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At what age did you receive your first pocket knife?

pahl

pahl

Joined
Feb 23, 2002
Messages
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I maybe should have asked this over on the general side of the forums, but I'm interested in hearing from the Buck guys.

I'm wondering how old my son(age 7)should be before I give him a pocket knife.

I was thinking this yesterday well looking over the buck knives.
I seen a preaty small two blade one I was thinking would be good for his first.

Last year well out fishing he showed some interest well I had a larger folder I was using to wittle on a stick. He asked if he could try but I said no it's to sharp. The knife was way to big for his hands anyway.

If I got him a pocket knife this year I was thinking I would only let him carry it when we were together. When we are not together fishing or what ever it would have to be put away until he has some more experience with it.

I know what ever age I get him his first knife his mother may not be to happy about it :)

Looking forward to your replies.

Thanks,
 
Let your wifes conscious be your guide. I was 10 or 11 when Igot my first hunting knife and 13 when I started carrying a pocket knife. My 5 year old is really into knives,so I'll let him roam around the house with a knife that has to stay closed.He knows if the knife is opened at all ever,his carrying days are over.
guy
 
In my opinion, a child of seven or eight is ready to be taught the basics of knife handling and safety. If the parent is confident of the child's willingness to learn and follow instruction, I would suggest setting in place a schedule of learning and responsibility leading up to the eventual privilege of carrying a pocketknife at a later age. Without going into detail, it seems a common sense first step is teaching the child how to open and close a knife safely. The child should also be taught to keep all other people, pets and valuable items from being cut by careless motions. Also, in the early stages, I would teach never to run with a knife open and how important it is to use cutting strokes which move away from the body. I recommend a locking blade which the child can EASILY use. If the lock is too difficult to press, the child is too likely to suffer a self-inflicted cut. Slip-joint knives probably are too dangerous for most children until they attain more knife handling experience.
Different children have different levels of maturity, of course, but I would want to be VERY confident that the child would be able to resist the temptation of going along with what other children might suggest. To me, the whole issue is one of bringing a child along, step-by-step, to the various levels of maturity he or she needs to attain. It seems to me that responsible use of various tools has a place in that teaching. I do not present this as a complete answer to the question. It is just my idea of a starting point. I was the adult leader of a church boy's club for many years and we were very successful in teaching knife safety to boys as young as seven. There were some boys who we knew were not mature enough and they were made to wait until we were comfortable with their maturity. If, after we started the basic training, they showed they still were not ready, the privilege was delayed.
 
Larry Oden wrote:
>"I recommend a locking blade which the child can EASILY use. If the lock is too difficult to press, the child is too likely to suffer a self-inflicted cut. Slip-joint knives probably are too dangerous for most children until they attain more knife handling experience."

=================================

I really enjoyed your post, Larry, and got a lot out of it. I'm not sure I agree with your sentiments that I quoted above, though. I think kids need to learn right away how to safely handle a slipjoint, whether it's a traditional stockman or Swiss Army knife. They need to know that knives are tools, not toys and what better way than to get a little nip from a blade if it comes to that. That sounds really harsh, I know, but let's face it - kids learning to use knives are GOING to get cut. I think learning with the aid of a locking blade will promote a false sense of security. Afterall, whether it has a lock or not, a folding knife is just that - a knife that will fold. And it's a knife that will fold up on the user if he or she is not careful.
I think I was around 10 or so when I got my first pocketknife. Can't remember exactly. I know we were on a cross-country trip and I bugged my parents about it the whole way to Colorado. Finally, at a campgound store there, my mom consented and bought me a little peanut-style folder from, I think, Colonial. Not a good knife to be sure, but I thought it was the greatest ever. I wasn't allowed to open it unless I was with my mom or dad and they pretty quickly taught me the same basic principles that make up the Boy Scouts' Totin' Chip. Still, it was I guess the second day of owning the knife that I gave myself a pretty gnarly gash on my thumb while whittling. I cried, my mom cleaned it up and put on a Band-Aid, and asked if I learned anything. I said yes and got the knife back. That was the worst I've every cut myself.

Incidentally, I got my first Buck knife at 14. A 110 of course! :D
 
I gave my Son my Boy Scout Knife when he was 8 and in Cub Scouts. At age 12 and now in Boy Scouts he has about 4 knives. In Scouts you must carry your "Wood Chip" card when you carry a knife. If a boy does not use his knife safely the leaders take away the card and his knife. I read with interest about lockback knives, a boy cannot use a lockback knife in Scouts. Maybe it is considered more of a weapon???

I was 11 when I got my first knife, it was my Dad's and now it is my Son's.

In order to carry a knife in Cub Scouts a boy must carve a bar of soap and be able to open and close it properly.
 
I was seven, and the knife was a Schrade-Walden Trapper with yellow celluloid scales.

Strangely enough, my EDC is still often another Schrade Trapper with yellow scales. It is on my computer desk in front of me right now...I just used it to peel an orange.

I carried that old knife until I wore it out, and I still have it. Seven was pretty young, but we lived on a ranch and I was a country kid who had been around tools and guns and horses and cattle all my life. I don't recall that I ever got into any trouble with it.

I let my seven year old carry a pocketknife sometimes when he is going to be around the place and not going anywhere, but he isn't quite as savvy as I was at his age, so he doesn't have the freedom I had.

I guess it depends on the child.
 
Well, I gave myself a little scar on my chin when I was 4. I was carrying a pocket knife in first grade (and ever since). A little off topic, but I started shooting when I was 5. I had the best Dad!!! I also still have the rifle! Don't still have that first knife though.
Bob
 
rdg you must have been a smart kid only being four and already in the first grade ;)

My seven year old son is in the first grade. I think what I will do is shop around for a knife for him and give it to him at the end of the school year.


Maybe start a father son tradition were I give him a knife at the end of each school year for doing so well in school.

He does do good in school and acts older then his age. So I think, but I'm his dad :D
 
Don't really remember when I got my absolute first pocketknife but I was pretty young (teens)when my Dad gave me a three bladed Boker with carbon steel blades. I still have it but don't carry it. My Mom found a little Sabre three bladed knife and gave it to me. I still have it as well. Carried it around the world in the Air Force. As a coutry boy we always had some kind of knife, an old Barlow or something. I gave my son his first knife when he was about 6. A Colonial Ranger which I dulled the blades and let him carry it around the house. He was about 10 when I gave him his first Buck. An orange Bucklite which was signed by Chuck Buck in person. He has several now but only carrys with permission. If a kid carrys a pocketknife to school around here now days they will be expelled. He has a tendency to forget so we are cautious about knives. I have taught him that knives are tools for us and should be treated with respect and appreciation.

What matters to you matters to God because you matter to God.
 
Originally posted by Larry Oden
I recommend a locking blade which the child can EASILY use. If the lock is too difficult to press, the child is too likely to suffer a self-inflicted cut.
Click to expand...

Could you give me some examples. Such as brands (buck?) and models.

Thanks,


mnblade,
I understand what you are also saying about learning the hard way by getting a little nip from the blade.
I would think it has happened to all of us at some point in time. :)

As long as it's just a nip and he does not go taking his finger off :eek:

I would be interested in hearing from all of you as to what you think would make a good first knife for my son.
Remember he is 7 and will be finishing 1st grade this year.

Of coarse I would like to have it be a buck.
 
The biggest concern would be coordination of your son. my 7 year old isnt the most graceful kid and had a problem opening a Buck 303 Cadet. the 5 year old is more knife friendly and was able to open and close the 303 with little problem. After observing the excersize, I'd say with a lockback like the minibuck, there may be a problem getting fingers in harms way releasing the lock.I like the Vic Classic. Nathan(5) under supervision can open the scissors and trim his toenails.The first time seeing this was a suprise,He didnt want to wait for mom, grabbed the Vic and went to work.
guy
 
My first knife was a spyderco ladybug, I bought it with my allowance when I was ~9 years old. My father and I were visiting relatives in kansas city, and we stopped by the mall there. I saw the ladybug and fell in love. Almost didn't by it though because I thought the name was too girly:D
 
im 14 now. i got my first knife as a scout at 9. it was the scout approved red one with blade, canopener, awl, and bottle oppener. my parents dont know why i love knives, so basicly had to learn all by myself. i promptly cut myself on it and i learned that it was sharp. i think that my best learning knife was a schrade old timer. i knew it would rust if i sneezed and i learned to take care of it. now i carry a buck 110. i love it, it works great, is everything i need, but i shudder to think of myself at 7 or so with one. to big and the lock is too difficult for a 7 year old. i would suggest maybe the old timer minuteman, i believe. its a very small carbon slip joint. good luck and happy hunting. you could try bringing him to a store and just feel out what he likes, just dont be to obvious:)
 
I got a SAK when I was 7 or 8 from my Dad.

Teach your kid proper knife care and handling but make sure to let him handle a knife, don't let your wife brainwash him with that "sharp knives are dangerous" crap. He learns proper use and safety now and learns to respect knives and edged tools it will save problems later. Get him a SAK or a Multi-tool tommorow. Next week get him a Buck hunter or a Delica/Endura. Hell if autos are legal in your area (and since your in South Dakota) pick him up a nice auto for his only birthday present in a few years :)
 
Same here, SAK I got when I was 9 years old from my Dad with a flat stone to sharpen it. So I learned a lot of lessons!

I still have the knife and the stone to this day 23 years later!


I will never be able to thank the man enough. I am the only guy in the group I hang out with that can sharpen a knife!
 
I got busted for "borrowing" the neighbors machete when I was 4. Shortly after that I buried my grandfathers Case in my leg(see forum name). The Same grandfather gave me a boy scout knife when I was about 10. He also gave me my first Buck. It was a model 112. I was twelve, I will have had that knife 30 years on my birthday in November.
 
I bought myself my first knife around age 9. It came from the bargain bin of the local cutlery store. Oddly enough I never cut myself until I got much older. My dad installed a little healthy fear early on and it all worked out. And yeah, I've still got the "no-name" knife in a drawer at home. It's crab-apple carving days are long over though.
 
I was around 10 or so. I think Larry Oden is right. I think the SAK Tinker is a great starter.
 
i think i was 6, it was a real cheap tourist type knife, i destroyed it (because it was made badly, and i liked to whittle) in under 6 months. from there i kept getting bought knives for birthdays and such. first "real" knife was a shrade 3 blade still have it somewhere. only 1 rememberable cut, and that was because i had always watched by dad run the edge over his finger (actually drag the edge) and i hadn't payed attention and instead sawed into my finger. still have a 3/8ths scar from that little incident!
 
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