Criteria for production knives as gifts, family heirlooms, etc.

[Inazone]

As the "knife guy" in my immediate family and circle of friends, it has become something of a tradition for me to give knives as gifts. This is usually something I think the recipient will find useful or cool, not necessarily with collecting in mind, but I won't gift someone a knife that I wouldn't use myself.

That being said, I come from an extended family with lots of aunts, uncles and cousins who live much closer to each other than my immediate family (we were always the "out of town" relatives) and when various things have been handed down from generation to generation, it just worked out that there weren't many family heirlooms and such that made their way to my parents and eventually my brother and me. My dad has a couple of his father's old knives, but they were users over the course of many years, to the point that if my dad wasn't the type of person to squeeze every last ounce of usefulness out of something, they'd have been thrown away long ago. My brother has our dad's Boy Scout knife and hunting rifle, and we each have an old rifle handed down. That's about it.

Meanwhile, I now have a nephew (also my godson) whose father (my brother-in-law) is a knife/gun guy and knows that I am too. It is my intention to give him something a little nicer and more meaningful than what I've given other people, and should I have kids someday, the same would be true. However, I'm not one to buy custom knives without a specific need, so nearly everything I own is a production knife, the nicest being Benchmades, ZTs, various discontinued USA Kershaws and so on. Some were bought simply for collecting purposes, or because I really liked a particular design, but regardless, there are some that I look at and think that is a knife worthy of handing down.

If you buy knives on that premise, and more specifically production knives, what criteria matter to you? Something from a specific manufacturer and/or designer? Made in the USA, or more specifically in one particular factory? Do you stick to more traditional styles, or maybe a "timeless" design made with modern materials?

Just trying to expand my horizons . . .

 

[brownshoe]

You need to fit the knife with the person. I also like to be able to see the knife, to assure they are good quality. Where I live, that means I give Case to those who would like traditional knives and Spyderco to those who would utilitarian one-handers. For in betweeners, I give SAK-victorinox. For kitchen knives I give Spyderco (bought on line) or Forschner (available locally). Leatherman is my multi-tool gift of choice; suprisingly popular with young women over 13yo. More than one has told me that at camp or in the dorm, they are the only ones with pliers and a screwdrive thanks to Tom Leatherman and me

Just about anyone likes a little Case Toothpick or a CopperLock with shiny bone covers, brass liners and nickel silver bolsters. Made in America is good too. Case can be found in many places. SAK can also be found anywhere, the small lobsters with scissors are great gifts for children.

All of the above are proven heirloom quality knives...until lost. Always tell a kid to use a lanyard with their pocket knife so they can wear it around their neck or loop their pants belt loop so they won't lose it. But then tell them (in front of their parents), "It's not too expensive, I'd rather have you use it and lose it than not use it. I will get you another if it's lost. Don't ever take it to school or in buildings where they search you."

 

[The Logical One]

I'm kinda iffy about the family heirloom knife thing. At my old job my coworker had a traditional knife that was passed down from his grandfather to his dad, and then to him. He lost it a few weeks after getting it. I think nowadays it's a little harder to dedicate that ONE knife as something that you plan on passing down from generations to generations because of all the choices we have, and especially as knife enthusiasts. You wouldn't believe how many knives I've had in the past that I coined as "The one" that was going to be passed down to my kids. I'd say just let nature take it's course. Years down the road, you're going to have that ONE knife that you just end up carrying and whichever it is.... that's probably the one.

 

[GIRLYmann]

If it's something with the intention as a possible future heirloom,
I would sincerely stick with products with base materials which can withstand abuse.
I would try to avoid leather and rubber parts.
Any Soft flexible material.
Where possible the least moving parts, the better.
Nice cool designs of today, may not be a thing of beauty tomorrow.
So, any overly designed stuff might be wasted overkill and a wasted cause.
No love or interest down the road, will end all hopes for anything as a cherished heirloom.
Sentimental versus intrinsic values,
Thing is, junk today could be treasured tomorrow,
Just as sure as values fluctuates.
Nothing beats sentimental value for a family heirloom
Particularly if there is family history involved with the object in question.
I imagine myths will be passed down and create rich legends along the way...
In all, we can't expect our current possessions to make it through the ages
In family hands, not unless the bloodline can guarantee passionate enough knife collectors.

 

[Yo Mama]

If you buy knives on that premise, and more specifically production knives, what criteria matter to you? Something from a specific manufacturer and/or designer? Made in the USA, or more specifically in one particular factory? Do you stick to more traditional styles, or maybe a "timeless" design made with modern materials?

Just trying to expand my horizons . . .

For a gift or heirloom I go with a solidly recommended blade within the limits of my spending ability. I won't go with a made in China knife ever, no matter what. But with only a few dollars you can still get someone a really nice gift.

I gave a Leatherman Sidekick to my Brother in Law, I gave a Benchmade 5w rescue hook to my hunting buddy, a Victorinox Climber to his son. Each of those is under 30-35 dollars, and put a nice smile on their faces.

When I'm buying my own stuff for me, I up the price, stay away from China, and look for the best value to add to my collection. My collection will be my children's one day, they already have their favorites picked out. Criteria for me is great steel, solid lock if it's a folder, nice materials, warranty, usefulness, and ability to last the test of time.

One side note, Benchmade has a fantastic service that will laser engrave any BM knife you own for a very reasonable cost. It used to be like 5 dollars.
I have engraved almost every BM I have, the Griptilian I have is next to be sent back for this. It adds to the knife so much, and makes me feel better that it will be harder for some relative down the line to pawn!

 

[Inazone]

Thanks everyone, good points all around. The knives that come to mind for me (that I currently own) are the Benchmade 300SN, ZT 0801 and Kershaw Groove. Each of these is a knife that was "love at first sight" for me. Of course, I also have a knife from my youth - an Explorer tanto with leather sheath - that has more sentimental value than any others I own just because of when and where I got it. In the case of the Groove and the Explorer, I have two of each, one for the collection and one as a user. Not because of resale purposes, but because I want one in like new condition for the exact reason I brought up this topic in the first place.

I always thought the ancient Herter's "Improved Bowie" my dad inherited from my grandpa was a cool knife, and my dad uses that knife for everything just like my grandpa before him, but it's more rust than steel and the handle is falling apart. I figure that with my own knives, having one user and one safe queen of each (well, of those two models anyway) I can always have one that will be that perfect example of why I liked them so much. I recently bought two identical SAKs for basically the same reason. I lost the one I had as a kid, but the current Tinker is pretty close.

 

[JarrodS]

To me, heirlooms are about remembrance of the individual who has passed and nothing at all to do with intrinsic value. Anything you leave behind that reminds your loved ones of you will be treasured. If you are lucky enough to be able to afford nice things, fine. But buying something nice just to hand it down makes no sense to me. If you are truly concerned with your family members having something nice from you, buy them a nice gift. If you're just looking for an excuse to buy a nice knife, find a different reason. IMO you don't need an excuse, just buy what you like.

 

[Franciscomv]

Yo Mama, the engraving on those BMs looks great (especially the 300!). Something like that would be a great touch for a gift.

I really don't think you can pick a knife to be somebody else's family heirloom. I've got knives from both my grandfathers and one of my great grandfathers, I still use them and value them a lot because they remind me of my grandfathers not because of their intrinsic value or quality.

When I give someone a knife as a gift, I try to pick something that they'll find aesthetically pleasing as well as useful. I find a particular pleasure in matching a person to the knife or tool that will meet his needs best. For instance, I've got a friend who is a rock climber and mountaineer. He went through a few different knives until I got him a Victorinox OHT which he just loves. Is it the most unique or high quality knife out there? Certainly not, but it's his favourite.

 

[jfk1110]

Helps to know what style catches your nephews eye. However, there are just some classic lines that appeal to most. For instance, never heard anyone say the fallkniven gp model was ugly. Check one out

 

[Inazone]

Helps to know what style catches your nephews eye. However, there are just some classic lines that appeal to most. For instance, never heard anyone say the fallkniven gp model was ugly. Check one out

Well, he's two years old, so everything catches his eye. I'm not buying him something now, but if he follows in his father's footsteps at all, I think a nice knife would be appropriate someday. For my friend's son, it's a little different because he's a teenager and the family generally doesn't do much in the way of outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, camping, etc. In the past, I've given him flashlights and multi-tools, so he thinks of me as the "gadget guy" with all kinds of cool stuff. This year, I gave him one of the newer Schrade fixed blade knives, on the premise that it's nice enough that he could actually get some use out of it, but not a waste of money if he never does anything more than show his buddies. (I did give him a talking-to about being careful with it.)

Since I'm dealing in generalities for the most part, it's not that I have specific knives or even brands in mind, but I just prefer giving gifts that have a certain degree of permanence beyond the latest video game, tablet or whatever. If it's for a particularly meaningful occasion, I try to aim a little higher in terms of quality without making it over-the-top.