Hey guys, I'm new so I hope I put this in the right spot. I'm looking for a gift for my best man. I saw a few posts about gentleman's knives but haven't really seen what I'm looking for. I want to spend around $100. Some background for my best man; He's 31, and a hairdresser(straight, and we make fun of him all the time). He mostly wears jeans and a tshirt to work, although sometimes dress pants, he likes expensive shit (drives a mercedes). He doesn't currently EDC a knife at all, but I think it could be something cool for him and hey....I like knives. I've looked at a few Case knives, and so far they seem like it could be my best bet. I need something classy, timeless and meaningful, for ~ $100. Any help is appreciated.
First off, you need to ask yourself some questions about your friend.
1. Does he own any knives at all (other than in the Kitchen, or Scissors)?
2. Is the competent enough to use a pocket knife without cutting himself (and also, could he use a slip-joint, or should he have a locking folder)?
3. How would you describe his "style"? (Does he wear cowboy boots or does he prefer a more urban look? Does he like wood-grain or carbon-fiber in his cars? Does he wear more modern watches or something more traditional? Does he carry a lot of crap in his pockets? Does he like the latest and greatest sort of stuff or does he appreciate old-world craftsmanship?)
I'd say something in a nice traditional slip-joint, or lock-back if he's into more traditional stuff, and a higher-end Swiss Army Knife or a modern-day locking knife in carbon-fiber or Ti if he's into the newer stuff.
Considering that he's not a knife-guy to begin with, I would go smaller than larger - that Sterling Victorinox you posted is nice, but it really doesn't offer a lot over a simple Victorinox Classic model other than it's made from Sterling silver (and the standard Classic can be had for under $15). Victorinox make a Silver Cigar cutter (if he smokes cigars) that is unique.
For traditional knives, I like these:
Boker Carver's Congress in Rosewood:
GEC's Conductor in Cocobolo:
Case's Canoe in smooth chestnut bone:
If you look around, you can find an Al Mar Hawk for just over $100:
For more modern-day knives, you've got several choices.
Benchmade's Small Bone-Collector can be had in Walnut or Greeen 3D G10 for around $100
Benchmade's Emissary is just over $100 with Benchmade's factory coupon/discount at a lot of online places right now:
Spyderco's G10 Dragonfly is a good choice for a smaller knife, but slightly larger is the Chaparral:
Spyderco's Sage is slightly larger, but just as nice:
Kershaw makes several variants of the Leek and Scallion that are very gentleman-like.
![681211BAL-CW[large].jpg](/proxy.php?image=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gpknives.com%2Fimages%2Fgreateastern%2F681211BAL-CW%5Blarge%5D.jpg&hash=395b99d13679e037495e0418b4e8dcdd)
