Are you a balisong collector looking for that one knife that stands out above the rest? How about a flipper looking for some more edge and a new flipping style?

Double edged balisongs have been around for a long time and offer several differences over traditional blade styles. Although they are more difficult to flip, double edged blades are highly collectible and offer a tantalizing challenge to even the best flippers.

The Iconic Kris Blade Shape

A traditional kris blade is double edged with a wavy shape from tip to heel. Many butterfly knives have been created with the kris blade shape including several traditional filipino balisongs.

Although the blade is not exactly the most functional for everyday use, it is definitely a cool collectors piece.

Many companies such as Benchmade, Eldon Talley Knives, and Atropos have made butterfly knives with this iconic blade shape. This blade shape was even featured in the 1997 film Face/Off by actor John Travolta.

Benchmade 49

The Benchmade Model 49 was part of the 4X lineup of balisongs. The 49 is by far the rarest out of the whole 4X line, having a run of only 100 knives made.

Because of the rarity of this knife, you will almost never see one for sale and if you do, it will be at a very premium price point.

The 4X series of knives made by Benchmade is a favorited series by many flippers. It was one of the first series of butterfly knives to revolutionize the flipping hobby and pioneer the flipping culture as we know it. Some still consider the 4X series as being some of the best flipping knives.

The Benchmade 49 features a single tang pin design with a washer pivot system, just like every other knife in the 4X series. The blade is 440c and the handles are CNC milled channel titanium.

Kris Talisong

Eldon Talley is a custom knife maker who will make a knife based on the request of the person ordering. There is no set price for a Talisong due to them being custom made and made to order.

The Talisong features milled channel titanium handles, a bushing pivot system, and a variety of different blade steels and blade shape options, including a kris blade.

As far as flipping goes, the Talisong has a nice rear bias and flips exceptionally well because of the handle weight and handle texture. They are also great collectors pieces since you can get them customized any way you want.

Atropos Kris

Atropos is a Russian knife maker who offers handmade knives in a lower price range than many others. They take custom orders, but the Atropos Kris is a knife that is readily available for purchase anytime on their website.

The Atropos Kris has been made in several different iterations, from channel titanium to sandwich titanium liners with g10 scales. Atropos constantly puts out different variations of blade steel and construction types for all of their knives at all different price points.

Easily Flippable Double Edged Balisongs

While it is possible to flip a regular double edged butterfly knife and do some impressive tricks, it has to be taken into account that some tricks are not possible, and you may find yourself repeating the same rollover tricks over and over again.  

The two knives below offer a unique design aspect that allows you to flip a double edge blade like a traditional balisong with less fear of being cut.

If you’re looking for some tricks to try on your double edged balisong take a look at 15 Intermediate Butterfly Knife Tricks, and 20 Expert Balisong Tricks and How to do Them to see what you can pull off.

Ceroni Integralis and Gladius

Davide Ceroni is an Italian custom knife maker that offers a variety of different premium custom knives. Two of Ceroni’s knife designs happen to have a unique double edge design that has no edge at the base of the blade on either side.

Both the Integralis and the Gladius have a unique blade design that comes in several different steel types. The handles for both of these knives are chanwich construction and made from titanium. The pivot system for both knives could be either bushing or bearing, and they are both pinless.

JK Design DE Emissary

Another custom knife maker known as JK Design released a series of balisongs known as the Emissary. The Emissary came out in a few blade shapes and one of the most unique looking blades of the Emissary line was the Emissary DE.

The Emissary DE gives you the flippabillity of a trainer with blade style of a very unique and awesome double edge knife. It features a sandwich style construction with titanium slabs as the handle material. The blade steel varies between different knives but they all run on a bushing pivot system and have zen pens.

Easily Available Double Edged Balisongs

A lot of the double edged balisongs listed so far have been either very expensive, discontinued, rarely available, or custom orders you will have to wait a long time for.

That being said, if you want one of those knives, they are not impossible to obtain - you’ll just have to be patient and watch the secondhand market frequently to find what you want.

The balisongs listed below, however, are readily available for purchase. You still may have to wait a bit for shipping or finishing, but these options will be in your hands much quicker than the others.

Atropos Gladius and Angel

As mentioned before, Atropos is a Russian knife maker who hand makes several different variations of balisongs and other knives. You will still have to wait for the shipping time from Russia but both of these knives are readily available for purchase.

Much like the Atropos Kris, the Gladius and Angel are two butterfly knives that come in several different variations of construction and blade materials. If you are wanting a specific build or blade material for either the Gladius or the Angel, contact Atropos for custom builds.

Re-blades

Although you will have to wait for them to be made, re-blades offer an easy way to mod your favorite knife and put any blade style or shape on it.  Re-bladers can be found on instagram, and several have made double edged blades in the past.

There are more and more people getting into the re-blade market, which is a great thing!

Re-blades are typically inexpensive for what you are getting. You send them your handles and a description of the design you want, they’ll make a blade unique to your knife.

Getting a re-blade is a great way to get into the double edge scene because it lets you take a set of handles you’re already comfortable with and turn them into something new, but still familiar.

Cold Steel FGX

The Cold Steel FGX Serrated Dagger is a butterfly knife made entirely out of griv-ex plastic. Although the blade is not metal, it is still sharp and extremely pointy. 

The FGX balisong offers a unique option to those who just want to mess around with a double edged bali without taking the full plunge. They are extremely affordable, priced at less than $15 from several knife retailers.

It is also unique in that there are no metal parts, making it a low profile self defense tool. This bali is fun to throw around if you want to dip your toes in the water of double edged flipping.

The Best Double Edged Balisong

When it comes to the world of double edged butterfly knives, there is one knife that has stood above the rest since it first came out. Flippers love this knife because of its construction and feel in the hand, and many consider it to be a top tier flipper with perfect balance.

Collectors love this knife due to the rarity, appearance, and the designer of the knife, the late Darrel Ralph. There’s no beating around the bush when it comes to the #1 spot for the best double edged balisong.

Cold Steel DE Arc Angel 

Cold Steel’s Double Edged Arc Angel is the most sought after and desirable balisong for flippers and collectors alike. Constructed with Carbon V steel and CNC milled channel titanium handles, the Cold Steel Arc Angel is a single tang pin knife with a nice handle bias that runs on a washer pivot system.

The Arc Angel was released with three different blade shapes: spear point, clip point, and double edge. Of these three blade shapes, the double edge is the rarest and most distinguishable of the bunch.

Being discontinued for several years, Arc Angels are harder and harder to find. Although the Arc Angel originally retailed for $400, you’ll have to pay a premium price on the secondhand market if you’d like to get your hands on one today - but the price is well worth it!

The Double Edged Arc Angel specifically is what almost everyone hunts for when they are looking for a double edge bali. The market for this knife is very competitive and pricey. When you see a DE Arc Angel posted for sale, it will be sold before you know it.

Even though the Arc Angel is an older knife and only runs on washers, it is still a premium knife with a feel that isn’t similar to anything else. You’ll hear time and time again how much everyone can’t get enough of the Arc Angel.

Conclusion

Although there are other double edged balisong designs out there, the options listed above are some of the best. There's no beating around the bush when it comes to the best of the best double edged balisong: the DE Arc Angel holds a place in the community as the highest tier double edged bali in terms of both flipping and collecting.

If you want some more information on the topic or have any questions, shoot me a message @poip._.sus on Instagram. Never stop flipping!