I just bought my first balisong a Vulp. But I been spinning fire for about 10 years. I think you flippers should infiltrate the flow arts community. I think that would be a easy way to get some new people that would likely stick around.
Completely agree. The community IS the people and WE make it what it is. It’s not about a company or a brand, it’s about the friends you make on the journey.
The toxicity aspect really needs to be addressed more, thank you for always standing on that Will. Patron VRchat DJ nights would be badass btw, i really enjoyed your bite handle rave sets 🧡
I think the toxicity and elitism in some members of the online community have is definitely a big contributing factor in the slowdown and/or decline in the balisong community. A few things that have stood out to me are: A) Rampant scalping. Seeing early MW knives, or Squid knives and trainers on the secondary market literally the day after a drop/release with a multi hundred dollar mark up left a bad taste in my mouth B) Elitism. The number of times I’ve seen comments on other people’s posts, or even my own, being extremely rude about flipping skill is truly damaging to the overall quality of the community. Telling new people they flip like trash, or that they don’t deserve to flip whatever knife they have is so terrible. Why would someone stick with a hobby when they’re actively being s*** on? C) Close-mindedness (for lack of a better term). Lots of people seem to have a mindset of “if you’re not interested in high level flipping, what’s the point”, and don’t see the other aspects of the balisong hobby. Some people collect because handmade knives are essentially art, some people want to flip, some people are more interested in the “fidget toy” aspect, and others want a unique knife that can actually be used as a tool, but all of that tends to be shut out in online discourse. Obviously, a lot of these are generalizations, but I think they all contribute to some negative consequences in the community.
I ended up leaving the community and cutting all content from my channel for a long time due to being scammed, scalped and bullied for being trans or for not flipping as well as (insert individual)
i got banned cuz i asked the official balisong community about clones. made me not like the community for a while. eventually i had questions and didnt know who to ask and so i tried to join back up. now the server has like nobody and i found another balisong server with more people and no rules about talking about clones. unfortunately it still feels like their isnt enough people, in the balisong community, not enough balisongs on the market. instead we got to get the good balisongs 2nd hand at expensive prices.
The slowdown is due to the terrible economy atm imo. Prices on everything especially food has gone up double in price damn near everywhere and wages are the same. Not as many people have that little bit of extra income to pump into their hobbies as much. Especially when getting a decent Ti bali will run 300-500 in the mid range.
the reason i stoped throwing yoyos and slowed down on speedcubing is because of the same reason said in the beginning i get to a point were i struggle to improve and just get bored and yoyos only really get competitions in america and 1 per year in australia
i love balisong community especially on youtube because every creator responds to all my questions and like this whole hobby is something ill probably continue for years and its not often i play around toys since i just play with them for few weeks and then it probably starts collecting dust
I have been trying to see if any meetups take place in the New York/Bronx area but have been unsuccessful. I defenitely agree that more meetups would help.
The balisong community is bigger than you think. If it weren't, they wouldn't all sell out as soon as they do, but thats precisely the problem. Until the major companies that make these balisongs seriously amp up their production, the balisong community is going to continue to fall, because besides wanting to learn to flip, people want to collect, but if they cant due to price and availability, it gets stale pretty quick. I was part of the balisong community for a while along with many of my friends who left because of that same reason. We aren't made of money, and we dont want to wait months for drops just for them to all sell out in an instant.
Yeah I’ve been trying to get a serif but machine wise has been inconsistent to the point that I never know when they are gonna drop. And then the serifs sell out in seconds. I wish machine wise would bring back custom serifs
This is exactly why I switched to folders. The price to start isn't bad but once you start wanting to upgrade it's $500+ for anything remotely decent in titanium
Having occasional meetups has been happening up here in the north east for a number of years, and its a significant part of why ive stayed in this community. Im more of a collector than a “good” flipper nowadays, bit those meetups are an excellent opportunity to ask for tips n such regarding tricks. Arranging meetups is definitely interesting, it could be as small as someone’s garage, or as intersection as meeting on a hiking trail, and going to a waterfall on that hike. Theres many opportunities, but it might be hard for someone that lives 4+ hours away from one of these meetups, which is usually the reason ive herd from people that want to go to meetups.
It’s all about making friends. For me it was this dude I met at blade show, foreheadman the main reason I left the hobby. The first time is because I wasn’t progressing enough, and I didn’t know anybody who just wanted to hang out and talk about random shit and battle songs at the same time.. when you meet someone that you with the more you want to stay in the community
This is honestly mind blowing information to me. Thank you for the reminder that we don't HAVE to be influencers to make stuff happen! Honestly forgot that people really exist outside of the realms of the craziness that is BladeShow and other larger events like that. 😅 I'm actually going to start trying to do this as often as I have free time available to do so. I honestly believe it could help so many people out to just get together with flippers/collectors every so often and just chill out for a while. Another great video, Will! 🦊
Flipping has consumed tons of my time as a bartender since i started 3 months ago. Ive spent too much, been asked to not flip in public, and after all the failed attempts to buy something from the comapnies that sell out within seconds, i have found that the flow will aways keep me flippin. I also took my 1y.o. to the pool near my house in California and one of the young lifeguard dudes came over and riiiight when i thought he was going to ask me to not use my "knife" (white squiddy) at the public pool, he just said "hey man... is that a squiddy?" I was so taken aback that after responding with a yes, that it didnt register that he asked if he could flip it. He is waaay more skilled and has been doing it for years but contrary to whem i was younger, it made me want to hang out with him and learn from him. We exchanged names and honestly , after listening to your thoughts in this video, im goimg to make an effort to ask him if he wants to come flip sometime. Thank you for sharing this. Ps Please consider make a vulp comb blade. Ldy is impossible all the rest shatter when dropped. You make the most accessible and durable flipping equips. It would be a dream come true for a lot im sure.
i havent really touched any of my balisongs in a couple of months and this just came on to my for you page. and i feel like you were pretty spot on. it was practice everyday for bout 2-3 years because of that drive then i just didnt find a reason to keep going. still love the hobby, its just not taken the priority it used to. (for me)
I recently got into balisongs at the tail end of some knife collecting and immediately fell in love~ I have a lot of balisongs now (and a nice case thanks to you ;) but no one to flip with ;0; def would love to have a local meetup~
Personally I never saw it as a social thing. I've always just liked balisongs as a part of my knife collection, and as something fun to do when I'm stuck at home. The legal ambiguity, or straight up prohibition of balisongs is probably a part of the reason there are few events focused around them, and if I owned some sort of rec center, or venue, I'd be a little hesitant to host people who are inevitably going to cut themselves on my property. I'll say I'm not really a dedicated flipper, so maybe I'm not the target audience here, but as long as people are still purchasing and trading balisongs, which loads of new people are, I'd say the community is in a good place.
I'm a pretty lonely flipper (probably where I'm located) and I've met a few other flippers I'm person but I do agree that more social interactions between balisong flippers will grow the hobby and greatly improve the comminity.
I got into this hobby long before I knew there was a community for it. I have become very involved in the community yet is secondary for me. I just enjoy my Balis and always will whether or not I’m involved in the community 🤷♂️
As a German watching this a have to say that the laws also are a big problem. Even if you just flip trainers, you can‘t be flipping or meeting up to flip in public. So you only can be a part of the only community and have to be your own driver to stay in the hobby
Dazu kommt noch dass man sehr beschränkt ist weil wenige eu shipping anbieten und wenn man dann schon bei squid bestellen kann bezahlt man 30% Aufpreis
coming here from the russian balisong community (aka Balisong Club). Just want to address something. Our community is actually dying out. Nobody trades or buys knives from each other, almost no new people join the community, local meetups are literally impossible because russia is a huge country and most likely you are the only person in your town who flips (unless you're from Moscow or wtv) and also the average salaries here suck (you're either working 12 hours a day to make enough money to buy urself smthng new or just try to survive) and it's been like this even before the ru ua war, which is why almost noone has some sort of original knife and even a high quality clone. Really sad to see our "local" community die out because of all of that. Spread love boys
I think what this channel has going on will be a major contributor to retention. Getting to the level of these super flippers is adunting and tobmake content that is funny and entertaining helps us less skilled folks arick around. Also, i agree that there is a social difficulty in that i can't find anyone near my neck of the woods to participate with. Its gonna take time and its going to take determination from the skilled experts to branch out and help out locally. I wonder if something like Zoom or digital meet ups can help out with this?
having close friends that share a hobby is the best way to improve at stuff. by far back in my Pro Fortnite Days, i got really good really fast because i had super dedicated close friends that i would practice with/against before playground/creative was a thing im super envious of the Utah and Georgia scenes for having so many super local super good flippers that hang out all of the time. shit looks so fun from the outside ive only got like 1 local flipper friend and we dont get to hang out nearly as much as we want to :c
I've been in this boat a bit recently. Im not saying im the easiest person to get a long with, but i try to be as polite and nice to people as I can. A majority of the social interactions I've had with balisong folk have been rather negative and it's been a seriously depressing turn off.
I love the idea of balisong meetings. I think they could be a lot of fun and could help an awful lot in keeping people around in the balisong community, similar to Furries, Weebs, and such, who organize meetings all over with felow Furries and so on. One big problem though I think is that balisongs in a lot of parts in the world, like most of Europe, which is where I live, are extremely illegal. Making it very risky to have meetups in public areas. What's worse is that in my country, the Netherlands, there are no balisong Discord communities. Making it very difficult to find people to have meetings with. I'm sure there's people out there in my country flipping balisongs. It's just gonna be a challenge to find them. Let alone organize a meeting. Love the idea though. And yeah, you're right. We as a community really should work on the social aspect of it
I honestly would love that, but I live in Canada where live blades are illegal and cops don’t know the difference, I had the cops called on me last time I was flipping my Vulp in the park and 3 cops showed up.
Hey Will, Thanks to NABALIS I'm now using a Teflon Vulp white as a beginner beginner beginner, flipper. I've learned a few tricks and trying to put them together. I'm working to start a channel on balisong flipping with wheels, SCI flipping. I need help, I'm 58 and can't figure this you tube channel stuff out. Mark, sci,GA
(SUPER LONG COMMENT INCOMING) Balisongs are a very beautiful, yet very complicated object to form a community around. In essence, a balisong is a tool, a weapon, a skill toy, a work of art, a collector's item, and a customizable modding platform all in one. As a result, the motivations that people have to engage in this community is overall going to become somewhat clique-ee and isolated if you're not in it for the same purposes. Some folks, like me, just like the fidget and collectable aspects of balisongs while others heavily get into the performance and competitive aspects of the hobby. And some folks just collect balisongs to support creators and express themselves by modding. But what's more, balisongs themselves have a couple of huge hurdles that prevent it from expanding into a much more wide spread social hobby. For one, balisongs are ridiculously expensive. The overall budget market has been booming as of late, but it is still even a bit of an ask for most folks to cough up $45 - $60 on what is essentially a fidget toy, especially if they are not certain on if they will continue to improve. The overall entry cost needed to get into this hobby, and also to get better progressively, is significantly higher than most other skill-toy adjacent hobbies like Kendama, Yo yo's, pen spinning, and etc. This is also accounting for the severe lack of availability that certain balisong brands have. I for one would be quite annoyed if I did have the funds to buy the balisong I wanted, but the company had no stock for me to give the hobby a chance. Companies like Nabalis are truly doing wonders to help alleviate this issue. Secondly, Balisongs are illegal in many countries due to negative association with criminals of the Hollywood screens. It is an unfortunate byproduct on what was otherwise an exaggerated to make a criminal look more skillful and intimidating. Because balisongs are a bit of a taboo in many countries and states here in the US, it is hard to organize an environment (outside of blade show) where somebody can flip worry free without the fear of getting arrested. In an ironic situation, the balisong community needs more social interaction to grow, yet balisongs being illegal most of the time prevents the organization of community driven meet ups. Thirdly, getting into the balisong hobby is very intimidating with lots of misconceptions. While you can argue to anybody that balisongs are more seen as recreational fidget toys by modern standards, they are mostly going to be primarily seen as knives. The misconceived notion that being in the hobby involves potentially cutting yourself, does not resonate well with folks. Most folks in the knife community don't even acknowledge the trainers available since they only associate a balisong as the "Butterfly Knife." And because most folks don't see balisongs as anything but knives that are wielded by the bravest of souls, it ultimately becomes rather hard to convince potential new people to try out the hobby. And lastly, the balisong community has openly displayed behaviors of elitism, toxicity, gatekeeping, and bullying for many petty situations that sets a bad example to potential new flippers, and discourages folks from engaging with the community for advice. Now of course, this doesn't apply to everybody in the community. It's normal to have a couple of stinkers in a fanbase. However, from my observation I kind of see the balisong community as the DOTA 2 of knives/fidget toys. There's this essence of snobby, ego driven bitterness that seems to circulate whenever a new flipper engages with some of the main forums. People were ridiculed for the stupidest things with such terrible logic, such as: Flipping a trainer = You not being called a wimp and not being a "true," balisong flipper since you're not willing to hurt yourself? Being new and showing off your first simple tricks on the internet = you being called a terrible flipper that should get gud? Flipping a clone = you being a terrible scumbag who is not willing to wait and pay hundreds of dollars on something that is not widely available in your country? Not being an expert flipper = you not being worthy of owning a super expensive grail balisong despite the fact you bought it? A new flipper asking a simple question = being called an idiot and chastised for not knowing something so simple even though you are new? There are even more bass ackwards scenarios where folks have been put down so harshly to the point where it hurts my head to know that I am engaging in the same hobby as these buffoons. I do want to say that these are not super common occurrences, and do not represent the whole of the community. In fact, I have interacted with some really chill dudes in the community. But it does happen frequently enough to the point where it shows how vitriolic people in the community are capable of being, which in turn leaves a terrible impression, and a bad taste in my mouth. At the end of the day, gatekeeping, bullying, confusing double standards, and toxicity doesn't do anything to make the hobby grow. If anything, it's going to kill this hobby faster. Nobody should be brutally judged for what they are flipping in their hands (Whether that be clone, CCC, or even a grail), nor should they feel uncomfortable for expressing their enthusiasm for getting into the hobby. If they are flipping and having fun, there's no reasons to yuck their yum. I do believe that this hobby has the potential to grow, but these are just a few hurdles that need to change in order for balisongs to become more of a hobby that people can get into. Just be kind to each other, support one another, help those who are new, and cheer on those who progress. Have a nice day folks. Peace! (Thanks to all who read, and I do apologize for the long comment. :P)
i just got into the hobby a few weeks ago, I just find it such an expensive hobby. I find it hard to spend 60-100$ on a good balisong when I'm not confident in my abilities yet. the cheap 10$ I have is starting to show signs of wear already.
being a uk flipper, theres not alot of us so i created a group chat last year and its become a very good small comunity but meets are not easy as balisongs are illegal and that would also effect comps. i wish there was a better online balui comp (there is one but its runeis a weird way)
I’d absolutely love to hold a meetup somewhere around here but I’m literally the only flipper in my town and everyone else I know of is 4+ hours away :/ I mean I might make a video on it and see what happens but idk
@@Lycan_blades i mean im a new balisong learner (started 1-2months ago) and i dont know may bali creators but it is just common sense to just return something that isnt urs.
I'm in central Alabama and I think I'm the only one here that even knows what a balisong is. Going out and flipping in public sometimes helps introduce it to people, but I think a lot of people either feel threatened by butterfly knives, or see the trainers as a fidget spinner, not realizing how artistic it can be. I dunno. For me, the social balisong thing seems impossible here, but I just love flipping, sp f it.
I got into this 2 weeks ago. I bought a Thomas Default as my first trainer, and the people on the internet have shared only negativity with me. It seems that if you don't buy the EXACT right cases, knives and other products, you are an outcast. I most definitely wont be trying to get better at a skill that seems to be based around the amount of money you can spend and your ability to be a shill.
brooo im so sorry for you but trust me in this community everyone has had this happen you gotta realise that even a 15 dollar balisong is good if flipping it makes you feel good
I told camaroee that a flipping app would be great. Sort of replacing the instagram scene. Leaderboards, challenges, trades, reputability, etc. I really hope someone sees this through as i’m not interested in application development.
What is a sort of cheap(ish) balisong that you would recomend for a beginner? I've looked at the vulp and the vulp pro but I'm not sure if I will make it an actual hobby.
Flipping was fun with a trainer for about a week but I haven’t been able to put down my false edge, I think nabalis are out here doin the balisong community massive favours, there’s just something about flipping an actual weapon and I know false edge is blunt but it is still sharp enough to stab into wood, I like to think of it as a self defence balisong 😂
The issue with the competitions is that in most places balisongs still have that stigma that was formed from early movies where only "criminals" or sketchy people use them. Which sucks because most of the people in the hobby myself included love the hobby just for the flipping aspect. That stigma of balisongs being knives and knives being related to crimes is something that I feel people need to get over in a way that not all people use these items with ill intent. Like a lot of people carry around knives for daily use either for their job or other uses and that's fine. But if its a balisong people still give that second look you know? It sucks that this stigma is still connected to balisongs but its nice that some people are becoming more accepting. A lot of the people I know that know I flip find it cooler rather then dangerous.
You start to feel more resistance in the handles alongside the sound in the balisong starting to creek ever so slightly. This doesn't happen for all balisongs, but those are usually the tell tale signs.
Idk i dont think there has to be anything to make you stay, it isn’t really a video game where you keep players interested with updates. If the fidget or edc aspect isn’t enough, idk if its a hobby for you
That's just an american possibility tbh. In austria and even Vienna the capital it's not only absolutely impossible because no one does it, but most of german/austrian people are very stoic, bland and reserved, so having a community just isn't a thing unfortunately. People hate being happy and being friendly with others.
Everything is perpetually out of stock, secondhand market is lousy with people trying to sell 7/10 tipped knives for 90% retail or scalping new in box knives, I would imagine people pick up their first cheap trainer or a secondhand kraken and then after a few months of flipping that being unable to get any better knives for one reason or another get discouraged and stop. The market for new knives for everything between 50 dollar trainers/clones and 800 dollar instagram lotto art pieces that barely look like knives is barren. Drop/scalper culture in any hobby is a detriment and this one is lousy with it. I had an easier time getting a graphics card in 2021 that I do trying to get one of the handful of knives I want in the 300-500 dollar range.
We have a decent amount of toxicity as it happens with the internet. Its unavoidable. We also have issues of a self fulfilling prophecy of balisongs are cheap and should be cheap. We have tons of younger ppl that only have allowance to purchase something and dont have a job and cant afford the larger ticket items. People not saving up and treating these knives as they should be: works of art, flipping tools and knives. They're treated like fidget toys. We see this in the announcement by fellowship blades where he makes knives on weekenends now because no one is buyjng them! You can get all the deals you want, but if you dont support these small makers then we cant have knives. No knives= no flipping = no community. Flippers and makers keep the community going. It fails without both
If these makers focus only on what are essentially work of art balls, of course they're going to fail or do small business only just like halo car manufacturers. They should have a diverse portfolio of cheaper and more accessible balls alongside those products if they want consistent sales as a business That's the manufacturers/business' problem, not the buyers
I just bought my first balisong a Vulp.
But I been spinning fire for about 10 years. I think you flippers should infiltrate the flow arts community.
I think that would be a easy way to get some new people that would likely stick around.
@@nicolassullivan7746 I absolutely agree, Balisong flipping is a flow art
Just came from contact poi and it's a similar vibe forsure i think it's helping me progress at a pretty fast rate.
What you said about the judging in balicomp is so real dude 😢
Completely agree. The community IS the people and WE make it what it is. It’s not about a company or a brand, it’s about the friends you make on the journey.
The toxicity aspect really needs to be addressed more, thank you for always standing on that Will. Patron VRchat DJ nights would be badass btw, i really enjoyed your bite handle rave sets 🧡
I agree completely.. I honestly wish the balisong community was a lot larger in canada 🇨🇦..also love the videos
I think the toxicity and elitism in some members of the online community have is definitely a big contributing factor in the slowdown and/or decline in the balisong community. A few things that have stood out to me are:
A) Rampant scalping. Seeing early MW knives, or Squid knives and trainers on the secondary market literally the day after a drop/release with a multi hundred dollar mark up left a bad taste in my mouth
B) Elitism. The number of times I’ve seen comments on other people’s posts, or even my own, being extremely rude about flipping skill is truly damaging to the overall quality of the community. Telling new people they flip like trash, or that they don’t deserve to flip whatever knife they have is so terrible. Why would someone stick with a hobby when they’re actively being s*** on?
C) Close-mindedness (for lack of a better term). Lots of people seem to have a mindset of “if you’re not interested in high level flipping, what’s the point”, and don’t see the other aspects of the balisong hobby. Some people collect because handmade knives are essentially art, some people want to flip, some people are more interested in the “fidget toy” aspect, and others want a unique knife that can actually be used as a tool, but all of that tends to be shut out in online discourse.
Obviously, a lot of these are generalizations, but I think they all contribute to some negative consequences in the community.
I ended up leaving the community and cutting all content from my channel for a long time due to being scammed, scalped and bullied for being trans or for not flipping as well as (insert individual)
i got banned cuz i asked the official balisong community about clones. made me not like the community for a while. eventually i had questions and didnt know who to ask and so i tried to join back up. now the server has like nobody and i found another balisong server with more people and no rules about talking about clones. unfortunately it still feels like their isnt enough people, in the balisong community, not enough balisongs on the market. instead we got to get the good balisongs 2nd hand at expensive prices.
The slowdown is due to the terrible economy atm imo. Prices on everything especially food has gone up double in price damn near everywhere and wages are the same. Not as many people have that little bit of extra income to pump into their hobbies as much. Especially when getting a decent Ti bali will run 300-500 in the mid range.
the reason i stoped throwing yoyos and slowed down on speedcubing is because of the same reason said in the beginning
i get to a point were i struggle to improve and just get bored
and yoyos only really get competitions in america and 1 per year in australia
i love balisong community especially on youtube because every creator responds to all my questions and like this whole hobby is something ill probably continue for years and its not often i play around toys since i just play with them for few weeks and then it probably starts collecting dust
A national balisong competition would be awesome
I have been trying to see if any meetups take place in the New York/Bronx area but have been unsuccessful. I defenitely agree that more meetups would help.
The balisong community is bigger than you think. If it weren't, they wouldn't all sell out as soon as they do, but thats precisely the problem. Until the major companies that make these balisongs seriously amp up their production, the balisong community is going to continue to fall, because besides wanting to learn to flip, people want to collect, but if they cant due to price and availability, it gets stale pretty quick.
I was part of the balisong community for a while along with many of my friends who left because of that same reason. We aren't made of money, and we dont want to wait months for drops just for them to all sell out in an instant.
He understands it better than you think, you are just paraphrasing what he said at 1:11-1:31
Yeah I’ve been trying to get a serif but machine wise has been inconsistent to the point that I never know when they are gonna drop. And then the serifs sell out in seconds. I wish machine wise would bring back custom serifs
@@0ViciousV0 It's like saying I quit gaming because I don't have rtx4090 or I quit playing guitar because I don't have Ibanez M8M 😂
Disregard my comment i apologize i shouldn't have been self righteous in that way@@jprice_
This is exactly why I switched to folders. The price to start isn't bad but once you start wanting to upgrade it's $500+ for anything remotely decent in titanium
Having occasional meetups has been happening up here in the north east for a number of years, and its a significant part of why ive stayed in this community. Im more of a collector than a “good” flipper nowadays, bit those meetups are an excellent opportunity to ask for tips n such regarding tricks.
Arranging meetups is definitely interesting, it could be as small as someone’s garage, or as intersection as meeting on a hiking trail, and going to a waterfall on that hike. Theres many opportunities, but it might be hard for someone that lives 4+ hours away from one of these meetups, which is usually the reason ive herd from people that want to go to meetups.
It’s all about making friends. For me it was this dude I met at blade show, foreheadman the main reason I left the hobby. The first time is because I wasn’t progressing enough, and I didn’t know anybody who just wanted to hang out and talk about random shit and battle songs at the same time.. when you meet someone that you with the more you want to stay in the community
This is honestly mind blowing information to me. Thank you for the reminder that we don't HAVE to be influencers to make stuff happen! Honestly forgot that people really exist outside of the realms of the craziness that is BladeShow and other larger events like that. 😅
I'm actually going to start trying to do this as often as I have free time available to do so. I honestly believe it could help so many people out to just get together with flippers/collectors every so often and just chill out for a while.
Another great video, Will! 🦊
Flipping has consumed tons of my time as a bartender since i started 3 months ago. Ive spent too much, been asked to not flip in public, and after all the failed attempts to buy something from the comapnies that sell out within seconds, i have found that the flow will aways keep me flippin.
I also took my 1y.o. to the pool near my house in California and one of the young lifeguard dudes came over and riiiight when i thought he was going to ask me to not use my "knife" (white squiddy) at the public pool, he just said "hey man... is that a squiddy?" I was so taken aback that after responding with a yes, that it didnt register that he asked if he could flip it. He is waaay more skilled and has been doing it for years but contrary to whem i was younger, it made me want to hang out with him and learn from him. We exchanged names and honestly , after listening to your thoughts in this video, im goimg to make an effort to ask him if he wants to come flip sometime.
Thank you for sharing this.
Ps Please consider make a vulp comb blade. Ldy is impossible all the rest shatter when dropped. You make the most accessible and durable flipping equips. It would be a dream come true for a lot im sure.
i havent really touched any of my balisongs in a couple of months and this just came on to my for you page. and i feel like you were pretty spot on. it was practice everyday for bout 2-3 years because of that drive then i just didnt find a reason to keep going. still love the hobby, its just not taken the priority it used to. (for me)
I recently got into balisongs at the tail end of some knife collecting and immediately fell in love~
I have a lot of balisongs now (and a nice case thanks to you ;) but no one to flip with ;0; def would love to have a local meetup~
MONTANA MEETUP 2024, 2 people and a deer and cow.
You’re not wrong 😂
It makes sense but I think you are able to fix it because you are an inspiration for us all and you and Brandon and Lucas and daylon will help us all.
Yes. Meetups also give people the opportunity to try different balisongs so they can experience a balisong forthemselves before spending money.
Personally I never saw it as a social thing. I've always just liked balisongs as a part of my knife collection, and as something fun to do when I'm stuck at home. The legal ambiguity, or straight up prohibition of balisongs is probably a part of the reason there are few events focused around them, and if I owned some sort of rec center, or venue, I'd be a little hesitant to host people who are inevitably going to cut themselves on my property. I'll say I'm not really a dedicated flipper, so maybe I'm not the target audience here, but as long as people are still purchasing and trading balisongs, which loads of new people are, I'd say the community is in a good place.
I'm a pretty lonely flipper (probably where I'm located) and I've met a few other flippers I'm person but I do agree that more social interactions between balisong flippers will grow the hobby and greatly improve the comminity.
I got into this hobby long before I knew there was a community for it. I have become very involved in the community yet is secondary for me. I just enjoy my Balis and always will whether or not I’m involved in the community 🤷♂️
As a German watching this a have to say that the laws also are a big problem. Even if you just flip trainers, you can‘t be flipping or meeting up to flip in public. So you only can be a part of the only community and have to be your own driver to stay in the hobby
Dazu kommt noch dass man sehr beschränkt ist weil wenige eu shipping anbieten und wenn man dann schon bei squid bestellen kann bezahlt man 30% Aufpreis
@@Rarararaul Das ist so schlimm.. alle wollen entweder aufpreis oder du bezahlt in dollar plus viel versand usw..
coming here from the russian balisong community (aka Balisong Club). Just want to address something. Our community is actually dying out. Nobody trades or buys knives from each other, almost no new people join the community, local meetups are literally impossible because russia is a huge country and most likely you are the only person in your town who flips (unless you're from Moscow or wtv) and also the average salaries here suck (you're either working 12 hours a day to make enough money to buy urself smthng new or just try to survive) and it's been like this even before the ru ua war, which is why almost noone has some sort of original knife and even a high quality clone. Really sad to see our "local" community die out because of all of that. Spread love boys
I think what this channel has going on will be a major contributor to retention. Getting to the level of these super flippers is adunting and tobmake content that is funny and entertaining helps us less skilled folks arick around. Also, i agree that there is a social difficulty in that i can't find anyone near my neck of the woods to participate with. Its gonna take time and its going to take determination from the skilled experts to branch out and help out locally.
I wonder if something like Zoom or digital meet ups can help out with this?
2:50 can you teach that combo😅
having close friends that share a hobby is the best way to improve at stuff. by far
back in my Pro Fortnite Days, i got really good really fast because i had super dedicated close friends that i would practice with/against before playground/creative was a thing
im super envious of the Utah and Georgia scenes for having so many super local super good flippers that hang out all of the time. shit looks so fun from the outside
ive only got like 1 local flipper friend and we dont get to hang out nearly as much as we want to :c
I've been in this boat a bit recently. Im not saying im the easiest person to get a long with, but i try to be as polite and nice to people as I can. A majority of the social interactions I've had with balisong folk have been rather negative and it's been a seriously depressing turn off.
I love the idea of balisong meetings. I think they could be a lot of fun and could help an awful lot in keeping people around in the balisong community, similar to Furries, Weebs, and such, who organize meetings all over with felow Furries and so on.
One big problem though I think is that balisongs in a lot of parts in the world, like most of Europe, which is where I live, are extremely illegal. Making it very risky to have meetups in public areas. What's worse is that in my country, the Netherlands, there are no balisong Discord communities. Making it very difficult to find people to have meetings with. I'm sure there's people out there in my country flipping balisongs. It's just gonna be a challenge to find them. Let alone organize a meeting.
Love the idea though. And yeah, you're right. We as a community really should work on the social aspect of it
I’m satisfied with the intro
I honestly would love that, but I live in Canada where live blades are illegal and cops don’t know the difference, I had the cops called on me last time I was flipping my Vulp in the park and 3 cops showed up.
I personally feel like the community of vaping is a lot bigger than the community of flippers at least in my country
Hey Will, Thanks to NABALIS I'm now using a Teflon Vulp white as a beginner beginner beginner, flipper. I've learned a few tricks and trying to put them together. I'm working to start a channel on balisong flipping with wheels, SCI flipping. I need help, I'm 58 and can't figure this you tube channel stuff out.
Mark, sci,GA
(SUPER LONG COMMENT INCOMING)
Balisongs are a very beautiful, yet very complicated object to form a community around. In essence, a balisong is a tool, a weapon, a skill toy, a work of art, a collector's item, and a customizable modding platform all in one. As a result, the motivations that people have to engage in this community is overall going to become somewhat clique-ee and isolated if you're not in it for the same purposes. Some folks, like me, just like the fidget and collectable aspects of balisongs while others heavily get into the performance and competitive aspects of the hobby. And some folks just collect balisongs to support creators and express themselves by modding. But what's more, balisongs themselves have a couple of huge hurdles that prevent it from expanding into a much more wide spread social hobby.
For one, balisongs are ridiculously expensive. The overall budget market has been booming as of late, but it is still even a bit of an ask for most folks to cough up $45 - $60 on what is essentially a fidget toy, especially if they are not certain on if they will continue to improve. The overall entry cost needed to get into this hobby, and also to get better progressively, is significantly higher than most other skill-toy adjacent hobbies like Kendama, Yo yo's, pen spinning, and etc. This is also accounting for the severe lack of availability that certain balisong brands have. I for one would be quite annoyed if I did have the funds to buy the balisong I wanted, but the company had no stock for me to give the hobby a chance. Companies like Nabalis are truly doing wonders to help alleviate this issue.
Secondly, Balisongs are illegal in many countries due to negative association with criminals of the Hollywood screens. It is an unfortunate byproduct on what was otherwise an exaggerated to make a criminal look more skillful and intimidating. Because balisongs are a bit of a taboo in many countries and states here in the US, it is hard to organize an environment (outside of blade show) where somebody can flip worry free without the fear of getting arrested. In an ironic situation, the balisong community needs more social interaction to grow, yet balisongs being illegal most of the time prevents the organization of community driven meet ups.
Thirdly, getting into the balisong hobby is very intimidating with lots of misconceptions. While you can argue to anybody that balisongs are more seen as recreational fidget toys by modern standards, they are mostly going to be primarily seen as knives. The misconceived notion that being in the hobby involves potentially cutting yourself, does not resonate well with folks. Most folks in the knife community don't even acknowledge the trainers available since they only associate a balisong as the "Butterfly Knife." And because most folks don't see balisongs as anything but knives that are wielded by the bravest of souls, it ultimately becomes rather hard to convince potential new people to try out the hobby.
And lastly, the balisong community has openly displayed behaviors of elitism, toxicity, gatekeeping, and bullying for many petty situations that sets a bad example to potential new flippers, and discourages folks from engaging with the community for advice. Now of course, this doesn't apply to everybody in the community. It's normal to have a couple of stinkers in a fanbase. However, from my observation I kind of see the balisong community as the DOTA 2 of knives/fidget toys. There's this essence of snobby, ego driven bitterness that seems to circulate whenever a new flipper engages with some of the main forums. People were ridiculed for the stupidest things with such terrible logic, such as:
Flipping a trainer = You not being called a wimp and not being a "true," balisong flipper since you're not willing to hurt yourself?
Being new and showing off your first simple tricks on the internet = you being called a terrible flipper that should get gud?
Flipping a clone = you being a terrible scumbag who is not willing to wait and pay hundreds of dollars on something that is not widely available in your country?
Not being an expert flipper = you not being worthy of owning a super expensive grail balisong despite the fact you bought it?
A new flipper asking a simple question = being called an idiot and chastised for not knowing something so simple even though you are new?
There are even more bass ackwards scenarios where folks have been put down so harshly to the point where it hurts my head to know that I am engaging in the same hobby as these buffoons. I do want to say that these are not super common occurrences, and do not represent the whole of the community. In fact, I have interacted with some really chill dudes in the community. But it does happen frequently enough to the point where it shows how vitriolic people in the community are capable of being, which in turn leaves a terrible impression, and a bad taste in my mouth.
At the end of the day, gatekeeping, bullying, confusing double standards, and toxicity doesn't do anything to make the hobby grow. If anything, it's going to kill this hobby faster. Nobody should be brutally judged for what they are flipping in their hands (Whether that be clone, CCC, or even a grail), nor should they feel uncomfortable for expressing their enthusiasm for getting into the hobby. If they are flipping and having fun, there's no reasons to yuck their yum. I do believe that this hobby has the potential to grow, but these are just a few hurdles that need to change in order for balisongs to become more of a hobby that people can get into. Just be kind to each other, support one another, help those who are new, and cheer on those who progress. Have a nice day folks. Peace!
(Thanks to all who read, and I do apologize for the long comment. :P)
I would DIE for a local flipping scene to grow and tournaments and stuff
the thing is I would probably have to make it happen-
i just got into the hobby a few weeks ago, I just find it such an expensive hobby. I find it hard to spend 60-100$ on a good balisong when I'm not confident in my abilities yet. the cheap 10$ I have is starting to show signs of wear already.
had this for months still has no tap and play and flips like a dream and its a an absolute tank
idk where the link went but the balisong is called the nabalis SS canyon
being a uk flipper, theres not alot of us so i created a group chat last year and its become a very good small comunity but meets are not easy as balisongs are illegal and that would also effect comps. i wish there was a better online balui comp (there is one but its runeis a weird way)
Damn bro what happened to the community like 3 years ago it was so good man
I’d absolutely love to hold a meetup somewhere around here but I’m literally the only flipper in my town and everyone else I know of is 4+ hours away :/ I mean I might make a video on it and see what happens but idk
thats tough
@@pulsedragon8051 yea it sucks but I’ll see what I can do maybe I’ll do something
btw it sucks what pyro flip did it was super wrong and i agree with most of the statements
@@pulsedragon8051 well thank you for that it truly dose suck while I knowledge u did go a bit too far in my video my point is still pretty valid
@@Lycan_blades i mean im a new balisong learner (started 1-2months ago) and i dont know may bali creators but it is just common sense to just return something that isnt urs.
are u willing to post the vr chat gameplay it would be awesome to see content like that !
I'm in central Alabama and I think I'm the only one here that even knows what a balisong is. Going out and flipping in public sometimes helps introduce it to people, but I think a lot of people either feel threatened by butterfly knives, or see the trainers as a fidget spinner, not realizing how artistic it can be. I dunno. For me, the social balisong thing seems impossible here, but I just love flipping, sp f it.
Hey will im new to this hobby and im trying to improve im going to get a vulp pro for Christmas luv ur vids i hope i get better -Andri
only old people live near me 😭
flipping is fun!
I got into this 2 weeks ago. I bought a Thomas Default as my first trainer, and the people on the internet have shared only negativity with me. It seems that if you don't buy the EXACT right cases, knives and other products, you are an outcast. I most definitely wont be trying to get better at a skill that seems to be based around the amount of money you can spend and your ability to be a shill.
Looks like a nice trainer for the money. Sorry people have been rude to you, but don't let it keep you from enjoying yourself.
brooo im so sorry for you but trust me in this community everyone has had this happen you gotta realise that even a 15 dollar balisong is good if flipping it makes you feel good
I flipped a default at blade show, it was pretty fun! great choice! I'm sorry you've had this experience.
The sub Reddit has a weird eerie vibe, it says 90k members but there’s probably like 10 posts a day if that
I’m new and I’m infatuated and will share with many
Ppl say the Bali song community isn’t big enough but I’ve met a lot of people around my area who I’ve never expected to become friends with lol.
Id like to find a Balisong makers community. I'm struggling to make my own, and would like to connect wi5h other small makers
I told camaroee that a flipping app would be great. Sort of replacing the instagram scene. Leaderboards, challenges, trades, reputability, etc. I really hope someone sees this through as i’m not interested in application development.
Dude where u got the case ? For all the knives
Yay more will flips!!!
There is also the legality of owning one in certain states.
Never been so early !
What is a sort of cheap(ish) balisong that you would recomend for a beginner? I've looked at the vulp and the vulp pro but I'm not sure if I will make it an actual hobby.
the nabalis canyon
i would say the vulp. not the pro. just the normal vulp
@@pulsedragon8051 for me the vulp got a lot worse the more i flipped it
I got a nabilias g10 for my first knife 1 day ago is it good
Flipping was fun with a trainer for about a week but I haven’t been able to put down my false edge, I think nabalis are out here doin the balisong community massive favours, there’s just something about flipping an actual weapon and I know false edge is blunt but it is still sharp enough to stab into wood, I like to think of it as a self defence balisong 😂
I live just south of Cincinnati. Anyone nearby?
The issue with the competitions is that in most places balisongs still have that stigma that was formed from early movies where only "criminals" or sketchy people use them. Which sucks because most of the people in the hobby myself included love the hobby just for the flipping aspect. That stigma of balisongs being knives and knives being related to crimes is something that I feel people need to get over in a way that not all people use these items with ill intent. Like a lot of people carry around knives for daily use either for their job or other uses and that's fine. But if its a balisong people still give that second look you know? It sucks that this stigma is still connected to balisongs but its nice that some people are becoming more accepting. A lot of the people I know that know I flip find it cooler rather then dangerous.
how do you know when your balisong needs lube?
You start to feel more resistance in the handles alongside the sound in the balisong starting to creek ever so slightly. This doesn't happen for all balisongs, but those are usually the tell tale signs.
Save it? I just got here?!
im like the only flipper within a radius of 83.871 km²
Idk i dont think there has to be anything to make you stay, it isn’t really a video game where you keep players interested with updates. If the fidget or edc aspect isn’t enough, idk if its a hobby for you
Yay im not called a gamer again
That's just an american possibility tbh. In austria and even Vienna the capital it's not only absolutely impossible because no one does it, but most of german/austrian people are very stoic, bland and reserved, so having a community just isn't a thing unfortunately. People hate being happy and being friendly with others.
weel hersche
slayed💪
i just got my teflon coted vulp
Everything is perpetually out of stock, secondhand market is lousy with people trying to sell 7/10 tipped knives for 90% retail or scalping new in box knives, I would imagine people pick up their first cheap trainer or a secondhand kraken and then after a few months of flipping that being unable to get any better knives for one reason or another get discouraged and stop. The market for new knives for everything between 50 dollar trainers/clones and 800 dollar instagram lotto art pieces that barely look like knives is barren. Drop/scalper culture in any hobby is a detriment and this one is lousy with it. I had an easier time getting a graphics card in 2021 that I do trying to get one of the handful of knives I want in the 300-500 dollar range.
We have a decent amount of toxicity as it happens with the internet. Its unavoidable.
We also have issues of a self fulfilling prophecy of balisongs are cheap and should be cheap. We have tons of younger ppl that only have allowance to purchase something and dont have a job and cant afford the larger ticket items. People not saving up and treating these knives as they should be: works of art, flipping tools and knives. They're treated like fidget toys.
We see this in the announcement by fellowship blades where he makes knives on weekenends now because no one is buyjng them! You can get all the deals you want, but if you dont support these small makers then we cant have knives. No knives= no flipping = no community. Flippers and makers keep the community going. It fails without both
If these makers focus only on what are essentially work of art balls, of course they're going to fail or do small business only just like halo car manufacturers. They should have a diverse portfolio of cheaper and more accessible balls alongside those products if they want consistent sales as a business
That's the manufacturers/business' problem, not the buyers
@Lillowh they should certainly have a diverse selection, but this hobby cannot sustain itself on $50 knives alone.
Some of us flip at milehighyoyo club meets.