Butterfly Knife or Folding Knife? Pros and Cons!

Butterfly Knife or Folding Knife? Pros and Cons!

Since butterfly knife has come into the picture, people have started comparing it with a folding knife. They are curious about which knife to prefer. There are plenty of debates about which of these two knives is better.

Butterfly knife, also called balisong knife is a knife with two handles and one blade. The blade is concealed in these two handles. The handles are moveable and folded for concealing the blade.

To open the blade, the handles can be opened and joined at a certain point where the two handles are locked.

Folding knife, on the other hand, is a pocket knife made to be carried in the pocket. It has a single handle in which the blade is concealed. There is often a spring mechanism or push button which deploys the blade.

Today, I have decided to do a brief comparison of these two knives to conclude which of them is better. So, let’s count the pros and cons of both these knives!

Pros of Butterfly Knife - Easy to Carry The biggest advantage of butterfly knife is that it is pretty easy to carry. When the blade is concealed inside the two handles, it becomes a small stick. This stick can easily be carried in a pocket or purse. Wooden or steel stick does not matter, but the size is significantly reduced to fit inside the pocket. Hence, it is perhaps the easiest to carry knife.

- Solid Safety Lock Balisong knife features a durable and solid locking mechanism. When the blade is closed inside the two handles, there is a safety lock that locks the handles, therefore, they can’t move unless you want. Also, when the blade is opened, the two handles are connected and locked at a certain point. The safety lock prevents the blade and handles from moving themselves. This makes the knife safe to carry in the pocket.

- Easy to Play Tricks Butterfly knife is often used for playing different tricks. No other knife allows this. It is not just easy but safe as well to play tricks with this knife. Even a beginner can learn a few flipping tricks and impress his mates by performing those tricks.

- Thick Handle for Better Grip A thin handle makes it difficult to control the knife and most of the knives have thinner handles.

Butterfly knife has a pretty thick handle. Since there are two handles, they are connected at one point and locked. This makes a very thick handle which makes it easier to control the knife.

- Immense Strength Balisong knife is one of the most powerful knives ever constructed. It has a short, but strong blade that can be used for doing heavy duty cutting tasks.

Cons of Butterfly Knife - Requires Long Term Training Butterfly knife is not the easiest to learn. You need to spend days in training before you get your hands on the knife. This is perhaps why there is a trainer balisong knife which is used for learning this knife. Since it features an additional handle, it takes time to gain the essential skills to use this knife.

- Harder to Handle Having mentioned the unorthodox nature of this knife, it is difficult to handle. There are two handles and one blade which makes it quite complicated for new users. They find it extremely tough to become comfortable with the knife.

- Dangerous for Beginners The unorthodox nature of the balisong knife also makes it dangerous for beginners. A person who is not an expert at using this knife is likely to suffer an accidental injury. If you want to use this knife at any cost, you first need to train yourself with a trainer knife before moving to the real one.

Pros of Folding Knife - Easy to Use Folding knife is the easiest to use knife. It is like a normal utility knife we use for cutting fruits and veggies in the kitchen. Even a beginner does not find it difficult to use it. Just learn how to deploy the blade and you are all set to use it.

- Requires No Training A great advantage of a folding knife is that you need no training prior to using the knife. Since it is a normal knife we use for utility purposes, you are never unfamiliar with it. Just get your hands on the knife and you are already a skilled user of it.

- Multiple Uses Perhaps the most important benefit of a folding knife is its unending uses. It serves as a utility knife, an EDC knife and a self defense knife. The small blade of the knife allows you to defend yourself against the attackers, do everyday tasks like opening cans, altering clothes and utility tasks like cutting veggies and peeling fruits etc.

Cons of Folding Knife

- Lack of Strength The biggest drawback of a folding knife is that it's blade does not have enough strength. It is not just small, it is also less durable. If you try to cut harder materials, you would end up losing the blade. The blade is only capable of doing smaller and easy cutting tasks.

- Uncomfortable to Carry Folding knife often becomes uncomfortable when you are carrying it in your pocket. It does not feature a very solid locking mechanism. Hence, you are always vulnerable to an accidental injury. The blade may at any time open accidentally to cause an injury.

- Malfunction We all know that folding knife is not pretty durable. At times, the small blade breaks while cutting. Also, there is a likeness of folding mechanism malfunction. This can lead to a very dangerous situation specifically when using it for self defense.

Conclusion Based on the pros and cons of both the knives, it appears as a butterfly knife is slightly more advantageous compared to a folding knife. Balisong knife offers several key benefits. It offers greater strength and durability. Also, it is easy to carry and can be used for even heavy duty cutting tasks. Hence, butterfly knife is easily the better knife!