3 knife Gift Set

[pugman]

First time poster, long time reader.

Just starting to get "into" knives and had a general recommendation question. A good friend is completing his MBA and several of us are looking into getting him a set of knives. He does everything camps, fishes, hunts, packbacks, etc. He has knives, but honestly most of them are crap and he has left several of them at campsites before.

We are looking at getting him a set of knives, something he wouldn't normally buy himself and if we get them for him, he is bound to take better care of them. He is the type of guy who appreciates value and quality but frankly is too damn cheap to buy them for himself

They don't necessarily need to be from the same manufacturer. He dives so at least one stainless or water resistant blade would be a necessity. A folder is a second, but since he backpacks everywhere I wouldn't want him to worry about local automatic or size laws. A good fixed blade would be a third.

Keep in mind, these knives will be used but not necessarily abused. A expensive custom may be a good idea, but I would hate to have him beating the snot out of $500+ custom.

For prices, we would like to keep the three under $600

Recommend away!

 

[Boozoo Chavis]

Fixed blade-David Winston makes some great custom knives at a great price. The one below has desert Ironwood scales and a D-2 blade and sells for $175 bucks. (Several of his models are $150 or less.)
http://winstonknives.blademakers.com/

Folder-Benchmade 690. Classy, great looking knife. solidly built w/154CM stainless blade & stabilized rosewood/carbon fiber scales. This model is discontinued but you can still find it at several places on the net for around $135 dollars.

For diving-The Benchmade H-1 Dive knife. H-1 steel is virtually rustproof even in saltwater. Around 80 dollars @ knifeworks.com (Spyderco also makes a folder with H-1 steel)

 

[bigbcustom]

Folder:

Spyderco 80mm Manix (short enough so as not to have problems with blade length restrictions.

Dive Knife:

I have the same opinion as Boozoo does... the Benchmade H-1 is hard to beat (yellow handle is harder to lose).

Fixed Blade:

I would like to recommend you get him two fixed blades instead of one, but if only one, and he will be using it, I like the RAT-3 D2 from Ontario or the Fallkniven F1. If you want to get two, I would rec. a large fixed blade 7"-9" in addition to the either of the Two I just mentioned. Ontario Rat-7(I like the D2 version), or one of the larger Fallknivens.

prices:

Manix-(around)$104.00
H-1 dive knife-(around)$80.00
Rat-3-(around)$69.00
F1-(around)$80.00
Rat-7-(around)$89.00 (in D2)
Other Fallknivens-(around)$90.00 up to (around)$200.00 if you go with their top end with the san-mai style blade.

All that being said, I would bet you could get a custom maker to make you a three blade set for your under $600.00 price. If some of my friends gave me a set of customs in that price range, I would probably oil 'em up and put them away then pull them out to look at once in awhile whereas if I received a set like the one I outlined above, I would use the hell out of them. Either way, I am sure he will greatly appreciate whatever you get him. (If he's anything like the knife knuts populating this forum) good luck guys....GREAT idea.

 

[clt46910]

I was playing with a "Knives of Alaska" Set the other day. It was the Bush Camp Knife with a little Cub Bear with it in a set. If he does much camping this might be a good combo to get for under two hundred bucks for the fixed blades. I was using them in the kitchen and they worked out well. The little Cub peeled potatoes just fine and the Camp knife worked well as a small chef knife. I can see where they would work well cleaning game also. Not had a chance to use them for that yet. He may use something like this more then a custom set he would feel was "too nice" to get out in the woods.

My personal favorite folder that I carry and use the most is a Schrade Lake & Walker that I have had for a while now. I like to carry it clipped inside my left jeans pocket. It is thin and the clip sits high on the handle so it rides down in my pocket well.

I don't dive so have no idea of diving knives other then a lot of them look cool and I like them...LOL

While these may not be high end custom knives, he may use them more because of it, at least I got that idea from your description of him. I know I think more of a gift I actually use then one that sits at home on a shelf most of the time.