The Balisong Gallery

I know what you're thinking, "Gee, that's an incredible custom Bali-Song. I've never seen one with the inserts done quite like that."

Well, it's true that you've never seen a custom Bali-Song with inserts like that. And there's a reason: no custom Bali-Song was ever done with inserts like that.

"But, there, in the picture. I can see the Bali-Song logo."

You mean this logo:

"Yes! That logo! And look at those pivot pins! That's a one-of-a-kind special Bali-Song Custom."

No, it's not.

The blade was made by Benchmade and that's why it bears the Bali-Song logo. The knife was originally a Benchmade Model 259, part of BM's "Economy Series."

As the handles on BM's Economy Series Bali-Songs always did if they were used extensively, the original Zamak handles for this blade eventually broke and the owner was left with just the blade.

Fortunately, he sent the blade off to Eric Maier, a custom maker who specializes in making new handles for broken balisongs.

Obviously, Mr. Maier did something rather special with this poor orphaned blade. He actually made just about every part you see except the blade. He even makes the Chicago screws for the pivot pins himself.

Some cultures believe that every blade has a spirit in it. In this next picture, you can even see a rare picture of the spirit in this blade. What do you know? It's the spirit of The Balisong Collector Himself peering out from behind his camera! The bright polish on the blade and on the handles made photographing this Bali-Song just a little trickier than usual.

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I have frequently said that the balisong design is deceptively simple. There's just two simple handles, the blade, and maybe a latch. It can't be that hard to make, can it? But, I've seen many skilled knife makers stumble on the seemingly simple balisong. The complexity of the balisong lies in the fact that everything has to fit together correctly. So, how did Mr. Maier do?

The finished knife latches up tightly both open and closed just like a great balisong should.

The latch handle even incorporates the latch-gate that the original Benchmade handles lacked to keep the latch from hitting the blade when the knife closes:

The owner even kindly gave me permission to manipulate the knife while I had it for photographs. I'm pleased to report that it works great. The handles are milled out of solid stainless steel, so the feel is very reminiscent of a true custom Bali-Song.

Where would you like to go next:

Go to the MaierBlades website to order your own Eric Maier custom rehandle job for a blade you've got laying around?

See more pictures of this wonderful balisong.

Or

Those of you on the tour, Please follow me to Gallery B