Balisong's

[oldman]

Dug out my old 80's model, Golden Dragon balisong, yesterday. I wanted to carry it, but evidently they are illegal in TN? To own or carry. Jeez. Edited April 24, 2011 by oldman

[Murgatroy]

I have a Benchmade Bali-Song that I bought years ago. It has the tanto half serrated blade. I have carried it for years, but I have recently stopped.

[Oh Shoot]

Are they considered switchblade in TN by case law or AG opinion or something? The "gravity" thing?

- OS

[Guest mosinon]

I haven't heard the were illegal in TN and I hope they aren't. A balisong would take me a good half hour to open (the rubik's cube of knives) but even I can use a kershaw assisted open knife very quickly. If a balisong is illegal then certainly a kershaw would be.

Wait, wait. I know how to figure this out....

Well, it appears balisongs are legal here but not so much in other states. If you head to smoky mountain knife and try to order this thing:

Not for you California

You'll find that SMKW warns where the knife is illegal. But they don't tell the whole story, that knife is illegal in TN if you're just walking around, but only because it is too long. If you try to order my fave knife (kershaws are awesome, ZT is better but the price!), it seems to legal everywhere. Well, except the St. Louis Arch. Where I hear they confiscate them.

All that saidI was talking to an officer who rents a house in my neighborhood the other day during the easter egg hunts for kids and the conversation turned to guns and laws and stuff. What he told me is that he had never hit anyone with a knife charge before, only found a few switchblades and wouldn't stop and check the length of the blade unless it was absurdly long. He didn't seem to be overly concerned about it. I suspect it is one of those laws that cops aren't actively enforcing unless you're being Mr. Super******** or something.

I don't like the knife laws but I will say that if I could carry a longer knife than four inches I wouldn't just cause of the size. That doesn't mean I have a problem with people carrying a kabar or something, just that I find four inches a little too big for EDC.

[oldman]

He didn't seem to be overly concerned about it. I suspect it is one of those laws that cops aren't actively enforcing unless you're being Mr. Super******** or something.

That was pretty much what I told my son. It just won't be my EDC.

[fullmetaljoe]

Balisongs aren't specifically mentioned, but they would probably fall under TN's definition of a "switchblade."

(17) “Switchblade knife†means any knife that has a blade which opens automatically by:

(A) Hand pressure applied to a button or other device in the handle; or

( Operation of gravity or inertia

[DaveTN]

Balisong is a Butterfly knife. According to this article they are illegal to possess or carry in Tennessee.

(I have no idea if this is correct, I just ran across it)

The Butterfly Knife- Balisong

[Murgatroy]

Balisong is a Butterfly knife. According to this article they are illegal to possess or carry in Tennessee.

(I have no idea if this is correct, I just ran across it)

The Butterfly Knife- Balisong

The kid in that video needs practice.

I have been working Bali-Song knives for as long as I can remember. A character in a book series I read as a kid carried one and had to have one.

I started out with the cheap $10 flea market knives before moving on the Benchmade I mentioned above. The difference between a cheap knife and an expensive knife made a world of difference. I can work the knife either hand and I know several different patterns.

While I originally bought into the whole butterfly knife idea cause it was cool, after using one as an EDC for twenty years, I find it to be a very versatile tool. It can be used to strip wire, nearly any gauge, in a pinch it can work as pliers, a quality knife can be used successfully as a pry bar and a hammer. That is of course in addition to mundane chores a knife is useful for as well.

There is also the added benefit of the tell-tale "click-clack" that may or may not dissuade an attacker.

Again, I did stop carrying it. I now carry a very unassuming canoe folder. It was not due to legal reasons. It was more a wardrobe change. I wear khakis to work now, and the knife is too heavy in the pocket. It also has a habit of wearing a hole in the back pocket. I carry it upright, next to my wallet and it would wear a hole in the bottom.

I do however believe that a bali-song falls into the 'Inertia Operated' category rather plainly.

My Benchmade:

Edited May 1, 2011 by Murgatroy

[Punisher84]

I love mine. I do however have a lovely scar on my right leg from when I was learning to use one in my teen years. Sitting on the couch, drop, stab.

[Guest adamallen]

DAmn man thats one sick bali![url=http://bestmachete.net/balisong-knives-reviewed/][img]http://bestmachete.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/1px.png[/img][/url]

[TrickyNicky]

Cool thread. I'll have to get some pictures of the only two I have left. Handy knifes, wish I could carry mine without fear of legal reprocusions.