Hey everyone, David C. Andersen here coming
at you from the KnifeCenter and today we're
taking a look at the best butterfly knife
trainers that you can get right now in 2020.
Let's check them out.
[KnifeCenter.com logo] So I know we're all
social distancing these days, but we've got
a perfect activity that you can do at home
all by yourself, learning to flip a butterfly
knife.
If you're nervous about taking up this hobby
with a live sharpened blade.
The answer is a balisong trainer balisong
of course is just another word for butterfly
knife.
Now just like quote unquote real bali trainers
can run the gamut from very affordable all
the way up to premium options that are built
just like the premium knives.
And just because the blade doesn't have an
edge doesn't mean they're that much cheaper
to produce.
So if you want the best action you are going
to have to pay for it.
But thankfully there's still plenty of good
options, even on the lower end that can get
you started.
Now some of the most affordable options out
there come from Bear and Son but this particular
one coming in about $40, definitely doesn't
come with premium action but if you're on
the fence and not sure if you want to pursue
the hobby or not.
These are definitely good enough to try without
breaking the bank and it's even still made
in the US.
Now you'll see that the blade here quote unquote
has some holes in it, which is something you
see often on trainers and the reason for that
is balance.
When it comes to a live blade, which is how
we talk about balis that have an actual sharpened
edge, those blades have grinds and bevels
that remove weight.
Will the trainer blade blank does not which
is why you see those holes.
This is especially important on versions of
trainers that also have live bladed counterparts
just like this Bear in fact does that way,
whatever you learn on the trainer can be used
when you move over to the live blade, and
it's gonna feel pretty much the same.
Now as far as looks go this particular bear
has a silver crackle finish on the steel handles.
They look great but they're not just for looks.
They also add a little bit of texture for
a better hold.
Now the pivots here are pinned which means
they're not adjustable, but the handles themselves
are a single piece of steel This is integral
construction, something you only really see
at higher price points usually a little bit
cheaper at about 25 bucks but still a pretty
good option is the imported Boker Magnum 2nd
Gen Balisong Trainer.
It's got a cool black stonewashed finish on
both the handles and the unsharpened blade.
Now there's no live bladed version of this
knife that we can get is by law all butterfly
knives sold in the US have to be also made
here, but trainers aren't actually knives
those the same doesn't apply to that.
This design is a little bit more svelte overall
both in the handles, as well as in the blade
that comes in at about four inches but on
the smaller end of the spectrum for a full
size butterfly knife commonly you'll see things
between four and five inches most of the time.
The steel on the blade is 440A stainless.
Not that it really matters what it's made
out of because you don't actually have to
worry about edge retention since there's no
edge to begin with the pivots here are adjustable
they're not pinned which is a step up from
the bear, and the action is nice and smooth.
This is another great option if you're just
looking to dip your toes in the water and
see if the hobbies for you.
Stepping up into the mid range tier is going
to bring us back to American construction.
We've got the Mako here made by Squid Industries,
and they actually make trainers at a range
of prices, and they're kind of regarded as
making some of the best out there.
This one comes in at only 75 bucks, the pivots
are adjustable and they are rock solid riding
on brass bushings.
the handles are aluminum which is lighter
and easier to flip typically than stainless
steel.
And with this you have a feeling of rigidity
that you don't get from the cheaper trainers
we just saw.
I've got the gray version here but of course
multiple colors can be had, and the Mako gets
its name from its Sharky looking blade shape.
It's got a dorsal fin accent cutouts that
look like gills and the mouth also doubles
as a bottle opener, even has a very heavy
stonewashed finish to which I really like.
Now most balis actually have a latch that's
going to hold the handles together and it
will usually work in both the open and closed
position, and usually this is anchored to
the handle that faces the sharpened edge of
the live blade, also called the bite handle.
This helps to distinguish it from the safe
handle when you're in the middle of tricks
and the Maiko actually has no latch on the
handle so it does require you to pay close
attention when you're flipping the end of
the day though that might actually make you
a better flipper because it definitely requires
you to up your game if you're going to transition
to a live blade eventually.
Right now we're going to jump up into the
more premium realm, with a another option
from squid industries.
This is the Squid Trainer v3.5 starts at 150
bucks, but this particular blue one is about
$175 right now.
This is still a latchless design and the handles
here are aluminum, and they offer a more premium
execution of an integral handle construction
milled from a single piece of metal.
This creates a rock solid foundation for all
the rest of the hardware.
It feels even more solid than the Mako.
The handles are lightly machined with some
overlapping circles.
And when you combine that with the milled
channel and the holes in there, they actually
grip very well.
I think this blue one looks, especially striking
but again there are other colors to pick from,
including the plain gray which is as I said
about 25 bucks cheaper right now.
Now the trainer blade you see here actually
gets a premium feature as well and that's
a crown spine, which increases the comfort
as you flip, especially on any move where
you're going to interact with the spine as
you're flipping and that action really is
great on this knife, as bronze bushings again
glides easily and still feels nice and solid,
and it even has a nice ring to it actually.
They're so well tuned that it literally sings
out as the metal vibrates almost like a subtle
chime.
Alright, the last of the quote unquote proper
trainers that I'll show you today is the 62T
from Benchmade, the trainer version of their
famous 62 butterfly knife, which is something
of a gold standard out there, and it's got
blade length weight and action that are identical
to the real thing.
benchmade of course started out making just
butterfly knives their company was called
Balisong in fact and they even use the old
logo here on this blade that history is the
reason you see a butterfly and Benchmade logo
to this day.
So that makes sense that they make one of
the best trainers out there to the 62T actually
offers a pretty significant savings versus
the bladed version, right now that comes in
a little bit over 400 bucks but this is actually
a fair bit cheaper, only about $235 right
now.
The handles are stainless steel with plenty
of holes for grip and weight reduction, and
the 440C trainer blade is read in this case,
that makes it really easy to distinguish at
a glance between this and the live bladed
version, even when it's closed thanks to all
those holes.
This is definitely an appreciated feature
when you have both live blade and trainer
versions of the same knife, because the last
thing you want to do is be flipping a live
blade when you think you've got your trainer
in hand.
What's nice too is the red finish here is
actually a cerakote for durability, because
you're going to drop this after all as you're
practicing and this should help the finish
resist chipping over time.
Another thing worth mentioning benchmade is
actually known for their spring loaded latches
that pop out when you squeeze the handles.
This one actually does not have that feature,
just a very high tolerance fit instead.
This has always been a pretty good bargain
when you compare it to the live bladed version,
but the price is extra low right now because
there's only one bit of bad news.
This trainer is actually discontinued.
So even though we still have some while we're
posting this video we don't know how long
they're going to last.
So if you want to get one of the most well
regarded flippers on the market, now's the
time to act.
Lastly, I've got a couple that I like to call
novelty trainers and even though their blades
may seem a little bit gimmicky It doesn't
mean that they aren't still good.
And the first is the ArtisanCutlery Kinetic-Tool.
First they go further than just having the
bottle opener like that Squid Mako, and in
fact we have a full fledged multi tool arm
with several functions got the bottle opener
here, and O2 wrench several hex sized hex
wrench sizes, as well as a pry bar at the
tip.
We've also got a new version the Kintetic-Tool
2 series, which has a different tooling arm
and a slightly different handle design, and
the tool here has a few different bottle opener
tops some hex wrenches and nail puller, you
get the picture.
Got your choice of handle materials on both
of these two.
You can get it in stainless steel there's
also G10 and carbon fiber options that add
a scale.
And as you step up the ladder you can get
to full machined titanium at the top end cluding
this black one here, as well as this anodized
green on the Kinetic-Tool 2.
Now the price is certainly range as a result
but they only start at about 60 bucks for
the cheapest options, and when you're looking
at that price range, you're definitely going
to be able to get better action with that
Squid Mako, but the action is definitely fine
and it's plenty good enough to learn on with
the Kinetics.
It has a great party trick though.
On top of all of that.
It actually has automatic action as well.
That's right.
This is a hybrid butterfly multi tool automatic,
you just push that button and the multi tool
springs out as though it was a switchblade
doesn't get much cooler than that.
Finally, if you want real premium action but
you want something more than just a simple
trainer blade.
This is the WE Knife company Nerv bali comb
that comes in just under 200 bucks.
Everything about this trainer screams premium.
We've got integral handles just like the squid,
but these are made from titanium and feature
a lot more milling going on the pivots rides
oin ceramic bearings, rather than washers
and they are smooth as can be, the latch tucks
in very neatly and we've even got a nice machined
pocket clip which is a really nice touch.
Because really, this is something that would
definitely be handy to carry with you, day
to day.
In fact, the same goes for the second generation
of the Kinetic-Tool as well.
You can carry that multi tool with you and
still be able to flip as you go about your
business right that's it for my list today
and I'd love to hear what you all thought
down in the comments, or any of you looking
to get started.
Would you buy a trainer would you go straight
for a live blade, be sure to let us know and
if you want to get your hands on any of these
knives are not really nice but you know what
I mean.
We'll leave links in the description that'll
take you over to knifecenter.com.
Now I apologize that we didn't have a ton
of flipping photographer you're telling the
flipping action in this video, our resident
flipper is actually no longer working with
us.
So I in fact may be taking up this hobby myself,
see if I can improve while I'm working from
home these days.
And while you're over there at the KnifeCenter
make sure you're signed up for our knife rewards
program while you're there, so you might as
well earn some free money if you're going
to buy a one of these balisong trainers
Anyway, I'm David C. Andersen from the KnifeCenter
hope you're all staying safe sane and sanitary
out there.
See you next time.
[KnifeCenter.com]
