Benchmade Model 42
Review by Phil
Elmore
I
don’t remember when I first saw a balisong knife on television, but I
was very young at the time. I know I was about 14 when I saw
one in person for the first time. An older boy at my school
bus stop had one; he opened and closed it with practice
ease. I watched as the brass handles flashed back and forth,
amazed that the boy’s fingers weren’t cut to ribbons.
The Benchmade Model 42
balisong knife.
Roughly
two decades later, my fascination with “butterfly knives” has not
waned. I own numerous books on them and enjoy especially the
pictures of classic balisongs from the 1980s. The ninja boom
of the ’80s was accompanied by widespread demand for butterfly knives,
so it was a good decade for them. Back before the NY Attorney
General started classifying balisongs, incorrectly, as “gravity knives”
(which are illegal per the NYS Penal Code) you could still buy cheap
chromed and brass Taiwanese balisongs in gift stores and Army/Navy
surplus shops in my area.
Some
of my favorite fiction includes protagonists armed with
Balisongs. From the heroes of Jerry and Sherry Ahern’s The
Takers and The Survivalist to the
plotlines of a variety of other pulp action titles, the balisong is
well represented in segments of my leisure reading.
Back
in the real world, time passes and things change. As we all
know, some things change for the worst. Others, however,
prove pleasantly surprising. Such is the case with the
Benchmade Model 42, the latest incarnation of the balisong that put Benchmade on the map.
For
as long as I’ve been aware of butterfly knives, the “lock” mechanism
has consisted of a simple latch. Regardless of whether the
latch is on the “unsafe” handle or the “safe” handle (or missing
entirely), the basic balisong pattern has not changed for
decades. Two handle halves rotate on pins on the blade tang,
enclosing the blade and secured with the latch when the knife is closed.
Spring-loaded, circular
latch of the 42.
The
“safe” handle is the handle on the spine side, while the “unsafe”
handle is on the blade side. When opening and closing a
balisong, holding the safe handle ensures that only the unsharpened
spine will touch your fingers. This is the “trick” that, at
14 years old, I did not know.
The
history of the company that would one day be today’s Benchmade —
including the history of its iconic balisong — is beyond the scope of
this article. We’ll simply say that the Model 42 is, as of
this writing, a welcome component of Benchmade’s product line.
The
Model 42 has handles of titanium, making them light and
strong. Gone is the squared latch one would expect on a
balisong. In its place is a spring-loaded, circular latch
that fits in a circular depression in the handle. “Pinkie
power” will not dislodge this latch (nor will it come loose in your
pocket). A simple squeeze of the handles is all it takes to
pop the latch free. Once open, it stays vertical under spring
tension. This eliminates the latch rattle that makes other
balisongs so loud. (The spring-loaded latch is also kept
clear of the blade edge during manipulations, which is another
plus. A freely flopping latch can ding up the balisong’s tip
area.)
The
model 42 is 5.2
inches closed. The blade is 4.2 inches of 154CM stainless
steel (I think previous models were 440C). Older models open and
close
smoothly and quietly on hardened steel pins with only a small
amount of play in the handles. Current production (as of this
writing) exhibits slightly more play and therefore slightly more noise
when flipping.
Fit and finish of the knife are
good, as you would expect, but current production 42s are not quite up
to the quality of their predecessors. I compared a 2008 42 to a
previous 42 and noticed rough patches in the holes drilled into the
handles, as well as more mill marks on the blade in the newer
knife. Both of my Model 42s were very sharp out of
the box. They cut well, penetrate deeply, and move
quickly. The “Weehawk” blade even looks
fast, as the unsharpened false edge gives it a streamlined appearance.
There are more expensive
balisongs, there are “nicer” balisongs, and there are balisongs with
other features (like pocket clips). The 42, though, is the
essence of the butterfly knife — simple, sleek, fast, sharp, and…
charismatic. It is a knife that is as much style as
substance. While the “locking” mechanism of the open balisong
is simply the pressure of the hand, the knife is very safe — for the
“lock” can’t accidentally close as long as the user holds the
knife. No other knife is quite as flashy getting into that
open position, either.
In the real world of politics and
laws, the balisong can be a liability. It is often explicitly
illegal and might be construed as illegal in municipalities that don’t
forbid it outright. The average law enforcement officer is
likely to view it as a weapon, not a utility knife. Let’s be
honest. Style equates to political
incorrectness, which has consequences in our society.
If you can legally own a balisong,
half (if not more) of its appeal lies in learning to open it with flair.
A friend of mine once did serious damage to one of her knuckles with a
borrowed (and sharp) balisong. Do yourself a favor and invest
in a good, dull trainer. Benchmade once offered the now discontinued Model 40T for
this purpose.
The Benchmade Model 40T
trainer.
The 40T is close enough to the 42
to make a good “learning blade.” The rounded blade is shorter
and the handles have a slightly duller, flatter look and feel compared
to their analogs on the 42. Moving the “live” 42 and the 40T
doesn’t feel the same, but the two are similar enough that you can
learn the mechanics of “bali flipping” using the trainer.
Worry about refining your technique after you’ve got the basics safely
down and are in no danger of flaying your own hand.
The 40T trainer (top) is
similar enough to the 42 (bottom) for flipping practice.
The Model 42 can be toted in a
pocket or in the supplied Nylon sheath. The closure is Velcro
and the sheath has belt loops for both horizontal and vertical
carry. The sheath shows good stitching and is quite
comfortable to wear. It is not, however, particularly
subtle. If you’re wearing this, balisongs had better be legal
where you are.
Nylon belt sheath can be
worn vertically or horizontally.
To have style does not necessarily
mean to lack substance. The Model 42 has both in an appealing
package. It is as much a toy as it is a knife, as much a tool
as it is a weapon, and as much a passion as it is a hobby. >>