At what age?

E

ElCuchillo

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Alright, guys, so last night I came across news that really made me happy excited, and totally changed my life..... again. My wife is pregnant for the second time. I am so friggin excited. Anyway, it got me thinking. My first child was a girl, and although I'll probably start both of them off with a SAK "My first knife", I already know that when he gets older, she will own a Peanut . If my next one is a girl, another peanut, if it's a boy, probably a stockman of some type. Of course, I'll get them something else if they want it, but that's the plan so far. Now, my question is, when are they old enough to start carrying a knife? I was never raised around knives, so I'm not sure when the "traditional" age for it is, if there's even such a thing. What doyou guys recommend?
Man, a second baby. I'm so excited. Man, I should go out and celebrate by getting me my favorite knife ever, a plain brown jigged handle medium Case Stockman!! WOO HOO. No, wait, I can't afford another knife, not with another mouth to feed. Oh well, I can dream. LOL.
 
well i think a good idea is a SAK for starts then see what they like...fixed or folders....then play if by ear then on...plus by then we should have mini light saber knives...duh...its the future....
 
Congrats ElC...I carried a Buck Cadet,when I was in the second grade.My Uncle gave it to me.Carried not to school much,but carried.
I cut myself good with the same pattern knife when I was 19,so,I guess it is fair to say,one could be foolish,at any age.Just teach 'em & you'll know when the right time is.All kids are different.I was real leary when my Son started carrying his first pocketknife,a SAK Huntsman,but I waited til he got a bit older than second grade,I think he was 13.
He know has a few,including a small Tom Krein fixed blade,hasn't got cut yet.
He is going to get a stag Northwoods Gunstock for his Birthday this year,on 12/18 ! Spearpoint !! Congrats again,you'll know what to do,it's natural!
Vince
 
Victorinox makes a "my first knife". Also the smaller SAK are made in pinks, purples or with flowers if a girl. I would say 5 or 6 is the earliest and at that stage I would "keep" it unless we were doing something that a knife could be used.
 
I was five or six when I got my first knife, that I was more or less allowed to use when I wanted to. My parents only let me use it while I was around them until they were comfortable I wouldn't injure my self too badly with it. I think probably 5 or 6 and up is a safe bet depending on the kid. Joe
 
Its a little hard for me to recall exactly, I think I was about 7 when I got my first knife. An Imperial barlow.

Today I think I would definatly go with a sak for a firswt knife, but unlike many, I hate the idea of hedging the bets with the blunt tipped "My first sak". I'd go with a recriut, or even a bantam.

Kids are alot more alert to little details than we think. Your child is going to see you using you surper tinker, your Wenger SI, and peanut. Then he gets handed a butter knife ended sak. Someplace in the grey matter its going to register on him sooner or later he got a "boys knife", not one just like dad's. I think this is a mistake.

I'd start out letting him use my own knife under supervision for a bit, then when you think the moment is right; then you give him one just like yours. Its a vote of confidence in him that he'll (Or she) never forget. Of course it will be accompanied by a good sincere man to man talk on the responsibility. Its a step toward the fledgling going it on his own. Don't mollycoddle him, but let him know that untill he really messes up, you are entrusting him with a real pocket knife just like dad's, with all the responsibility that goes with it.

Now, just wait till they get that drivers licence, and you watch them drive out of sight for the first time!:eek: You go in and have a very stiff toddy and try to concentrate on the TV.

Really, its all about them growning up. There is a time you just have to trust them.
 
Do you think that the rounded blade makes that much difference in terms of safety? Any time I have cut myself, it has been because of the edge, never the tip. SAKs aren't super pointy anyway.
 
I gave both my boys pocket knives when they were 3 years old, I thought my wife was going to pass out. They figured it out after I took them away a couple times. They will never figure it out if they don't have one and they are gonna cut them selves, I still do.
 
I bought my first knife when I was seven. My parents saw nothing wrong with this. But then, we were a working class family, and I was a cautious kid. I expect I nicked myself with the thing somewhere along the line. If I did, I don’t remember it.

Not every child is ready for a shape knife at that age. It’s a judgment call. But if you children have a normal developmental maturity for seven-year olds, train them in appropriate safe blade usage, and then give them a knife.
 
When I was 3, I was found stealing the kitchen knives from the kitchen. My parents were terrified when they found me playing with one of them in the backyard. It happened more than once. Then my father took one of the kitchen knives and filed the edge off and let me keep it for play- that was my first knife.

I think my first real knife was a cheapo folder with a 3inch blade when I was about 8. Wasn't very sharp, so I would sharpen it by walking along the wall of the house dragging it along the cement wall. Got it quite sharp and learned quickly that fingers do get cut easilly.

When I was ten, dad gave me my first real good finnish fixed blade hunter with a 5 inch blade. I loved that knife, took good care of it for 8 more years before I lost it when I was 18. The keeper strap was worn, and I will never forget that terrible day when I reached for the knife on my belt and all I had was and empty sheath. Looked and looked, but never found it. Big lesson learned there, loss is far worse than a cut. At least a cut heals.
 
My four kids were 6-7 when each got their first knife. My house is very knife friendly though, and by that age each had had a lot of experience handling knives, cutting in the kitchen with my hands on top of theirs, etc. They really understood how to use and safely handle their knives. Each child and family is different though, so one parent's call will be different than another's.

At this age, they don't need a large knife. Smaller fingers might not even be able to handle a larger Soldier in a coordinated way, the handle might be too large for their hands, and the backsprings too strong. I agree with jackknife that I wouldn't get them a blunted-tip "safety" knife. Get them the real thing, teach them how to safely use it, and let them learn from their mistakes.

My youngest daughter (7) just got this. The Signature Lite is the size of a Classic SAK, and has the same blade, scissors and nail file of a classic. It also has a small pen (pressure filled so it can write upside down!), and a red LED light. She loves having a light and pen on her knife. In her eyes it's a better knife than any of mine. I ask that she carries it in her pocket whenever she is home, and I make sure she has plenty of opportunities to use it with me in sight, even if I have to "invent" opportunities for her. :D
 
JOAT said:
Do you think that the rounded blade makes that much difference in terms of safety? Any time I have cut myself, it has been because of the edge, never the tip. SAKs aren't super pointy anyway.
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Thats pretty much the way I recall it. I remember cutting myself, and grandmom had to wrap it up with some cotton. It was the edge that got me. I learned to have some real respect for that blade after that.

That first cut is going to happen. Its like the sun rising in the east, you take it for granted. But thats how they will learn something, and hopefully never make that mistake again.

Three times you're going to have to trust your child. The first knife, the first .22, and the first time you let them borrow the family car alone.

Parenthood is not for the weak! Easpecailly if one of them is a daughter.

After all that, grandkids are a cake walk.
 
I think 5 is a good age, My son's first knife was a old Imperial camping knife, the kind with the fork and spoon. He ate most of his meals with it for several months. I do worry aboutgiving a child a slipjoint though. Most of my early cuts where from slip joints closing on my fingers from improper use. I was taught the proper use of a blade but sometimes the temptation to dig or pry is to much for a little one. I'v caught my 6 year old pulling a slip joint back out of a box the wrong way. Thinking about moving him over to a lock back for safty. Something along the lines of a Buck Prince.
Patrick
 
I had a pocketknife when I was six, but I like to think I was mature enough to handle it. Some kids are never ready, IMO. Long way of saying it depends on the kid.
 
My dad had one when he was 3. Course, he grew up on farms and such. I got mine when I was 8. My brother who is about a year younger than me got one the same day. I was irritated, but we were so close in age it was almost a twin relationship anyway.

My kids both got their first blades at 8. Had lots of time working with my pocketknives or kitchen knives first. I give my nieces and nephews knives at the same age. Most of their parents don't think about it, so Uncle takes care of it. It's part of growing up. I'm den leader of some 8 year old Cub Scouts, and I make a point of encouraging the parents to get their boys a knife. Scouts need one. I have a new little boy, turned 8 on the first of December. Parents aren't well off, he's a sad little guy. Asked me if he could have one of my knives if he promised to be careful with it.

He may be getting a Santa gift this year. Told me "Santa isn't real," when I told him maybe he should talk to his parents or Santa Claus about it.
 
congrats!!! When to give a child a knife or tool depends on the child i waited till my son was 11 fortunately he's got good sense about him he has friends that while they are great kids arent ready for the responsibility and parents nowadays are a little more uptight about things not as much running around in the woods or wittlin' sticks... kind of a shame. My son dinged himself once got three stiches but learned that knives can be dangerous. Lesson learned just a shame it cost me so damn much:eek:
Anyway congrats on the newest edition, enjoy them cause they grow up too damn fast!
ivan
 
Congrats ElC!!

Got my first knife at around 7 or 8. It was a scout knife and as soon as I got home I did something careless and cut the crap out of myself. Learned a valuable lesson though and that was my worst self inflicted wound and I'm 35 now. I've cut myself, but nothing like I did before I learned the lesson that knife is a tool not a toy. I have a daughter also and her first knife was a Case Tiny Toothpick that I had owned for a while. She really liked it, so I told her that she could have it. Bought myself a matching one with 2 blades when they came out. The first knife I bought specifically for her was a SAK though. It was a small blue (her favorite color) SAK classic. I keep both in my knife box and only let her carry them on special occasions like hikes and such when we're together. Anytime I use my knives she wants to help and I always try to let her use them in different situations with my supervision. My wife was a serious sheeple and even she carries a pink SAK classic now. If you're able to, make sure you pick one up in your daughter's favorite color. My daughter seems to love hers more just because its blue. Keep us posted and I'll send up some prayers for a healthy number 2!!
 
First let me say as one who has 2 kids, 5 and 7 years old, you better go out and get that favorite knife right now before the next mouth gets here. :) You'll never have any doe after the second comes. And congrats on #2. :)
Just by my kids I'd say 7 years old is just about the right age. I think my 5 year old would be ok with it but only when I or someone is around.
 
Congrats! I have one daughter who is just under two years old. Her first "knife" is a plastic, oversized, toy SAK (I think they call this SAK toy the "Bambino"). She runs around the house with it yelling "fiskit, fiskit (fix it)" and pretending to fix things like dad.

I got my first knife (SAK Huntsman) when I was twelve. I grew up in a non-knife home, so I got it myself. I'll give her her first when she is younger, whenever I think she exhibits the care and maturity to have one. I'll figure this out as I let her handle and use knoves under supervision.

She'll get that SAK that I got when I was twelve, and something else if she wants it. Her birthday is ST. Patrick's day, and Case makes a Baby Butterbean with shamrocks on the scales, so that might be a nice one for her some day.
 
My first knife was a Swedish youth Mora (~4" blade, finger guard) when I was 10ish- it was my reward for passing my hunter safety exam. Dad held on to it, but allowed me to use it and trained me in it's use and maintnance.

When I was 11ish, I got an SAK clone for Christmas. All mine- I carried it ALOT.

A year or two later I got a lockback, 3"- carried that a lot as well (Birthday). That was followed by a Wenger Commander for Christmas the same year.

Through my teens, I bought a few cheapo knives at tag sales, flea markets, discount stores, and freinds. I also got a couple as assorted birthday an Christmas presents.

It really depends on maturity, dexterity, and interest. I was never much for fine arts- my handwriting looks like chicken scratch and my realism looks abstract- but I have a nack for manipulating firearms, knives, and other tools. Sometime between 8 and 12 is good.

This isn't going to sound popular, but I don't recommend a slip-joint as a first knife, unless they are really trained to respect the blade first. Even in adulthood, I have accidentally closed slipjoint blades. We all cut ourselves, but it's a good idea to minimize the risk.
 
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