Boy Scout Knife. What should I get?

I agree that a Farmer would be a great choice. He might also enjoy a SAK Trailmaster.
 
I would get him something practical like this:
Crazy+Knife9.jpg


Just kidding!
Maybe more like this:
victorinox+farmer.jpg


Get him the alox handle - they hold up very well - he will use it for years.
 
navihawk said:
An AG russell premium scout would be nice.http://www.agrussell.com/a-g-russell-jigged-bone-scout-knife/p/RUShhh1996JB/

Or a Leatherman Wave or Case scout. The scouts are more traditional.
http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerc...cout&list=10&range=1&order=Default&SKU=CA8044

I can't resist a good chance to show off an oldie. Ulster Dwight Devine....



http://i46.photobucket.com/albums/f104/navihawk/P1010030.jpg[/IM


Nice old hatchet Trent[/QUOTE]

If only that old girl could talk, Love it ! And the farmer wqould be a great choice for a scout.
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My recommendation is a Victorinox BSA Huntsman and maybe a Recruit as backup.

The official BSA knives were until recently made by Camillus and now made in China.

If they are reasonably priced used any BSA knives from the Camillus models and before might be good for collecting.

One thing to keep in mind is that kids lose knives, and knives sometimes disappear at camp. IMO it is not a good idea to get one that is too expensive but it also not good to get cheap junk. Victorniox knives are reasonably priced and good quality.
 
The AG Russells are Camillus stock I do believe still.
The Alox handle Vics are indestrucable. I second that notion.
 
Masteroffajitas said:
Dunno. SAKs don't lock.
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And?

Another SAK option to consider is something from the smaller 84mm line. I often carry an 84mm version of the Spartan. Rides a lot more comfortably in the pocket than a larger knife. Since I presume the kid won't have as much use as I do for a corkscrew, you could get him this one instead.

RE alox handles ...... I love them, but I don't think we need to get too hung up on the "he'll use it forever" thing. We're talking about a kid. Most likely, within 2-3 years max the knife will be lost, or stolen at camp, or dropped in a lake, or broken, etc.
 
I saw this kid get slash his finger with his sak because another kid bumped it. Though I wasn't thinking, alot of saks lock, like the ranger.
 
Well, it's best to find out what the boy wants. I've never much cared for SAKs. People have given them to me over the years and they've been in a drawer ever since. As a scout, I would have really loved something like the Buck 110—something that wasn't a slipjoint knife. Looking at the tools on a Farmer, I can't see any that I would have really used as a Scout, except the knife blade, and the blades on SAKs just never have done anything for me. In this day and age, I can't see much use for a can opener, mini-saw and a bottle opener. The Buck 110 is a good, strong knife, and it's only a knife. That would be my recommendation.

Buck110Alaskan_4_Sm.jpg


Buck110AlaskanLock.jpg
 
As a Scoutmaster and a dad to two Scouts (Scout and Star ranks) I would recommend the Leatherman Juice S2 or the SAK Tinker. As for the blades not locking: I see more boys cut themselves trying to learn to close a locking knife than using a non-locking blade that accidentally closes.

The Juice S2 is highly rated by Backpacking magazine and is a favorite among our Scouts.
 
For locking blades, you'll need to bring the kid to the store and figure out what locks he can operate. Most locks are designed for adults, and the locking SAKs are a bit harder to operate than a typical lockback or liner lock.

Kids should have no problem with a balisong as long as they don't play with it but I'm sure the leadership will.

A fixed blade would solve those issues but that usually isn't an option in Boy Scouts these days.
 
Any SAK, but I'd get a red one, not ALOX. I think only us grown-up prefer the ALOX. THe more gadgets on the knife the better.
 
I have a Juice. Tim Leatherman is a genius engineer.I like the way they walk and talk like a slipjoint too.
 
the basic SAK with a large and small blade, can opener, awl and flat screwdriver/bottle opener are the ones we all had back in the early 80's of scouting. All the tools were used, particulaly the awl, can opener and large blade. Cant remember how many cans we opened at camp outs, making giant cast iron stewpots full of stew/baked beans etc
 
I still have the SAKs I had when I was a scout. They worked great for me, and I was quite happy with them. One Vic with the Scout symbol (Huntsman, I think), and one Wenger (what's now called the Classic 18, I guess).

Now that I have a Farmer, I think I would've been even happier with it at the time (although it doesn't have scissors).

Edited to add: If my Leatherman Wave had been around back then, I probably would've been all over it.
 
I started scouts with a SAK and switched to Leatheman. I'd suggest a Wave being I have used almost every tool on my surge during scouts.
 
The official BSA knives were until recently made by Camillus and now made in China.
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Official BSA knives are also made by Victorinox (made in Switzerland) and Case (made in the USA).
 
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