Are you a knife enthusiast? Maybe you’re looking to get your first butterfly and don’t know where to start. Either way, you must find the best butterfly knife for your needs. What works well for somebody else might be total trash for you. That’s why we’ve put together this guide!
We’re going to help you choose a butterfly knife that’s perfect for your style and needs. We’ll give you a couple of value for money options to choose from – getting you started down the right road. Let’s dive in!
Top 7 Best Butterfly Knife Reviews in 2023
We’re looking at butterfly knives suited to practicing and mastering artistic tricks. These knives don’t come with a wicked sharp edge, though you’ll still need to be careful with them. You can put an edge on these, but it’s not recommended. We’ve carefully chosen 7 butterfly knives we think have an excellent balance between price and performance.
They’re light on your wallet and don’t compromise much with their material and build quality. You’ll be able to learn your favorite tricks while safely developing your technique – learning some essential lessons along the way. Let’s take a look at our best butterfly knife reviews!
Vornnex Practice Butterfly Knife
You immediately notice the custom and unique design along the side of the handles. This combines well with the bright silver finish to bring you a butterfly knife you’d be proud to show off. It has a non-offensive blade and an excellent high-quality design.
It’s made for practice and is balanced to give you a versatile handle of the knife – both for beginners and more experienced users. At around 6-ounces, this isn’t a heavy knife. It has just enough heft to be practical, but no so light that it loses its premium feel. It’s made from 404 stainless steel and the screws have been enhanced to be more durable and robust.
Rusting isn’t going to be a big issue (as it is with many butterfly knives) and keeping it clean is a breeze. This is a very low-risk and reliable practice butterfly knife that’ll help build your skills up quickly. It feels professional in your hands and you notice the attention to detail.
While the non-skeletal design is better suited to intermediate users, you can use this butterfly knife as a beginner too. Just be prepared for a slightly different handle feel. Overall, you’re getting a high-quality best butterfly knife at a fair price. It’s worth the money if you want to quickly improve your skills – and make them highly transferrable between knives.
- Gorgeous handle finish and aesthetic design
- Exceptionally well-balanced
- Easy to clean and maintain
- Sure-spring latch is intuitive and reliable
- Better suited to intermediate users
- Slightly more expensive than most Balisong practice knives on this list
Aifusi Martial-Arts Butterfly Knife
Here’s another top-class non-offensive blade duo. This 2-pack offers you excellent value for money while still using premium quality and sleek designs. The steel used is durable and robust. You’ll find the circular cutouts add to how comfortable the knives are to handle and trick with. They’re surprisingly well-balanced despite being so light on your wallet.
There is a black and silver variation available. Both of them have slim and sleek handles and a slightly thicker non-sharpenable blade. With solid pin construction, you can expect them to last quite a long time. They’re impact resistant – though you should still practice near a soft or cushioned surface. Special attention has been paid to the center of mass.
It’s been placed accurately in the dead-center of the knife. You immediately notice how well it swings and maneuvers around your fingers. This is a butterfly knife set suited to beginners and early-stage enthusiasts. Working on a well-centered and affordable balisong is key if you want to take your skills and techniques to the next level. Overall, you’re getting one of the best butterfly knife sets in this price range.
- Lightweight, easy to use, and sleek design
- Comfortable handle with smoothly rounded cutouts
- Expertly well-balanced and centered
- Pretty good scratch resistance
- Not the most durable in the long run
- Bolts loosen quite a bit over time
Fecedy Butterfly Training Knife Set
The blade on this butterfly knife isn’t designed to be sharpened. You can put an edge on some, but that’s not the case here – and that’s not a bad thing either. You’re getting incredible value for money. It’s a 2-piece set with one black and one sliver balisong. They’re both sleek and lightweight, with ergonomic and slim handles.
One of our favorite features on this knife is the rounded holes in the skeletal frame. It takes away the rougher feeling that you often experience with rectangular cutouts. This doesn’t change how easy the handle is to grip either. You’re still getting a lightweight and easy to handle set that you can practice with for hours on end.
The black knife shows scratch easily, but they’re easy enough to clean and maintain. Both lockup quickly and safely with the tail latch and they’re durable enough to handle being dropped occasionally. You still want to practice near a soft surface to get the best possible life from these beauties.
Overall, this might be the best butterfly knife set. The performance and durability are acceptable – well worth the money in our opinion. You’ll get an awesome beginner-friendly experience that’ll last a lot longer than you’d expect.
- Beginner-friendly
- Fantastic value for money
- Rounded cutouts in the handle and blade make handling smooth
- Very easy to clean and maintain
- Not the most durable practice knives
- Show scratches quite easily
Moon Boat Training Butterfly Knife Set
You get the original and an enhanced version with this 2-piece set. It’s hard to ignore this kind of value, especially on a butterfly knife this popular. The original knife is sleek and attractive. This lightweight design is easy to carry and practice with – an excellent starting point for a beginner.
The enhanced version is quite a bit thicker and a little heavier. It’s this additional heft that helps you fine-tune and mold your technique. You can do tricks on the heavier knife that are pretty hard to land on a lighter knife. Both knives have excellent pin-channel construction and a skeletonized frame.
This gives you a better grip and keeps the knives from being unnecessarily heavy. They’re impact resistant – though if you’re new – you’ll want to practice opposite a bed or soft surface just to be safe. With a high-quality material build and a sturdy frame, you’ll keep these butterfly knives around for a long time.
Other than looking fantastic, they’re incredibly well-balanced and easy to use with a little practice. If you already have some butterfly knife experience, you’ll be comfortable with these in no time. You’re getting on of the best butterfly knife sets in this price range – and well worth it in the long run.
- Versatile handling and suitable for different styles
- Excellent material and build quality
- Lightweight and well-balanced
- Impact-resistant
- Smaller option isn’t as well-balanced as the larger knife
- Not easy to service
Aqueenly Butterfly Training Knife
You’re getting high-quality cold-pressed steel that performs excellently in the long run. It has a very similar aesthetic design as the above knife and one of the most comfortable handles in this price range. The blade is dull and safe to use for beginners. The well-balanced frame helps you accurately hone your technique without being interrupted by a clunky or bulky build.
While the folded size is slightly smaller than you’d see on most standard (sharpened) butterfly knives, your skills will still transfer easily between them. It’s lightweight and sleek enough to carry around with you and practice on the fly. You’ll find the bolts and screws to be secure and they won’t loosen after heavy use.
You’re getting a very well-made and robust practice balisong you’ll keep around for ages. It would also make an ideal gift thanks to its exceptionally appealing looks. Overall, you’re getting a lot of the benefits of a high-end best butterfly knife – without needing to pay high-end prices.
- Great value for money
- Durable and robust build (especially the screws and bolts)
- Beginner-friendly
- Eye-catching color
- Slightly smaller than standard butterfly knives
- Coloring comes off over time
Anlado Balisong Butterfly Practice Knife
This Balisong has a dark and intimidating appearance. It’s unsharpened and has a skeletal frame design. It would make a fantastic gift idea for an enthusiast friend or family member. It’s crafted from 440C stainless steel which is known to be extremely robust and durable. This is a knife that’ll take a hefty beating without showing any signs of it.
With that said, you’ll notice scratches quite easily, but that’s not a huge issue for a practice knife in this price range. At 5” long and under 6-ounces, the knife is impeccably well-balanced. The center of mass is right where you’d want it to be. You can easily flip and spin this knife without having it constantly pull to one side.
You also have access to a no-questions-asked return policy if you aren’t happy with the performance or quality. While it’s not a fool-proof sign, it’s a great indicator of attention to quality and good craftsmanship. Overall, if you’re looking for an inexpensive butterfly knife that swings above its proverbial “weight class”, this is a tempting choice.
- Stunning sleek and attractive black metal appearance
- One of the best-balanced Balisong knives in this price range
- Excellent value for money
- Size, weight, and feel mimic a real butterfly knife
- Screws loosen up quite a bit after a couple of days of heavy use
- Scratches and scuffs show easily
Htomt Training Butterfly Knife
If you’re drawn to the aesthetics of classy butterfly knives, here’s an alluring option. It’s crafted from quality 440C stainless steel so it’s robust and durable enough to survive heavy practice. It also has a dulled blade to make it safer to handle and more beginner-friendly. There aren’t any sharp edges on the knife and even the cutouts in the blade and handle are rounded.
You immediately notice the stunning and unique color pattern. It’s been designed to copy the way light reflects off oily water. You don’t need to worry about the screws or bolts coming loose after a couple of days of intense use. They’ve been intelligently designed to hold tight and keep their position.
You’re getting rust and corrosion protection thanks to the stainless steel. You can expect a long life and value for your money from this knife. Its highly polished handle and the ergonomic handle have this practice balisong standing above the rest. You won’t break the bank either.
Overall, you’re making a very sensible and value-driven choice with this knife. It’s perfectly balanced, easy on the eyes, and smooth to the touch. You’ll find it to be a versatile practice knife to quickly build up your skills on.
- Exceptionally easy to use
- Very attractive
- Same weight and size and proper butterfly knives
- Well-balanced and ergonomic
- Knife’s finish comes off over time and by scratching
- Better for beginners than intermediate/advanced users
What Is the Best Choice for You?
I could never tell you what to buy or what the best butterfly knife for you might be because I don’t know your needs, but I can offer some advice on how to make an informed decision. There’s a tonne of great brands out there, as well as a vast number of different prices for much the same thing.
So what is it that stands out to you? Is it the appearance, the effectiveness of the knife itself, or the extra features, maybe? Here are just a few extra tips to help you when deciding what to buy.
Intent for Use
It’s essential to set yourself up with a knife that suits your needs, so if you are going for something stylish and flashy, then any old colorful knife will do the trick. If you need a helpful tool for cutting but aren’t too concerned about the thrill of a butterfly knife, then focus on quality. These knives have lots of moving parts, so if you want it to be a practical “knife,” it needs to be high-end.
Manufacturing Materials
Don’t cut corners on this area because you might just regret it later on. Steel type and handle material will determine how well the knife performs and lasts. You would want a sharp blade and something rust-resistant. Any high carbon or stainless steel will be fine.
When it comes to the handle, don’t take wood as an option. It is strong but throws the balance off a lot. Hard rubber and nylon polymers are great choices. Ensure that any safety locks or pivot screws are also stainless steel because if these catch rust, then the knife is a goner.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is It Legal to Carry a Butterfly Knife?
A: In some places, yes. It all depends on your regional laws, so don’t buy one until you have checked if it’s legal where you live. Butterfly knives are often associated with gang violence and criminals; this is a stereotype that movies have unfortunately brought this type of knife.
Q: How Long Does It Take to Learn Tricks?
A: Simple tricks are quick to learn; more advanced tricks will take a while to get the hang of, especially if you’re a beginner. It’s best to buy yourself a training knife if you’re entirely new to the whole thing. The blades are not sharpened, so it’s safe for beginners, and it’s a lot cheaper.
Q: Are Butterfly Knives Durable?
A: You might think that because they are lightweight and have so many moving parts and screws, they would be weak, but that isn’t the case for most butterfly knives. The handle materials like titanium or hard rubber are solid and durable, and the blade is held together with reinforced steel screws. The skeletonized handle designs might not look very strong, but this type of design does not affect the knife’s strength.
Final Thoughts
That’s it! You’ve got a lot of information to work through, so feel free to go back over it. We’ve covered 7 options we think best embody what an ideal practice balisong should – realistic, affordable, beginner-friendly, and durable. You should feel confident in knowing the kind of value and performance you can expect at different price points.
Bear in mind that it’s all about picking a knife that works well for your needs and style. All that’s left is to make your choice. With the best butterfly knife and a cutting-edge practice routine, you’ll be spinning and tricking like a pro sooner than you’d expect – good luck!