Children's Knife

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protodoc

Joined
Jan 7, 2001
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Does anyone have a source for an inexpensive fixed blade children's knife with a good fingerguard and blunted tip?

I want to get a knife for my seven year old son to be used for whittling under supervision.

Thanks for any suggestions.
 
Check out the scandinavian Scout and youth knives at Ragweed Forge. Brusletto and Mora sell youth knives with guards. Seems like just what you're looking for.

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
Bob W beat me to it.

The Scandanavian Scout knives are awful hard to beat. My eight year old's had his since mid-summer, and it's served him very well. Easily a favorite.

Here's a couple links http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

here's the Helle: http://www.ragweedforge.com/HelleCatalog.html

Can't beat Ragnar for quality, value, and excellent customer service.

(also, if the blunt tip is more important to you than a guard, they also sell a sheepsfoot Mora by Eriksson)
 
protodoc said:
Does anyone have a source for an inexpensive fixed blade children's knife with a good fingerguard and blunted tip?

I want to get a knife for my seven year old son to be used for whittling under supervision.

Thanks for any suggestions.
Click to expand...

I would get a small folder for whittling. A Benchmade PIKA comes to mind.
 
My very first knife was at a very young age when I was a Boy Scout, and I still have and use it to this day!
A Victorinox Camper:thumbup:

I plan on passing this same knife down to my boy one day.
 
It hurts to mention but....you could make one of the Scandi Scout knives blunt tipped with a quick stab into a board and a sideways snap. Could even fine tune it and make it purty with a grinder, dremel, etc.
 
Thanks for the suggestion. I guess blunting the tip myself shouldn't be that difficult to do.
 
A perfect choice would be a Iisakki Järvenpää safety knife:
jline_gen9.jpg


From the Kellam "J-Line".


Runs With Scissors said:
It hurts to mention but....you could make one of the Scandi Scout knives blunt tipped with a quick stab into a board and a sideways snap. Could even fine tune it and make it purty with a grinder, dremel, etc.
Click to expand...
For all that is holy, please don't! Use a hard file instead. Safer and more civilized. ;)
 
Way-O said:
A perfect choice would be a Iisakki Järvenpää safety knife:
jline_gen9.jpg


From the Kellam "J-Line".



For all that is holy, please don't! Use a hard file instead. Safer and more civilized. ;)
Click to expand...

WHACK THWONK BREAKUM BLADE NO MAKE UM NEANDERTHAL LEAK RED GOO!!!:D

Well....I didn't expect anyone to REALLY be quite that crude about the process, but you're right...there are uhmmm....ahem....special people everywhere. I was pretty serious about the dremel/bench grinder part though. Makes things alot easier, as long a fella don't go getting impatient and overheating the blade. Once again though, doing it by hand is a more foolproof and less equipment iintensive.

That Kellam looks like an awesome little knife. A bit pricey for some kids, but if they're responsible enough not to lose it, shouldn't be a problem. Heck, my eight year old still has the first knife I ever gave him when he was five. (I would've lost at least a dozen knives in that three year span when I was that age!) Aw man...now here I am perusing the Kellam site AGAIN.....finding more knives I "need"


Which brings me to the topic....I don't think it's up to ANY of us to state whether or not someone elses child is too young for a knife. Some kids mature much faster than others, and NOBODY is gonna know when it's time for that kind of responsibility more so than the childs parents. My son got his first knife when he was five, still has it, no major injuries. I was six when I got my first knife, no serious injuries, same 5-7 age range with my mother, my grandfather, his grandfather,my wife, my father and law and most of the people I know. Myself and most people I know are and have pretty much always been in rural areas, so maybe that has some degree of influence.
 
Forget it, way too young. Wait five years.
Click to expand...

I had my first knife when I was 5 and never got cut, and mine was more of an EDC. It sounds like his son will only be using it to whittle under supervision, so I don't see a problem.
 
I don't think that a knife without a point is safe, particularly if the blade has a back-sweep to it. You really do most of your fine whittling with the section of blade nearest the tip. You increase the pressure that you need to use if the blade is dull near the tip.

I would suggest that you find a whittling knife from a place like Woodcraft. I would pick one with a sheepsfoot blade design. Something like a Rick Butz "Carving Knife" would work well:
http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=1336
 
Way-O: Thanks, that Kellam knife is exactly what I was looking for.

While no knife is "safe" I think this design is likely to reduce accidental injury.
As far as whittling is concerned: I am not envision my 7 year old son to carve elaborate designs. More like shaving the bark off a stick.
 
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