Gen Pro Trainer Butterfly Knife (Practice) Black Handle Knife Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Blade:

This is a practice butterfly knife, which means that it sports dull edges. This blade has been made out of stainless steel. When it comes to the cutlery industry, there are really only two types of steels that a blade can be made out of, stainless steel or a high carbon steel. This can be confusing because stainless steel does contain carbon in its makeup. The biggest difference between stainless steel from regular or carbon steel is its chromium. Chromium is a metallic alloying element which has a silver color to it, resists rusting easily, and also resists corrosion easily. Because of this, stainless steel is known to standing up to rust and corrosion better than a carbon steel. However, stainless steel can still rust, so you just have to keep up on your maintenance, making sure that the steel is dry before you put the blade back into its handles. Of course, there are also disadvantages to a stainless steel. Stainless steel is less brittle than carbon steel, which means that it is more prone to deforming and also harder to sharpen. The upside to it not being brittle is that it is more chip resistant and will also retain and edge for longer period of time. In this knife, that actually doesn’t matter because there is not an edge that needs to stay sharp. When it comes to this knife, all you need to worry about is that this knife won’t chip but it may become a little disfigured. Stainless steels usually have at least 12% chromium. Stainless steel is technically tougher than a high carbon steel, but it is not going to be harder than a high carbon steel. Stainless steels also keep looking good for longer periods of time.

The blade on this knife has been finished with a satin finish. A satin finish is created by repeatedly sanding the blade in one direction with an increasing level of a fine abrasive, which most commonly a sandpaper. As a key, the finer the sandpaper and the more even the lines, the cleaner the finish will look. This finish is designed to show off the fine lines of the steel. This is the most popular finish in the cutlery industry, probably because of how classic of a finish it is. In terms of luster, the satin finish falls right in the middle. You are going to find finishes that are more reflective than this finish and you are also going to find finishes that are less reflective than a satin finish. With this in mind, you don’t have to worry about this trainer ever going out of style. The satin finish effectively cuts down on glares and reflections while also cutting down on corrosion.

Like earlier mentioned, this is a trainer knife, which means the edges are dull. However, it is roughly in the shape of a dagger style blade. To cut down on weight, because stainless steels are heavy, there are thirteen holes cut out of the blade. This also helps with drag, so it is easier to learn how to manipulate.

 

The Handles:

The handles are made out of stainless steel, just like the blade. Stainless steel provides excellent durability and resistance to corrosion, but it is not super lightweight. The durability factor is one of the most important factors when it comes to the steel and the blade. When you are first learning how to flip a butterfly knife, you are going to drop it and bang it around a lot. Without this durability level that you get from a stainless steel, the knife would not be able to last for as long as this knife is going to last. Also, stainless steel handles can be slippery, so manufacturers have to incorporate etchings or ridges to provide the required friction. In terms of this Gen Pro Trainer, there have been five holes cut down the length of each handle. These holes cut down on weight as well as give the knife better friction, so that you can have a solid grip on the handle. Another thing that helps with the user’s grip is that the handles are flared towards the butt. With a trainer, you need to have a very secure grip on your knife so that you can effectively learn how to manipulate a butterfly knife.

The handles on this trainer have been finished black. This adds a sleek look as well as increasing the corrosion resistance of the handles. Unfortunately, the black finish is going to scratch off eventually because it is not part of the stainless steel.

 

The Mechanism:

This is a trainer knife to learn how to use a butterfly knife, which means that it has been created just like a butterfly knife, except that it does not have a sharpened blade. Butterfly knives have a few different names, they have been called balisong knives, as well as a fan knife, and lastly a Batangas knife. The butterfly knife is a folding pocket knife, the difference between a butterfly knife and a regular pocket knife is that it has two handles that counter-rotate around the tang in a way that when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles.

The butterfly knife originated in the Philippines, so it was commonly used as a self-defense and pocket utility knife. Hollow-ground balisong were also used as straight razors before conventional razors were available in the Philippines. 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. Blunt versions of these knives, called trainers, are for sale to practice tricks without the risk of injury.

While a regular butterfly knife is now illegal in many countries, often under the same laws and for the same reasons that automatic knives are, trainers are usually legal anywhere. Of course, you should know your local knife laws.

There are two styles of construction when it comes to butterfly knives. There is sandwich or channel. This knife has been constructed sandwich style. Sandwich constructed balisong knives are 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. This style of construction is the more popular style of construction, but it is also the weaker style of construction.

There are a few parts to a butterfly knife that are unique specifically to butterfly knives. The first piece is a bite handle, which is the handle that closes on the sharp edge of the blade. This handle will cut the user if they are holding it when the they go to close it. But because this is a trainer, you don’t have to worry about that. The bit handle is also the handle that has the latch on it. The other handle is known as the safe handle, which is the handle that closes on the non-sharpened edge of the blade.

The next piece that is specific to a butterfly knife is the latch. This is the standard locking system, which holds the knife closed. The latch is also what keeps it from opening up when the user doesn’t want it to. There are a few styles of latches. The first is the batangas, which is the latch that is attached to the bite handle. Another style of latch is a manila, which is when the latch is attached to the safe handle.

Along with the latch, there is a tach gate, which is a block inside the channel of the handles stopping the latch from impacting the blade.

The next few pieces that are specific to a butterfly knife is the tang pin, which is the pin meant to hold the blade away from the handle when closed to prevent dulling.

 

How to Flip:

To perform a basic flip there are a few steps. The first step is to hold the knife from the safe side, which is the side where the sharpened edge would not close. This step is not as important with a trainer, because there is no sharpened side, but once you move to a real butterfly knife, don’t forget about this step.

The second step is to flick your wrist back. Hold the knife directly out in front of you, pointing forward. Now flick your wrist back. The flick of your wrist should be similar to the reverse motion of casting a fishing line. When you flip your wrist back, the knife will open and the handle of the sharpened side with hit you between your thumb and your forefinger. At this point, you should keep your hand where it is.

The third step is to flip the knife back forward. This time, flick your wrist downward so that the knife closes again. The knife should be a similar positon to when you started now.

The fourth step is to open your thumb and flip the knife up again. The last time you flipped the knife up, the handle hit you on the thumb and forefinger. Flip the knife up in the exact same way, but open your thumb and move it to the side this time. This will allow the handle of the sharpened side to smack into the handle that you are holding, engaging the knife. Once you have flipped the knife up into place, close your thumb over both handles.

At this point, you will have performed a basic flip. Of course, this is just one type of the basic flip and you can get more complicated as you go further and become more adept at flipping.

 

The Specs:

When this trainer is closed, it measures in at 4 7/8 inches long. The overall length of this knife measures in at 8 7/8 inches long.

 

The Pros of the Gen Pro Trainer Butterfly Knife:

• Stainless steel resists rust and corrosion easily.
• Stainless steel also looks better than a high carbon steel for a longer period of time.
• The blade won’t chip when you are learning about how to flip.
• The satin finish is very traditional.
• The satin finish cuts down on glares and reflections.
• The satin finish cuts down on corrosion levels.
• The skeletonized handles cut down on weight.
• The holes and the flared handles provide good texture and grip.
• Stainless steel is strong and durable.
• The stainless steel handles are very resistant to corrosion resistant.
• Because it is a dull blade, or a trainer, you can almost be sure that this knife will be legal in the United States. This is an advantage because not all butterfly knives are legal in all states or areas.
• This knife is constructed just like an actual butterfly knife, including the size of this knife, so you can get down the flipping mechanism and not feel out of your league when you do move on to an actual butterfly knife.

 

The Cons of the Gen Pro Trainer Butterfly Knife:

• The stainless steel may become disfigured.
• The stainless steel handles are going to be heavy.
• The stainless steel handles can be rather slippery.
• The sandwich construction is the weaker of the two styles of construction.

 

Conclusion:

The Gen Pro Trainer butterfly knife features smooth action, a dull edge so you won’t cut yourself while practicing new tricks and is amazingly durable. This trainer balisong has a blade that cannot be sharpened. It has black finished stainless steel handles, and a stainless steel blade (dull). We took one of these and beat it against some steel pipes in an effort to see how strong and durable they are and they are incredibly durable. It is built with pin construction and should give you years of great practice. With this trainer, you can become a master flipper. Once you master the flipping even the most complicated flips, make sure to pick up an actual butterfly knife from BladeOps as well. Pick up this trainer butterfly knife today at BladeOps.