A butterfly knife is a folding knife that has two handles counter-rotating around the tang such that, when closed, the blade is concealed within grooves in the handles. This design facilitates quick deployment of the blade simply by gripping either of the two handles (hence "butterfly"). The legality of these knives varies from country to country. In some countries, they are illegal for any purpose; others may permit them if they are not carried in public or used for any kind of criminal offense. 

Some jurisdictions require these knives to be opened and closed with one hand. This knife was invented by the Chinese as a self-defense and hunting knife. The earliest known examples of the Chinese folding knife are from the 6th century BC; these knives were manufactured from bronze. Although there is no clear historical evidence to link the folding knife to China, it is safe to assume that these styles of knives were in existence at some point in Chinese history, due to their complexity.

This knife was invented much later than the Western folding pocket knife, and therefore references to "butterfly" in Western literature typically refer to a Western folding knife. Since its invention, it has seen widespread use throughout Asia as a utility tool as well as for self-defense.

Butterfly Knife Blade Deployment Mechanism

Blades are made of either 440 stainless steel or 420 stainless steel. A butterfly knife has a locking mechanism (knives such as the Spyderco Southpaw and Benchmade Griptillian have separate deployment buttons which allow the blade to be folded into the handle during use).

This knife is held in a fist with the index finger on top of the thumb. The blade and handle are exposed from this opening, which provides greater control over the knife in hand. The handles may vary widely in design, including one-piece or two-piece designs, straight or curved handles, grips for normal-size hands or smaller hands, and so forth. A common two-piece design has handles which pivot on a pin, allowing the knife to be closed with two hands.

Many of these cool knives are in fact two folding knives connected to each other with a pivot pin in the middle; this makes the blade shorter, yet wider for easier handling and Butterfly flick. The blade end of the handle may have a hole near the edge of the blade to provide an anchor point for paracord or similar line. In some countries, these knives are regulated as illegal weapons (e.g., United Kingdom). In other countries they are treated as folding pocket knives (or similar) and thus not subject to regulation (e.g., United States of America).


Opening and Closing a Butterfly Knife

Many people want to learn how to open and close a butterfly knife without hurting themselves, or they might just be curious about how the knife works. This is a guide on learning this skill with some helpful tips. There are three main parts to learning how to open and close this knife: finding the right grip, putting in force, and finishing it up! By following these steps, you should be able to perform these moves fairly easily! 

First, get your wrist through the handle of your chosen blade; then put in some force by pushing down onto your thumb with the opposite hand; finally pull apart at an angle before letting go of them. This should work for all your knives, but remember that the style of your blade might vary. When getting this skill down, try to use the same pattern as you did with your first knife. 

Practice with different knives, and as you get better at it, you can try to use your own technique. Don't be discouraged if you practice for a long time and still can't do the moves yourself! Becoming comfortable with this knife is a lifelong process that takes lots of practice. At first it might seem impossible, but once you start practicing, like when I was learning to open blades for the first time, I found that it got easier over time!

Features of the Butterfly Knife

A butterfly knife is a folding knife with multiple blades on the end of each handle that can be opened quickly by using two hands to fold the knives outwards. The most common folding knife, these knives have been in production since at least 1920 and were likely manufactured by knifemaker George Reis of Solingen, Germany. This is also used for similar knives outside Europe and North America such as the Chiba-dori from Japan or bisento (small blade) from Italy which are always handled with one hand and open with a flick of your wrist. 


The knife style gets its name from its resemblance to a wide open folded wingblade. Although the knives can be opened quickly, the hinge design requires that all the blades are aligned in exactly the same plane to function properly. This means different styles of butterfly knife must be used for different cutting tasks. Various different blade designs have been developed to tackle these different styles of cutting. 

The most common blade designs are: tip-up normal, tip-down normal, and swinger. One-handed opening butterfly knives usually close on their own with gravity, but can have a mechanism which locks shut. These knives that open with an outward push (push dagger) or a downward pull (types of daggers) can also exist; such knives are illegal to carry on some continents. Although in some parts of the world these knives are illegal, they are legal to possess and sell in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and most European countries. 

The first folding blade knife with multiple blades was the spring-knife or switch knife of World War I trench warfare. It was designed by a French artillery officer who became interested in the possibility of creating what might be called an “emergency weapon” for use during World War I trench fighting. He found that no such weapon existed already and he set out to create one with Lieutenant Colonel Louis Le Berre, a member of France’s war council.

Various Uses of Butterfly Knife

There are a number of uses for a butterfly knife in everyday life and they range from the practical to the creative.

  • Combat Use

The practical use is combat. It can also be used as a weapon of last resort, or in escape scenarios where you might need to quickly get out of a bad situation through any means necessary.

  • Entertainment Purposes

Another popular use is for entertainment purposes; it's not uncommon to see people doing butterfly knife tricks with their knives at live shows or sporting events.

  • Artistic Use

And the third use for this knife is what we believe is the most creative of all. This is the artistic use and it's also the one that seems to be gaining popularity, mainly because of its stunning simplicity. This knife as an art piece can be used not only on your person, but also as a creative hobby. 

You can use it as a well-made accessory to put on your wall or you can use it as decoration for your home or office. All you have to do is get yourself some cool designs and pick out some sheathed butterfly knives. Then you have yourself a combination of a great looking knife and a wonderful piece of artwork.

  • Use as Ornaments

These knives can also be made into some wonderful jewelry designs, such as necklaces or bracelets, with people actually using butterfly knife-inspired designs as ornamental pieces for their bodies.

  • Use in Drawings

You can also use these knives in an artistic way when you're making murals for your walls or when you have a painting that needs to have your initials on it. These knives are small enough to put directly on the surface of the canvas or painting and will successfully add the finishing touch that's needed without interfering with the art.