Gen Pro Trainer Butterfly Knife (Practice) Review

With this Gen Pro butterfly trainer, you can effectively learn to manipulate a butterfly knife. Learning to use a butterfly knife can be solely for entertainment, or it can be used to increase your dexterity as well as your hand-eye coordination.

 

The Blade:

The blade on this trainer knife has been made out of stainless steel. When it comes to knife blades, there are really two camps of what your blade can be made out of; either stainless steel or a high carbon steel. Stainless steel blades usually have at least 12% chromium, which helps the blade to resist rust and corrosion a lot better than high carbon blades. However, stainless steel is generally softer than high carbon knives. This means that although they are relatively easier to sharpen, they also tend to lose their edge a little bit quicker than harder, high carbon blades. To break down stainless steels in general, stainless steels are durable. This durability is incredibly important when it comes to a training knife, because this knife is going to be banged around quite a bit when you are first getting the hang of flipping. The blades are tougher than a high carbon blade, but that does not mean that it is going to be harder. One of the bigger advantages to a stainless steel is the appearance. Stainless steels look good for a long period of time and require less maintenance. There is a myth when it comes to stainless steel—stainless steel does not rust. However, this is not true, it is just harder to rust than a high carbon steel. You will still need to dry off your trainer knife before you put it away.

The blade on this knife has been finished with a satin finish. A satin finish involves sanding the lade in one direction with an increasing degrees of a fine abrasive, which is usually a sandpaper. As a key, the finer the abrasive and the more even the lines; the cleaner the satin finish blade looks. A satin finish shows the bevels of the blade, showcasing the lines of the knife, while reducing its reflective glare. A satin finish does take time and work, which means that it can increase the cost of the knife. The satin finish is the most popular finish that you are going to find in the cutlery industry. This is also a traditional finish, because the luster levels fall right in the middle of the spectrum. A polished finish is going to be more reflective than a satin finish and a coated finish is going to be matte, unlike a satin finish. Because of how medium it is in terms of luster, and how traditional and classic the finish is, you can know that this knife is not going to go out of style.

This is a trainer knife, which means that it is a dull blade. It has the general shape of a dagger style knife. To keep weight down, there are thirteen holes carved out of the blade.

 

The Handles:

The handles on this trainer knife are made out of stainless steel. Stainless steel privies excellent durability and resistance to corrosion but it is not particularly lightweight. In fact, it is going to be one of the heavier handle materials that you will come across. Also, stainless steel handles can be rather slippery, so manufacturers have to incorporate etching or ridges to provide the required friction. To cut down on weight and increase the friction of this blade, Gen Pro has craved five oval holes down each handle. The closer the holes get to the butt of the handle, the bigger the holes get. Friction is key when it comes to a trainer knife, because you are going to be learning how to flip a butterfly knife around. Without a solid grip on the handles, it will slip out of your hand and you won’t be able to effectively learn how to flip the knife.

The handles flare towards the butt of the handle, which also helps to give you a better grip on the knife. All of the hardware on the knife is stainless steel as well.

The stainless steel handles have also been finished satin, which creates a very sleek look to the knife. This is one of the simpler looks that you are going to find in a training knife, but it is still extremely classy.

 

The Mechanism:

This Gen Pro knife is a trainer butterfly knife. A butterfly knife is also known as a balisong knife or even a fan knife. This is a folding pocket knife that has two handles that counter-rotate around the tang in a manner that when the knife is closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. Every once in a while this knife is referred to as a Batangas knife, after the Tagalog province of Batangas in the Philippines, where it is traditionally made.

The balisong was originally used by the Filipino people, and was commonly used as a self-defense and pocket utility knife. Hollow-ground balisong’s 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, which is exactly what this knife is.

The butterfly knife is often used for entertainment, but it can also be a fun test of dexterity and skill that can improve your hand eye coordination. However, since butterfly knives are sharpened, they can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing. Using the trainer is the perfect way to learn how to flip. Trainers are legal and the blade is not sharp or pointy at all which completely eliminates the risk. If you need to learn how to flip a fake Butterfly knife, it isn’t too difficult.

There are a couple of pieces that are unique to a butterfly knife, or a trainer. The first of these parts is the bite handle, which is the handle that closes on the sharp edge of the blade. This will cut you if you are holding the handle when you go to close it. This is also the handle that usually has the latch on it.

The other handle is a safe handle, which is the handle without the latch as well as the handle that closes on the non-sharpened edge of the blade.

The next piece is the kicker, which is the area on the blade that prevents the sharp edge form touching the inside of the handle and suffering damage.

The following piece is the latch, which is the standard locking system. This latch holds the knife closed and keeps it from opening up when the user doesn’t want it to. 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 tang pins are the pins meant to hold the blade away from the handle when closed to prevent dulling. In certain cases, a second pin is used to keep the handle from excessively banging together while the butterfly knife is being manipulated.

The Zen pins are the screws mounted inside the handles that collide with the kicker mounted on the tang to prevent the blade form moving around while in the open or closed position.

How to Flip:

The first step to perform a basic flip is to hold the knife from the safe side. Make sure that you start with a closed knife. The knife has a dull side and a sharp side; you always want to keep your fingers away from the sharp side.

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. Keep in mind that when you flip your wrist back the knife will open and the handle of the sharpened side will hit you between your thumb and your forefinger. 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 in a similar positon to when you started at this point.

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.

Once you have mastered this basic flipping technique, you can move onto more complex flipping.

When it comes to butterfly knives, or their trainers, there are two main types of balisong construction; either sandwich construction or channel construction. This trainer has been constructed with the sandwich style. This means that the knives are assembled in layers that are pinned together. This allows the pivot pins to be adjusted more tightly without binding. When the knife is closed, the blade rests between the layers.

 

The Specs:

The closed length on this knife measures in at 4 7/8 inches long, with an overall length that measures in at 8 7/8 inches long.

 

The Pros of the Gen Pro Trainer:

• Stainless steel lasts for a long period of time.
• Stainless steel is less prone to rusting or corrosion.
• Stainless steels are durable.
• The satin finish is very traditional.
• The satin finish cuts down on glares and reflections.
• The satin finish increases the rust resistance of the steel.
• To keep the weight down, there are holes carved out of the blade.
• Skeletonized handle cuts down on weight.
• Holes in the handle increase your durability.
• Flared handles give you a more secure grip on the knife.
• Blunt edges mean that you can learn how to flip a butterfly knife.
• Because it is a trainer, it is going to be legal in most areas. Of course, check with your local laws before purchasing.

 

The Cons of the Gen Pro Trainer:

• Stainless steels are softer than high carbon knives.
• Stainless steel handles are going to be heavy.
• The steel is still capable of rusting if you do not keep up on maintenance.
• The sandwich construction is the weaker style of construction.
• Because this is a trainer, it is solely designed to teach you how to flip a butterfly knife. There is no other use that this knife has. You will not be able to cut with it. You will not be able to use it as self-defense weapon.

 

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. The durability of the stainless steel blade and handles comes in handy because you are likely going to drop this knife quite a bit when you first start to use it. This trainer balisong has a blade that cannot be sharpened. It has satin 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 learn how to flip a butterfly knife effectively without having to worry about injuring yourself. Become a master flipper today and pick up this trainer knife at BladeOps.