Blade Suggestions Naval Officer....

V

Vendata

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Mar 20, 2014
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16
Hi All

I'm looking for some suggestions/ideas on a gift for my younger brother who will soon be the Commanding Officer on a naval destroyer..

Features could be-

-Corrosive resisitant / salt water resisitant - self explanatory
-Some type of wood inlay- He has made some custom guitars, appreciates quality wood
-I'd want it to be an EDC
-In addition to a nautical style, he is a fly fishing fanatic.
-Linerlock / traditional slipjoint / folder...open to either... wharncliffe style blade, clip, drop, open to ideas..
- 3" blade give or take...
coolness factor trumps price...


Ive got a couple of ideas, just thought it'd be cool to throw out to the collective group of aficionados...


Many thanks in advance for the ideas and inspiration!
 
The Spyderco Salt 1 comes in yellow or black. It is the Delica with H1 steel. It will not ever rust. The serrated is better than the plain edge. Also the Benchmade will let you custom order a knife with laser designes (Navy!) and choices of color and steel. The Griptilian and the Mini-Griptilian (easier to EDC) can be made with N680 Corrosion resistant steel. This would be my choice because of the customization. It would give him a great knife to remember you by. You have to go to the Benchmade website for these.
 
MISSION knife in Beta-titanium.
Spyderco H1
Boye cobalt blade knife. NB not many makers combine knives impervious to the elements with wood inlays, as that would sort of defeat the purpose of the knife.
 
24 years Naval service and 16 years on ships I carried everything from A Benchmade Griptilian to a traditional Case slipjoint. I wouldn't be that concerned about salt water and corrosion. It will be in his pocket most of the time. I never had an issue. Find him a knife that is good quality and has the looks he would find appealing. Have you considered a custom slip jojnt? Take a look over in the traditional section. Rick menefee makes some amazing knives for around $400.
Tell him congrats on the huge milestone in his career. Which ship?
 
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Sebenza, large or small with one of their wood inlays. The Mammoth bark is outstanding.
 
Does his day to day involve big knife tasks or little knife tasks? Specify a PRICE

If he is a hands on kind of officer I'd get him a nice multi-tool with a bungee lanyard cord. Lots of utility and he won't lose it overboard. That or one of the H1 Spyderco knives that are VERY rust resistant.

If he is doing office type tasks I'd look at a william henry knife.
 
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C.O. of any ship is a BIG deal. If I could afford it I'd be looking at a custom with Naval theme. If a custom is out of the question, there are tons of excellent production knives that you could have custom scales made for. You know your brother best and probably have the best ideas as to what he'd prefer. Corrosion resistance shouldn't be that high a priority IMO. You won't find the Skipper knee deep in a bilge or doing any maintenance. You really can't go wrong, your intent is what matters and I think your brother will know that you're proud of him.
 
I'm not sure I'd go with a custom, I wouldn't take one anywhere near saltwater.

Emerson knives are designed to stand up to use around salt water. The A-100 is a very simple, non offensive looking knife that is very capable, it also carries equally well with the pocket clip or loose in the pocket on a lanyard. You might be able to find a Mini A-100 before they go out of stock, they're discontinued and are great smallish folders. If he would appreciate a more tacticool design, the CQC-8 is a brilliant design with a lot of history. For something inbetween, the CQC-7A is a utilitarian spearpoint. The A-100, CQC-7, and CQC-8 all take up very little space in a pocket, their blades follow the shape of their handles.
 
For such an occasion I'd get him no less than a Chris Reeve or William Henry, depending on his personality. I know there is a cool fly fishing CGI pattern available on some Sebenzas. That way you'll have given him the best....and when he Googles it the next day he'll realize that.

If that busts your budget I'd look at an Emerson. Very military and very good. A CQC-7 or Super 7 would be a good place to start. An Emerson Commander might be exactly the ticket. Engraved maybe.
 
Wow..Thanks for all the ideas- Yes this is a pretty big deal, I served as well as my father. I like the marlinspike idea, I also really like the Chris Reeve stuff (what I EDC) so thats definetly on my radar..I can t say the level of use, but I know I use mine daily...A custom is not out of the question, so some ideas there would be nice...
Thanks all!
 
Are you in a hurry? Customs can have a wait time and the supply is always changing. For customs check out the "KnifeMaker's For Sale Area" to see what is available now.

Would you be interested in a regional knife? France, Italy, Japan, and Germany all have distinct styles to pick from if you want to go that route. Here is a youtube playlist of such knives. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL27AF169F070B022D You say he likes wood so a regional knife might be a very good choice in that regard. There are a lot of interesting choices out there... ebony, snake wood, birch, maple, rose wood, juniper, walnut etc. Here are some modern knives. http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB4213A50F9ECF91A

Also, much bling do you want? Jeweled handles and damascus pattern blades aren't for everyone but there is no limit to the amount of bling a maker will put on a blade if you ask him to. :D

I forgot to say earlier... Congrats to your bro on the promotion!
 
Look at Great Eastern Cutlery's website to find the # 48 Lonestar. It's made using steel forged from the Ship with deck wood covers from the U.S.S. Texas Battleship. Might be apropriate for the occasion.
 
Camillus 6.5" marlinspike looks the part.
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http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iyvEk3oHvDY
 
Bunchmade small or large summit lakes are really nice. I own a small summit and you can open it one handed. S30v is pretty corrosion resistant and it can be hand for around $100. I'd also look at the north fork or grizzly creek.

But you can have so many more options. It just depends on how much you're willing to spend. I'd love to have a wahrncliff raindrop damascus sabenza with cocobolo inlays. But thats a $500-600 blade.
 
Third vote for the David Boye boat knife folder. It is cobalt blade with a marlin spike. Totally rust-free. Boye comes from sailors and knows knife design. His boat knife is a many year refinement on his original concept. It's the ultimate boat knife, comes in spear point and sheepsfoot.

I have the dendritic steel version w/o spike, it's the best designed lock back I own. I have used it for at least 10 years now. No problems, good fit/finish, a nicely ground edge.
 
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