A disagreement with the podcast

[warhawke]

I was a little dismayed when Michael mentioned Balisong's and said that some people felt they were not practical, NOT TRUE! Don't give in to hate Mike. A properly executed bali is one of the MOST PRACTICAL FOLDING KNIFE DESIGNS EVER! Look at the essence of the design. Two handles, each secured with a strong pin to the blade. How many folding knives have as strong an attachment between blade and handle? The lock is stronger and simpler than any liner-lock or lockback can ever be. Heck, even with NO lock or if the lock is broken the knife CANNOT close as long as you grip both handles. A good Bali is essentially a FIXED BLADE KNIFE! which just happens to have the ability to be folded. The haters just see the flashy moves that they can't master and think that it is all they are good for, or they see the cheap, poorly designed and executed junk that some wish to pass off as a real Balisong. The true Bali is wonderful practical and even if you never learn to flip it properly it would be one of the best knives you would ever own.

I am honestly shocked Michael, that you who is forthright about not letting fools and enemies dictate the terms when it comes to firearms, would allow yourself to kowtow to the haters who would dictate their terms about this knife. I say, educate them or dismiss them for they known not whereof they speak.

For the readers who would like to see and buy real balisong knives;
http://www.balisonginfo.com/home.html   (info only)
http://www.balisong.com/  (for basic knives)
http://www.palacio.ph/custom_knives.html   (for semi-custom knives)
http://www.edcknives.com/vcom/about_us.php   (type Balisong into the search bar, mostly hi-end custom and production knives)
 

P.S. any knife design which has survived over 1000 years in an environment where a good knife is essential to survival is anything but impractical! 

[tombogan03884]

 Not enough room on the ones I've handled for a belt clip, but I would say that it is a combination of personal taste and price.

[Michael Bane]

I relent!

I relent!

I have a WHOLE BUNCH of balisongs (including an original Pacific Cutlery model with a blade by Jody Samson); lord high god of the balisong Michael Janich is my friend!

I've carried the things for years in a horizontal belt pouch!

I buy every one I can afford!

I've trained with the sainted Dan Inosanto!

No more pain!

Michael "WHIPPED" B

[warhawke]

I didn't mean to whup-up on you too bad Mr Bane, just was a bit dismayed that you would let the haters get away with that stuff. I am trying to find out if Bali's are legal here in MT (they seem to be but I need to get hold of a lawyer on that) and I will dang well start working to change it if not. I want my 3" Benchmade for my EDC dang-it! I also plan, once my money gets right, to order a few more from Palacio and I will darn well use them, just as God intended, as everyday work knives, just like the Kershaws everyone else seems to have around here.

Keep up the good fight Michael, just remember that there is more than one battle going on in this war. The war is about freedom to possess and use the tools we need to stay alive, guns, knives, hammers, automobiles, whatever. We can't let one part become the complete focus and let the rest slide. Remember, when the UK got the guns, the knives were next.

Tom,
I've honestly never had one with a pocket clip so I don't know how bad it would mess things up. However, on the Balisong.com site (hit traditional balisongs on the product pull-down), knife B000411 has a tiny clip on the safe handle which I would think would be small enough not to interfere too much. The guys there will also make a knife to order so you could get one like it with the clip on the bite handle. E-mail them, they are some of the most helpful people you could ask for.

[Overload]

Jody Sampson passed away on Dec 27th, 2008.  He was 62 years old.
Michael, did you ever get a Jani-song?

Overload in CO

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

Not to get off topic but , Overload, How come you seem to know all the dead guys ? Are you a carrier or something ?
Warhawke, Thanks for the info, $ is tight here to and I've got a 1st run S&W extreme Ops "urban" that is holding up pretty good. When I'm next in the market though I will check them out.

[Big Frank]

I have a couple of real Bali-Songs and they're great knives. They're a lot better IMO than liner-locks that make you fold it with your thumb in front of the blade every time you close it.

[Overload]

Not to get off topic but , Overload, How come you seem to know all the dead guys ? Are you a carrier or something ?
Warhawke, Thanks for the info, $ is tight here to and I've got a 1st run S&W extreme Ops "urban" that is holding up pretty good. When I'm next in the market though I will check them out.

I just keep up with stuff I'm interested in.  I'm a Benchmade knife collector.  Pacific Cutlery became Benchmade.  His death was posted on the Benchmade Forums.

  The older I get, the more people I know retire or die.  I would have loved to get a Hienie or Novak pistol, a Loveless or Moran knife, but I'm too young to have done that.  I haven't figured out the masters of my generation yet, or I may already own some of their work and not realized their greatness.

[tombogan03884]

I've got 10 years on you, so I know what you mean. The real drag is when you check the obituaries and see more and more people YOUNGER than you. 

[Michael Bane]

Jody Samson was a great bladesmith...he made the original "live" swords in Conan the Barbarian...I'm honored to have one of his blades in my collection. That blade has been drawn in defense of my life and has thus earned its honor.

Overload, I've been really lucky to count some of my generation's master gunsmiths as my close friends and have examples of their work. I shoot every one of those examples, too!

I have one left of the original Florida "black knives," the first run of automatics for the military. I had 3, but I give one to my good friend Dave Arnold and one to my father, who lost it. I also have a "classic" I created (sort of)...I was match director for the 1986 Florida USPSA State Championships, and for the 11 division winners I commissioned a set of engraved tanto-bladed knives from my friend, the great knifemaker Al Mar. Al didn't like the idea of one-offs, but he did it as a favor for me. The custom knifes were a HUGE failure...the winners couldn't wait to sell them off on the spot for a few bucks. I was so disgusted I kept #12, which I was going to give away. Here's the punch line...years later I was at a knife show and I overheard a dealer asking whether anyone had ever heard of a run of a dozen custom Al Mar tantos with the USPSA logo on them...since they were the only engraved Al Mars and personally approved by Al, they were worth a lot to collectors. I mentioned that I had commissioned the knives and that I still had #12. The dealer offred me my choice of any five knives on his table for the AL MAR...I declined.

Guns are guns, but knives are important.

Michael B