Ok, I would go with a multitool first and foremost and maybe a small, inexpensive folder. NO FIXED BLADES! He will never have a chance to carry it (fixed blades are unauthorized unless for specific job). I say an inexpensive folder because in my 8 years, I have lost countless knives. Some over the side, some were eaten by my locker (put away and never to be seen again) and some to guys who needed a knife and then lost it in the bilge. I guarantee that a pocket knife will be gone in a year. You go through them fast and they tend to be regulated onboard as well. And, of course, the rust. It is hard to deal with rust all the time, plus he will be so tired at the end of the day the last thing he will want to do is clean his knife. Trust me, being a non-rate is the hardest part of a military career! However, I have used my SOG multitool thousands of times (I would estimate it get pulled out atleast once a day). Actually, I have gone through 3 already...a Gerber which I broke, a SOG light duty multitool that opened like a switchblade knife (which my boss broke) and now my EOD. And the few days I don't have it, i regret it. But then again, I am a Gunner's mate, so what do I know!
