Blade for a friend in need

Lots of things in this thread...

In terms of gifting knives, it's tricky business. Somebody once told me that when I give advice, I have to accept the advice is something the receiver can choose to accept or reject. I'm getting to that point with knife gifting. It's really like gifting shoes. No telling if the person will choose to use the knife. It's just so personal. Flipping it around, I actually prefer not to be gifted knives. They mostly go straight to a drawer of gifted and unused knives.

The Buck 110. Everybody who has an account on this forum had darn well better own one already. I mean really, it's an icon. How can you say, "I'm into knives but don't have a 110."?

That said, I think more people own them than carry them daily. It's beast. Really belongs in a pack or on the belt, not the pocket. Not everybody takes to belt wear and not everybody lives in a place where public belt carry is tolerated well. IMO, the Buck 500 can do pretty much everything the 110 can do, pocket carries better and is more people friendly. YMMV obviously.

In a youth camp... my first pick would have been an SAK with a scissors and a saw (and I really dislike Victorinox as a rule). Summer camp and SAK. It's as natural of combination as acne and drama.

If I were forced (at gun point) to work in a summer camp, I would want my Opinel. Works wood much better than any hollow ground knife. Tough. People friendly. I won't cry when its stolen. Again, ymmv.
 
Responding to Pinnah's contribution above and a couple others in this thread. Yep, gifting knives is tricky business. I have given knives and I have felt insulted that they don't use them afterwards. They have no skin in the game. Hence the knife is often of no value to them opposed to spending $ at the store to buy themselves a knife where at least they have a reference point.

Tis the risk of gifting... hence, I pretty much view gifting a knife much the same way as tossing one in the trash. It's gone. Don't worry or think about it unless they bring it up.
 
Almost 30 years ago I had a younger friend who didn't have a single knife. He asked me to find him a good knife. I immediately got him a 110. He had it a little while, but then his Dad was deployed to Iraq in the early days of the war. His dad took the knife with him to the sandbox and used it for several years, and it returned with him (Army colonel). Later (1993?), my friend still needed a knife and asked me. I got him a stainless Delica, and he carries it today. The colonel still uses that 110 though. It's "his" now anyway. I had a 110 in the 80s, gave it to someone, and it's probably still a fine knife. Almost timeless.
 
Good thread.

Sometimes people don't appreciate the gift of a knife, or the specific knife you choose. But they should appreciate your intentions. Know your friends. :)

Buck 110 is a great choice. I like the idea of a Victorinox. The first SAK I carried a lot was the Ranger, for the saw, scissors, and file. Recently I got hooked on the Farmer.
 
My brother In law was looking to get his first blade and my sister came to me for advice (I have a tiny obsession with knives). I gave her a list of the knives I would have purchased for my first knife. SHe told me which one he was going to get and I immediately purchased it and had it delivered to his house. This was of course a surprise and the day he got it he immediately sent me a picture of him holding it. This was a piece offering as I had not seen or really spoken to him in over a year. I belive he realized the underlying meaning because we spoke on the phone for about 30 minutes and saw each other the following weekend. We spoke of knives all night long and he listened to the knowledge I had to give. A win for the knife community, blades bringing people together.
 
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