Best "gift" knife I ever received.

JD Mandrell

JD Mandrell

Joined
Apr 20, 2001
Messages
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I had supper last night with my freind that just returned from Iraq, his 2nd tour, he's home on leave until Friday then back to Ft. Bragg.

His normal knives for duty are a Gerber Combat Folder that he has had for many years and on this tour he was issued a Gerber Mini-Covert, which he carried and used (it shows it haha) as a second to the larger model. Well this was his last deployment before he will be out next June, so last night he gave me the Mini-Covert that he used in Iraq.

Mini-Covert1.jpg


Scuffed up and still has sand in it, in a few places but I carried it today and felt 2 inches taller!
 
Hateman said:
Congrats, that is a cool gift. Did you give your friend a penny?
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Several, took him out to supper!

One of the other knives he carries in the field is an SAK Tinker model I gave him 3 years ago, he's turning into a walking cutlery store!
 
Esav Benyamin said:
That's a gift to cherish. But clean the sand out! :D
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I did..LOL..but it was amazing where it all was. He had told me that "sand" over there is much finer grain than "sand" here is, almost like talcum powder. The pocket clip on the Mini-Covert is not reversible for left-handed carry, but it looked like I could switch the grip panels, that didn't work BTW, but there was sand even UNDER the grip panels and he assures me he never took them off while there, but that's how bad it is, it gets in everything.
 
GarageBoy said:
Nice! How about tossin him something nicer like a CRKT M16 =]?
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He's had his Gerber Combat Folder for many years now, been several places in So. America, Bosnia and 2 tours in Iraq. Gettin' him to part with it won't be easy! :D
 
Hateman said:
Congrats, that is a cool gift. Did you give your friend a penny?
Click to expand...

That's interesting... is that a common knife-as-gift tradition? I'd worked in the knife retail business for a while and never heard anything about that. However, spending a lot of time in Paris, I've bought a couple of Forge de Laguiole products and they talk about the practice of giving un sou, pour que l'amitié ne soit pas rompue (a coin of little value, so the friendship isn't ruined.) I thought that was just a Laguiole tradition/marketing device.
 
That is a great present. I know the guy who got my Strider EB from my tour in Iraq was mighty proud of it. These are cherished things I guess. Not for the men who use them, but for the people who recieve them. Trust me, it was a weight lifted off my chest to get rid of my old one, and it felt good to pass it on. I am sure your friend is equally as happy now that you will have it and I am sure use it. Congrats again.
 
Great story and fine knife. How many brews did he have before he started giving stuff away? Hee hee!

Did he give you a dried camel spider? If not ask him for one, very cool!

http://www.snopes.com/photos/bugs/camelspider.asp

When my son was banging around old Baghdad (actually Sadr City just to the north) I sent him a 3.5 inch auto Microtech MSE-SC folder which he carried. It has a window breaker button. It also has a built-in web belt cutter. I noticed that it is very similar to yours in shape.

He mainly used his M9 army issued knife (it is unfortunately referred to by many as a bayonet but it really is rarely if ever used like one). It is today's WW2 Ka-bar.

http://www.1sks.com/store/microtech-mini-socom-elite-automatic-seatbelt-cutter.html

http://www.m9bayonet.com/
 
SpyderNoir_JHA said:
That's interesting... is that a common knife-as-gift tradition? I'd worked in the knife retail business for a while and never heard anything about that. However, spending a lot of time in Paris, I've bought a couple of Forge de Laguiole products and they talk about the practice of giving un sou, pour que l'amitié ne soit pas rompue (a coin of little value, so the friendship isn't ruined.) I thought that was just a Laguiole tradition/marketing device.
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I'm not sure where it started, but that's the thought, to give a coin for a knife so the friendship isn't "cut". I've been told it's an old Scottish thing and came to America with Scotch/Irish immigrants, but who knows????

Nice tradition anyway.
 
USAFSP said:
That is a great present. I know the guy who got my Strider EB from my tour in Iraq was mighty proud of it. These are cherished things I guess. Not for the men who use them, but for the people who recieve them. Trust me, it was a weight lifted off my chest to get rid of my old one, and it felt good to pass it on. I am sure your friend is equally as happy now that you will have it and I am sure use it. Congrats again.
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I'm carrying it some, I am left-handed and the pocket clip can't be revesed on this one. I admit I am also afraid of loosing it, so I may not carry it alot after awhile, I may put it up. I was never able to join the Military for physical reasons and so this knife mean a great deal to me. That's what started my tradition of giving SAK's to friends and family that go "overthere" for Military or Missionary reasons, is since I can't go I always send them with one of my knives.
 
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