Pinoy Steel.
The best handforged Filipino blades right to your door.
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Large kamagong kerambit.
Here’s a very special kerambit I know some of you will be all over. 9” long with a hand forged carbon spring steel blade. This blade was very nicely ground and is absolutely hair popping sharp along both edges. This, is a modern take on a traditional Javanese design. There are two or three minor forging marks on the blade. There is also some minor surface pitting, but you’d have to really look to see it.
The handle slabs are beautiful, thick, dark kamagong and are pinned to the full tang with a total of four pins. This is a big karambit. I have large hands and it fits my hand quite well. Please note the pins are slightly raised and the tang and handle fit isn’t perfectly flush. This is a great tool if you know how to use it.
The sheath is crafted from beautiful molave wood with lots of figure and chatoyancy. The guys who make the kerambits I offer love the stuff, and it’s easy to see why!
The size of the handle and ring allow for a multitude of grips—more than most other karambits out there. The raised portion on the grip also aids you in finding the correct position on the handle. Great when you want to shift grips under stress. There is deep jimping on both sides of the blade to ensure a secure grip if you decide to choke up on the handle.
The loop on the sheath is PVC (synthetic leather) and is riveted to the sheath through an aluminum plate. This is a secure setup and keeps the sheath nice and light.
Please note there is also a minor crack in the ring from when one of the pins was peened. This is common on custom knives and even American knifemakers frequently encounter these issues. I’ve had this kerambit in my inventory for a few months now and the crack’s been perfectly stable. You could of course fill it if so desired.
The kerambit fits into the sheath nice and tightly and there is a snap on the loop to keep it in place. This is the only kerambit in this style I have and I will probably not have any more, so if you want it, don’t hesitate!
The kerambit weighs 10.5 oz (13.5 oz with the sheath).
SOLD.
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Molave kerambit.
SOLD.
These West Javanese-style karambits have been hugely popular with my customers. This particular knife has a hand forged and ground carbon spring steel blade. It is razor sharp along the main edge and close to razor sharp along the back edge. Carbon spring steel is my favorite. It is excellent blade steel because it is tough, holds an edge well and is easy to get laser sharp. The downside is it will need to be oiled or it will either develop a patina or rust. Most Filipinos allow their carbon steel working knives to develop a healthy dark patina through use, which seals the blade off from rust. This knife has a few forging marks that are often an inevitable result of being forged and quenched the traditional way (hammered to shape and then dunked in water). This makes for very tough steel that is still flexible.
These karambits are larger and thicker than their Indonesian-made counterparts. They are better suited to Western hands and will really fill up your hand nicely. The rings are well shaped and smoothly finished. This is an issue for the West Javanese makers, who often weld their karambits’ rings to the tang. Like the Javanese karambits, these are full-tang and pinned through. The handle is molave with stunning figure and chatoyancy. The sheath is also Javanese-style and is made of molave wood that has a good amount of flash in the light. This is beautiful wood that is often overlooked in the Philippines since everyone wants kamagong and narra on their knives. Molave is beautiful in its own right.
Please note the clip has a few minor dings from storage and transportation in the Philippines. There are a few imperfections with this knife as with any handmade product, but they are minor. Still, I would like to point them out since when buying online, it’s difficult to know exactly what you’re going to get. There are a few tiny pitting marks from forging on the ring and blade. The handle slabs and the tang are not perfectly flush (but very close). There is also visible epoxy between the handle slabs and the tang and between the two halves of the handmade sheath. The blade grind isn’t factory perfect and the blade and sheath aren’t a perfect fit (the sheath still holds the blade absolutely securely). Despite these flaws (all handmade knives have some), this is an excellent knife. This karambit weighs 6 oz, or 7.25 oz with the sheath.
SOLD.
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Sly steel.
Four beautiful rambos with lots of attitude today. Sylvester Stallone himself would probably love these bad boys! All of these rambos were made by the best makers currently producing Filipino balisongs: you can’t go wrong with any of them!
1. 29 cm FHM balisong with a hand forged and ground carbon spring steel rambo blade. Bottle opener on the ricasso. Stainless bolsters, liners and latch. White Dupont Corian scales with copper pins. Double extra thick tang pins and double bolster pins. Upgraded pivot pins too! Only here at Pinoy Steel. Ready to flip. 5.5 oz. $149.
2. 29 cm balisong just like the one above it, but slightly heavier at 6 oz. Ready to flip too. I am VERY tempted to keep this one for myself, so if it doesn’t move soon, it’s going to be mine. SOLD.
3. 32.5 cm balisong with a rambo blade. No opener on this one of course. Great knife! Double pinned brass bolsters, stainless liners and a custom-grade brass latch (rounded and easier to deploy). Kamagong scales with jigged bone in the middle. Great all around knife! Small forging mark on the ricasso. 7 oz. $129.
4. 28 cm FHM balisong with a very nicely ground carbon steel rambo blade. Brass bolsters and latch with standard stainless liners. Narra with jigged bone in the middle. Great knife at a great price—if you’re looking for a basic rambo bente nueve, this would be an excellent one to go with. 5.25 oz. $105.
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Back to the basics.
These five were all made using classic Filipino materials: kamagong, narra and horse bone. They are, however, rare items that you won’t find anywhere else.
1 and 2. 29 cm balisongs with thick kamagong scales that swell to fit your palm. Carbon steel bayonet blades with thin (but not sharpened) swedges. These knives are overbuilt and are much thicker and wider than normal. They were not made by my usual providers, but they are still a great quality knives, even if they are a little rougher around the edges. Aluminum bolsters to keep the weight down, stainless liners and a thick aluminum latch. Aluminum is by far the slickest material used on FHMs and it breaks in quickly and makes for a smooth flipper. The downside, however, is less durability, but in knives this thick, that’s likely to be less of a worry. Still very carriable and flippable at only 6 oz each. $105 for one, or $199 for both.
3. 23 cm balicomb with stainless bolsters, liners and latch. Each and every tooth on the comb is sawed into a bar of 303 stainless steel by hand. This is extremely painstaking work and putting one of these together takes days of labor. Made by the best makers around today. Great quality comb with stunning narra (amboyna) scales with deep color and lots of interesting chatoyancy and figuring. Surprisingly light at only 5 oz. SOLD.
4. 23 cm balisong trainer with a nice, thick stainless ‘blade.’ Brass bolsters, stainless liners and a brass latch. Beautiful narra scales. This is a good, solid trainer that was made by the best makers currently producing balisongs in Batangas. A solid 6.5 oz. SOLD.
5. 23 cm balisong trainer with a carbon steel ‘buyod’ style blade. This blade could be sharpened up easily if so desired. Brass bolsters, stainless liners and a brass latch. Classic jigged horse bone scales. Please note there is a darker portion on one of the scales—this occurs when the end of a bone heats up when being ground to shape. This is very common on bone-handled balisongs.
This trainer was not made by the best makers, but it is well made, even if it is a little less well finished than my usual offerings. This is a solid trainer and is ready to flip right from the makers. Slightly thicker and wider than usual so it fills your hand up well. Ready to flip right from the makers so you can start training as soon as you receive it! 6 oz. $75.
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Zebrawood and Bone.
Four gorgeous, long bente nueves to end the weekend/start the week off with!
1. 29 cm (a genuine bente nueve) long balisong from the best makers currently producing FHMs. Stainless bolsters, liners and latch. Gorgeous African zebrawood scales with incredible flash and grain. Hand forged carbon steel tari blade that was perfectly ground. Double extra thick tang pins and upgraded pivot pins. Taris are the knives used in cockfighting in the Philippines and their lethality in the cockpits of the Philippines is proven. Definitely one of my favorite patterns. Great all around knife. This knife will not require much if any breaking in! Flippable right from the makers. 5.5 oz. SOLD.
2. This one’s just a hair over 29 cm and is much like the one above it, but it will require a little more breaking in. I also feel the grind on the first one is slightly better, but this is still a top quality FHM balisong which will serve you well while looking good doing it. Slightly lighter at only 5 oz. SOLD.
3. 28 cm buyod (bowie) that is the modern version of the classic blade pattern first seen on balisongs back in the early 1900s. Brass bolsters and latch with stainless liners. Classic jigged horse bone scales. This is an entry level balisong from the best makers around and while it is a no frills model, it is well made and nicely ground. These are the most popular FHMs in the Philippines and what I started with, although my first balisongs were nowhere near as nicely made as these ones! Small forging mark on the tang. 6 oz. SOLD.
4. 28 cm FHM balisong with a carbon steel tari blade. Brass bolsters, latch and stainless liners with the classic jigged horse bone scales. Great user/EDC knife for those who like them full sized. Some very minor pitting from storage in the Philippines, but I have carefully cleaned up the spotting with a buffing wheel. 6.5 oz. $95.
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More beautiful, dark kamagong.
Kamagong, aka Philippines ebony, is incredible. It is tough and stunningly beautiful. Kamagong is now illegal to log in the Philippines’ forests and can only be legally sourced from cultivated stands, so it is becoming increasingly scarce (and expensive).
From top to bottom:
1. 28 cm long with a carbon steel rambo blade. Eagle tang with some forging marks. Brass bolsters, liners and latch. Stunning dark kamagong scales. This knife wasn’t made by the best of the best, but it is solid and well made, even if it isn’t quite as refined as the trainer, knife and comb below it. This knife has a very nice, sharp point: as I was oiling it up after the pictures, I managed to stab myself in the finger with it. After losing some precious blood (not on the blade), here I am listing it! A solid 8 oz. SOLD.
2. 24 cm long balisong trainer. Double tang pins (extra thick) and thicker pivot pins. New style stainless training blade. Beautiful brown kamagong scales with lovely figuring. Stainless bolsters, latch and liner. Great trainer! 5 oz. $95.
3. 23.5 cm balisong. Carbon steel buyod (bowie-style) blade. A few spots of very minor surface pitting on the blade from storage in the Philippines. You’d have to really look to notice. Stainless bolsters, liners and latch. Upgraded pivot pins and oversized tang pins. Double pinned bolsters. Beautiful dark kamagong scales with ivory G-10 in the middle. The G-10 has darker streaks from being polished with green buffing compound. I can hand finish the G-10 to get it absolutely perfect for you, but it takes over an hour out of my day. 4.5 oz. Discounted at $119 as is, or $135 if you’d like me to clean up the G-10 for you.
4. Beautiful kamagong on this one with lots of figuring, color and chatoyancy. 19 cm long. Double tang pins (extra thick) and upgraded pivot pins. Double-pinned bolsters. Brass bolsters and very thick brass latch. Stainless liners. Great comb! I just sold one like this and I have to say these kamagong combs are the best ever made. 4 oz. $95.
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Stainless exotics.
Four stainless exotics to get the weekend started with. All of these balisongs feature premium African or Central American wood.
From top to bottom:
1. 29 cm FHM balisong with a carbon steel bayonet blade. The bayonet swedge is much sharper than normal for better penetration. Nice touch! Lovely European red stag sandwiched between red African bubinga. Stainless bolsters, liners and latch. Double tang pins (extra thick) and upgraded pivot pins. Each of the bolsters is also double pinned for durability. Great knife! 6 oz. SOLD.
2. 29 cm balicomb. The first one ever offered in 29 cm. Definitely only here at Pinoy Steel. These have never been made before. Solid 303 stainless comb. Each and every tooth was painstakingly sawed into a stainless bar by hand. Double tang pins (extra thick) and double pinned bolsters. Stainless bolsters, liners and latch.
Select smooth Batangas horse bone sandwiched between crosscut black wenge wood from Africa. Crosscut wenge is extremely difficult to pin, so there is a hairline crack in one of the wenge inlays, and more may develop over time, but there is no disputing the beauty of this wood. Incredible grain that has to be seen to be believed. 6 oz. SOLD.
3. 29 cm balisong with a carbon steel kris blade. Two extra thick tang pins, extra thick pivot pins and double pinned bolsters.
The blade starts off straight before the waves start: again, for easier penetration. The tip on this knife is extremely sharp: the sharpest I’ve ever seen on an FHM. Excellent quality knife all around. Nice and slim too. Stainless bolsters, liners and latch. The scales are beautiful Honduran rosewood. This is one I’d personally love to keep! 4.5 oz. SOLD.
4. 19 cm balicomb. Stainless comb, bolsters, liners and latch. African bubinga inserts with natural checking. This is from the first batch of bubinga balicombs ever made. Great comb! $109.
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Brass beauties.
Three balisongs in classic brass for you tonight! Stainless to follow:
1. 29 cm FHM balisong made entirely of brass (aside from the copper handle pins and the steel pivot pins). This was very nicely done. Not by the best makers around (the ones I usually work with), but still excellent. The blade is 1/8” thick to keep the weight down, but it was beautifully ground and it will shave arm hair off. Rambo blade with an eagle on it. All brass is heavy: this knife weighs a solid 9 oz. SOLD.
2. 23 cm balisong with a Philippines eagle tang. Carbon steel rambo blade without the sawback portion. Brass overlay on top of beautifully chatoyant red narra. Great little knife! Brass bolsters, liners and latch. There are some forging marks on the tang (see the pics) below. 7 oz. $115.
3. 19 cm balicomb with brass bolsters, stainless liners and a very thick brass latch (one of the thickest I’ve ever seen). Double tang pins and upgraded pivot pins. The comb was sawed by hand from a bar of 303 stainless steel. 4.25 oz. SOLD.
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Kamagong.
The first two balisongs are sold.
Three beautiful kamagong FHMs tonight!
From top to bottom:
1. Made by the best makers around. 29 cm: a true bente nueve. Stainless bolsters, liners and latch. Carbon steel bayonet blade. Nicely ground! If you’re looking for a bayonet, this is a great one to go with. Virtually jet black kamagong scales. 6 oz. SOLD.
2. 24 cm balisong with hand ground wings. Carbon steel blade in the classic buyod fighting pattern. Traditionally, if you pulled one of these, you either had to kill or be killed. Two extra thick tang pins and upgraded pivot pins too. Beautiful knife. Brass bolsters, stainless liners and a thick brass latch. Kamagong scales with some lighter figuring. 5 oz. $109.
3. This one wasn’t made by the best makers, but I personally inspected this one. I handle hundreds of balisongs a year and I’m very careful about which ones I pick: they have to meet my exacting standards. 24 cm balisong with a carbon steel rambo blade. Philippines eagle tang. The Philippines eagle is perhaps the world’s largest. Beautifully figured kamagong scales (my favorite of the three). Classic all brass construction: brass bolsters, brass liners and a brass latch. 5.5 oz. $115.
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Bone, Ivory G10 and Kamagong 29s.
Some beautiful bente nueves to start the week off with!
From top to bottom:
1. 31.5 cm kris with a beautifully ground, 3/16” thick spring steel kris blade. Two extra thick tang pins. The pivot pins are also thicker than normal. Durable stainless bolsters, liners and latch. Outstanding bone inserts with lots of lovely caramel. These inserts look like Haagen Dazs vanilla with pieces of vanilla bean and caramel drizzled over it! Nice and light at 6.5 oz. SOLD.
2. 29 cm balisong with a carbon steel rambo blade. 3/16” thick. Two extra thick tang pins and thicker than normal pivot pins too. Stainless bolsters, liners and latch. Beautiful ivory G-10 scales. G-10 is a good, durable material. I’m out of 600 grit paper, so I haven’t sanded these clean—you can see the streaks from the green buffing compound used to finish the knives. I’m offering these knives at a discount for those of you who like the way they turned out, or if you’d like to finish them yourself. You can also pay full price and I can refinish them for you: your choice. 7 oz. $135 as is, or $149 if you’d like me to refinish them for you. I’ll take another $10 off if you’re taking both ivory G-10 rambos.
3. 29 cm carbon steel tari (hollowground cockfighting blade). 3/16” thick. All stainless construction aside from the copper pins. Two extra thick tang pins and thicker pivot pins too. Ivory G-10 scales. 6 oz. $135 as is, or $149 if you’d like me to refinish the G-10 for you.
4. 29.5 cm balisong carbon spring steel buyod (bowie) blade. All stainless construction (aside from the copper pins of course). Nice, dark kamagong scales with subtle dark brown figuring. The wings on this knife are very unique. We’re calling them ‘shark fins.’ This is the first knife to feature fins like this, so I’m not sure if I should keep this one! 6.25 oz. SOLD.
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From India to Siberia.
These lovely balicombs all feature exotic scales. They are all stainless and each and every tooth on the combs was sawed into a stainless bar by hand. The amount of effort that goes into these makes them more expensive than balisongs!
From top to bottom:
1. 23 cm balicomb. Stainless comb, bolsters, liners and a thick, custom-grade latch. White Indian camel bone scales with darker grain. Really nice piece. 5.5 oz. SOLD .
2. 19 cm balicomb. All stainless (except for the copper scale pins) with American redwood scales. Amazing chatoyancy in the wood. Some slightly darker portions from buffing compound. Still beautiful and the darker portions contrast nicely with the lighter areas (which have lots of flash). 4 oz. $129.
3. 19 cm balicomb with all stainless hardware (aside from the copper pins). Mammoth ivory sandwiched between kamagong. Beautiful contrast. The Siberian mammoth ivory used has some naturally occurring cracks, so I sealed it with CA glue to stabilize it. 4 oz. $129.
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Kamagong and Horse Bone.
All sold and will be deleted shortly.
These balisongs still have traditional handle materials, although with a few upgrades. Great knives that will serve you well, all from the best makers currently producing FHM balisongs today.
From top to bottom:
1. 29 cm buyod (bowie) that was ground from hand forged carbon steel. Hand ground wings on the tang to stop your hand from sliding onto the blade. Brass bolsters, stainless liners and a brass latch with beautiful black kamagong scales. Please note there is a tiny amount of white metal visible on one of the bolsters. Beautiful knife. 6 oz. SOLD.
2. 29 cm carbon steel kris blade. Very nicely ground. Two extra thick tang pins and upgraded pivot pins too. Brass bolsters, stainless liners and a thicker brass latch. Beautiful smooth horse bone scales. Great knife! 5.75 oz. SOLD.
3. 23 cm carbon steel kris. Again, a well ground blade with two extra thick tang pins and upgraded pivot pins too. Stainless bolsters, liners and a thicker latch. Smooth horse bone scales with lovely colour: definite caramel tones. SOLD.
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Classic bente nueves.
After the G10 and European Stag from last night, here’s some contrast: these are very much classic bente nueves.
From top to bottom:
1. Classic 28 cm bente nueve with a carbon steel labaha blade and Philippines Eagle tang. Not from the best makers around, so it’s just a little rough around the edges, but still a good, solid knife. The bolsters, latch and liners on this knife are brass and the scales are beautiful kamagong. Lots of figure. Please note there was some minor splintering and natural hairline cracks in one of the scales, but it is stable after a liberal application of food-grade mineral oil. Great knife and discounted because of the cracks. Just under 7 oz. $105.
Please note the mark on the insert on the right is just a fingerprint.
2. From the best makers currently producing FHM balisongs in Batangas! Classic 28 cm carbon steel rambo blade. The rambo pattern has been around for long enough that I now feel comfortable calling it a classic. Brass bolsters and latch. Stainless liners and jigged horse bone scales. Thick, strong point that will definitely pass the coin test. A few tiny forging marks. Just under 6 oz. $95.
3. Also from the best makers. 28 cm long, Carbon steel buyod blade (the classic fighting pattern, but with the 21st century grind). Thick, strong point. Brass bolsters and latch with stainless liners and nicely jigged horse bone scales. 6 oz. SOLD.
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Ivory G-10 and European Red Stag.
Finally, some new balisongs for your viewing pleasure! These are all absolutely top quality FHMs and they’re all very special in their own way. They all have nice, thick 3/16” carbon steel blades.
From top to bottom:
1. This knife is just a hair under 29 cm long and features stainless bolsters, liners and a stainless latch. Two extra thick tang pins. The scales are ivory G-10, which took me an hour and a half of hand sanding to get just right. They’re finished at 600 grit, so while they are nice and smooth, they also have beautiful grain and provide excellent grip. They also clean up well and are much more durable than bone. This knife of course has a hand forged carbon steel rambo blade with serrations on the spine. Great knife and won’t take too much breaking in. 7 oz. $149.
2. This knife is 28.5 cm long and also has beautiful ivory G-10 on the handles. Two extra thick tang pins. It took me an hour and a half to sand the G-10 just right (before breakfast this morning)! Stainless bolsters, latch and liners. Carbon steel tari (Filipino cockfighting blade) which is deeply hollowground. If this one doesn’t move soon, I may just keep this one. I really like the ivory G-10 and I love taris! 6 oz. SOLD .
3. 23 cm spring steel buyod (bowie) with a nice, long swedge. European red stag scales. The bolsters are aluminum, the liners are stainless and the latch is brass. Great EDC knife since it’s nice and light! Nothing flips smoother than aluminum either! The blackened ends on the stag scales are natural. 5 oz. $119.
4. 23 cm spring steel labaha (hollowground straight razor style). Beautiful red stag scales. Aluminum bolsters, stainless liners and bass latch. Nothing slices quite like a hollowground blade! 5 oz. $119.
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A customer flipping one of our balicombs!
