Balisong advice? - The law with Novelty, Trainer, and non-knife Balisongs.

thezeronumber

thezeronumber

thezeronumber

Associate
Joined
22 Feb 2011
Posts
98
TL;DR - Are Novelty/Trainer/Non-Knife Balisongs as illegal to buy as a Balisong Knife? Basically, are they covered by the same law?

For a couple of years i have been fascinated with Balisong Knives (sometimes known as Butterfly or Fan Knives). I couldn't care less for the Knife itself though, rather my interest is in the folding mechanism and the "art" of flipping as a means of entertainment. Unfortunately Balisongs are considered illegal in the UK and i have never pursued the ownership of one for that very reason. However my interest was sparked again a couple of months back when i found out about the "Baliyo": A Pen with Balisong handles that is perfectly legal everywhere in the world! Naturally i was eager to get hold of one but came across a few drawbacks that put me off. First is the price as the best i could find was £33 without delivery. Second is the build quality as they are prone to cracks forming around the weights. Lastly the weight itself, or should i say lack of it. A decent Balisong weighs 4 ounces (113g) or more but a Baliyo weighs close to a single ounce (28g). That's half the weight of a chocolate Mars Bar - Very light in comparison! You need a decent amount of weight in order to build momentum for tricks, so the Baliyo is pretty limited in that area. Light, prone to damage, and expensive; back to where i started and no closer to the goal.

And so we come to the present day where i have discovered a few more Balisong-themed products. I suppose some out there are trying to supply the demand for Balisongs as a form of entertainment without breaking the law concerning the Knife itself, and so i've come across such things as the Bottlefly (Bottle opener), a Balisong Comb, a Ruler, and even a version to unscrew/tighten for Hex Nuts. I've also seen a few Balisong Trainers which have a thick piece of metal resembling where the Knife would be; no cutting blade, no edge, no danger. All of these sound promising and i want to research them further, but...

...The problem is, just how legal are these? I cannot find a decent enough source when it comes to this specific law and so it is hard to tell if the Knife within a Balisong construction is illegal or if it's the entire build itself. Obviously a Balisong Trainer cannot cut and it cannot be sharpened either, but because it somewhat resembles the real thing (despite being very round and obviously blunt) would that be enough to constitute it as illegal? I've found a Balisong Comb and Ruler supplier in the UK (sure i could find a Bottlefly too), but i don't want to purchase one and find out i've done something wrong. Likewise i could import them and some Trainers from the US, but i am not sure what customs would think as they could either see a novelty item or be really stringent and seize the item. Even then, that might not be the end of it. It is this kind of grey area that really annoys me about the law system, it's an absolute mine field.

For reference, owning a Balisong Knife is 100% legal, but oddly buying, selling, importing, giving, or lending is against the law, as is having one in public. If the Balisong Knife were to magically teleport in your living room then you're fine, but actually getting it there with realistic means is illegal. However i don't know if these laws cover the novelty/trainer items i mentioned above.

I'm not asking for legal advice, just general opinions and comments people want to make on this subject. What would you do in my position? Is there any way i can get an official reply in regards to this query? Do you know of anyone that has been in a similar position, and if so, what happened with them? Appreciate any comments/advice i can get.
 
For reference, owning a Balisong Knife is 100% legal, but oddly buying, selling, importing, giving, or lending is against the law, as is having one in public
Click to expand...

So how does someone ever own one? Or is that the point of the law - they don't?
 
The law will only apply to ones with a blade I would imagine, I can't see any reason for them making the mechanism illegal
 
[FnG]magnolia;19065600 said:
So how does someone ever own one? Or is that the point of the law - they don't?
Click to expand...

In such instances it's usually partly so you're not going to inadvertently criminalise people who happen to already own them from before the law was introduced.

To the best of my knowledge (without having done any great investigations on the subject) the problem with a balisong is that the knife has what is in effect a locked blade when the handles are together and that's the illegal part. If you remove the knife from the equation then it shouldn't be an issue so something that looks and functions as a balisong but without the blade is, I believe, ok.
 
You could accidentally drop one while someone later finds it serendipitously who also happens to accidentally drop a huge wad of cash.
 
Its funny, I have always been fascinated by tazers / stunguns.

Such cool devices, more or less non lethal but very effective.
 
Just googled and realised I've got a few of these at my parents house - bought them on a trip to France when I was a kid. :eek:

Am quite relieved that they are legal to posses but I might well have broken the law by bringing them into the country. (still I was about 12 at the time and had no clue they were illegal)
 
I think the problem here could be the "Balisong" name and image. Even if it doesn't contain a Knife, the fact it is called a Balisong may be enough to spark some concern and get the item confiscated. I don't think it is such an issue when it comes to the UK (although i could be very wrong), rather it is when importing such a Balisong novelty/themed-item from the US. I am worried customs will see a Balisong-shaped item or see the name itself and freak out, thinking it's a weapon without even checking to see if it's a Knife or not. And even if it isn't a blade, i still worry they might be really stingy and withhold it anyway. Or even worse, keep the item and notify the authorities.

I'd love to get a Benchmade 40 Trainer (great quality product) but all of this is pretty much stopping me from ordering one from America. Same goes for my second choices in the form of Balisong Rulers, Bottle Openers, and those sort of items.
 
The novelty items and trainers aren't knives so are perfectly legal. Even though a BM40T can't be sharpened etc.. due to it's design it's whether or not someone from customs realises this and holds it back. You could probably have a case for getting it released and it seems quite a few folks on some of the UK knife forums have imported trainers without any bother.
Some of the cheaper trainers might be a problem if they just have dulled blades without the holes as they could be converted into knives. I used to enjoy collecting knives some years back but don't any longer due to the restrictions and it's really not worth getting on to the wrong side of the law as well as losing vauable collectables.

If you like balis see here for some I used to collect.
 
Thanks for the information. If you were in my position Tachyon, would you attempt to import a Balisong Trainer or would you not bother at all? Is there anything i could do as a consumer to prevent it being potentially confiscated at customs?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom