Cub Scout Advice

I learned the hard way. Got the scars to prove it! However, I do not think a young scout shoud be carving up his fingers to learn how to use a knife. I applaud your schooling!
 
Thanks all for the great advice...an yes Chris I am terrified. Wish me luck.

Does anyone know anything about www.Mbin.com?

They sell quite a few different low end knives in bulk.
 
Another vote for Opinel. Inexpensive, good steel (carbon at least is), and a great knife for kids to learn with. Victorinox also offers the "my first victorinox" knives with a blunt tip. PJHULL, please contact me via email, and I can help you out. I was a scout, and appreciate what they do for the youth of our country.
 
cstorr2004 said:
pjhull - when I became a Cub Scout my dad presented me with a Swiss Army Knife. A simple one with a large and small blade, bottle opener/screw driver and I think a punch if I remember right. Wish I still had it. I don't know how much those SAK's cost for a basic one, and I guess it doesn't fit your criteria as a locking blade knife anyway.

I will offer a contribution of $15 towards your purchase for those kids if it will help increase the quality of knife you get for them. Let me know if you accept and I'll get it to you.

Chris
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Thanks I do want this to be special. But...I can't take your money. Times are hard for some of the families in my Den but thankfully my family is holding their own. God Bless you for offering though.
 
pjhull said:
Yes ... where was hand sanitizer, car seats and sunscreen when we were kids. By today's standards we are lucky to have lived this long.
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haha hand sanitizer.

i remember when i was in souts. made it up to Star then took a hiatus (it just happend) and wasnt until my senior year of high school did i put my ass to the fire and finished it up.

but i remember when i went back to my troop, somehow hand sanitizer somehow ended up on the list of essentials. :eek: i was gone for only 2 years!

o well
 
Hey, I'm an Eagle Scout class of 93. So he's my .02

I have to say I really like the idea of the Opinel. Proven and estbished design and lock security. Also I think it's best all around knife for the price. I'd look for a 3" and carbon so they learn about the responsibilty of have a knife. I've still got stuff I carrried growing up and still use it. This would be something I would have kept (and hopfully not lost).

Never heard of the knives or the site you talking about, sorry. So I can't comment.
 
PJ, I hate get negative but I just looked at MBin's knives. The website is nice enough & I think they're probably a decent company but ... the knives are China cheapies. Frankly, they smell like Pakistan. Clicking on a couple of them, I read they'd make great collector's items -- in other words, don't expect them to cut anything. Dull knives are dangerous.

I wouldn't trust any of them.
 
pjhull said:
Thanks I do want this to be special. But...I can't take your money. Times are hard for some of the families in my Den but thankfully my family is holding their own. God Bless you for offering though.
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Your welcome. The offer stands if you need it, but good for you in doing this for the kids.

I second Esav's concern over the knives on that site. I think the suggestions of an Opinel are good.
 
having taught eight year olds for two years, all i can say is terrific. our school required not only blunt but plastic scissors. no wonder kids whine so much. then again, one of my "special" (read: emotionally disturbed) middleschoolers (from my days teaching in the 'hood of tampa...man i miss suitcase city) did draw blood when she used blunted steel scissors to stab a classmate in the head during homeroom.

wally world might have inexpensive buck lockbacks, the little ones.

kids need to get teased, fall and get bumped, get a cut. otherwise they'll never grow up, its part of childhood. i've had a thirteen year old boy CRY because he poked his palm with a pencil. it didn't even bleed. i poked an inch deep, inch long hole in my knee in tenth grade, bled all over moms caravan, patched it up, and noone was the wiser until they saw the scar. some schools up here have outlawed the game of tag. maybe we should wrap them in bubblewrap before they go out of the house.
 
come to think of it i like the opinel idea as well. afte thier more experienced they can carve them up and make it personal.



jude_061 said:
maybe we should wrap them in bubblewrap before they go out of the house.
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haha ! thats a funny picture. :D kinda like 'a chrismas story'
 
or even better, those big red suit things that the guy who gets beat up in rape aggression defense class wears. that would be a hell of a back-to-school item.
 
How about the bomb-squad suit? :D

I kicked a stool out from under a classmate as he was sitting down. He reached up, grabbed a pencil, and stabbed me in the knee. I laughed and reached down to help him up.

It's not about aggression and violence, though. Kids need to handle potentially dangerous tools to learn how to avoid the danger. Not to mention acquiring the skill of, first, whittling, and then of other kinds of mechanical and artistic work.
 
mechanics? art? ...reading, even? those don't belong in school. we only need classes on math, science, political correctness, ...oh yeah..and standardize tests. kids must know the correct way of terminating multiple choice questions with extreme prejudice using only the barbarians tool: the no. 2 pencil, which, esav, you are intimately acquainted, I see.

now that we're completely off topic...

I flunked out of cub scouts. if only my den mother could see me today.

my first knife was a victorinox SAK, a tinker, the MacGuyver knife with a philips head in place of the corkscrew. my parents, back in 87 were thinking utility. today, i think we need to do away with corkscrews all together. it fosters underaged drinking. and to be truly "outdoorsey" I just break off the bottleneck.
 
Thank you all for the great advice..and the chance to relive the glory days. I am going to take a close look at the Opinels if I can't swing enough dough to cover 10 Pocket Pals. YES I need 10 knives but I will steer clear of the super cheapies on Mbin. Thanks All .... it pays to ask the experts.
 
PJ,
You need to call Mary Beth at New Graham. She has something for you. Tell her your screen name and she'll hook you up.

Here's New Graham's number: 1-866-333-4445

And it's not a gift, I'm investing in the future voters who hopefully will not allow the further vilification of knives.:thumbup:

oil
 
When I did my soap animal we used ivory soap to carve on. This is a pretty stiff medium. I used a classic scout knife with a thin, but rather broad blade. This tended to bind in the soap if you tried to make a deep cut and was hard to use for fine details. The blade was wider and thicker than is optimal. For this job a small blade is best. The boys' hands are also small. I would look for something with a short blade (or blades) particularly one with a sheepsfoot blade. A lock is much less necessary when carving soap. When you carve wood there is a serious risk of the blade closing when you pull back on a blade that is stuck in the cut. With soap the blade backs out pretty easilly.

I would look for a small slip-joint stockman knife. I would have them do their carving with the sub-two-inch blades. Mostly with the sheepsfoot. Keep the blade length as short as possible. Remember length and thickness will make the blades more dangerous. Blade belly is also a liability for this purpose.
 
OilMan said:
PJ,
You need to call Mary Beth at New Graham. She has something for you. Tell her your screen name and she'll hook you up.

Here's New Graham's number: 1-866-333-4445

And it's not a gift, I'm investing in the future voters who hopefully will not allow the further vilification of knives.:thumbup:

oil
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Thumbs up to OilMan. MegaChicklets!
 
Thanks but I did ask for repayment. Nothing in life is free.:) (Repayment consists of posting pictures of what they whittle with their new knives.)

Happy Holidays a little early to everyone. Hopefully this evens out my Karma a bit too.:p

oil
 
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