Buying a knife for Dad

My top three would be the Native, the Chap and the Mini RSK (but I only own the big one).
The Fluted CF Native is kinda perfect.
 
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I would have to say the Para 3 the the ritter. Possibly the native 5 or chap. After using the compression/able/axis type of locks, back locks have moved down the list of desired lnives
 
I am leaning towards the Native in M4 and doing a dye job on it. Falken tires race car paint scheme is my inspiration if any one is familiar. Keep the suggestions coming nothing is set in stone.
images
 
scubadoober said:
He saw my TRM Neutron 2 last time I was in town and was actually excited about it. He made the comment "my birthday is coming up soon". I would have no problem grabbing another one for pops, but from how chippy this edge has been for me I don't think he will take care of it.
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Dude - this is a no-brainer!!

Get him a TRM Neutron 2!!

You know how knives are personal right? Why roll the dice on a random knife he might or might not like??

You KNOW he likes that model. He would surely like to own the same kind of knife his son owns. (He kinda said so himself).

I understand your concern re:chipping, and I have a couple of suggestions on that. 1) Explain to your Dad that this knife is particularly delicate and why. He might surprise you and take care of it, or he might just chip it up and then you get to say “I told you so”. Still winning here right?? 😉
2) Get him a little minitool, prybar or screwdriver to go along with the knife to encourage proper blade use.

Also you get to share this video with him. 😀

 
scdub said:
Dude - this is a no-brainer!!

Get him a TRM Neutron 2!!

You know how knives are personal right? Why roll the dice on a random knife he might or might not like??

You KNOW he likes that model. He would surely like to own the same kind of knife his son owns. (He kinda said so himself).

I understand your concern re:chipping, and I have a couple of suggestions on that. 1) Explain to your Dad that this knife is particularly delicate and why. He might surprise you and take care of it, or he might just chip it up and then you get to say “I told you so”. Still winning here right?? 😉
2) Get him a little minitool, prybar or screwdriver to go along with the knife to encourage proper blade use.

Also you get to share this video with him. 😀

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Valid point. I looks like the next drop is late May. I could make a strop block with him in the shop too. 🤔
 
scubadoober said:
Oooooooo please do tell how you pulled off the fade. That looks incredible, and I would like to do an indigo blue to mint green fade. How did you leave the spyder orange as well?
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I think that's a cool idea, and your dad would likely appreciate you putting your touch on it. I'll let J describe the technique probably better than I can because I pretty much go by feel, and also direct you to YouTube which is where I learned how, but I'll share my experience on the subject (I've done a handful of knives and some G-Shocks as well). First off, the color results can sometimes be hard to predict exactly, but I think in the case of that knife your idea could work well since the mint is such a light color and blue is darker. Expect the mint to possibly tint the resulting color somewhat though (I'm not exactly sure what mint and blue make). The "emerald green" dye might also make for a nice combo.

Here's an experiment I did with Rit "Sapphire Blue" over the green that comes on the LC200N Salt series. This picture captures it with the light hitting it perfectly and you can see the blue, but other times it just looks like a darker green fade.

VLbxmRc.jpg



I have the most experience dying the yellow Salt scales. On these I went with "Kelly Green" towards the pivot for the lime color, with an "Aquamarine" fade on the other end. Even though aquamarine is a bluish green, it didn't turn out very blue because yellow and blue make green. Longer dye times in this case didn't yield a bluer color but rather a darker color (with a hint of blue in some light).

pI1ZQMY.jpg


kYIUK9N.jpg


That's not to say I'm suggesting the Native, I have no experience with it myself. I'm the wrong one to ask anyway, my dad has a drawer full of modern knives that I gifted him, but only ever carries the same Case he has for years 🤣. Be sure to post a pic of your results if you do give it a shot though.
 
scubadoober said:
My dad currently carries a SOG Twitch ii that I bought him over ten years ago. It never deployed right and always felt crunchy compared to the one I had (and broke), or any other assisted knives I used to own (and broke). Sometimes I am hard on knives. He saw my TRM Neutron 2 last time I was in town and was actually excited about it. He made the comment "my birthday is coming up soon". I would have no problem grabbing another one for pops, but from how chippy this edge has been for me I don't think he will take care of it. So I started thinking of other options roughly the same size as his Twitch (2.65" blade and 3.55" closed). I would like to keep it under $200 and not too flashy. Dad is retired and spends all of his time in the wood shop, cutting logs on his bandsaw mill, pulling wood out of the dryer, running a tractor, or building projects. Long story short below are some of the knives I have just started eyeballing, but any suggestions are welcome. Made in the USA would be ideal and no Chinese OEM stuff. It is a broad ask and any good manual flipper would be good as well. Automatics are out since he spends most of his time in Virginia.

Spyderco Native 5:
It looks like BladeHQ still has the M4 version in stock too.

Spyderco lil Native:
No "tough" steels still in stock and I am sure S30V would be fine coming from AUS8.

Gerber fastball:
I saw this in person and it was bigger than I thought it would be next to a Twitch.

Doug Ritter Mini RSK:
Probably the front runner unless the 20CV will have the same issues as my Neutron.

Benchmade bugout:
Easy recommendation but I am not a huge fan. Too flimsy feeling and my BIL broke the Omega spring on his pretty quick.

Spyderco Delica:
More specifically the K390 version.

Spyderco Chaparral:
Might be too light use.

Kershaw Leek:
I hate the pocket clips on these.
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Maybe I'm missing something here, but if your dad admired the knife you are carrying, then why in the blue blazes of hell are you even considering anything else????

Any of those "other" knives would be kind of an insult. If yo care about your father, get him what he openly admired. This is kind of a no-brainer.
 
When my dad said he liked something I had, I just handed it to him and said keep it. He even got a 3 year old pickup truck from me. .

It all worked out in the end. When he died I got all my stuff back. I'm restoring the truck now.

I went to transfer the registration to his Boston Whaler to my name and found out it was already registered to me. He wanted to save me the hassle I guess?.
 
eveled said:
When my dad said he liked something I had, I just handed it to him and said keep it. He even got a 3 year old pickup truck from me. .

It all worked out in the end. When he died I got all my stuff back. I'm restoring the truck now.

I went to transfer the registration to his Boston Whaler to my name and found out it was already registered to me. He wanted to save me the hassle I guess?.
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Dads are like that.
 
Knives&Lint said:
I think that's a cool idea, and your dad would likely appreciate you putting your touch on it. I'll let J describe the technique probably better than I can because I pretty much go by feel, and also direct you to YouTube which is where I learned how, but I'll share my experience on the subject (I've done a handful of knives and some G-Shocks as well). First off, the color results can sometimes be hard to predict exactly, but I think in the case of that knife your idea could work well since the mint is such a light color and blue is darker. Expect the mint to possibly tint the resulting color somewhat though (I'm not exactly sure what mint and blue make). The "emerald green" dye might also make for a nice combo.

Here's an experiment I did with Rit "Sapphire Blue" over the green that comes on the LC200N Salt series. This picture captures it with the light hitting it perfectly and you can see the blue, but other times it just looks like a darker green fade.

VLbxmRc.jpg



I have the most experience dying the yellow Salt scales. On these I went with "Kelly Green" towards the pivot for the lime color, with an "Aquamarine" fade on the other end. Even though aquamarine is a bluish green, it didn't turn out very blue because yellow and blue make green. Longer dye times in this case didn't yield a bluer color but rather a darker color (with a hint of blue in some light).

pI1ZQMY.jpg


kYIUK9N.jpg


That's not to say I'm suggesting the Native, I have no experience with it myself. I'm the wrong one to ask anyway, my dad has a drawer full of modern knives that I gifted him, but only ever carries the same Case he has for years 🤣. Be sure to post a pic of your results if you do give it a shot though.
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This post is well written on the topic of dying and Knives&Lint Knives&Lint was my inspiration for trying the fade.

I too used two colors and they didn't turn out quite like I envisioned but still cool nonetheless.

I used charcoal gray and black. But the gray turned more of a deep burgundy, to root beer to deep brown. I followed that up with black.

I went by feel and guesswork dipping the deepest (up near the pivot) for the shortest amount of time and kept going shallower and longer times to achieve the fade.

I used a metal soup can to mix the dye (also guess work) and kept it on the stove burner on low heat.

It wasn't hard and the whole process took only about ten minutes. But it was the farthest thing from scientific and probably not very repeatable.

I went in knowing that if it turned out ugly, I could just make the scales all black very easily.

Without practice pieces, it's hard to know what the colors will actually turn out like (except black). So you kind of just have to dive in.

Dip for short times first and visually inspect frequently to see if you like what's going on.

To keep the spider orange, I coated it with nail polish first and let it dry. After all the dying was done, I removed the nail polish with acetone. A creative fella could use that knowledge to do some interesting patterns.
 
Welp, TRM has pushed the Neutron drop out until June now. I will be traveling to Knoxville for work on Friday, and will swing by SMKW to lay hands on some of these. Still considering the TRM for dad, but with the date getting pushed out again they don't make it easy. With the automatic ban getting lifted in Virginia on July 1st I might just buy him an OTF. :p
ChrisB507 said:
Also, VA knife laws will be changing on July 1, so an automatic may be more do-able for his next birthday: https://www.akti.org/news/akti-applauds-virginias-automatic-knives-legislation/#:~:text=Glenn Youngkin signed SB 758,American Knife and Tool Institute.
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How about one of the smaller Kershaw Launch automatics? Not sure if they are legal where you are.

I'd given my dad a few knives over the years. A engraved Case golf 2 blade traditional when I got married, a Lionsteel Opera. He could never figure out liner/frame locks etc, so it was slip joint or back lock. However, last summer, for his birthday, I gave him a Kershaw Launch 8. Its a modern stiletto style switchblade. I'd seen him eye mine before. When he opened it he got this stupid grin like he was 8 years old again. He would frequently tell me how much he loved it, even if he only lived to have it 7 months.

The Launch 11 fits those parameters:

Kershaw Launch 11 Automatic Knife Black Aluminum (2.75" Blackwash) 7550 - Blade HQ

Features: Black stonewashed drop point blade made from CPM 154. Bullseye firing button for quick automatic action. Milled-out gray aluminum handle with a window. Button lock for secure lock-up. Reversible, tip-up pocket clip. Description: The Kershaw Launch 11 is an automatic knife for the ages...
www.bladehq.com www.bladehq.com
 
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scubadoober said:
Welp, TRM has pushed the Neutron drop out until June now. I will be traveling to Knoxville for work on Friday, and will swing by SMKW to lay hands on some of these. Still considering the TRM for dad, but with the date getting pushed out again they don't make it easy. With the automatic ban getting lifted in Virginia on July 1st I might just buy him an OTF. :p
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WOW!

I can't believe that this thread is still going on. I mean, this is your dad. Just man up and give him the one out of your pocket that he openly admired.

Its the right thing to do, and anything else is going to be second rate.
 
jackknife said:
WOW!

I can't believe that this thread is still going on. I mean, this is your dad. Just man up and give him the one out of your pocket that he openly admired.

Its the right thing to do, and anything else is going to be second rate.
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LOL, thank you for your opinion. I would prefer to give my dad a new knife. Considering I can't buy "my knife" for him currently I have to wait. His birthday isn't until October soooooooo your were saying giving my dad a used Neutron is top notch, and a giving him a new one is second rate? I guess I'm just a second rate son then. No wonder I sucked at baseball. :rolleyes:
 
What knife is the best fit for a dad depends a lot on if they're a rural or urban dweller, how old they are, what they do/did for a living, and what kind of hobbies they have. Some dads are going to look at a liner lock or flipper, and wonder what kind of wizardry it is. For a lot of dads a nice Case nail nick opener or Swiss Army knife (with a decent tool selection) are going to get a lot more use, because they can relate to them better. For you're dad you might want to get him something like a White River backpacker fixed blade that is always easy to carry around.
 
scubadoober said:
LOL, thank you for your opinion. I would prefer to give my dad a new knife. Considering I can't buy "my knife" for him currently I have to wait. His birthday isn't until October soooooooo your were saying giving my dad a used Neutron is top notch, and a giving him a new one is second rate? I guess I'm just a second rate son then. No wonder I sucked at baseball. :rolleyes:
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No offense on what you have in mind. But for me, a knife given by a dear friend let alone my son, especially a knife they loved and carried them self would mean the world to me. No new knife could compete with that I suppose. Would be nice in this occasion if the knife in question would be in good shape though. Just my two cents.
 
scubadoober said:
LOL, thank you for your opinion. I would prefer to give my dad a new knife. Considering I can't buy "my knife" for him currently I have to wait. His birthday isn't until October soooooooo your were saying giving my dad a used Neutron is top notch, and a giving him a new one is second rate? I guess I'm just a second rate son then. No wonder I sucked at baseball. :rolleyes:
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You're not getting it.

Its a personal gift from a son to father of something carried and valued and has a real world connection. Its the intangible tie between blood.

When I was getting out of knife collecting, and I called the whole family over one Sunday afternoon for a cookout and major knife give away, I had laid out all my knives on a table. kids, grandkids, nephews, nieces, friends, all had their pick. The ones that all got grabbed wa my old well used knives. The knives left on the table for the most part, were the new in box knives that I had accumulated over the years and sat in the sock drawer, but very rarely of ever got carried and used. The ones that went fast were the older ones, well worn by years of carry and use. I asked my nephew Mark, why he wasn't interested in a particular stockman, and he told me that he'd never seem me use it. It had little value for him and others. Same thing with my guns. It was the personal connection that made them valuable to them.

Doesn't matter now, the window has mostly closed. When your dad admired it, you should have given it to him right then on the spot. Its your father, man. The knife is just a thing. an inanimate thing by itself. Our family is what really matters. Stuff is just stuff. family is blood.
 
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