It’s a big EDC market out there, and tons of awesome gear is released all the time. We made The Drop to help you discover the latest and greatest essentials worth a spot in your EDC.
With their Lucha blazing a trail in the butterfly knife community for both live blades and trainers, Kershaw keeps the momentum going with a new trainer for 2023, dubbed the Balanza. This predecessor is designed to be lighter both in weight and on the wallet while carrying over a lot of elements from the Lucha, including stainless steel construction and ball-bearing pivots out of the box.
The Balanza‘s lighter 4.60-ounce weight is thanks to its heavily skeletonized trainer blade and handles and smaller overall profile with a 4.25″ blade and 5.25″ handles; to compare, many popular balisongs are in the region of ~5.7″ handles. But the smaller size also comes with a much smaller price tag: the Balanza hits the market at an extremely affordable and competitive $45. We also won’t be surprised if it eventually becomes a platform for a wide variety of aftermarket parts and mods, extending its appeal further, much like the Lucha.
What we like: Budget butterfly knife trainers (especially ones that aren’t plastic or 3D-printed) can still fetch a pretty penny, so it’s nice to see a solid and affordable follow-up to the crazy-popular Lucha.
What we don’t like: Stainless steel construction and 4.60 ounces mean the Balanza is still on the heavier side; no doubt this will be fixed in time by mods. It may also be smaller than the common larger trainers you’re used to.
Final verdict: 45 bucks is an easy purchase and an even easier recommendation for a metal balisong to get you started in the flipping hobby.
