Advice for special Best Man gift for military brother and also fellow groomsmen

M

MRuss

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Jul 19, 2015
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Hello,
This is my first post as I am a new member. From what I've seen and read, this forum seems very reputable and I would highly value your opinions.

I am getting married this December and would like to do something special for my groomsmen and best man: engraved knives.
My twin brother is a specialist in the military and really loves and collects knives. As his best man gift I would really like to do something special for him and get a really nice knife that looks the part but is also functional. I am open to any and all suggestions including custom knives, survival, hunting, tactical, damascus etc. My budget for this is up to $100 but if the need be it could be stretched. I want this to truly be a great knife that can could standout among his many others.

After that I would like advice on a quality and good looking knife in the price range of $5-$20.
Any suggestions on ability to save some money on this process would be highly appreciated as well.
I have done a lot of reading and looking but would appreciate to get your opinions straight up.
Just a reminder all of these knives will be engraved as well.

Sorry for the length and thank you for all your help,
MRuss
 
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My advice? Don't bother with the knife. It'll go into a drawer probably and never come out again. Consumables are the way to go. Cigars, alcohol, etc. My best man(I'm taking the plunge in October) is getting a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

Granted, for the price of a bottle of Blue you can get a very nice knife.

If you're dead set on the idea I'd go with a premium Carbon Fiber Kershaw Skyline for the best man and regular Skylines for the rest. You'll have to stretch the budget a bit, but this way they all get basically the same knife. The premium for the best man is just made of higher quality material.
 
I got a benchmade 530 I really like, a great Every Day Carry. A benchmade griptillian would be awesome as well..

But a spyderco tenacious is probably your best bet. Great design, lightweigth fairly cheap while still getting the attention of details that other spyderco's get.

Congratulations on your wedding :)
 
My suggestions are just above your budgets but that little extra goes a LONG way!
Best Man= PM2
Groomsman= Sak Alox Cadets
Groomsman alternative= Spyderco Tenacious
You can order these from one of our forum sponsor dealers and have them engraved before they ship! Knife works comes to mind and also offers the engraving service for an extremely fair fee.
 
CRKT Pazoda. $20 for s sharp looking deep carry framelock that performs quite well for the price...
 
Another vote for alox SAKs! :thumbup::cool:

alox02_zpsohqtzoi2.jpg


Congrats and good luck, OP! :)

-Brett
 
My best man gave me a black Alox Victorinox with my, and my wife's name with the date of the wedding engraved on the main blade. It is one of my most prized possessions despite not seeing much use. I still carry it on formal occasions.
 
So.......what did you decide! You can't just leave us hanging like that!
 
I have been trying my damnedest to upload pictures but all the directions i follow on the forums to upload will not work, so hopefully you know the knives I mention.
To be quite honest I can't decide on a knife for my best man. He is very particular about his knives and i want him to love it regardless of the fact that it is a gift from me. For groomsmen I am leaning towards Mora heavy duties as they are quality knives, long lasting, and cost effective.

For my twin brother (Best Man) I have drawn interest to the following:
Mora - Bushcraft survival Knife, carbon steel, pondered the thought to possibly match groomsmen
Proelia - TX010RB 4" folder blackwashed d2 tanto, red/black g10 handles I don't know much about this knife but damn does it look appealing, comes in amazing package to present, I've read mixed reviews
Tops - Mini Tom Brown Tracker, it differentiates from what he has, would like bigger size but out of price range
Tops - Steel eagle 107c xx knife & baby Eagle set, love this but very pricey
Tops - Steel Eagle, smaller size
Tops - Eagle shadow knife esh-01
Buck - 547 open season folder, rosewood, i like the look, good blade, cheaper cost
These are just a few I have been drawn to so far, can't decide on folder or fixed as well
Any more input would be appreciated,
Also are most blades okay to engrave?
Sorry for the length again,
MRuss
 
ATwistedStaple said:
My advice? Don't bother with the knife. It'll go into a drawer probably and never come out again. Consumables are the way to go. Cigars, alcohol, etc. My best man(I'm taking the plunge in October) is getting a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue Label.

Granted, for the price of a bottle of Blue you can get a very nice knife.

If you're dead set on the idea I'd go with a premium Carbon Fiber Kershaw Skyline for the best man and regular Skylines for the rest. You'll have to stretch the budget a bit, but this way they all get basically the same knife. The premium for the best man is just made of higher quality material.
Click to expand...

I disagree. I received a Case Trapper as a groomsmen gift years ago. I carried it daily for many years, and still carry it often even today.

True, some might never use it, but there is good chance some will.
 
Buck - 547 open season folder, rosewood, i like the look, good blade, cheaper cost
These are just a few I have been drawn to so far, can't decide on folder or fixed as well
Any more input would be appreciated,
Click to expand...

Don't get this one, flipper action is horrible, and I love Buck. If you want American made, and a great blade, check into:

Buck Marksman
Benchmade Griptilian
Spyderco Manix 2
Want to stretch budget just a bit, I highly recommend Buck's custom shop, a 110 in s30v will run you engraved about 110 bucks if you're not picky on handle material
Also, if your buddy likes traditionals a nice GEC or Case stockman would work!
 
Yo Mama said:
Don't get this one, flipper action is horrible,
Click to expand...

I didn't have that problem on the two I bought... One the blade was off center, but I fixed that with a tweak if the pivot screw, action was fine.
 
strategy9 said:
I didn't have that problem on the two I bought... One the blade was off center, but I fixed that with a tweak if the pivot screw, action was fine.
Click to expand...
Interesting I want to like it but I tried one out at the store and just couldn't get it to flip it was so tight
 
Yeah, when I first tightened to pivot to center the blade on the one I got it a bit tight, backed out not even a quarter turn and added a bit if dry lubr, and it's great.
 
The other one was flawless out of the box, I gifted it to my father in law for fathers day.
 
In terms of folding vs fixed blade I'd recommend folding; there's a far greater chance that it will get used and carried. I'd also try to keep the blade length at less than 3" to make sure that they're more friendly toward various knife laws. I'd avoid any assisted open knives and either go traditional slip joint folder or low-key modern folder.

For traditional knives consider a SAK alox or any number varieties of Case knives.

For a low cost modern folder consider the steel handle CRKT Drifter. They can be found for around $20 each and you can personalize each with an engraving. If you're willing to spend a little more consider a RAT2, Skyline or Persistence. The suggestion above to get the best man a CF Skyline and regular Skylines for the rest of the party is a good one, but will cost upwards of $200.
 
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