• Butterfly Knife Origins: France via Spain?

Written by Dexter Ewing, the article covers mostly current production balisongs with a (then) preview of the BOSS Cheetah. The Cheetah was designed by Mike Turber who helped found BladeForums.com and also designed the Microtech Tachyon, which the Cheetah is derived from. The article also includes descriptions of a few Benchmade models (42, 42SS, 42-01), Roton balisongs, and the Cold Steel Arc-Angel. The only custom balisongs mentioned are those from 29 Knives. This article is a basic overview of balisongs, both available and upcoming, at the time of printing.

Inset: Dexter also includes a short discussion on the origins of the balisong. In a discussion with the Balisong Collector, Chuck Gollnick, Chuck theorizes that the balisong may be of French origin as opposed to the Filipino origins that most people know.

• Spyderfly
• Paul Jarvis Balisong
• Atlanta Cutlery Balisong
• BM42 w/Spring Latch

• 18th Century Butterfly Knife?

This article is a general overview of available balisongs in both the production and custom arenas. This a straightforward and concise article on a few balisongs in various price ranges and tastes. It provides some specifications and general pricing for each of the knives covered with some background and history behind the knife companies and makers. This is a short display of offerings that allow readers who are not familiar with balisongs to see what they may be missing out on. The thing that interests the choice of Paul Jarvis as the only custom balisong maker covered in the article. No knock on Jarvis as the balisong pictured is quite breathtaking, but Jarvis is one of the lesser discussed balisong makers and his work is priced quite high (and rightly so). I understand that the author(s) may have been attempting to show how far you can go with a balisong design, but jumping from production balisongs ranging from between $32.99 to $200 and then jumping to a $4500 custom without showing any custom makers in between doesn't give the reader an idea of the wide range of custom balisongs available. It's not a major problem, but I think that it leaves a rather large gap in the article.

Inset: Including within the article, there is some commentary with Chuck Gollnick, the Balisong Collector, where Chuck discusses the possibility of a balisong reference in an 18th century book located in the National Cutlery Museum of France. According to the article, this reference may provide documented proof that may negate the theory that the balisong originated in the Phillippines circa 1905.

• Darrel Ralph Venturi

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• Laci Szabo Balisong

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• Step-by-step assembly guide

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