First Fixed Blade for my Son

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bnole

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May 18, 2009
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I am blessed to have a great son who is about to turn 10. He is mature (for a 10 yo) and has demonstrated good safety and handling skills with both knives and firearms. Of course I spend a lot of time with him teaching him how to do things right and he works through the skills till he gets them down.

Anyway, we spend a lot of time outdoors hunting and roaming the woods. He has a good folder that he uses, but I would like to add a quality fixed blade survival knife to his kit. I want a knife that will last him forever, but not break the bank. I am considering a few: Kabar short, USAF issue survival knife, EESE Izula, Becker Necker, maybe a Mora...

Any input is appreciated!:D
 
for a first knife at that age, i'd suggest a carbon steel Mora (Clipper 840 or similar). something cheap he can beat on and not have you shedding tears of blood if he loses/destroys it.

once he's proven he can take care of that, then consider a really nice knife for his 16th birthday.

just my $0.02.
 
I say Kabar. My first was a Buck 124 and an old Camilus Pilot's knife. I beat the snot out of the Camilus and still have it 30+ years later. Kabar would be good. I have a Gerber Freeman for trade too(cheap) that might do the trick.
 
I'd say a mora, if you think it might get lost or busted down the road. If you're willing to spend a little more a Fallkniven F1 would be a good choice. It'll last forever and he wont have to worry about it rusting out on him if he forgets to clean it after having some fun in the woods. It's a really sturdy little blade and holds an edge like nobodies business.
 
> I want a knife that will last him forever, but not break the bank.

Becker Necker, I think. My son got his first fixed blade about that age or a bit younger and we got him the USAF survival knife (the Ontario version - should have bought the real thing). That was fine but he's got several other fixed blades now that he's more likely to carry than that one.

Anyway, of that list, the BK-11 is priced right and of high enough quality that it ought to last quite some time *and* still get use when he's older. Heck, I'm in my 40s and am sitting in my basement wearing my BK-11 right now. :D
 
My first fixed blade was a classic Mora #1 with a red handle and a laminated carbon steel blade.

I did not think it was the coolest knife in the world aesthetically, but it worked really well and I used it on every outdoor trip I went on for years after that.

I still have it today and think it would make a great first knife for anyone.
 
i say get the esee.

won't break the bank, comes with a nice sheath, a variety of coatings/scales, and in the event the knife breaks, a great warranty.

it would also be a nice way to introduce him to the forums. although those esee guys are a little nuts. ;)
 
Wow, thanks for all the input.

I was looking at a couple other options, the Ontario Ranger RD4 and the Izula with micarta handles.

I have an USAF knife which I really like (the only down side is that I would like him to have somthing different as his own).

I like the price on the Mora, though I'm not sure it will hold the "heirloom" status for him.

The BK11 I like, though I would probably add scales to it.

Again, I really appreciate the recommendations, please keep them coming.
 
i'd prolly get the izula with the micarta scales. knifecenter has them for a couple bucks more than the becker, and then the scales are like 15 bucks or so. cheap enough that you won't be heartbroken over its loss, but comes highly recommended and would likely last him as long as it takes him to drop it in a lake lol
 
bnole said:
I like the price on the Mora, though I'm not sure it will hold the "heirloom" status for him.
Click to expand...

it won't hold "heirloom" status.

it's "first knife to demolish while learning to care for an heirloom blade" status.

get him the heirloom blade for his 16th birthday. once he's learnt proper knife respect and safety.
 
I am with a Mora since it is a useful no frills knife. I see alot of people who start out with the tactical type knives and it seems they judge a knife more by looks and supposed function.
 
Chris reeve one piece mountaineer 1 survival knife. Looks very cool and will last a lifetime and priced reasonably if you can still find it. The blade is razor sharp and the customer service is excellent.
 
Ah, more of an heirloom knife then...

In that case, I will mention Brusletto and Helle knives. They are traditional, good looking, and very functional and utilitarian.




This Helle might fit the bill: The "BraKar" -About 5 inches of Laminated Sandvik stainless steel

The following photos are from ragweedforge

brakar.jpg





Maybe this Brusletto would do the job: The "Norgeskiven" 3.75 inches of sandvik stainless

norges.jpg




I like all of the suggestions so far, but as you can tell, I have a thing for scandinavian knives:D.

If you wanted to spend the money, Bark River makes some excellent Heirloom quality knives and they put nice convex edges on all of their work.
 
Just for clarification..."heirloom" probably was not the best choice of words. I just want somthing he will want to keep and use for a lifetime. Hopefully, the fact that it came from dad will go a ways toward that...but it does need to be tough enough.

Still liking the kabar short and the izula. How does the sheath attach on the izula? it looks like it only has 1 slot. Any great deals on the izula and scales? I am going to check knifecenter as recommended.
 
My first fixed blades were a Buck 121 and Buck 103. These are the black phenolic handle models that are Buck's classic fixed blade line. And I still have them after nearly 40 years.

Buck has the Omni series or Bucklite series of fixed blades that are quite cost friendly. The classic 100 series is around $50 or $60 depending on model.

I think he'd really like a 4" Omni Hunter at his age. They are available at most Wally Worlds and K-marts.
 
Yeah as a suprise. he has been working on some survival skills this summer (compass navigation, fire from ferro rod/steel, etc.) He likes it and I think a nice knife would go great with the good compass he asked for.
 
I think a Fallkniven WM1 would be a great choice for him - 3" blade / 7" OAL... Great size for a 10 y/o and a 10 y/o's hands... and when he gets bigger, he can use it as a backup or neck knife...

wm1-web.jpg
 
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