Abstract: A knife including a handle, a blade, and an enclosed blade action is configured to have an optimized weight ratio of the blade to the handle when the blade is extended, the handle can be kept relatively smaller and lighter with a slimmer profile, but without sacrificing rigidity and durability. The slimmer and lighter handle allows a longer blade but without the increased weight resulting from a bulkier handle typically necessitated by the longer blade.

Abstract: A knife includes a blade and a handle attached to the blade. The handle includes a liner and a handle scale adapted to be removably secured to the liner, such as by screws. The handle scale has an inner side facing the liner and having a shaped region to secure a weight in a selected position along a length of the handle scale. In one approach, there are multiple discrete positions in which one or more weights can be secured. The weights can be metal discs, for example. In the case of a two-handed knife such as a butterfly knife, both handles can have a similar structure for storing weights. The knife allows the end user to easily customize the weight distribution of a knife without interfering with the envelope or exterior surfaces of the handles.