truth.... All I can say is how did a frech tool turn into a animal bone scrap knife? Because someone bought or stole a silver french fan knife, whatever the french call them, or even just simply saw it, And made one themselves, and then proceeded to claim ownership of the idea and i bet it was a hit. There is a reason why the oldest known being made of silver and being stamped means they were first. Why would the french take what a Philipino is holding made of bones and take the idea back home and make one out of silver and then trade that to noble friends? Sure, it could have happened... but whats more likely is that the fench had the sophistication and free time due to greater prosperity, in order to create the idea, or modify it from a tool into a knife, maybe even the knife was first, there are no earlier known examples. The point is that Philippians back then didnt do silver stuff. they didnt do engineering or mechanicals. They watched while Europeans trampled their homeland and didnt do anything BECAUSE they didnt have silver or wealth. BECAUSE they couldnt come up with even a simple fan knife and had to hustle their own people with a lie that has perpetuated for far too long in the big mouths of know nothing, research nothing, want to be's. all of martial arts are a scam and we have found that weapons came from farm equipment according to the oriental. You dont get to be a feudal society using farming equipment and also creating fan knives and chainmail out of silver. Sorry. STFU ALL OF YOU.

wrong

First the yoyo they change the history of yoyo.,now the balisong.,they want to change the history of balisong.,🤣😁😂why people dont want to recognize the ingenuity of filipino people?,

the name balisong itself is filipino, Bali as in folding and song from sungay or horn, original balisong handles are made from carabao horns, Filipinos have no contacts with the French long ago neither the Spanish introduced it to the filipinos when they are even forbidden to carry weapon, and that's how arnis using sticks in replace of swords developed

Filipibros on sulclde watch