Holiday Gift Ideas - Butterfly Knives

Looking for Holiday gifts is a struggle every year. Giving someone a balisong for the first time isn't just a knife, its a hobby and for some people, a lifestyle. Shopping for butterfly knives is tough, especially for beginners. Depending on how much you want to spend and what you want you have a couple options for buying butterfly knives. Here are 3 cheap, common, knives anyone would love.

You can find this knife here:

 The "bottle-fly" is a butterfly knife styled bottle opener. It's great because not only is it easy and cheap, but you can't cut yourself when flipping it.

You can find this knife here:

 This is close to what I started with, its a very simple bear and son black butterfly knife. If you don't want to use a trainer or a bottle opener, this is what I would recommend. I jumped straight to a knife when I started flipping. This knife is nice and simple, with a really sleek look to the blade.

 

You can find this knife here

This is a really common choice for new flippers. I honestly wouldn't recommend it, a knife and a bottle opener both have more purpose then something like this, as its rare you'll actually ever use it or carry it around. This is another very simple common design, nothing special but the price is fantastic and could be great if you're not sure whether someone would like this or not.

3 Tips for Beginner to Advanced Balisong Flippers

1.  Never flip with the bite (the sharp) side of the blade. I don't even recommend this even if you are integrating it with you trick. I always stay clean and stay close to the dull edge just to be safe.  You can get some pretty nasty cuts, but more importantly, you will get to where you can't flip with that hand for a period of time due to the beaten up skin.
2. Don't flip near fragile/cuttable objects. This may seem hard, but you don't want to risk a knife going through your favorite couch because you messed up on an easy trick. I make sure when I'm sitting down I always practice over the carpet, so when the inevitable drop of the knife comes I don't have to drop an extra $500 on furniture as well.
3. Stay fully clothed. Yes that means even sandals, shorts, or cutoff shirts can really cause you some pain. When a knife is spinning and flying towards bare skin in the middle of the air a good result will never come of it. Don't take a stupid risk.

Where Can I Buy a Butterfly Knife Online?

If you are looking for a butterfly knife, there are a couple sites I would recommend. My first recommendation, stay out of the cheap Chinese export sites. I've order 2 knives off cheap sites like these and both have broke in a number of weeks. Now if you're just looking to try it out, and plan on getting more later then this could be a decent start. However, my first one was only tightened in by a series of cheap screws which seemed to come out more often than they stayed in. 


If you want to get one locally, check your local pawn shop or gun/knife show. I live in Huntington Beach, and we have an annual local gun and knife show. I always check it out, if I see a nice butterfly knife I'll normally buy it. If you want a wider selection and sometimes higher quality I would try online. There are a couple different sites you could check out. I wouldn't specifically choose one over the other, its all a matter of personal preference. 

Websites you can buy butterfly knives (balisongs): 
http://www.bladeplay.com/ - I've ordered from bladeplay before, they are definitely legit. They offer a decent selection and have very high quality based on what I've received 

http://www.ebay.com - Of course the scam factor kicks in here. I would agree there is a nice selection on here, perhaps larger than any online store at some points. 

www.bladeops.com/Butterfly-Knives-s/56.htm - I've never actually personally ordered from bladeops, however I know someone who has. They seem to have a wide array of knives as well.