First Knife for a 10 year old

Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. Best value for the money and it will definitely impress a 10 year old immensely!
 
How about a knife that was designed for school age kids?

For a folder, the Cub Scout or Boy Scout knife(If you cannot get him to join the Cub Scouts go ahead and get him the Boy Scout knife, if you CAN get him to join the Cub Scouts, then get him the Cub Scout knife...I still remember what it felt like when I got mine.

For a fixed blade knife get him a Finnish Schoolboy's Knife.
#6323, in carbon steel, $21,
#6323-o, in stainless steel, $22
He will be able to learn sharpening EASLY with one of these knives.

It does not have a front guard, but nether do most of the folders, and he should not be using it to STAB things anyway!

You could also get him a set of x-acto knives in one of the wooden chests. Get him one of the ones with the carving handle included and it will have some VERY nice blades in it. While desposible, the carving blades are REAL blades and sharpen very well. They have the proper Scandinavian type single bevel grind on them are are qute sharp. The other knives in the set will be usefull for model making, crafts, etc...
 
I would get him a good carbon mora, they are cheap,sharp, strong and fixed. I grew up useing knives and cut myself lots of times before I got it don't cut towards yourself even though I heard it all the time, get him a good one like a mora and then teach him how to use it, and don't forget that a sharp knife is more safe than a dull one
 
I'd get him a nice Microtech automatic. Just kidding. How about a Swiss army knife? Although they don't have a locking mechanism. Maybe something small and simple, not too terribly sharp, but with a lockback, like an old fashioned Buck 110, if they make a miniature version, even better.
 
Mini Griptillian would be my first choice as a gift for a folder.

For a fixed blade, maybe a CS Recon Scout.

I got my first knife at 5, 10 is wayyyy too old to be starting out, you may have to buy him a folder and a fixed so he can cram :D
 
The absolute worst thing is to skimp on the quality and usefulness factors, something rampant in things 'made for kids'. It really irks me when I see dumbed down cheap crap that fails, falls apart or underperforms. The mindset that kids will lose it or break it so make it cheap is so wrong. Give them something that really works so they aren't discouraged after a few tries. Something quality that will stand up to some abuse and damn the cost. Isn't a good experience and a lifetime of memories worth it? and don't even get me started on all that nerf soccermon-safe round the corners bullhockey. Screw that.
Yeah kids will do stupid crap when we are not looking. I did and amazingly I still live and have wonderful scars to guide my many rich memories. One of these scars is a line starting next to the nail of my right index fingernail and continues across under the nail and divides a 'white' area from a pink area. A hard lesson learned about 'drilling' with a slipjoint at age 11. Man was it hard to unfold that blade. :barf:
By the way, I bought my daughter her first knife at age SIX and she still has it at 12. She wants an Angel Sword (no cheap stainless junk in this family). When she is 16 and has saved half..... ;)
 
Merek said:
The absolute worst thing is to skimp on the quality and usefulness factors, something rampant in things 'made for kids'. It really irks me when I see dumbed down cheap crap that fails, falls apart or underperforms. The mindset that kids will lose it or break it so make it cheap is so wrong. Give them something that really works so they aren't discouraged after a few tries. Something quality that will stand up to some abuse and damn the cost. Isn't a good experience and a lifetime of memories worth it? and don't even get me started on all that nerf soccermon-safe round the corners bullhockey. Screw that.
Yeah kids will do stupid crap when we are not looking. I did and amazingly I still live and have wonderful scars to guide my many rich memories. One of these scars is a line starting next to the nail of my right index fingernail and continues across under the nail and divides a 'white' area from a pink area. A hard lesson learned about 'drilling' with a slipjoint at age 11. Man was it hard to unfold that blade. :barf:
By the way, I bought my daughter her first knife at age SIX and she still has it at 12. She wants an Angel Sword (no cheap stainless junk in this family). When she is 16 and has saved half..... ;)
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A voice of reason!
 
Too Young

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A ten year old should not have a knife, period.

Bell,
I would have to disagree with you. Many of us started out much younger than 10. With proper supervision kids do well with knives and learn alot of responsibility. Will they get cut....yes. Do I still get cut....YES. Is it because I have the mentality of a 10 year old...MAYBE. :D

Just remember it is an opinion and no one is going to force a knife on a kid.

Tom
 
One more recommendation for a Voctorinox SAK.

I received a SAK Classic at age FOUR. I'm pretty sure I owned my full sized SAK Explorer by the time I was 7. I know I cut myself once or twice . . but that's what teaches you how to use sharp tools responsibly. The Explorer is still my official travelling knive to this day - 24 years later. Last week I was on my honeymoon in rural mexico and was thrilled to discover that I needed to use just about every tool on it (especially the corkscrew!).

Why a SAK? - because it has TOOLS! Young boys like to tinker - to take apart things, to whittle, to auger holes in things, to build models, etc. A good SAK will give him a pocket full of great tools - and it will also quickly teach him that a knife is primarily a tool, not a weapon.

It's also perfect for camping. Can opener, awl, magnifying glass, tweezers! scissors - they all get used. When I was in the boyscouts, everyone had to have a knife.

A leatherman could be good, too (I also own a Wave) - but it doesn't quite have the same feel to it as a good pocketknife. I think of the Wave more as a tool that I need to go find when I need to use it - the SAK usually just happens to be in my pocket. Maybe it's a question of bulk. Dunno.
 
How about a Leatherman Fuse?

All implements lock, has almost every tool typically needed (including scissors, which are the better tool to use sometimes vs. a blade).

$40 at Target (maybe cheaper elsewhere?). With belt sheath. AND, most people don't react negatively to a Leatherman -- they seem to react in the same fashion as they do to a SAK i.e. it's a "tool" - not a TERRORIST knife!! ;)
 
Whatever you get 'em teach 'em to sharpen it properly.

Giving a kid a knife is the beginning. But TEACHING a kid to sharpen said knife goes a long way.
 
jackknife said:
Stevekt just hit the nail right smack on the head. If the kid is started out on a lockblade or a fixed blade he will NEVER start off learning the correct way to handle a knife.
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I started out on an old timer without lock 32 yrs ago and I still have an occassional slip when whittling. Other than not accidentally folding in your fingers there is nothing you can't learn about safely handling a knife with a good lockback.
 
I had seen that the original poster said that the parents were worried about the knife being taken to school. Simple solution, have the parents give the knife to the kid, and take it back when they think hes done using it that day. As for what type of knife, I would say a SAK, a small stockman, even better, one of those "bums" knives, the one with the spoon, fork and blade. Just round the point, and the kid is all set. Visit him often and make sure that he learns proper care and respect for it, and all should be okay.
 
Man it disgusts me that we should even be debating this!!! I'm only 25 and don't consider myself a part of some "yester year, good old days, long passed by" generation. I recieved my first firearm when I was about 7 years old...properly used under competent adult supervision of course. My first knife was probably shortly before that it was a small remington folder, and my first fixed blade (a Case) I recieved probably around the age of 10. A knife (or firearm for that matter) isn't some mystery weapon only to be presented at age 21!!! It's a tool that every person should grow up with, knowing how to use and take care of. We as a society need to leave the politics and the Knee Jerk reactions to the bunch of Pansy A$$holes in washington and start raising our kids the way most of us were raise; in the real world with some friggin common sense. I'm frankly surprised at some of this bullsh1t about a 10yr old being too young to have a knife, especially around here. If the kid is responsible and mature, get him a knife and teach him how to use it responsibly.
 
bell said:
A ten year old should not have a knife, period.
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I fully disagree, I'm sorry but that's totally wrong. Some kids yes, they should not have knives, but it's not about age. I was 5 years old when my father gave me my first knife, he gave it to me because he first taught me the respect I needed to use these tools. In fact a couple years later I got my first 2 guns, a BB gun, then a Ruger 10/22. It's not about age, it's about respect and behavior.
 
In my family we give our sons a Victorinox on their eleventh birthday. The biggest size, with many tools.
It is a thought behind this.
They get a nice knife in nice size for the age. They get many different tools to use together with the knife. The combination gives possibilities to create things and perhaps starts creative thinking. They learn to use sharp tools and combine the tools in many ways. They find out that there is, sometimes, many solutions of technical problems.

I learn my three sons use the tools when they work on branches or small pieces of wood. I learn them trust the tools, learn them that they are sharp and supervised them for a our or so during their first cutting and sit there with band aid ready to take care of them when they cut them self’s for the first time. And they do. And they learn.

All three is still living, I have bought the same knife for my grandchildren and they all use their knifes, and the tools. I think this type of knife is one part of their use to develop their creative side, to solve technical problems (how to do things and how to choose tools for the job). It helps them to identify the problem, and, the solution to the problem.
This is a nice way to solve problems later during life. There is often many solutions, not only one, but, sometimes, only one.

Small things can sometimes make a big difference.

Thomas
 
i like the standerd swiss army knife, i still have one. i would go with the one that has the two blades, one bigger than the other, the can opener, the bottle opener, and the twezers in the handle. hope he liked whatever you settle on :)
 
Yeah, what he said. I think it should be more than just a knife as most mentioned who recommended SAK. How about a Leatherman Micra or Juice?

Just be careful about your son bringing it to school, it might get confiscated and cause trouble. My nephew's friend got suspended for bringing a SAK. I do not know the details but they were told that knives were forbidden.

EdgePal said:
In my family we give our sons a Victorinox on their eleventh birthday. The biggest size, with many tools.
It is a thought behind this.
They get a nice knife in nice size for the age. They get many different tools to use together with the knife. The combination gives possibilities to create things and perhaps starts creative thinking. They learn to use sharp tools and combine the tools in many ways. They find out that there is, sometimes, many solutions of technical problems...
Thomas
Click to expand...
 
I gave my kids their first knife at about 7. I give a victronix executive with the small blade, scissors, nail file, toothpick, etc. The knife gets a landyard and the kids a lecture about how you'll never lose the knife as long as its around your kneck or through your belt loop. I buy them dull and slightly used at knife or gun shows and ask the child if they want it sharpened. They initially say no, cut with the scissors, but come back in a few weeks wanting the blade sharp. That's when they learn how to sharpen. They usually get a minor cut in the first week but then never again. All kids know about the "no tolerance knife policy" at school and would never bring it there. Never had a problem. However, there are unusually obtuse children for whom you need to be much more careful. I am not blessed with one.

After the first knife, what they get depends upon what they want. I give all 12 year olds their own leatherman. Kids need some basic tools too.
 
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