Age for boys first knife?

S

Sgt 127

Joined
Mar 26, 2002
Messages
222
My 8 year old is reasonably responsible. When we go out hiking or camping, he is "issued" an old Air Force Pilots survival knife that has had the tip rounded a little and the edge "de-tuned" a bit. He can cut, hack, chop and dig to his hearts content with it and be an 8 year old boy. At the end of the excursion, it goes back into Dads toy room until the next time he needs it. But, the pressure is on for a full time pocket knife. We live a little out in the country, 10 acres and room to explore. I was leaning towards a SAK Soldier also a little "De-honed". When he gets old enough to notice its not real sharp, I figure he will have gained enough experience to handle it a little sharper. He knows not to carry it to school. I think I started carrying a knife around full time when I was about 10. Need a little advise on this one. I know every kid is different..just some general guidlines or, criteria YOU used to determine when your boy got his first knife.
 
That's kinda hard to say.
I think I'd hand him a sharp SAK when I'm in the position to supervise him, and let him know some rules (don't cut towards yourself and stuff). If he gets responsible with it, he gets to keep it, but if you found out that he has been messing with it, take it away.
 
Can't speak as a parent, but this question pops up a lot on the forums. You're right when you say that every kid is different, but if you watch how he uses it when he does have it in his possession then you should be able to get a pretty good idea of how responsible he will be with it. I do wonder though if maybe "de-tuning" the knife may cause some problems later. If he is used to working with a dull knife (whether he knows it or not), he may not develop the proper respect for the edge and may get himself into trouble when he does move on to a sharper edge. With that said, I received my first knife around 8 or 9--just a real POS keychain knife but that was enough for me at that age and I was responsbible enough not to hurt myself or anyone else with it.
 
I've been carring a pocket knife since I was 8, but I'm no example, I got my first set of stitches from the same knife a week later.

What I would suggest is a bigger thicker sheath knife, like a Buck I think it was called a Woodsman. With a sheath knife he's less likely to have a blade close on his fingers than a SAK, and the thinner blades even de-tuned will still cut more easily than a thicker blade. One last observation from a 42 year old kid, kids cut themselves more often playing with a blade when opening and closing a knife.

Age wise, like mentioned before it depends on the kid, my daughter got her first knife at the age of 9 and it was a straight blade Buck, which I keeped locked up until we go hikin, or as I like to call it weed walkin'. :)
 
Depending on maturity, 8 seems to be the right age generally. I don't think detuning the edge is the way though. Teach safe handling, but a sharp knife is safer to use than a dull one IMHO.
 
Roselli knives make a neat little Scandinavian style fixed blade with a rounded tip designed specifically for youngsters.
Paul
 
Technically, I got my first knife when I was 8 or so, but I wasn't allowed to carry one unsupervised till I was nearly 10 (would you allow a seriously hyperactive child carry a knife?). IMO, eight sounds like a good age to start. If he's not in a scouting organization, maybe you could put him through a "totin' chip" course yourself.

Chris
 
My grandpa gave me my first 2 blade Barlow when I turned 5, but in the Ozarks in those days, you couldn't BE a boy without a knife. How else could you cut a willow or wild cane fishing pole, or clean a fish once you caught it? I can remember using it to make willow whistles during recess in first grade...and the other boys were making whistles with their own pocketknives. I thought everyone was like me until I moved to the city and met people with dull knives and 'knife fear'. Poor souls.
 
Sgt 127,

Great thread . I got my first blade at 6 , we too lived out in the country and all boys carried a knife . As a parent of a 7 yr. old , I gave him his first knife last year at 6 , he was pretty good with it and I only let him carry it when I'm around ( all this political correct crap you know ) . I just gave him his first multitool for his 7th birthday . My son is pretty wild but has a great respect for knives as he has been around them all his life . I didn't spend allot of money on either one but already have his first custom to give him on his 8th birthday . I feelyou are on the right track . When we are out I'll let him use my blade some to get a feel for the truly sharp stuff , as you I de-tune his blade just to be safe . It makes me proud to hear other fathers passing along our love of the sharpened edge . Around my area so many folks are shocked that I let my son carry a knife and have so many knife and gun mags. out at home . It is not the knife or gun but the man or boy who takes it up that matters . Keep it up and enjoy your love of knives with your son .



Jerry


BTW: his folder is a Swiss two blade , North Carolina tools Multi-tool , and the custom is a fixed blade B&T by Bill Buxton
 
Got my first pocketknife when I was 7, an Old Timer stockman. It was sharp out of the box, and I have a couple of small scars to prove it, but that was part of the learning process. I personally would let him have a relatively sharp knife. I would think that detuning a blade too much would make him force some cuts that might be more dangerous.

Either way, I'm sure he'll still love that first pocketknife :)
 
DB1,

Great point . I just take some of the point away and just dull it enough , so he can still cut effectively but just not have that scary sharp like I carry .
 
I gave my oldest son his first knife at 8. It was a small Buck lock back that was only mildly sharp. Within the first week he came out of his bedroom holding his hand that had a nasty cut on his thumb. After he finished freaking out, and a band-aid applied he said that he cut himself on his dresser. When I asked him how he managed that he said "there was something sharp under the drawer". After we inspected the dresser he finally confessed that he was messing around with his new knife and cut his thumb. Part of owning your first knife is the getting cut for the first time. Age does not seem to be a factor since I still cut myself on new knives!
 
Having been a cubmaster and (as now) a scoutmaster several times, I have a lot of experience with boys aged 8-14. We generally give that "whittlin chip" to the cubs meaning they can use a knife...the "totin chip" entitling carry usually comes along at age 11-12. But many 8 year olds are clearly more ready to carry a knife than many 12 (or for that matter 16) year old boys. My 8 year old helped make a knife (see these) and is pretty handy now as a 9 year old.

I don;t concur on the "detuned" bit. I recommend sharp knives and proper technique. The reasons a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one is true for all ages.
 
I think you folks are reading more into the de-tuned than there is to it . My personal outlook is it would take a fool to give a kid my hair poping , screaming sharp blade when as we all know every kid including we adults are going to see if will shave ( done at the wrong angle means cut you badly ) , how quickly it will slice paper rope etc . For me de-tuned means sharp but just not screaming sharp as it sounds like it means about the same for SGT. To me it is akin to giving a 16yr. old a Mustang GT for their first car and thinking well they are going to wreck sometime . Yeah , they are going to wreck but it don't have to be at 125mph . A good sharp knife is safer to work with but for that first knife it just don't have to be razor sharp . Just my opionion as was everyone elses but I think the de-tuned was misunderstood . I will add that there sure are a bunch a companies selling dulled trainers for adult to use to learn a new medium . A youngster with his or her first knife is learning a totally new medium so a little less than a razor just seems right to me .
 
Thanks to all that figured out what I meant by "De-tuned...De-honed"....We are talking about a knife that will still cut a fresh tomato...but might squish a little on a really ripe tomato. Yes, if he makes a mistake and needs a bandaid, he will learn a lesson. If, however, I have to deal with arterial bleeding, putting severed digits in ice and hanging around a hospital for a few days, Its my fault. He's been out to shoot with me too. But I handed him a .22. I did not figure he needed to learn to "be a man" and deal with recoil, muzzle flash right away and hand him my Ruger Vaquero loaded with Cor-Bon .45+P's....
 
Got my first knife when I was six. About two days later I cut myself on it and learned a very valuable lesson. I'm not suggesting you give him something hair popping sharp, but a respectable edge is good.
 
Well, the analogy isn't really right for the .22 vs a massive handgun. That's more like the decision of giving him a sharpened folder vs a Busse Battle Mistress which would be a mistake.

Giving a poorly sharpened knife is more like giving him a rusty .22 with rounds that have been sccoped out of the sand... that is to say a properly sharpened knife is a knife that is in the "correct working order" and how sharp that is depends on the intended use. I still suggest that how sharp the knife is depends on the intended use rather than the age of the user. If he is (or I am) peeling potatoes you don't want razor edges as slippage towards fingers is likely -- but it has to be sharp enough to do the job without excess pressure. When do you want razor edges? Cleaning fish comes to mind, and my 8 year old holds a fillet knife with the care he has been taught as that task is best accomplished with the sharpest knife available.

I do understand your point and don't disagree with it.... just with the analogy used to illustrate it.
 
my boy is 6, he's already helped me make his first knife, a small fixed blade drop point. but im really thinking on getting him a single bladed folder. i have dozens of them but i figured it would be more special if it was a knife purchased just for him. plus it would be great to see his excitement every time the mail man comes wondering if he brought his new knife.

anyway im wondering if there is a specific knife out there advertised as "a boy's first knife" or something to that effect. really would rather have a carbon steel knife as apposed to a stainless, so he could also learn the lessons of care for the knife, and how we dont leave them laying in the yard or in a puddle out back.

---------------------------------------------thanks,
andrew takach
 
The SAK Soldier is a good choice. I was about his age when I started carrying a folder just about all the time. We used to cut our initials into beech trees a lot back in those days. Bet I could still find some of them and my Dad's as well. I think a knife should be as sharp as possible otherwise you make silly mistakes. Teach him to sharpen his knife too. All part of the game.
 
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