Customer Reviews
The Sasori is my first ever MachineWise product and I have quite a few things to say about it.
Firstly I want to bring up that the Sasori is certainly not a long balisong, in fact it is kinda short, about the same length as the LDY Corvus. Machinewise did make it clear that the Sasori and Tottori and shorter than the Maryn platform balis, but I think it's important that I bring up that these new balis are also a bit shorter compared to most standard balisongs.
Aesthetics wise, the copper color is fantastic and I for one, am a huge fan of the trainer blade :D I really like the katana/wakizashi-esque blade shape which really fits considering the Sasori and Tottori have Japanese names.
The Sasori's fit and finish is truly incredible and feels absolutely amazing in the hands. I've always heard that MachineWise had incredible tuning but now that I've tried it, man it really is amazing, there is literally no tap and no play!
Flipping wise, the Sasori is good, but doesn't blow me away considering the price. It feels good and the heavy weights help it carry a good amount of momentum, but for some reason it's not very sticky on chaplins. The jimping also looks to be a strict downgrade from the Prysma Pro. All that said, the Sasori is still a good flipping bali, it would hover around an 8/10 for me, I prefer it slightly over my Wing and Corvus and like it about as much as my BBSuperfly.
Value wise, I think the Sasori is a decent package, it looks and feels great and it flips well enough, but I do wish that it would come with spare hardware/washers, it's just something that I've come to expect from balisongs above $100. It's not an amazing value compared to some other balis like the Orion or the Nabalis stuff but it's passable.
Overall this bali is great and I would suggest anybody who has the money to spend to get it!
Good stuff MachineWise! Looking forward to future products!
With the Prysma disappearing, it's impossible to make a review without directly comparing the Sasori to the Prysma V2 that I have. Aesthetically, the Sasori looks basic at first glance, but the multitude of edges give it a modern and simple beauty to it that has really grown on me. It's a mature appearance that knows it doesn't need to be loud or flashy like other similarly priced trainers. The tiny texture on the surface is hard to notice without close inspection, but it does give a feel that I could say it completes a signature look for the Sasori. The Prysma always had that aggressive blocky look that, despite its own simplicity, gave it the vibe that really owned it to the end.
I can't say I ever loved the Prysma trainer blade, though; it always looked to me like the triangles were just stretched too much and gave off a ring that was either too small to be a hallmark or just audible enough to be annoying. The Sasori trainer shape, however, I am a fan of with its clean geometric patterns that give it a clean look without being too edgy, goofy, or much too organic that other brands have tried with their cutouts. Nevermind the haters, I am a fan of this shape.
While I always felt the Prysma to flip and fan ridiculously fast, almost to the point of uncontrollable, it did give it a very unique feel compared to the rest of my collection. The Sasori tempers that speed to a much more balanced state that still responds to the speed that I want to give it. Fans are especially comfortable on the Sasori with the extra chamfering around the edges. The Prysma always felt slightly hot as your fingers would go into the channel. The only minor comfort that the Prysma has over is the slightly more rounded corners of the handle ends, but the Sasori is perfectly fine on its own.
I will have to dock it for the finish, which appears to be bead-blasted. While it is not nearly as slippery as other makers and perfectly manageable on its own, I am a little disappointed to see that the Sasori couldn't get a similar finish to the Prysma. Regarding the overall grip, the Sasori would still beat out the Prysma with the surface texturing adding much more than the Prysma's very minor texturing. The tuning, unsurprisingly, is amazing and comparable to all my other MachineWise products.
Acoustically, I prefer the Sasori's slightly deeper clacks. The Prysma's sound isn't shabby either, but its bounciness would never make it sound completely solid, while the trainer would always give that tiniest ping.
It's not the perfect balisong, and the price point does make it a slightly harder consideration compared what the incredible value the original Prysma brought. However, the end result is a extremely light, fluid, and balanced flipper that will please just about anyone that handles it. While I will still flip my Prysma, the Sasori is just a much more complete package that I would recommend to someone looking for an entry into premium aluminum trainers.
It's not a true successor to the Prysma, but I don't think that was ever the intent. Complacency will only kill creativity, and I can commend MachineWise making sacrifices in order to strive for better experiences.
Also to note, the hardware is T15, so make sure you are not using T10 bits or you will most likely strip something!
Smaller than the older Maryn platform of balisong, the Sasori brings to the table the legendary MachineWise tune we all know and love, and it still competes with other knives in my collection trick-wise. I do have ONE suggestion, in this pre-production phase, I do wish the bite indicator was just a little more pronounced, more similar to the Prysma blade bite indicator, but other than that, I have no more issues.
I highly reccomend this one whenever it next comes into production
