Collect or Use?

[BaliXpert]

I'm just woundering who on these forums actually uses thier balisongs on a day-2-day basis? just to fidgit with, practise routines or work with it... Or are you a collector of the expensive rare balisongs? Give me your ideas...

Personally being only 17 i cant afford to collect expensive bali's also being in canada makes it extremely difficult to get them into the country so i have to be very careful not to lose the 200$+ canadian i would be spending on a collectors knife... so i have one that i bought off a guy at school thats very old and i believe infact is an phillipino one thats very expensive on thier websites (i'll post a pic and im sure someone will know) and a silver dragon... both of which i use everyday to practise new tricks and routines which i basically freestyle for about 3 minutes or so... Im getting very good at it... Not as good as the guy at http://www.balisongxtreme.com yet but im working on it... I think im about at an intermediat level now... To rate the knives i have i'd say the Phillipino one feels the best as it goes through flipping... but i prefer the dragon for its weight (alittle heavier) because i can really bust tricks with it... I've also used the ones that some of you may have seen advertised on websites for 7$... they are very light and dull DO NOT BUY THEM EVER! They are ok at first but once you use a better one you'll never wanna touch them again... however they can do some OK back hand flips...

So what do the rest of you do with your balis?

[ghen]

Well,

Most of my balis are what I term "occasional users". Every once in a while, I grab one and carry it for a few days. Mostly they are just fun for me to flip around.

I did carry a balisong everyday from age 18 to about 28, but then I discovered other knives that fit my needs better.

I have one balisong that is very special, and it should be just a collector, but I flip that a bit as well. I cannot be a true collector, who finds joy only in the aquisition & having...I gotta use it.

Here's hoping you soon are able to own so many balis you can do both!

PEACE

GHEN

[wrathlord]

Like other knives in my collection,I have "user bali's" and the "dust collectors".In favor for me right now is the benchmade model 45,in titanium.Great work'n bali.

[Mykl Clark]

I use mine all the time, even my beloved 29. They are made for serious abuse so why not give them a little, theya re asking for it.

man I didn't even know I was a member here, thanks Ghen.

[ghen]

Originally posted by Mykl Clark
man I didn't even know I was a member here, thanks Ghen.

You are welcome! I extended personal invitations to a few truly bali-dedicated people.

Thanx so much for joining us, Oh Bard of the Balisong.:cool:

[tonyccw]

Bali's by definition of their existence begs to be flipped and used. As the strongest form of the folding knife available, and one of the safest with the totally enclosed blade when locked closed, bali's makes perfect EDC's.

While I have some in my collection that will not be used for any cutting chores, they each get flipped to test for balance and integrity of construction. I also have a personal agenda of obtaining as many as I can so that I can see all the various design factors that went into the making of each bali, so they wind up as lab samples in some cases.

[falconhawk]

The simple pleasure, the clean lines, the intrinsic call of the butterfly knife................... the balisong....................

This has got to be one of my all time favorites since i first saw one in a forign film when I was about 9 or 10 years old. I have owned o few and desired to own many that I have seen. I have used these marvals for fun and for working. I have hunted with only my bali for a knife and I have been on a possition to have my life depend on a knife a time or two and always,,,,,,, my bali was there for me

falconhawk

[Qvar]

For me use as an EDC is out of bounds so I would never use them in that sense. My 42 is my main flipper while any others I have I try to keep them in as good as condition as I can due to the difficulty in aquiring them.
It's nice to be able to show peole them as they don't see them very often over here so I'm probably more of a collector than a user. So far not very many & all productions, maybe one day a custom.

[ExamonLyf]

For most.., I think you'll find a combination of "users" and "collectibles" BaliXpert. Most of the guys I know that have been around Balisongs for many years.., got started getting them simply for use.., and of course that makes sense when you are younger.., and buying custom knives is not a common option.

Like Tony.., I do enjoy using many of my knives.., but I have quite a few I would never use for much other than admiring or flipping around minimally. The variation in possible materials, design dynamics.., and divergent uses also makes them fun to collect.., and I think the whole "Kit-Knife" concept with the addition of Balisongs will really be fun..

[louie]

i use them day to day but as i have gotten older i have become more of a rokie collector and pick through them to see what i like and don't. i don't see myself as becoming a big collector but i am still in the early stages , so i can't say that right now. i like using them but there are some in all of our collections that we just like to look at.

[navajo]

I have only one that will not be used, but its, as far as research shows, the only one in existance. A PCC 68 with a Manlia latch.
One other, a Christmas present form one of the moderators, gets flipped a little but thats all, no cutting chores. Used to say I would not own a knife that I wouldn't use, fortune has changed my out look in the last few months.

[Mykl Clark]

what about that little three inch custom John you gonna use that one? It sure would be a shame to see such a beautiful knife go to waste in a display somewhere.

[OUCH]

Mykl --- dammit, don't pick on John -- he's recently been "expanding his horizons" -- OK, he's getting into collecting all those old balis that he once sold as a dealer and now wishes he still had !!
OTH, I heard he recently has developed a source for even more NIB customs.
Navajo, what's new on the bali scene ???

[nybble]

I wish I had a source for NIB customs. John's the man.

[navajo]

Mykl, yes, I am going to use it. Besides, its too much fun watching you foam at the mouth when its in your hands.

Pete C. pay no attention to what you hear. Wish I did have a source for NIB Customs.

I have had an interesting encounter with a local machinist who has made a few knives for his own use. He had never held a bali and I could see the wheels turning in his head. More on that when I know more.

Felix, the only one I know of with a "source" is DD. Where he gets those things, I don't know but wish I did.