A weird thing about men is often those called to our nation’s service walk a fine line between good guys and great criminals. The guys that feel that need for excitement and put on a uniform could have easily slipped the other way, and many did. This is evident if you’ve ever spent time with some degenerate infantrymen. One big way I know this is evident is in the selection of oddities I choose to collect, like the Lucha here. It’s a balisong, aka a butterfly knife.

Like many cool, fun, and pokey things, a balisong is one of those tools that people love to hate. By people, I mean politicians. The Lucha is often considered a switchblade and therefore banned in many states. Maybe that’s what I am so drawn to it.

Or maybe it’s because it’s so freaking cool. You can find pot metal junk butterfly knives at any flea market, and like most knives, you should avoid those. The Lucha is a bit different; in fact, it’s a lot different. Mainly because it’s made by Kershaw and of the utmost quality, this is a real balisong and man oh man, is it sweet.

The Blade

It’s also huge. The Lucha is a big, bad bitch. The blade is 4.6 inches, and the overall length is 10.25 inches when opened. The knife does weigh a rather light 5.9 ounces. The handles are made from stainless steel and are quite hefty. Heft is good with these knives. That makes them easier to manipulate and more natural to flip. Balisongs are made to flip and can be opened with one hand in a hurry.

Although, it’s easy to slice yourself so before you get fancy with the Lucha get a training knife. The reason being is that the Lucha has a badass blade that is superbly sharp. It’s made of 14C28N, which is a stainless steel that’s from Sandvik. It can get incredibly sharp, and it actually holds an edge well. The clip point blade is as versatile as an AR 15 kit, and the blade has a very healthy belly to it.

A good belly makes deep cuts and slices possible and gives the Lucha an excellent cutting edge. The top of the blade has a solid swedge that allows it to cut all the through something and keep from getting stuck. If you want to slice tomatoes cleanly and thinly, then the Lucha is there for you.

The Handle

The Lucha’s handle is a sandwich design that includes four handle pieces bolted together to allow for a maximization of tension and keeping things tight. The handles are machined with various cuts to balance the knife, and they also allow you to get a good sure grip on the knife. The handle is also quite long, and you can get a very sure grip on it.

Get Flipped with the Lucha

I get that the way a tool looks isn’t supposed to be that important, but let’s be real. It very much is. The tone of the blade and the handles matches perfectly and just looks fantastic. Kershaw knocked it out of the park with the Lucha. It balanced the knife well. Flipping the blade open and shut is a blast.

I can’t stop doing it if I have the knife in my hand. I constantly flip it, and I love doing it. The well-balanced design makes tricks easy and fun to do. I suffered tons of cuts and nicks as a kid playing with butterfly knives, so I learned how to handle one the hard way. With so many training devices out there, I don’t see a reason to suffer the way I did.

The Lucha is produced here in the United States and is quite affordable for the quality you get.

The Kershaw Lucha is an easy-to-hold and easy-to-fight-with-knife. The blade is an impressive piece of steel. Losing your grip isn’t going to happen, and the mighty big blade will slice and dice through whatever stands in your way, be it a Russian from Red Dawn or some steak and chicken that needs to be turned into fajitas.

See more Monday Night Knife Fights.

Travis Pike: read more of his articles.