Stainless Steel Butterfly Comb

The plastic comb in your pocket is already snapped.

You buy one at the servo, it goes in the back pocket, you sit down on it, and half the teeth come off in your hair. Then you are sorting out helmet hair with your fingers in the reflection of the ute window.

This is a folding butterfly comb — balisong handles with comb teeth where a blade would sit. The supplier states 440C stainless steel, 220 mm long open, with 100 mm of that being comb. It folds shut on a tail latch so nothing snags in a pocket, a crib bag or the centre console.

There is no cutting edge on it anywhere. The spine is blunt, the tip is squared off and the working end is comb teeth. That is what makes it useful for flip practice — you can learn the rolls and the twirls without opening your knuckles up — and it is still a comb that will not snap in half.

What it is not is a knife, a multi-tool or a hairdresser's comb. It is a pocket comb made out of steel that happens to flip.

Key Features

• 440C stainless steel: the grade the supplier states, through both handles and the comb blank. No plastic anywhere in it.
• 220 mm open: a full-size comb in the hand, not a token key-ring item.
• 100 mm of teeth: enough comb to pull through a whole head of hair in one go.
• No cutting edge: blunt spine, squared tip, comb teeth. Nothing on it is sharpened.
• Twin pivot screws: the standard butterfly hinge, so it opens, rolls and closes the way a trainer does.
• Tail latch: clips the handles shut so it does not flop open in your pocket.
• Skeletonised handles: slots and holes drilled through both handles, the usual butterfly-trainer pattern.
• Two tooth spacings: wider teeth at one end of the comb, finer at the other, so one comb covers a rough pass and a tidy-up.
• Four finishes: black, silver, gold and multi-colour, which is the rainbow titanium look.

What It Does

Where it earns its keep

• Helmet hair at the servo: leave it in the centre console and sort yourself out after a long ride on the dirt, instead of walking into the roadhouse looking like you slept in a ditch.
• Flip practice, no stitches: learn the rolls, twirls and aerials on comb teeth rather than on a live edge. Same weight and balance, none of the blood.
• Something to do at camp: quiet, no batteries, no reception needed, and it fits in a pocket while the billy boils.
• Lives in the crib bag: folded steel among the tools and the smoko, with no plastic teeth to shear off before your next swing.
• Glovebox and toolbox duty: it stays where you put it, and it is still a working comb in three years.

Limits

The honest limits

• It is not a knife: no edge, no point, no cutting. It will not whittle, cut cord or open a box. If you want a blade, this is the wrong item.
• Not a salon comb: the teeth are cut steel, not polished plastic. Good for a tidy-up, not for setting someone's hair.
• Heavier than plastic: it is solid steel. That weight is what makes it flip properly and what stops it snapping, but it is not a featherweight.
• No trainer certification: it flips, but the supplier makes no claim about pivot tolerances, bushings or bearings. Treat it as a comb that flips, not a competition trainer.
• No sheath included: other sellers of the same comb list one comb and nothing else — no sheath, no pouch, no clip. Assume the comb on its own.

Q & A

Questions people actually ask

Is it sharp? Can I cut myself on it?
No. There is no cutting edge on any part of it — the spine is blunt, the tip is squared off and the working end is comb teeth. You can still knock a knuckle while you are learning to flip 220 mm of swinging steel, same as with any trainer, but there is nothing on it to cut you.

Is it legal to carry?
We are not in a position to give you legal advice. What we can tell you is what it is: a comb with no blade and no cutting edge. Rules on balisong-style items differ between states and territories, and flipping steel around in public draws attention wherever you are. Check your own state's rules before you carry it out and about, and use your head about where you flip it.

What does it weigh?
Our supplier does not publish a figure. Other sellers of the same comb state somewhere between about 110 g and 130 g. It is solid stainless in both handles and the comb, so it is noticeably heavier in the hand than a plastic comb.

How long is it folded?
Our supplier does not publish a folded figure. Other sellers of the same comb state about 120 to 130 mm shut, which is the length of the handles. Open, it is 220 mm, and 100 mm of that is the comb section.

Will it rust in the back of the ute?
It is stainless steel, so ordinary damp and dust are not a problem. The supplier publishes no corrosion or salt-spray rating, so we will not quote one. If it has been near salt water, rinse it and dry it like you would any other steel.

Which one is the rainbow one?
That is the multi-colour option — a titanium-look finish. Black, silver and gold are the other three.

Is it safe to give a teenager to practise with?
There is no blade on it, which is the whole reason these exist. It is still a solid lump of steel swinging on a hinge, so it can bruise a hand or mark a floor. Your call, and supervise the early attempts.

How long is delivery?
Free delivery to Australia and New Zealand, unconditionally — no minimum spend, no surcharges. Allow 10 to 14 days from the day you place the order, and give it up to 3 weeks to be safe. That clock starts at your order date, not the day it leaves the warehouse. Regional and remote addresses, allow a bit longer again.

Specs

Technical Specifications