First ever knife? How old were you when you got it?

James Hutson said:
since when were knives allowed at school?!?!
Click to expand...

Not only allowed. My first and second grade teacher would put together a group order, for a scout style knife, for any of us that wanted one, and had the $4.00 it cost. I don't remember when or how I got my first knife. I do remember that I didn't get one of those scout knives, in the first grade, because I didn't have $4.00, and I already had a knife. It was a three blade stockman style knife. Probably an imperial. It looked a lot like the one Hickory n steel posted the picture of above. Except it had a third blade, and the jigged portion of the scales, at least initially, had a black plastic coating.

O.B.
 
Not sure. My dad was a knife collector. I grew up seeing his collection and knife books and magazines. I was also bass fishing very young.
 
Grandfather gave me my first knife when I was 8. I honestly remember it like it was yesterday. He sat down with my parents and myself and said it's time I have a pocket knife. He opened it and checked the edge with his thumb and slid it across the counter to me. So shortly afterwards I was in the garage and decided I needed to check the edge and we can all imagine about how that went...it wasn't bad and I sure as hell wasnt gonna let anyone see that I had just cut myself. So a quick wrap with a paper towel and then I stuffed my hand into my pocket and went on about my business. This isn't THE knife but after a few decades thanks to the members here we were able to pinpoint the knife I had and find another.

IMG_5358.JPG
 
I guess I was a late bloomer (story of my life...). I was 13 or 14 IIRC. My grandpa (mom's side) gave me a schrade traditional pocket knife.
 
Around 8 (Scouts)
13053_1.jpg
 
I must have been about four years old. My father was stationed at Lakehurst NAS and brought me a pocket knife from the base exchange. I don't recall any details about the knife, but I can still remember the story my mother used to tell about going into the back yard to find my friend Richard and me playing with our knives, "their hands covered with blood". Knowing how mothers react to such things I really doubt there were any serious injuries that day. Or a whole lot of blood. ;)
 
A Gerber/Fiskars “Eclipse” when I was about 7, I think they’ve been long discontinued now
 
I was in the 1st grade, so 5 or 6 years old. The knife was a very small Imperial slip joint. As my hands grew, I bumped up in size to fit my hands. The first couple were Imperials and then I saved up for a Case Barlow when I was about 8-9 years old. I don't really recall how old I was at that point but it was pre-teen age.

I purchased all of my knives with my own money (except one). I only recall one knife being given to me and that was a large hobo type knife I got as a Christmas present from my uncle. Never used it. Cheap thing....

Added: Knives in school.... This never really came up until after I was an adult. In school, I often had a knife in my pocket. Don't recall anyone ever being cut in a fight at school contrary to the things I hear these days. Even the "hood type" guys who all carried knives didn't use them at school in fights. Fights didn't happen very often in my schools. We knew if we got into a serious fight, we would likely be expelled.
 
Last edited:
I don’t remember exactly but I was probably around 8yrs old. My great uncle was using a cheapo Japan made traditional knife to make some fishing lures. He noticed me watching him and gave the knife to me despite my mother not exactly approving. It had two blades, a small clip and smaller pen. Covers were plastic, made to look like checkered bone. The clip blade was bent. It was also discoloured from being heated with a lighter to melt the fishing line to finish the lures. Over the years I abused it further. When I stumbled across it in the garage a few years ago it was missing a bolster, covers were cracked and missing pieces, blades were not opening smoothly yet were wobbly. I put it in a spot to remind me to attempt to repair it. I finally got around to it and it is now back to work! I completely disassembled it, cleaned the parts, bent the clip blade back to almost perfectly straight. I turned the pen into a coping and reassembled the knife. She’s now sporting some homemade denim micarta covers with a thin red layer over the brass liners. No bolsters. Pins are now steel because that’s what I had. The clip blade always hit so I added a small piece of rubber on the spring where the tang meets when closing. Action is light but snappy. The knife surely wasn’t worth the time I put into it but not only was it a fun project and learning experience, but I can now pass it one to one of my boys, or my nephew one day.
 
I was about 8 or 9 years old, and remember it like it was yesterday. I hounded my parents unmercifully for this white handled melon tester style that I fell in love with in the case a Western Auto. It did not last too long, as the blade was too long for the weak joint. But you never forget your first..... and I have been hunting for the holy grail ever since. :O)
 
I started being taught how to use knives when I was about 4.

I was 6 when I was given my first knife to have permanently. The first weekend after I started first grade, I went to visit my grandfather. He gave me a small peanut, saying....

"Now that you've started school, you need your own knife. We can't have you borrowing everyone else's knife."

I carried a knife to school every day after that through 4th grade. Just before I started fifth grade, I began carrying 2 pocket knives. I have carried a minimum of 2 every day for over 50 years since.
 
Hickory n steel said:
This look familiar ?


I suasusp these shell construction imperials were first knives for a lot of little boys.
Click to expand...

That's not it - the handle scale on my first knife is smooth. BUT I did get that exact knife later on (although mine originally had black paint on the scales).
 
oldmanwilly said:
That's not it - the handle scale on my first knife is smooth. BUT I did get that exact knife later on (although mine originally had black paint on the scales).
Click to expand...
This one came to me new old stock maybe a year ago and the black plastic was coming off.
I'm not sure if paint was used earlier on, but this one had a heat shrunk white plastic with paint over that and a cellophane type film over that.
I peeled it all off and prefer it like this.

I'm pretty sure I know the knife you're talking about though.
 
I was 6. It was some sort of traditional folder with two blades. I didn't have it long as my friends and I thought it'd be fun to take our new knives to school to show each other. We were in 1st grade, and frankly didn't think anything of it. One friend got caught and ratted the rest of us out. The knife was taken away, and I didn't get it back for a year or so.
 
I was almost 7 when I got my Camillus Cub Scout Knife.

Shortly after that my Grandpop got me one of those little fixed blades, like 2” long, it had a leather sheath and imitation pearl handle.
 
I wanted a knife when I was 5, but my parents said I had to wait until I was 6. That was the longest year of my life. It probably turned me into a “knife nut” My first knife was a 2 blade Imperial with hollow handles and rustable blades. I got a pair of “combat boots” that had a knife pocket on the collar.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top