First knife recommendations

My niece turned 10, and I got her a Case peanut with handles in her favorite color. I wanted a knife small enough to fit in her jeans pocket. She lives on a farm, so needed something for cutting twine or opening grain bags. I was very clear about making sure it never goes to school with her, even accidentally in her pocket.
 
My first knife was one of my Dad's old, dull, hand-me-down Barlows. Maybe you could create a lifelong memory by taking one out of your pocket & presenting it to him. (One of your less expensive ones, of course. Because sooner or later it'll end up missing or broken.)
 
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Hatchet_Jack Hatchet_Jack there are a lot of good ideas here. A lot of it will come down to personal preferences of you and your son. My youngest is 10 and got a SAK Tinker for Christmas when he was 6, along with a couple bars of soap for carving and some extra band-aides. Now might be a good time to teach some basic first aid skills for minor cuts. We've definitely had a few.

All three of our kids use their knives regularly, but they don't really carry them around. Kids are at school most of the day anyway. Also, my wife and I designated a "home" for our kids pocket knives (ok, it's just a spot in our kitchen knife drawer). That way the kids always know where to find their knife when they need it, and where to put it away. They haven't lost any knives yet.

My son loves that Tinker and thinks all of the tools (that don't really get used) are super cool. On the other hand, he also has a Case peanut that probably gets more use. The small blade on the Tinker as well as the peanut are great for carving.
 
4 blade Scout/Demo/Engineers knife.
Low budget: (around $7)
Marbles MR278 "Demo Knife". Every bit as robust as the issue Camillus/Colonial/Western/other brands are/were.

Somewhat higher budget (around $12)
Marbles MR592 Orange and Black G10 XL scout/camp/utility

High budget:
Vintage Ulster/Camillus/Imperial Official BSA.

The Boker Magnum 4 blade scout is ok, but I had to file a blade a bit to lower the pull from an "8+" due to blade rub on mine to a reasonable "~5" pull.
 
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Knives with blunted tips for "safety" make me scream foul things about namby-pamby soccer moms into a wadded up towel. :mad::D Kids don't need training wheels on a knife -- they need careful guidance from an elder! Cuts are GONNA happen, they're part of the deal, so keep some Band-Aids handy.

Now, regarding a good first knife, not a darn thing wrong with a two-layer Victorinox of your choice, or if you're thinking single-blader, an Opinel no. 6, or Buck 112 Slim Select. If you're thinking old-school traditional slipjoint, check out Case's line of yellow-delrin-handled knives, or a Buck 303. Good luck!

-- Mark
 
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Vic Bantam

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The first knife I gave my grandson was an Opinel No.7. Subsequently, I gave him a Swiss Army Knife, Mora and a Marttiini. The Marttiini Little Classic was the one he bonded with.
If I had it to do over, I would give him the Marbles version of the Camillus demo knife, the only knife I can remember from my childhood.
 
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