Ever since I began making balisongs, people have been wanting me to design a trainer. I understand the appeal of trainers. Some people want to enjoy the art of balisong manipulation but are not willing to sacrifice their fingers in the process. Some people live in places where obtaining a live blade balisong is not practical or simply impossible, so a trainer is their next best bet. Some people want a balisong that they can take out in public and not have to worry about the legality of it. So now that I’ve gotten a few live blade models under my belt, I knew it was time I released my first flagship trainer. Like everything I design, I didn’t want to make a trainer for the sake of making a trainer. I wanted to make sure the design had a reason to exist in the balisong community. I wanted to design a trainer that performed exceptionally and packs features that are innovative and unique. It’s that pursuit of creating a design that perfectly blends aesthetics, construction, innovation, and performance that I implement into everything I create. After many (and I mean MANY) iterations and a ton of experimentation, I finally developed what I can confidently call a phenomenal balisong trainer. Introducing: The Mashin-TR (pronounced Mah-Sheen).

The Mashin-TR packs all of the fundamental community-preferred balisong features. 6AL-4V channel titanium handles, 440C stainless steel trainer blade, hand tuned bushings & washers, and zen pins. But as we all know, I couldn’t stop there. With the Mashin-TR, I wanted to develop a platform that accommodates all of the major balance preferences. That’s why I implemented an adjustable weight system that’s able to be incorporated into a channel handle design. You can rather quickly change the way the Mashin-TR flips by removing the screws at the rear of the handles, popping out the bolt, and adding/removing your preferred choice of weights. No bolts at the ends of the handles makes the Mashin-TR slightly blade heavy, which is perfect for those who perform a lot of fanning tricks. If you prefer a more neutral balance, using only the rear bolts as weigh will be your go-to configuration. And if you’re someone who prefers a bit of junk in the trunk, you can add either custom fit block spacers or even barrel spacers thanks to the unique expanded channel wall pocket milled inside of the channel handles. While most trainers feature hole patterns cut through the blade, the trainer blade on the Mashin-TR sets itself apart with it’s milled pockets designed to resemble the bevels of a hollow ground japanese tanto blade. These pockets allow you to customize the aesthetics of your Mashin-TR wiht the use of the included vinyl sticker inserts. Mix and match the tip and main bevel colorway to give your build a touch of personality. Aside from customization, these stickers also act as a visual indicator to those around you that you are flipping a trainer. Having colors on the “blade” make it pretty apparent that you are not out and about flipping a live blade balisong, which should help prevent against some very uncomfortable situations when flipping in a public setting. In terms of comfort, the Mashin-TR is as comfortable to flip as it can possibly get. There are no sharp edges to come into contact with on both the handles and the trainer blade with the exception of the bite handle indicator located on the tang of the blade (because that’s what a bite handle inidicator is for). Overall, the Mashin-TR is ideal for pretty much everyone. Whether you’re a beginner looking for a premium blaiong trainer or a long-standing member of the community looking to add another balisong to your arsenal, the Mashin-TR will not disappoint.