Benchmade Model 42

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.