Jaguar Classic Butterfly Knife
Review by Phil Elmore
It has been said that one
of the problems with the balisong or butterfly knife market is that
there really are no “mid-range” models. One may either purchase a
very expensive custom or semi-custom knife, one of several high-end
models, or the standard by which balisongs are measured (the Benchmade 42) — or one may purchase any of countless low-end models, the quality of most of which is very lacking.
The average low-end butterfly knife won’t hold up to extended
flipping and, if it does last during heavy use, will rattle and clank
like an old pickup truck bouncing over railroad tracks.
One of the low-end models that I’ve seen recommended before is the
Jaguar Classic, now manufactured in China (if it was ever manufactured
anywhere else). I’ve no idea who or what entity is responsible
for the importation of knives, including butterfly knives, badged
“Jaguar,” but they’ve been around for years. Current production
Jaguar Classic butterfly knives exhibit lower quality than previous
versions, but the knife is essentially the same. It remains a
good choice for a “low-end” practice model with a live blade.
It’s a substantial (read “heavy”) knife that flips reasonably
well (the weight helps with consistency in practice) and holds up
slightly better than the cheapset butterfly knives flooding the market.
My sample Jaguar Classic shipped without a box and was a little
dinged up, exhibiting some scratches on one of the handles. More
significantly, a piece of metal remained in one of the slot cut-outs in
the handle, where obviously it was not properly excised during
manufacture. I pushed this out of the handle with a house key and
simply threw the fragment in the trash.
Fit and finish are mediocre. The pins are rough and misshapen.
The handles themselves exhibit various artificats and oddities left
over the manufacturing process, though I couldn’t say for sure how they
are made. There is no seam as would be evident if they were die
cast (one presumes). The plastic inserts fit properly into the
handles. Those inserts also pick up finger oils very readily and
take on a kind of mildly disgusting sheen, after extended handling.
The blade of the knife, which is actually fairly nice for a blade at
this price point, was sharp and nicely ground on both sides out of the
box (except for the partial serrations, which are ground on one side
only). It has a dull gray finish
There is, as you would expect, play in the handles. The knife
flips reasonably smoothly, though (it clunks with weight, but isn’t too
bad). The plastic handle inserts get a little slippery over
time.
The knife does not lock open, nor do I believe a butterfly knife needs to (or should).
For the relatively low price, this isn’t a bad buy for the money
— but it’s still not a solution to the lack of mid-range butterfly
knives on the market. Every dedicated bali-flipper should
probably have at least one in his stable, but you’re not missing
anything too significant if you don’t.