Baladeo 34 Gram (1.19 oz) Knife

A while ago a friend loaned me his baladeo to use for fly fishing trips. I would agree with Ryan that if you are looking for a light weight filet knife, the baladeo is pretty hard to beat. It has a good blade which is close to the ideal thickness and shape for fileting. A few weeks ago I picked my own baladeo for fishing / backpacking trips. It works much better than the Benchmade 530, and weights significantly less than my dad's old folding filet knife.

That said, the Baladeo far from my favorite knife for more general use. I am not fond of the locking mechanism. I generally like strong locks which and harder to accidentally disengage like the AXIS lock used by Benchmade over the weaker liner lock. But the Baladeo isn't even a particularly good liner lock. On the two knives I have used, the lock doesn't fully engage on it's own… I needed to explicitly push the liner to the side to get a fully engaged lock. Another thing that didn't thrill me was that I found the tip of by blade tended to catch on things (like my pocket) if I didn't clip it to the outside of something. One of the reasons I often carry a folder is that I want it in my pocket… and I feel uncomfortable with the Baladeo in my pocket.

–Mark

I've been happy with mine, but that's because I assumed there'd be some tradeoffs. Its main issue is "fiddlyness." One needs to push the locking bar more fully inline with the blade once it's deployed to prevent the blade closing on you unexpectedly. Heck, I'd even argue that it's a bit large! There's a twenty-something-gram version that might be easier to use and pocket due to its smaller size, but I've not laid eyes or hands on it.

It is beautiful, though, and it does hold an edge quite well. It ships pretty dull, but a Gerber ceramic sharpener sure fixed that. I must admit that I did buy it for the design and its beauty, though; 9 times out of 10 I'd be just as happy using the dinky blade on my Leatherman Squirt PS4, which I usually bring backpacking (using its pliers as a pot lifter).

I'll stick with my Opinels. My dad gave me my first one over 30 years ago, and it's still in use as a really safe really sharp kitchen knife. I've since bought a few more (the smallest one for packing, mostly used for cutting open packets and salami and cheese). I like the non-stainless version as they it is easily sharpened in almost any situation (which is why the kitchen knives are still so sharp). The wooden handle also gives a certain elegance to our picnic style trail lunches ;)

Haven't had much problem with swollen and sticking blade, except for one where I merely whittle away a little bit of the slot in the handle to make it a better fit. Sometime you need to tap them on the edge of a firm surface (a rock or tree will do fine) to get them started.

I have a Baladeo 22 and have no issues with the liner lock engaging. With that said, I don't carry it daily and haven't had a chance to used it in the field yet.

Not all knives are intended for all purposes. The Baladeo is not for batoning wood, making shelters, or any kind of "workhorse stuff." I own one, though, and have found it just about perfect for most camp use… cutting salami, rope, packages, etc. I have not had any issues with the blade unlocking, but then I'm not trying to use it beyond its basic scope. This isn't a tactical knife. But it is a wicked light 4" blade that handles most backpacking chores handily. I also find that it feels really good in the hand: the clip adds to the solid-ish, non-slip feel. This knife is for all those people who don't want a razor blade, want more utility but minimal weight. If 34 grams is too much, there's also the (22?) gram version. As I recall, a 3" blade well under an ounce… That's pretty cool!

My order just arrived. It appears to be a good knife for what I want it for (fishing). The lock for the blade seems quite secure. It works so well that now I can't get it unlocked! HELP!!!

I wouldn't want to carry it in my pocket, as the point could snag, but for me that's not an issue. Just to be nit-picky, it weighs 25 grams, not 22 (confirmed by the Baladeo website, so it's not my scale). However, if I can't get it unlocked, it's going back!