First Knife

M

MBTull

Joined
Oct 16, 2008
Messages
300
Greetings,

New member here. I am an archery instructor and teach an outdoor program for kids and their parents. We are going to introduce some woodcraft skills into future classes, fire building, compass, weather observation, etc. I am looking for recommendations for a first knife for my archery students, most of whom are from ages 8 - 13.

Hopefully the kids will be able to learn to use and care for knives. Cutting things around camp, making kindling, nothing more complex. We will not be skinning any animals or putting them into survival mode.

Thanks
 
What kind of a price range you're looking for?

Generally, decent folding knives will start at about $30, with midrange knives costing about $50.
 
Lower end. I'd like to keep it in the 20.00 range. This is a first knife for camp and woodcraft use.
 
Mora may fit your bill if you want a fixed blade.
Or a Opinel if you want a folder.
 
I like the looks of the Sentinel. I think the parents would not take to the fixed blade Mora, it looks a bit too aggressive (these are suburban kids). Is the Sentinel a lockback or a linerlock?
 
Take a look at Gerber knives. They have a lot of smaller knives that may fit your requirements. But a Swiss Army knife or Leatherman multi-tool might be even better.
 
defaultuser said:
Take a look at the Moras. I heard a lot of good things about those knives...

This one could be a good choice:
Eriksson Mora 946, Stainless Steel
Click to expand...

:thumbup:

If they're for kids in an outdoor class, you might want lower cost without a sacrifice in quality and durability; I don't think you can go wrong with many of the Mora models. Models #510, 511, 840 would probably fit your bill nicely.

http://www.ragweedforge.com/SwedishKnifeCatalog.html

edit: i've handled those three (in addition to #2000) and they're good. i'm not an expert on Mora's, but I hear a ton of good things about them here on bladeforums and am getting at least a couple soon :)
 
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id say either sometype of SAK. or perhaps the Kershaw Vapor? its $20 and a good knife for the money...i also saw them selling a boyscout version at a camp....so it may be suitable for this age range. also check out gerber ezouts. there nice first knives, and wont hurt your pocket. i wouldnt go with fixed blades, since generally there a little too aggressive... especially for suburbia.
peace.
tvg.
 
MBTull said:
I like the looks of the Sentinel. I think the parents would not take to the fixed blade Mora, it looks a bit too aggressive (these are suburban kids). Is the Sentinel a lockback or a linerlock?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I missed that post.:o Then I'd go for a SAK too.:thumbup: I'd go with the Trekker or Sentinel. IIRC, both the trekker and sentinel are liner locks, I could be wrong though.
 
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A mora looks like a steak knife and comes in lot's of colors, not very agressive IMO.
If the soccer moms have a problem with a mora why are they letting their kids shoot arrows?
 
Liam Ryan said:
A mora looks like a steak knife and comes in lot's of colors, not very agressive IMO.
If the soccer moms have a problem with a mora why are they letting their kids shoot arrows?
Click to expand...

haha, that's exactly what I was thinking:D Oh well, the SAKs are indeed more suburbia friendly... *shrug*
 
+1 for the SAK, especially the farmer. I would stay away from some of the larger models, they might be too much for smaller hands. The back spring is a little stiffer than the plastic handled knives, this of course has the obvious positives and negatives. With the farmer you also get the a few other tools that are perfect for camp/woodcraft type skills.
 
I like the rucksack for the grip, slide lock, and tweezers though I have little to no use for the corkscrew. I think i'll get the farmer some time to try it out though...
 
Thanks guys, I think some type of SAK - it will go over well w/ the "soccer moms" and it is a good knife. You would be surprised how parents react to archery, which they consider very safe and other endeavors. For example, I tried using slingshots to demonstrate good form, draw, anchor point, instinctive aiming and release. From the comments we got, You would think I had armed the little tykes with bazookas!

By the way, did you know that the most dangerous part of archery is pulling arrows from the target? More injuries occur there than any other aspect. Also, there are more injuries in bowling than in archery.
 
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