Benchmade 87 Titanium Wharncliffe Balisong Butterfly Knife, CPM-S30V Satin Blade

This Benchmade 87 Titanium balisong butterfly knife is one of many new knives released by Benchmade this year. After almost 30 years since the first balisong was introduced to the world, the 87 is a homage to the year 1987 which was the year Benchmade first got their start. This unique and impressive model boasts handle scales that have been sandblasted and milled out of a solid billet of titanium and the always-smooth action is showcased thanks to the thrust bearing washers. This Blue Class butterfly model, the 87, features custom hardware, a magnetic latch, and a wharncliffe style blade in a satin finish. Made in the USA.

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Blade Length: 4.5"
• Overall Length: 10"
• Blade Material: CPM-S30V Stainless Steel
• Blade Finish: Satin
• Handle Length: 5.5"
• Handle Material: Titanium
• Weight: 5.4 oz.

The Benchmade 87 Ti Bali-Song

Les De Asis started Benchmade by blueprinting his dream knife. He eventually met with Victor Anselmo, who helped him grind out this knife. He loved this knife and took it into a local gun store to ask the owner if he could build one hundred more. With these knives, he started his company called Bali-Song, Inc. Within the next seven years, Bali-Song expanded their knife inventory to offer fixed blades and folding knives and switched out the name to Pacific Cutlery Corporation. This new company was not able to stay afloat and they filed for bankruptcy. In 1988, Les De Asis developed a new company and called it Benchmade.

Benchmade today offers almost any style of knife that you can think of. But with a rich history of Bali-Song’s, or Butterfly, knives, you know that these are going to be some of the best in the business. Benchmade recently developed a new butterfly knife called the 87 Ti Bali-Song.

The Blade:

The blade on this new Bali-Song is made out of CPM-S30V premium stainless steel. This steel is a full stainless steel, meaning that it has all of the properties to help it resist corrosion as best as it can. This steel was specifically designed by Crucible to be used for knives, so it has all of the properties that you could want on your blade. S30V steel is very tough, and for how tough it is, it also has great hardness. The balance between toughness and hardness is why many knife makers and knife enthusiasts love this for their blades. This steel has amazing edge retention properties and has actually been known to beat up grinders a little bit. This is a more expensive steel, so this knife is going to be a little pricier than if it had a lower grade steel used on it, but the extra cost is definitely worth it. This knife steel has been regarded as having the perfect balance between edge retention, hardness, and toughness. You will find S30V steel on high-end premium pocket knives and even on high-end kitchen cutlery.

The blade on this knife features a Wharncliffe style. This blade basically looks like a reverse tanto blade. The sharpened edge of the blade is straight across. The back, or unsharpened edge, is also straight until about a 1/8^th portion away from the tip, where it angles sharply down into a point. Because of the lack of belly on this blade, it is not an ideal blade for slicing. Another drawback from not having a belly is that it is not going to be able to skin well. However, because the blade is thick and wide, it is very strong. The back section, or the portion of the blade where it is closest to the handle, is the thickest. The blade then tapers down in thickness to the point where it has a fine point and edge. Wharncliffe blades are pretty useful, great for opening boxes and letters and excelling at box cutting. Having a Wharncliffe style blade on a Bali-Song is very unique; it is actually the only Wharncliffe Bali-Song currently available from Benchmade. This is a single edge blade, meaning only one side of it is sharpened. If it was a double edged blade, both edges would be sharpened. A Wharncliffe style blade is one of the easiest styles to sharpen, because it is a totally straight and even edge. You can use anything from a stone to a rod set.

The Handle:

The handle is made out of sandblasted titanium. The titanium chunk that they used to carve out the handle was just a single piece. This means it is stronger. There are no weak links in your knife handle. Titanium is a lightweight metal alloy that has some of the highest corrosion resistance of any metal. While it is still lightweight, an aluminum handle would be more lightweight. But, for the slightly extra weight, you get a lot more strength to it. In fact, titanium is harder than steel. Especially since many stainless steel handles are so heavy, with a titanium handle you get the toughness and durability of a metal handle, but you don’t get weighed down. Something strange, but amazing, about titanium is that it has a warm feel to it. This means that during the winter it is not going to make you suffer like an aluminum handle would. Titanium needs to be finished, and it can either be finished by anodizing it or bead/sand blasting it. This specific handle has been sand blasted as the finish. Sandblasting is when small grains are shot at the titanium at high pressure and high speeds. This causes micro abrasions in the surface and provides you with a rougher, more texturized surface. Because of this, you will have better grip while using your knife. When using a butterfly knife, you need lots of grip, especially if you are using it to perform tricks. So, along with the sandblasting, Benchmade has cut oval holes up and down the handle.

The Mechanism:

The “mechanism” on this is a Bali-Song. This has also been known as a butterfly knife and a fan knife. So what exactly is a Bali-Song knife? It is a folding pocket knife, but instead of the blade resting inside of one handle, there are two handles that rotate up and around the blade. The blade is then snugly inside two handles. When you are ready to open it, you undo a latch that is at the top, securing the two handles together, and unfold it. You can then redo the latch so that the two handles are connected again. Butterfly knives have been used in cultural rituals, as self-defense tools, for entertainment, and for much more. People can actually perform “tricks” with butterfly knives once they have been practicing for a while. They flip the knife open and closed and spin it around, this is an example of using it for entertainment purposes. If you are after learning how to do these, I would recommend getting a practice butterfly knife where the blade is dull all around. Bali-Song laws are similar to switchblade laws, so know your local knife laws before purchasing and carrying this knife.

The Extras:

Benchmade uses thrust bearing washers on the 87 Ti Bali-Song. The hardware in the knife is all custom, so the hardware is going to match the knife handle perfectly. Another big bonus and unique aspect to this knife is that the latch to close the two handles is magnetic. This means that it is going to be more secure. When you are flipping your knife around, you won’t have to worry about the latch coming undone.

The Specs:

The blade on this knife is 4.5 inches long, with a blade thickness of 0.124 inches. When the butterfly knife is opened, it measures in at an even 10 inches long. But, when the knife is closed, it measures up at 5.5 inches. The handle has a thickness of 0.46 inches. The weight of this knife is 5.37 ounces, with the sheath weighing 0.66 ounces.

Pros of the Benchmade 87 Ti Bali-Song:

• ·Benchmade has a rich history of making Bali-Song’s, so you know that you are getting a quality, tried and true knife.
• ·The S30V steel is a pure stainless steel—highly resistant to corrosion.
• ·The S30V steel is the perfect balance between toughness, hardness, and edge retention.
• ·You can get a fine blade that last a while with S30V steel.
• ·Because the Wharncliffe style requires a thicker blade, it is going to be able to stand up to hard tasks.
• ·Wharncliffe blades are great for opening letters, boxes, and box cutting.
• ·This is the only Wharncliffe Butterfly available from Benchmade at this point in time.
• ·The titanium handle is a lightweight, yet durable and strong material.
• ·Titanium actually feels warm, so it isn’t going to bite your hands during the winter.
• ·Titanium has the highest corrosion resistance out of any metal alloy.
• ·The sandblasted finish gives you more grip than you would otherwise have.
• ·There are oval cuts in the handle to provide you with extra grip.
• ·A butterfly knife can be used for a variety of purposes: from cultural to entertainment.
• ·The hardware is all custom.
• ·The latch on the handles is magnetic.

Cons of the Benchmade 87 Ti Bali-Song:

• ·S30V steel is hard to sharpen.
• ·S30V steel is more expensive than most other steels.
• ·The lack of belly on the blade makes it less than ideal for slicing but great for other cuts.
• ·Nylon sheaths have the tendency to stretch over time, so while it will stick work adequately, it will not hold your knife as securely.
• ·Nylon will break down over time, so this sheath is not going to last as long as this knife will.

Conclusion:

When Benchmade was Bali-Song, they were focusing on solely Butterfly knives. During that time, they have truly mastered the art of designing and producing a Bali-Song. Over the years, Benchmade has added different styles of knives, but their Butterfly knives have never slacked in quality. This is a new Bali-Song to their collection, named the 87 Ti Bali-Song. This is a similar knife in design to the 67 and 63. This is a masterpiece of a knife.

The blade on this knife is made out of S30V steel, which is a premium grade steel used mainly on high end pocket and culinary knives. This is a corrosion resistant steel that has a perfect balance between all of the characteristics that you are searching for in a knife’s blade. Benchmade decided to make the shape of the blade a Wharncliffe style, which is very useful especially if you are cutting boxes. The sharpened edge has no curve to it, which gives it a very unique feel. The 87 Ti Bali-Song is the only Butterfly Wharncliffe that you can get from Benchmade at this point in time. The handle on this knife is drilled out of a single piece of titanium, enhancing the already strong metal. This knife comes with a gray nylon sheath, which is a sturdy sheath that can stand up to a beating. My favorite thing about nylon is that it is resistant to rot and mold. Plus, nylon can stand up to getting wet, including salt water, and still maintain a good quality. When open, this is a very large knife.

This new butterfly knife is a fantastic addition to the Benchmade line of knives and will be an even better addition to your own personal knife collection.