Benchmade 62 Stainless Weehawk Balisong Knife Review

Benchmade has a rich history that dates back over 3 decades. The Benchmade that we know and love is a product of many dedicated employees, a never-quit demand for excellence and the de Asis family’s vision and total commitment to culture, service, and innovation.

The story of Benchmade began when Les de Asis wanted a knife that reflected the latest in materials and manufacturing technology to replace the cheap butterfly knives that he had played with as a kid. He went to work, using his high school shop skills, blueprinting his dream knife before he eventually met Victor Anselmo, who helped grind the first ever pre-Benchmade Bali-Song prototype. Paired with handles that Les sourced from a small machine shop in California, he assembled and finished his first Bali-Song in his own garage. He took his creation to a local gun store and the owner asked if he could build 100 more.

In 1980, Les incorporated as Bali-Song, Inc. and rented a small shop in a second story mezzanine in California. The original equipment that he owned was purchased form the owner of a manufacturing operation who was looking to retire. Utilizing the rudimentary technology available to him at the time, Les began building handmade custom Bali-Songs, along with Jody Sampson, who ground all the blades. The success of these custom Balis spurred the creation of the first production Bali-Song: The Model 68.

Throughout the next seven years, the company expanded its product offerings into fixed blades and conventional folding knives, and evolved its name from Bali-Song, Inc. to Pacific Cutlery Corp.

In 1987 Pacific Cutlery Corp filed for bankruptcy and was dissolved. It was later reintroduced as a new company and new version of the Model 68; this time with a drive to produce product in the US and an even stronger commitment to product availability, quality, and customer relationships. This new company would need a new name. Les realized that there was “handmade” and “factory-made,” but it was “Benchmade” that described the quality of Les’ products. He was building an operation that made precision parts, but with hand assembly on the finished products. This was a “bench” operation and Les wanted the name to reflect the marriage of manufactured and custom. In short, it describes Benchmade’s position in the market—even to this day.

To this day, Benchmade continues to focus on innovation, customer needs, responsible business ethics and operations to bring the highest quality products to the world’s elite.

Today we will be discussing the Benchmade 62 Stainless Weehawk Balisong Butterfly knife.

 

The Blade:

The blade on this butterfly knife is made out of D2 Tool steel. This steel is often used in industrial settings because of its high hardness and relatively high toughness. These qualities also make it an excellent choice in cutlery. This steel is not technically a stainless steel, because it falls just short of the required chromium, but is often referred to as a semi-stainless steel because of how corrosion resistant it is. D2 steel has been around for over 2 decades, which is an eternity in metallurgy terms, which means that you can be guaranteed that this steel will last and get the job done.

The blade has been finished with a satin finish which is created by repeatedly sanding the blade in one direction with an increasing degree of a fine sandpaper. This blade finish is used to show off the bevels of the blade while also showcasing the fine lines in the steel. This blade finish is the most popular finish used in the cutlery industry and gives the knife a very traditional look. In terms of luster, the satin finish falls right in the middle; a mirror polished finish is going to be much more reflective and a coated finish is going to be more matte. The satin finish also works to cut down on corrosion, although that is not a defining characteristic of this blade finish.

The blade on this Benchmade knife has been carved into a spear point blade style, which is also known as a Weehawk blade style, giving this knife its name. The spear point blade shape is similar to the needle point blade because they are both good for piercing. However, a spear point blade shape is stronger and contains a small belly that the needle point does not. The shape is formed with a symmetrically pointed blade that has a point that is in line with the center lien of the blade’s long axis. Both edges of the knife rise and fall equally to create a point that lines up exactly with the equator of the blade. One of the most common places that you are going to see this blade shape is on a throwing knife. A spear point does differ forma needle point blade, because the needle point blade has a very sharp but weak point. The spear point blade shape has a strong point that is still sharp enough for piercing. The spear point blade also features a lowered point, which adds an element of control when you are using this knife, especially when you are using it to complete fine tip work. Spear points also differ form the needle point blade because it contains a small belly that can be used for some cutting and slicing applications, however, the belly is relatively small when compared to drop pint and clip point knives. The spear point is known as a great hybrid blade, because it contains the sharp point of a dagger with the strength of a drop point blade, while still keeping some of the belly that is used for slicing. This blade shape crates the perfect knife if you are looking for a knife that has a good balance between piercing and slicing capabilities.

The blade features a plain edge, which is going to allow you to take on a wider variety of tasks, while providing you with clean cuts. This is the perfect blade if you have a lot of push cuts to accomplish.

The Handle:

The handle on this Benchmade knife is made out of stainless steel. Stainless steel offers some huge benefits as well as some huge disadvantages when it comes to knife handles. For starters, stainless steel has incredible durability as well as being very resistant to corrosion. The handles on this knife are going to be and stay strong because of what they are made out of. Unfortunately, stainless steel is one of the heaviest materials that your knife handle can be made out of. Also, stainless steel has the tendency to be slippery, unless the proper texture has been added. This means that the manufacturer has to add time and energy to make sure that you can have a secure grip on this knife, which does add a cost to it.

Because it is a butterfly knife, there are two handles. Both of the handles match each other. The portion of each handle that is nearest to the blade starts out as the thinnest part of the handle, before flaring out at the butt. Each handle has six circles cut out going down the length of the handle, with increasing size on each one. These cut outs are to add aesthetic to the handles as well as cutting down on weight because of how heavy stainless steel is. The holes also add an element of texture, so that you can have a more secure grip on this knife whether you are using it for flipping or for self-defense.

 

The Mechanism:

The Benchmade 62 is a butterfly knife, which is also often known as the Bali-Song knife, and sometimes even a fan knife. This style of knife is a folding pocket knife that has two handles that counter rotate around the tang, such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. This style of knife originated in the Philippines, especially in the Tagalog region. This style of knife has been used and can be used as a razor, self-defense weapon, pocket utility knife, and even for art or amusement with a style called flipping. This type of knife is now illegal or restricted in many countries, often under the same laws and for the same reasons that switchblades are restricted.

Some of the important features of this knife that a regular pocket knife does have is the bite handle, which is the handle that closes on the sharp edge of the blade. This will cut the user if they are holding the handle when they got to close the knife. This handle is also normally the handle that has the latch on it.

There is also the kicker, which is the area on the blade that prevents the sharp edge form touching the indie of the handle and suffering damage.

And lastly, the latch, which is the standard locking system that is used to hold the knife closed

 

The Sheath:

This Benchmade knife comes with a nylon sheath. Nylon is a very commonly material used in knife sheaths. Similar to the other popular option, leather, nylon sheaths are tough and strong. However, unlike leather, nylon sheaths are resistant to rotting and mildew. Because of these qualities, nylon is not as vulnerable to water as leather sheaths often are. One of the biggest advantages to having a nylon seat is that they are not easily scuffed or torn. But, on the flip side, nylon sheaths won’t last as long as a leather sheath. Another disadvantage is that nylon sheaths have the tendency to get stretched out over time, so while your sheath will still work, your knife won’t fit as securely inside of the sheath.

 

The Specs:

The blade on this knife measures in at 4.25 inches, with a handle length of 4.95 inches long. When the 62 Bali-song knife is opened, it measures in at an overall length of 9.2 inches long. Because of the stainless steel handles, this butterfly knife is heavier than some, weighing in at 6.4 ounces. The nylon sheath weighs in at 0.7 ounces. This knife was made in the United States of America.

 

The Pros of the 62 Stainless Weehawk Butterfly Knife:

• D2 steel is quite corrosion resistant.
• D2 steel has high hardness and good toughness.
• The satin finish gives you a very traditional look.
• The blade has a good balance between cutting and piercing abilities; good hybrid.
• The blade has a small belly that allows you to slice.
• The blade has a strong tip that is still sharp enough to pierce.
• Nylon sheath is cheap.
• Nylon sheath is durable, not easily getting scuffed or torn.
• Nylon sheath can go in water without rotting.
• Made in the USA, so you can also be proud to use it.
• The stainless steel handles are very resistant to corrosion.
• The stainless steel handles are durable and strong.
• This butterfly knife can be used for a plethora of purposes.

 

The Cons of the 62 Stainless Weehawk Butterfly Knife:

• D2 steel is not a full stainless steel.
• The blade does not have a huge belly.
• The nylon sheath is going to get stretched out eventually, which means that your knife won’t be as secure.
• The stainless steel handles are very heavy.

 

Conclusion:

Benchmade first got their start in 1988 and began with just butterfly knives (hence the logo) before diving head first into automatic, spring assisted, folder, fixed blade and rescue tools arena. Offered in multiple sizes and handle configurations, this heftier model features a T-latch lock as well as next generation kicker pin technology which provides incredibly smooth action. Take it from us–this could quite possibly be the only balisong you ever need thanks to Benchmade’s incredible tolerances and a semi-custom look without the heavy price tag. This Blue Class model, the 62, features skeletonized stainless steel handles, a spear point (weehawk) style blade in a satin finish and black nylon sheath offers a Velcro closure and contains a belt carry option. Pick up this fantastic butterfly knife today from BladeOps.