A knife for my boyfriend

Welcome the forums!

I don't mean to get personal but what city and state? As others have mentioned, I highly recommend following your state, city, and local knife laws. Depending on the city and state, that might mean a blade length under 3". If might mean no locking blades.

If we knew your city and state (no more info than that needed), we could get a better idea of what knife laws apply to your upcoming purchase.

Hopefully this link is ok. Sorry if it is a no no mods.
https://www.akti.org/state-knife-laws/
 
A Zero Tolerance 450 would make a nice gift in my opinion. Small yet capable.
 
GIRLYmann said:
yeah, some folks are very particular about what their like in a gift.. especially when there are thousands of knives out thre to pick from! however, true love is blind! i belive if its a gift from the heart, any gift will be treasued as a keepsakes even if its not up to usual expectations of the loved one. but never try an make a lasting impression with lavisly expensive gifts if you are not surev about a person's likes. that's why gift certs and suxh have been so wisely suggested in the end its the thought that counts. and good luck with the decision!
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I agree with this approach. If he likes to go out into the woods, I'd get him a modest sized fixed blade like the Kabar Becker BK-62 Kephart. It is a great knife!

Gifts cards are great, but nothing beats the thought of actually acquiring the gift and they like it.
 
20200604_171452_compress25.jpg If he's up for something more traditional you can't go wrong with a lionsteel best man, it's in premium materials but looks old school and for a great price
 
Spyderco Para 3 (G10 - scales)

The standard model with the S30V steel is a great knife (we've seen how surprisingly well that steel performs in recent tests). Plus, he won't need diamond stones to sharpen it. He'll love it!
 
If he likes to drink, find him a nice Tidioute beer scout.
Anything from GEC would be a nice grab.

As you call him a "city boy", if a locking knife is more what you're looking for, look into whether there are any city laws that may hinder what he can and/or can't carry.

If no size laws, a Buck Slim Pro (usa) or MKM Burnley Arvenis (italy), or Lionsteel, a Viper Ten, (also italy) all would be nice grabs in your price range...
 
I agree that an actual knife would be better that a gift card.

Having said that, check out the Kershaw Launch line, 1 through 12 I believe . The most expensive one at Blade HQ is 104 bucks, or right near there. It's an auto, and pretty nice quality for the money, and RAZOR sharp.
 
hello everyone thank you for your help!
we t both from illinois, northern suburbs.
these are the knives he has:
Spyderco Para 3
Benchmade Mini Griptillian
Benchmade 940 Osborne
Civivi Elementum

any and all suggestions are helpful thank u :))
 
A.L. said:
Smatchet
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That is one way you could go. But since he is kind of new into knives, try all three of these:

Victorinox Alox Pioneer (least expensive one with the silver finish) folding

Opinel No.7 or No.8 (plain wooden handle, carbon or stainless blade) folding

Mora Basic 511 (carbon) or 546 (stainless) fixed

That way he opens a box of knives and you have some money left over to get him something else.

LOL, did not see response #53 when I posted. So I will also say go with smatchet.
 
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I think a Microtech socom elite would add nicely to the knives he already owns. Will mix in well, not break the bank and easily upgrade the collection with it being the top knife.
 
Ontario Rat with D2 blade. No collection is complete without one. Then take him out to a nice dinner.
 
t3r3sa said:
hello everyone thank you for your help!
we t both from illinois, northern suburbs.
these are the knives he has:
Spyderco Para 3
Benchmade Mini Griptillian
Benchmade 940 Osborne
Civivi Elementum

any and all suggestions are helpful thank u :))
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So, I'm going to shift gears and toss something different at you... Does he have sharpening equipment? Those are good knives so maybe instead of a new knife in the mix, you get him something to maintain what he has.

Now, you could go with a really good system like the KME or Edge Pro or you could put together a very nice free hand kit for him to learn on. I'd really go with free hand as if he learns it, he will have almost infinite future options.

I'd stick to 8" stones here as they have great versatility.

An Ultra Sharp 300 and 600 grit diamond two stone set comes in about $80.

Add in a universal stone holder for ~$20

Richmond 2oz 1.0 micron diamond spray for stropping is $17

Some paint sticks from a hardware store for spraying the diamond spray onto would be free or close to it.

A red Sharpie so he can mark the edge and see how he is sharpening is a couple bucks.

You're under $150, set him on a path of learning a new skill that can last him a lifetime and allow him to take care of any knife he ever gets.

Of course this assumes he doesn't already sharpen.
 
t3r3sa said:
hello everyone thank you for your help!
we t both from illinois, northern suburbs.
these are the knives he has:
Spyderco Para 3
Benchmade Mini Griptillian
Benchmade 940 Osborne
Civivi Elementum

any and all suggestions are helpful thank u :))
Click to expand...

He's off to a good start. I would recommend the Spyderco Bradley or Bradley 2, but those are hard to find right now (there are a few on the bay in your price range) and he might not want something that is not stainless.

Another good option would be the Spyderco Chaparral with either carbon fiber or raffir noble scales. It is slightly smaller than the mini-grip and is a great knife. Good steel with a thin edge that really cuts.
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And if he would be interested in a traditional design the Viper Swayback that Mike at Collectorknives has is a good option.
tcV6H4a.jpg


Or one of the special runs of the Buck 501, this one is from DLT with S35VN blade and black linen micarta scales:
L6UHg2N.jpg
 
So knowing what he already has is very useful. With 4 decent quality mid-size easy-open folders I see a trend in what he is drawn to. Has he ever said anything about what he likes or doesn't like about any if those knives? That would be a good clue for what other similar options would be best. Also you could show him a pic of a Damascus-blade folder and ask him to explain it, to see if he would like a civivi or other knife in damascus
 
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