The Balisong Gallery

click on any image on this page for a larger view

Mauricio Dobruski, an up-and-coming balisong maker from Brazil, made this very handsome addition to a friend's growing collection.

The rather deep-bellied bowie blade is ATS-34, a very well-respected steel for knife blades. The grind lines are all very clean. The finish is very bright, almost mirror-polished.

While the blade is attached to the handle with Chicago-Screw style pins with hex heads, the pins are press-fit. The screws are for adjustment only. The screws are not intended for field disassembly. Many makers are finding that field disassemblable pins require to many compromises.

The handles are milled out of solid stainless steel and the inserts are stag horn held in with steel pins. Stag is durable, very attractive, and provides just the right grip surface. This is a very traditional material for balisong handles and pinned-in construction is also very traditional.

Mr. Dobruski's latch has a clever design to keep the latch from hitting the blade and minize damage to the back of the safe handle during manipulation. The latch bar narrows when it enters the handle channel. This naturally keeps the latch from traveling through its full range. Here you can see how this design prevents the latch from hitting the blade as the knife closes

And here you can see how the same design keeps the knife from hitting below the channel cut on the back side of the safe handle when the knife is open

The rather deep belly on this balisong's blade is very dramatic and very attractive. Deep bellies are rare on balisong blades... and with reason. The blade profile of this knife drops below the kick line and the edge of the blade ends up hitting the inside of the latch handle when the knife is closed. You can see the marks inside the handle from the blade's impact.

You can see how this problem happens in this picture of the blade with the kick line approximately sketched in.

Fortunately, the blade shows no signs of damage from this. Mr. Dobruski only recently started making balisongs. This is a common flaw. Many makers who have been making balisong for many years still seem to have this problem. In fact, it's the norm in Filipino handmade balisongs. It is the only problem in this otherwise sturdy and attractive balisong.

Sturdy is a good word for this knife. It is very strong and well-made, heavy-duty. The craftsmanship is just excellent. The inserts fits very well. The blade moves perfectly. The latch is not only clever in its design but also latches up tight both open and closed and works easily to lock or unlock.

Manipulation was very easy and natural.

The handles are narrow like the BM42, but the weight is very much like the old Benchmade 45. If you prefer the somewhat heavier older Benchmade's, then you'd just love this knife.

It's no surprise that this fine knife has become its proud owner's daily carry choice.

Mauricio Dobruski takes orders through his dealer, Mauro Machado, who can be e-mailed at taymo@taymo.com. Dobruski custom balisongs start at about $175 making them an exceptional value.

This concludes today's tour. Please visit our gift shop.