Kershaw Lucha Balisong Butterfly Knife Stainless Steel (4.5" Stonewash) 5150

TL;DR - The price/quality ratio is as great as everyone says. Buy it if you can. It’s better the dropping $300+ on a Bali of nearly the same quality.

Review
*****
The Kershaw Lucha is a beautiful, good quality, weighty piece of tool. I’ve been using and flipping this knife for a little more than a week now. And I can say, I recommend the Lucha to anyone interested in flipping or just need a fidgetable knife to use at work.

Flipping
****
I’m no pro flipper but I do fidget and swing this thing around when I’m bored at work. The steel handles were annoying me to the bone (literally). Things were better without the latch but I always keep a latch on my knives when they’re employed at work. So for the weight issue, and me being spoiled by Titanium anyway, I went and bought the Flytanium scales. This knife now flips like a dream!

Work Usage
****
Nothing much to say here because for knives and tools with exposed bearings, they stay indoors and do clean/light work (only cutting tape, cardboard, thin wires, etc). That’s just how I am and how I take care of my tools. I can’t stand the feeling of crunchy bearings >_

Thanks ! I had some knives in the past and the blade was Stainless steel along with the handles. I did notice after flipping awhile that the handles did have slack! The blades were very sharp and they cut so clean that it was as if the capillaries lined up and healed in a couple of days! Wow! Since I am looking at this knife, the only difference is the bearings. Everyone is saying the weight and don't know if that is an issue with me? Also, everyone is mentioning the Flytanium handles? I guess I am trying to justify the price of these? Are these returnable ? Sorry , I didnt read that far.... Thanks Mark

The first thing I noticed was how light this thing is. Blade is nice and sharp out of the box and the flipping action is really nice. Kershaw got it right with this one.

For the money this knife hits it out of the park, I recently bought a BRS premium alpha beast and to be completely honest the Lucha has better QC. There are no sharp edges on the handles unlike the AB and no play due to the bearings. It is on the heavier side for sure but nothing too bad to the point where it isnt flippable. My only gripe is that the handles seem slightly bent, and it seems to be an issue that many people are having. It doesnt effect flipping, just one is slightly above the other if you look at it closely.

Great quality and worth the money compared to a lot of other models, the handle is pretty heavy, but I got used to it quick. If you have the money, and are new to balisongs/butterfly knifes, I would recommend the buy.

This knife is the right size, the right price and has the right features. Bearing pivots and a chunky feel make this knife feel like a more expensive model. It's a tad handle heavy but, that is not a complaint. It flips well and makes you know that you are holding something substantial. It's a great choice for someone dipping their toe into balisongs wanting more than a toy that may end up being disposable. These are all reasons this is the blade hq best selling knife of the year, so far.

I just got the email to write a review Oct 2, but is says to submit review in sept. Maybe I'll get lucky on winning the Benchmade freek anyways. That would be awesome as it is first on my list to buy since watching the video and review on it. Here goes. Long time knife lover, new to Blade HQ. Love you guys, are great. I bought the Lucha and the Schrade Manilla at the same time. When I first opened it up, the first thing I noticed was the length of blade and how sharp it was. Cut myself 3 or 4 times. Love the danger. I immediately thought this is a keep for sure. I bought the schrade manilla because I had one just like it as a kid and thought it would be my favorite Billasong do to the design and the sound it makes when flipping. I also like the weight. Weird right? Love it. But after playing with the Lucha, it's lighter and quieter. This became to be more of a practicale knife for me to carry and play with. While flipping on the 3rd or 4th day, however one handle fell off. I was like "what the". Good thing I was able to find both washers and bearings to in order to put it back together. I had fun figuring out which order and which side to put the bearings and washers in, but I love this stuff. Got it back together and it's just as smooth as when I got. Tighten the screws down a bit more to make sure the don't fall out again. Awesome balli. If you buy one, just make sure to tighten the screws just a tad. Planning on purchasing many more knives from Blade. Thanks. Jeff. Socal.

I was happy to see Kershaw come out with a balisong. even though it is a heavier stainless handled knife it is extremely smooth to operate, has good sound when flipping and is extremely pointy sharp! Great budget 1st bali for someone looking to get into the hobby/sport.

First off let me say the latch is hot trash, 30 sec later and now latchless the Lucha is a thing of beauty. Comparing it to my other 2 balisongs a Benchmade 51 Morpho and Bear OPs Bearsong VIII there is way less handle play and it is on par for smoothness with the 51. The Lucha is heavy but that doesn't bother me or hinder the 3 tricks I know in any way. For relatively the same price as the Bearsong VIII the Lucha is hands down the winner and it's not even close. A definite must have for any balisong lover. 5/5.

This knife is really really good.Great price, it feels amazing, and it looks beautiful.

I have been really wanting to get a new balisong but have been pretty broke. That being said I looked around for a while then came across the Kershaw Lucha. I fought myself for about a week on weather it was worth buying. Finally I decided to order and I'm glad I did. First thing I noticed when I opened it was that it was heavy and had a very bad latch at least weight wise (remove it right away). After some time playing with it I realized it had a very smooth action and no play. Once you get accustomed to the weight it starts to become really easy and fun to do spinning tricks and chaplins but making ricochets and ariels kind of hard but still pretty comfortable. This knife is big and I mean a giant but I honestly love the size and length of both the blade and handles. Besides the terrible latch the only complaint I have with the Lucha is the slick steel handles making ladders kind of difficult and fanning takes a lot of getting use to (heavy weight plus slick handles equals accidental ariels across the room). When people say it is sharp out of the box they are not joking. During my first day with It I was wrapping the bite handle with tape and I accidentally smashed it down while trying to tare the tape and completely cut to the bone (actually I got cut twice with the second one pretty deep). On the bright side because its so sharp not only did I barely feel it both during and the days after but I also didn't have to get stitches because the cut was so clean. This thing is about the closest knife I've ever seen as both a good flipper and a good everyday carry knife. At this price point especially on sale it is a complete steal. I call it the lightweight champion because it is high quality and smooth all while while being cheap. It beats pretty much any knife in its price range and even easily competes with balisongs in the $300 range. My final verdict is the Kershaw Lucha is a step in the right direction for both Kershaw and the balisong market and brings excitement for what's to come. If you are a beginner looking for your first live blade or looking for a first cheap decent balisong the Lucha is the knife you need. The first thing I would suggest if you end up loving it is to buy flytanium handles to take it to the next level. I've had it for 4 months now and absolutely love it. If you are a veteran just looking for a new knife in your collection like me it will be a great piece and with how popular the Lucha is and being made in bulk by a big company we will most likely see many mods in the future for it.

The Kershaw Lucha is very sharp and a fairly heavy balisong. It flips really smoothly. The price on this knife was great for the value. Exactly what I was looking for.

This puppy is rock solid, heavy, traditional fighting knife sized, smooth, and absolutely bloodthirsty.

I am an ok bali flipper, not great but confident enough to try tough moves out. This knife is so razor sharp and the handles are so heavy that it will cut you if you mess up and won't give a single F. I'd bet this knife has drawn more blood than any knife ever made in the past 200 years. Of all my balisongs I play around with, the Kershaw is the only one that gets me no matter how briefly I make blade contact. Not a great starter bali because it might give people the wrong idea.

Out of the box I flipped around with it very often for about two weeks before the tang pins started coming loose and the play on the handles became noticeable. I locktite the screws since and it's now completely rock solid and smooth as a bore. The blade is far sharper than my 51.

I dropped this thing so many times and chipped the point of the blade a slight bit, not super concerned about it. Really excited to see Kershaw get into the Biz and hope to see more from them.

Pretty nice to see a good balisong at this price range with decent bearings, along with having no handle play.

The knife is heavy handle wise though due to the stainless steel handle (will be interesting to see if they ever release a version with some lighter handle material).

Love how sturdy this bali feels. Came sharp, flips smoothly, not much else to ask for. Great work Kershaw

Pros: This knife is an insane value. Blows any bali at this price point out of the water. Super fun flipper, high quality build, virtually 0 handle play. They say they worked with people in the flipping scene to perfect this thing and it SHOWS. Absolutely excellent.

Cons: Quite a heavy bali. And too much weight bias towards the handles. Not a fan of the latch, especially the noise it makes. Much better without it, knife doesn't even need the latch to feel solid when deployed anyway.

With the Flytanium scales.... this knife is an absolute dream. Unfortunately those cost more than the knife :P

On the day I received the package, I was confused because I forgot that I had ordered yet another toy! Then I opened and it said Kershaw. I took the tool in hand and was disappointed because it was not shiny and heavy like my Benchmade 62. And it didn't have the same metal on metal noise that I was used to. I was sad...... but after a few days... I LOVE IT!!! Its lighter weight and the longer length and new sounds are awesome!! Now I need a third balisong. God stop me, how many knives does one need to cut steak and chicken?

I love the build quality and I don't see this breaking anytime soon (despite how often I drop it) but it came pretty stiff out of the box. I ordered a screwdriver to take off the latch. The handles are pretty heavy. Very sharp blade.

This is my first real balisong and I bought two of them. The quality on this knife is exceptional. Fit and finish is excellent. The KVT ball bearings make it a smooth flipper; and at first, I was skeptical about Kershaw's claim of eliminating handle play entirely, but after flipping this knife for a while now, I can vouch for them and say that surprisingly, is absolutely no handle play whatsoever. Coupled together with the affordable price point, this balisong is really hard to beat. But, what else can you expect from Kershaw? After all they did manufacture the original Bradley Kimura series knives. That's a testament to their quality right there.

I don't know balisongs well enough, nor am I experienced enough at flipping to offer a technical review, but I know knives in general very well, and this is a very high quality knife. It arrived razor-sharp, is very tight, and as smooth as silk. I have many Kershaws, and all are extremely good quality, and were an outstanding deal, as they are also very reasonably priced. I have have much more expensive knives, and the Kershaw quality can compete with the best of them! Kershaw does it right! High quality at a fair price. I have no doubt that if Kershaw chooses to go seriously into the balisong arena, they'll be producing some of the best in the business, and the Lucha is an amazing example of what's hopefully yet to come, and I'll be happy to add more Kershaw knives to my collection.

Zero handle play, very smooth action, and for me the latch doesn't get in the way.

The longer handles take some getting used to, and it may be a better flipper with more weight near the top of the blade. That being said I adjusted to the weight quickly and this massive knife is a lot of fun to play around with. Kudos to Kershaw, and I hope they make more.

Whoever designed this knife knew exactly how to do it. Kershaw is on another level at this price range. Can you make a trainer blade please?

Sharp, smooth, solid, no play,.. well done Kershaw

very heavy compared to my Benchmade 51 and BRS Alpha Beast. Much lighter price though.Quality build. I like it very much.

At long last, not only an excellent balisong but also the correct length, finally!! Kershaw pretty much single handedly beat out the top of the line of the Balisongs! Shame on you, "Big B." Well balanced, well made. Standard balisong combat length in the "old country" comes to 11 inches BUT that is irrelevant!! Pleasant surprise for a US knife maker to beat out the original maker who also came from the "old country!!" Yes! Heavy handles like the originals but just heavy enough for excellent handling.Excellent blade design! Built for the purpose of the Originals! Not just another very expensive hunk of steel!No, not a flipper, just a student of many years and still learning! Mabuhay!

Smooth action, great build quality, sharp as hell with a price tag that doesn't shred your wallet, what more can you ask for? I'm very happy with mine, a great addition to my collection!

I've got quite a varied collection of balisongs to compare this to. BRS Latchless CHAB, HOM Chimera, Basilisk, Replicant, Kraken, Barebones, Petrel, Nieves, you name it. For the price, it punches above its paygrade in fit and finish. The knife is well chamfered, with a great edge, grind, and machining details. The bearings are fairly smooth and the handle play is non-existent as you'd expect from a bearing driven balisong.

The latch is not so great. It's heavy and really large, I'd recommend removing it asap if you'd like to flip with it seriously. And on that note, the flipping; it's ok. Quite handle heavy and a bit sluggish given it's weight, and the bearings can get fast on you if you're not used to them. It's about as good if not maybe a little better at flipping than the Barebones, which makes this a solid value at nearly half the price of the Barebones. I'd suggest it if you can't afford more or just want a cool new option for your collection, but it's not dethroning the greats at flipping like the chAB or Kraken.

This is a quality Balisong, for the money. I've had it a week and can't put it down.

I own the Benchmade 67 and the BRS Alpha Beast, these are quality products buy very expensive, Kershaw has made it possible to own a quality balisong at an affordable price. The Lucha is a Home Run!!!!

Smooth, razor sharp and well put together right out of the box. Just what you would expect a well known name brand to deliver. What you don't expect is for this kind of quality balisong to be delivered at this price point. I might pick up another one just for the hell of it. May not be a top tier flipping balisong but, then again, the top tier flipping balisongs are double, triple the price of this Lucha. It flips fine enough for me. Again, thanks to Blade HQ for shipping it out so quickly. I've actually had this knife in hand for over a week because I had it on pre-order and Blade HQ shipped it out as soon as it was released. It was in my hands before others realized it was even available.

It looks good, the tolerances are good, and though it is definitely too handle heavy, it is slightly less so than the old kershaw kimuras.

Sadly, it flips a lot better if you attach some extra weight to the end of the blade.

~b

Just got it today and I've been playing with it since. It feels really good in the hand and I love the fit, finish and form of it. The balance is good; it flips very well, with no hot spots or sharp edges anywhere on it. For $120 dollars I don't think you can go wrong.

so, Ive been flipping this knife for about 4 hours, pretty much all the
time so I really wanted to share my thoughts on this first Kershaw brand bali.
Yes, theyre all positive.
I was expecting this knife to be just, ok, for flipping.... Mostly because
of the steel handles and overall weight.... HOWEVER..
Kershaw have done an amazing job balancing the blade and handle weight, and rounding the handle edges with a lovely chamfered feel. Its also quite long so flips tend to be slower (which for me is perfect as I
dont flip really fast...but for a heavy bali like this....you dont want a live blade whacking your finger, it came SHARP). Although because its quite heavy the weight could
carry the length for pretty quick flipping if thats your thing.
Its very centred with no blade tap or play..... the bearings obviously help
with it having no play.... but theres no "grittiness" you sometimes get
with bearings either.
The build quality is fantastic, with decent sandvik steel, also there are no imperfections that I can see.
Kershaw have done an excellent job for their first balisong. At a reduced
price of $119 its an ABSOLUTE bargain....that, for me, no other company can touch.
Even if you dont flip.... the solid build and weight means you could use
this as an edc....its a very strong knife.
I guess if I had to niggle, the latch doesnt come open just by pressing the
handles together.... this may change with use. For me though, Im fine with
the latch, it really doesnt get in the way....its held in the handle by a pin so it would be very easy to remove. Having said that, the latch is curved so if it bangs onto the handle, it simply slips off.
Well done Kershaw on your first balisong.... its a cracker