Benchmade 63 Stainless Bowie Balisong Knife Review

In 1988, they set out to make the best knives in the world—and that’s exactly what they did. They’ve grown a lot since then, and while they’ve expanded to provide tools for elite tactical operators, first responders and even collectors, their goal remains the same: make the best knives in the world.

For thirty years, Benchmade has been designing and manufacturing world-class products for world-class customers. When Benchmade was founded, the mission was to create something better; something exceptional. Today, they continue to innovate with the goal of taking performance and reliability to the next level. To exceed what is expected.

Whether you are using a Griptillian for every day duties or taking the fight to the enemy with the Infidel, their knives are built to perform. When you choose to purchase a Benchmade, you do so because you want the best You demand it. And programs like heir LifeSharp Lifetime Service and Warranty are the foundation of their commitment to excellence.

They live it and breath it, and they know what you mean when you say: It’s not a knife. It’s my Benchmade.

They have an edge above other knife companies because they ask themselves a few things to begin with. The first thing they do to create an edge is the materials. They say, “Benchmade builds knives for the most demanding customers, from special operations forces to elite backcountry hunters, and building for the best requires the best raw materials. We select premium blade steel sand pair them with aerospace-grade handle materials to create premium-grade knives and tools that provide great value for our customers.” The next thing that sets them apart is their mechanism. Benchmade says, “the mechanics of opening and closing a knife are essential to its function. Is it easy to actuate? Can it be opened with one hand? Is it ambidextrous? Will it absolutely not fail when you need it the most? These are critical considerations when it comes to the mechanism.”

The last aspect that sets them apart is their manufacturing process. They say, “The Benchmade factory employs modern laser cutters and CNC machining centers that offer control and tolerances commonly found in the aerospace industry—often to tolerances half the width of a human hair. Our commitment to modern machining techniques and rigid quality control has allowed Benchmade to bridge the gap between custom and manufactured.”

Today we will be talking about the Benchmade 63 Stainless Bowie Balisong knife.

The Blade:

The blade on this knife is made out of D2 tool steel. D2 steel is an air hardening, high-carbon, high-chromium tool steel. It has high wear and abrasion resistant properties. It is heat treatable and will offer a hardness in the range of 55-62 HRC, and is machinable in the annealed condition. D2 steel shows little distortion on correct hardening. D2 steel’s high chromium content gives it mild corrosion resisting properties in the hardened condition. This American made steel offers fantastic toughness and edge retention for hard use applications. It is, however, a semi-stainless, so care and maintenance is required.

The blade has been finished satin, which is created by repeatedly sanding the blade in one direction with an increasing level of an abrasive. The finer the abrasive, which is usually a sandpaper, and the more even the lines, the cleaner the steel will look. This finish is the most popular and traditional steel that is used in the industry today. In terms of luster, the satin finish is right in the middle. There are a couple of finishes that are more reflective than the statin finish and there are a couple finishes that are more matte than the satin finish.

The blade has been carved into a clip point blade style which is also known as the bowie style blade. The clip point blade shape is one of the most popular blade shapes that is in use today, and makes it a great all-purpose blade. The most common place that you are going to find this blade shape is on a Bowie knife, which is exactly what this butterfly knife is. To form the shape of this knife, the unsharpened edge of the knife runs straight form the handle and stops about halfway up the knife. It then turns and continues to the point of the knife. This “cut-out” area can be straight or curved, but on this Benchmade knife it is curved. This cut-out section is referred to as the clip, which is how the shape got its name. There are a couple of benefits to the clip point style blade. The first is that the point is a lowered tip, which means that you will have more control when you are using the knife. And because the tip is more controllable, sharp, and thinner at the spine, a clip point knife lends itself to quicker stabbing with less drag during insertion and faster withdrawal. The next major benefit to the clip point blade shape is that it has a large belly that makes slicing a breeze. One of the disadvantages to the clip point blade shape is that it has a narrow tip, which means that it has a tendency to be weak and can break fairly easily. However, by choosing this knife, because of the blade shape, you will be prepared for almost any situation that might come your way.

 

The Handle:

The handle is made out of stainless steel. Stainless steel provides excellent durability and resistance to corrosion, but it is not very lightweight. One of the other drawbacks is that stainless steel handles can prove to be pretty slippery, so the manufacturer has to incorporate etching or ridges to give the user the require friction. The pros of this material for your handle is that it is going to be strong, durable, and corrosion resistant. The cons is that it will be heavy, and can be slippery.

The two handles flare out towards the butt, where they latch together. Going down the side of this knife, there are six circles carved out of each handle. The handle has also been finished satin, and all of the hardware on this knife is silver, making it an all-silver knife.

 

The Mechanism:

This Benchmade knife is a butterfly knife, also known as a fan knife, and in the Philippines as the balisong. This is a folding pocket knife, but is distinct because it has two handles that counter-rotate around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handle.

The balisong was commonly used by Filipino people, especially those in the Tagalog region, as a self-defense and pocket utility knife. A common stereotype is that a Batangueno carries one everywhere he or she goes. In the hands of a trained user, the knife blade can be brought to bear quickly using one hand. Manipulations, called flipping”, are performed for art or amusement.

The knife is now illegal or restricted in many countries, often under the same laws and for the same reasons that switchblades are restricted, and in their country of origin, they are no longer as common in urban areas as they were.

While the meaning of the term balisong is not entirely clear, a popular belief is that it derived from the Tagalog words baling sungay, which literally means broken horn These knives were originally made from carved caribou and stag horn. Balisong is also the name of a town in Taal, Batangas province, which became famous for crafting these knives. These knives are also referred to as “fan knives” and “butterfly knives” form the motion and “click clacks” form the sound they make when they are opened and closed.

There are two styles of butterfly knife construction, but this one is a sandwich construction. This means that the knife is assembled in layers that are generally pinned or screwed together. They allow the pivot pins to be adjusted more tightly without binding. When the knife is closed, the blade rests between the layers.

The butterfly knife has a few parts that are not on a typical pocket knife. For starters, there is the bite handle. This is the handle that closes on the sharp edge of the blade, and it will cut the user if they are holding the handle when they go to close it. This is usually the handle that has the latch on it.

Next is the kicker, which is the area on the blade that prevents the sharp edge from touching the inside of the handle and suffering damage. This is sometimes supplanted by an additional tang pin above the pivots.

Then there is the latch, which is the standard locking system, which holds the knife closed. Along with the latch is the latch gate, which is a block inside the channel of the handles stopping the latch form impacting the blade.

 

The Sheath:

The sheath that comes with this butterfly knife is a nylon sheath. Nylon is a material that is commonly used in knife sheaths. Just like leather, they are tough and strong. Unlike leather though, nylon sheaths are resistant to rot and mildew. They’re also not as vulnerable to water as leather sheaths. Another great aspect is that nylons sheaths are not easily scuffed or torn. But, nylon sheaths don’t last as long as leather ones, and where leather sheaths fit your knife better over time, nylon sheaths get stretched out over time, which means that your knife won’t always fit snugly inside its own sheath.

 

The Specs:

The blade on this butterfly knife measures in at 4.25 inches long. The handle on this Benchmade knife measures in at 4.95 inches. When this knife is opened, it measures in at 9.2 inches long. The knife weighs in at 6.4 ounces, with the sheath weighing in at 0.7 ounces. This knife was made in the United States of America.

 

The Pros of the Benchmade 63:

• D2 steel has high corrosion resistance properties.
• The blade steel offers hard toughness.
• This blade has high edge retention, which makes it ideal for harder tasks.
• The satin finish is very traditional and will never go out of style.
• The clip point blade shape is very versatile and makes this into a great all-purpose knife.
• The clip point has a thin point that allows you to have high piercing capabilities.
• The clip point blade also features a large belly that makes slicing a breeze.
• The blade on this Benchmade knife is going to allow you to take on almost any task that you are faced with.
• The stainless steel handle is very strong, durable, and resistant to corrosion.
• The nylon sheath is inexpensive.
• The nylon sheath is resistant to mildew and rot.
• The nylon sheath is tough and strong.
• The nylon sheath is not going to be easily scuffed or torn.

 

The Cons of the Benchmade 63:

• The clip point has a thin point, which means that it is prone to breaking more than a drop point is.
• The stainless steel handle does not give you the best grip possible.
• The stainless handle does add quite a bit of weight to the knife.
• The nylon sheath is going to stretch out over time, which means that your knife is not going to fit as well.

 

 

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 63, features skeletonized stainless steel handles, a clip point (bowie) 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 at BladeOps.