First knife recommendations

Hatchet_Jack

Hatchet_Jack

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G'day gents,

My eldest son starts school in a few months and I wanted to get him his first knife as a gift. It'll be for helping in the garden and for learning to skin rabbits, just as my dad did for me.

My dad got me a little slip joint pen knife, and I'd love to get something similar. I did think though it may be safer to get a lambsfoot or something similar with no sharp point but the little pen knife I learnt on was fine.

If GEC would run another keychain knife I'd be all over that, but in lieu such dreams does anyone have any suggestions?

Edit: I'm only after a traditional folding knife, so suggestions on something along these lines would be great.
 
The first knife I bought for my kids was a victorinox cadet. Here was my thinking.
1. They will probably lose their first knife because I started them young and kids are kids.
2. The other tools are quite useful and will help prevent using the knife blade for things other than cutting.
3. The stainless means I didn’t have to worry about them caring for carbon.
4. I had their first names engraved on them.
5. Pretty bullet proof so if they are dropped, etc the scales/covers wouldn’t break or crack.
6. The pulls are fairly light and work well for little fingers

I’m sure whatever you choose will be cherished.
 
Maybe an Opinel?
Easily replaceable. You can get them in various sizes, in stainless or carbon. No backspring tension (which seems like more of a safety issue to me than having a pointy tip) but you can easily round the tip if you want.
 
r8shell said:
Maybe an Opinel?
Easily replaceable. You can get them in various sizes, in stainless or carbon. No backspring tension (which seems like more of a safety issue to me than having a pointy tip) but you can easily round the tip if you want.
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I was just looking at their keychain knives and wondering that now myself.

They do have a kids knife but it's a bit big and bulky for my young fella I reckon.

Only downside is that as a kid I know I poked, cut and twisted knife blades. I have a no.5 and it's a very thin blade, I worry he'll put enough lateral movement on it to snap the blade and fling it toward his face. I nearly did that in my adult life with a havalon blade and was part of the reason I migrated back to sharpening knives over replaceable blades.
 
rishma said:
The first knife I bought for my kids was a victorinox cadet. Here was my thinking.
1. They will probably lose their first knife because I started them young and kids are kids.
2. The other tools are quite useful and will help prevent using the knife blade for things other than cutting.
3. The stainless means I didn’t have to worry about them caring for carbon.
4. I had their first names engraved on them.
5. Pretty bullet proof so if they are dropped, etc the scales/covers wouldn’t break or crack.
6. The pulls are fairly light and work well for little fingers

I’m sure whatever you choose will be cherished.
Click to expand...
I fully anticipate it'll be lost at some point - just like mine. I can still picture it, white covers with some floral decorations.

I'd keep it for starters myself and just give it to him when it's needed. My younger two boys, and especially the middle one would grab it in a heartbeat if the opportunity arose.

It is a good trick in my house, if they're upset dad lets them hold a pocket knife and all is well.

You make good points though, I'll look around for a cadet.
 
Hatchet_Jack said:
I was just looking at their keychain knives and wondering that now myself.

They do have a kids knife but it's a bit big and bulky for my young fella I reckon.

Only downside is that as a kid I know I poked, cut and twisted knife blades. I have a no.5 and it's a very thin blade, I worry he'll put enough lateral movement on it to snap the blade and fling it toward his face. I nearly did that in my adult life with a havalon blade and was part of the reason I migrated back to sharpening knives over replaceable blades.
Click to expand...
Not prying with a knife is part of basic knife safety. You know him better than any of us, so at what point he can use it unsupervised is your call.

Most kid's first knives when I was growing up were the Camper/Scout type by Imperial or Kutmaster. Maybe a Swiss Army Knife would be more robust. Also, the extra tools are fun.
 
r8shell said:
Maybe a Swiss Army Knife would be more robust. Also, the extra tools are fun.
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Not a Vic Swiss Army Knife, but along those lines, the Swiza J06 Junior Swiss Pocket Knife https://www.bladehq.com/item--Swiza-J06-Junior-Button-Lock-Swiss--74890.

This is the knife that I have gifted to kids as their first knife, and like Rachel said, the extra tools are much fun, especially the saw. Also, if you see the look on a youngsters face after they managed to open their first can of peaches in the field? Priceless.

Swiza-J06-Junior-Button-Lock-Swiss-Pocket-Knife-Red-Satin-BHQ-74890-er.jpg






.
 
Since GEC are not as easy to find, and usually sold at astonishing prices on the secondary market, I would just start with a Case or Buck knife, or a Boker. They are plentiful and many of them are built fairly well for a good price. Unfortunately I cannot recommend a particular model that meets your single sheepsfoot blade requirement.

I do have a GEC 053121 Keychain Knife that I love, and it does sound like a good choice for him if you can find one. Last I checked in 2022 they were selling for $100-150 on eBay, so I looked just now and it's the same $99 - $145 :oops:

EDIT - on the big auction site "IMPERIAL Knife Made in USA 1946-56 Single Blade Sheepsfoot Blade Vintage" is really cheap. "Vintage Camillus New York USA #100 Florist’s Knife Single Blade Engraved Handle" is a bit more.
 
DocJekl said:
Since GEC are not as easy to find, and usually sold at astonishing prices on the secondary market, I would just start with a Case or Buck knife, or a Boker. They are plentiful and many of them are built fairly well for a good price. Unfortunately I cannot recommend a particular model that meets your single sheepsfoot blade requirement.

I do have a GEC 053121 Keychain Knife that I love, and it does sound like a good choice for him if you can find one. Last I checked in 2022 they were selling for $100-150 on eBay, so I looked just now and it's the same $99 - $145 :oops:

EDIT - on the big auction site "IMPERIAL Knife Made in USA 1946-56 Single Blade Sheepsfoot Blade Vintage" is really cheap. "Vintage Camillus New York USA #100 Florist’s Knife Single Blade Engraved Handle" is a bit more.
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Thank you sir.

I couldn't find one of the GEC keychains anywhere, as you say probably better off going with a cheaper option.
 
Hatchet_Jack said:
Thank you sir.

I couldn't find one of the GEC keychains anywhere, as you say probably better off going with a cheaper option.
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I found 8 on the big auction site, but only one of them is a sheepsfoot. I searched for "GEC keychain knife" and one of the results has the description, "GREAT EASTERN GEC SAMBAR STAG KEYCHAIN KNIFE RARE SHORT RUN STAINLESS MIT 053121"
 
When I was a kid I found the Barlow and Boy Scout patterns too bulky to carry.. I usually had a small Stockman or Fishing pattern in my pockets. Uncle Henry was my preferred brand, because they had a great "you lose it, we'll replace it" warranty.
 
I’d second a Victorinox Swiss Army, specifically a solo or 1. I’ve seen them called both. Alox scales single blade and still under $30. I carry one pretty often as well.. Great little knife.

IMG_4749.jpeg
 
Victorinox explorer or huntsman. plenty of capability in a small package.

The lens can be fun, as well as the saw, for a kid,
 
How about a SAK Florist's knife? Various bright colour handles, not just red- easier to find if dropped- and a nice Sheepfoot blade ? You'll have to learn him about using it as a pry bar...mind you plenty of adults seem to have never learned this ;):D

1702283898150.png
 
Will Power said:
How about a SAK Florist's knife? Various bright colour handles, not just red- easier to find if dropped- and a nice Sheepfoot blade ? You'll have to learn him about using it as a pry bar...mind you plenty of adults seem to have never learned this ;):D

View attachment 2419931
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Don't twist it, don't push to cut, don't cut towards yourself and don't let your knife get dull. Pretty simple lessons dad hammered into me as a kid. None of which I heeded until I'd run afoul of them each myself. You'd expect more from the son of a butcher and farmer!

As a father myself so long as my kids are safe I'm happy for them to make mistakes. Experience is the greatest teacher.

That is very much what I was thinking along the lines of, thank you for the suggestion.
 
The affordable, USA-made, traditional slipjoints of our youths are a thing of the past now, so unless you are willing to buy Chinese, you will have to look for something else to be a child’s first knife.

An Opinel 6 or 7 in carbon might be my first choice, but it seems you are looking for a slipjoint. An Okapi Biltong knife would be another excellent option for under $20. Sadly, they only come in stainless these days, but it still might be cool to have something from Africa:
syixYqV.jpg


Otherwise, I think I might have to agree with the SAK trend here, given that you will probably be buying online and won’t be able to test the pulls, and because the price is right (and it is easily replaceable).
 
I went through about the same thing not long ago. Found that a little Case Barlow with a single spear was a pretty good fit. Not too much pull and small and thin enough for small hands and small pockets. It’s SS so we just wash it in the sink after skinning a squirrel or deer without worrying it will become a rusty mess.

It’s been lost and found a time or two and I’m sure it’ll come up gone for good someday. But I felt it was a good blend of quality and relatively inexpensive, $49 as compared to a GEC at $149 or more.
 
I don't know. The scout type, by Victorinox or somebody else, is probably a sound choice, assuming that the BSA used to know something about kids and knives, but it's a bit far from the small slip joint pen OP said he wanted.
OP, do you mean pen knife as in a small blade on one end and a smaller blade on the other end?
Or pen knife as in a small folder even if it has one blade like a jack?

I would suggest a knife like you use for the uses you anticipate, and never mind safety. Unless you grind the point right off, he's going to stick himself.
 
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