Editing Clone (section)

==Quality==

Clones are usually much cheaper than authentic balisongs, as they are often manufactured in China. However, the lower price tag reflects the drop in quality. Clone balisongs typically use lower-grade materials and have worse tolerances/QC as a tradeoff for the lower starting price. The biggest quality concern is the blade steel and potential of receiving a defect or poorly tuned unit. Clones often use inexpensive, poorly heat-treated steel with burnt cutting edges. This is what the community tends to call "clone roulette"; sometimes you get a good balisong, sometimes you get a bad balisong. When investing in clones, basic tuning knowledge/maintenance and proper tools will make a huge difference in your experience.

A couple of years ago, clones were complete junk. But nowadays some clones are very high-quality flippers, often times rivaling authentic balisongs in terms of flipping performance.