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Balisong Discussions Customs to productions, discussions about balisongs/butterfly knives, what's the best and how to do those crazy tricks.

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  #1  
Old 02-16-2006, 06:47 PM
walkerlangley walkerlangley is offline
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Typhoon vs. Benchmade

I just got a balisong from my MMA instructor who went the the Philippines and now I'm hooked. I'm thinking about getting another balisong and am having trouble deciding between the typhoon and the benchmade. I like the price of the typhoon, but I'm thinking that by the time it's finished, I'll end up spending as much if not more on the typhoon than I would have if I just got the BM.
Also, if the typhoon is the suggested buy, then should I get the milled handles or not. I'm not even sure i know what the difference is, so that might help. Thanks for any suggestions.

Aloha,
Walker
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  #2  
Old 02-16-2006, 07:35 PM
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cwp cwp is offline
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Walker,

Do you just want a nice balisong, or do you want a nice balisong and some experience in assembling & customizing knives, possibly leading to being able to make your own? This is really an important question.

If you go with the Typhoon (only you can answer the question), the milled version has space on the handles to inlay wood, carbon fiber, etc. The standard version has solid steel handles, that can be left, skelonitized, embelished, engraved, etc. Again, this is something that you need to decide depending on what you want the end look to be. I believe knifekits.com has a gallery of these that would let you see the possiblities.

Welcome to the Forums and keep asking questions, there are a lot of good people here.

--Carl


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  #3  
Old 02-16-2006, 07:45 PM
walkerlangley walkerlangley is offline
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Thanks for that quick reply. I think I'd be pretty interesting to put it together myself, I'm just worried about what I'll need to do it. Am I going to spend another $80 at the hardware store or is it pretty straightforward with maybe just a few tools needed that I probably already have? Again, thanks for the quick response.

Walker
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  #4  
Old 02-16-2006, 07:48 PM
ExamonLyf ExamonLyf is offline
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Walker Hiya .., welcome to the Forums....

As Carl mentions.., going the Kit route.., affords you some working knowledge of what the Balisong knife is all about ~~> and it's also a fun kit to work with. Doing a basic kit is really very simple.., and you end up with a very usable knife.., that also manipulates well.

There is no doubt that the Benchmade model 42.., is the production standard by which all others are measured..., so you can't go wrong either way. At 4.1 ounces.., the Benchmade is a lighter knife because of using cast titanium handle material. Your Filipino handmade is probably more like the weight of a Typhoon or Tsunami..., so you have a bit of thinking to do.

Hope that helps.., but the easy way is to get both.....

Personally.., I think all Bali-Nuts should do a few kits. It really does provide some hands-on understanding of the mechanical dynamics of this style knife.


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  #5  
Old 02-16-2006, 08:52 PM
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Basic knife requires a couple of torx #######. From there, the tools you buy depends on what you want to do. You can do a lot of embelishment with diamond files, etc.

If you want to do the inlays, you can do them with files & sandpaper, or with a grinder.

Again, cost is going to relate to what you want to do, if you want to engrave it & do gold inlay, and have never done it before, you could spend the money to go an engraving class, buy a good engraving unit, air compressor, gold wire, lots of practice plates and have a $10,000 balisong

Anyway, for a basic balisong, you should be able to get away with under $20 worth of stuff to assemble it (you will need an 1/8" round file, but pick that up from knifekits.com with the kit). You might also be able to get the torx ####### from them.

For the inlay stuff, if you buy a pre-cut inlay from knifekits, add a good epoxy and differing grits of sandpaper to the above.

Also, add some loctite, to the mix. It's good to hit the screws.

I have a basic typhoon from the pre-order process. Assembled in minutes, but never have finished it. Keep playing with ideas in my head, but between not having it speak to me (design element wise), and spending all of my time at the forge, I haven't gotten to it. The thing I love about these kits is they teach you the elements of different knives. They let you look inside without taking one apart, but rather putting one together.

--Carl


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  #6  
Old 02-16-2006, 09:34 PM
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balibalistic balibalistic is offline
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Everyone has offered you some great advice so far.i personally prefere the typhoon for it's weight,and the fact that it can be modified in so many different way's.For your first i would go with a standard handle kit,less irritation anyway with the milled you have to get your inserts darn close to perfect to keep each handle slab completely flat,if not it wont flip as well.

either way let us know what you decide and if you'll need any help,thats what we're here for!
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  #7  
Old 02-17-2006, 02:02 PM
walkerlangley walkerlangley is offline
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Just ordered the standard Typhoon. I'm sure I'll have some questions once it gets here. Thanks for all your suggestions and help.

Aloha,
Walker
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  #8  
Old 03-05-2006, 04:06 AM
walkerlangley walkerlangley is offline
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Just got my kit in the mail, and it looks great. One question. What is Loctite. I've looked it up and it seems that Loctite is more of a brand name and that there are a couple of different kinds. Is this stuff that I can buy and a hardware store or do I need to order it as well. Thanks a lot.

Walker
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  #9  
Old 03-05-2006, 09:52 AM
ExamonLyf ExamonLyf is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by walkerlangley
Just got my kit in the mail, and it looks great. One question. What is Loctite. I've looked it up and it seems that Loctite is more of a brand name and that there are a couple of different kinds.
Walker
Yes.., Loctite is a "brand name" Walker....

Here is So California..., all Home Depots carry it.., but you can always get it from the Grainger Catalog (on line) if you don't have an HD near you.

In my opinion.., don't substitute. There are many thread locking agents on the market.., but Loctite has been at it a looooooooong time, and I think there is a substantial difference in consistency between their products and those of others.

RED.., and BLUE Loctite are the choices you'll be picking between, and I'd suggestion doing your first kit with BLUE. They rate it at medium strength, and it's quite easy to break the bond if need be. RED.., sets-up more densely, and is a bit tougher to deal with if you want to disassemble the knife, but if you have good torx ####### I don't think it's a big deal which you use after you get the hang of it.

Only use a LITTLE on the threads (I put it on with the tip of a toothpick), so I don't slop it around all over the pivot area. It's not pricey.., so get some red and blue and see what you like best, but I'd definitely start out with blue.

Seems like most guys switch to red now for Balisongs, but I've found that using the blue is fine if you use the BRAND NAME Loctite..., not that made by "Permatex" or "others".....LOCTITE is the "real deal"...


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  #10  
Old 03-05-2006, 10:02 AM
ExamonLyf ExamonLyf is offline
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I should mention.., that if you have trouble finding it..., you can go on line and search under "Loctite Thread Adhesive 242" ~~> and that is BLUE = Medium.., or "Loctite Thread Adhesive 262" ~~> and that is RED...

Stores like Home depot package it differently most times, and the industrial catalog sites use those product designations above.

-THIS-.., will give you a SLIGHT idea about how many "flavors" of this product Loctite makes, and why their resulting products are so consistent in performance.

Don't let the prices you see at the far right freak you out! Those listed, are for large amounts that industrial folks would purchase.., not "hobbyists". The inside column for 10 ml bottles is what you need. It'll last you a long time unless you become a Kit-a-Holic..

The chart is just a listing of those used most frequently commercially, but far from complete ~~> although you will see both 242.., and 262 listed there.

Have fun!


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Last edited by ExamonLyf; 03-05-2006 at 10:16 AM.
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  #11  
Old 03-05-2006, 03:10 PM
walkerlangley walkerlangley is offline
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Thanks. That's actually the page I saw that made me a little confused. Again, thanks a lot.
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  #12  
Old 03-05-2006, 03:55 PM
ExamonLyf ExamonLyf is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by walkerlangley
Thanks. That's actually the page I saw that made me a little confused. Again, thanks a lot.
Sure you're welcome.., and have fun with it.., they are a blast to fool around with!


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