Gift idea for 80yr old Uncle? Gentleman carry blade.

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powerline777

Joined
Sep 24, 2012
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First post here, long time lurker. Huge thanks for all the information. Recently picked up my first knife ( Buck Vantage Pro S30V ) after reading through a lot of posts and all I can say is....this won't be my first and only knife. Love it, love carrying it around and love looking at it.

So long story short, I have that "rich uncle" who has everything and he's turning 80. Problem is his good fortune hasn't run off on me and I'm on a tight budget. Still the man is a huge part of my life, lives out quietly in the country and probably hasn't ever thrown a punch ( or been in a bar fight).

Any ideas on a "nice" looking folder that would make him see how much I appreciate all his good advice over the years? Have to keep it < $300, ideal budget would be south of that but that's all I can scrape together now.

Again thanks everyone for helping me learn about this wonderful sport.
 
-What're the laws where your uncle lives? You'd hope that the police wouldn't hassle an octogenarian, but it's happened before.
-Do you want him to use the knife you're getting him? Or would it just sit on display?
-What kinds of knives does he like/have? Does he even own any?
-How good is he at sharpening? Could he maintain a modern powder steel?
-Why does it have to be a folder? There're some really classy, super nice fixed blades out there. And because they're so much easier to make, you generally get a better value.
 
Dan57

What're the laws where your uncle lives? You'd hope that the police wouldn't hassle an octogenarian, but it's happened before.
A: He lives in upstate NY.

Do you want him to use the knife you're getting him? Or would it just sit on display?
A: He will use the knife if he feels that he can handle it. He's still pretty sharp, gets around on his own and does yardwork. But he loves having handy things, so I'm thinking the right knife will get used once he finds a use that he is comfortable with. Either way, I'd say he'll use it 25% of the time if he's comfortable with it and then keep it on display 75% of the time.

What kinds of knives does he like/have? Does he even own any?
A: I'm betting he doesn't own a knife.

How good is he at sharpening? Could he maintain a modern powder steel?
A: not a chance. But then again, I don't think he'll be using it a lot.

Why does it have to be a folder? There're some really classy, super nice fixed blades out there. And because they're so much easier to make, you generally get a better value.
A: I think he'll be terrified of a fixed blade but would at least try to use a folder more often. But I'd be open to suggestions. Heck its his 80th so might as well surprise him.

Thanks for any help!
 
-Buck 110, 112, and anything here. Also look at Case, Queen, Northwoods, and Great Eastern Cutlery.

Buying your uncle an expensive knife would be useless if he doesn't know anything about knives and won't use the knife you get him very often. Similarly, he'll probably be intimidated by anything remotely "tactical" looking, with lots of features and the like. If you bought him something like that, he'd probably just throw it in a drawer. If he's familiar with the style and brand of knife, he'll be a lot more likely to try and use the thing. Look at something from one of the above companies.

ETA: Tell him to never bring his knife into NYC. Anywhere else is fine, NY State has pretty good knife laws. (So does NYC, actually, but the DA's a dick.)
 
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The guy lives out in the country; he NEEDS a decent knife...to carve his cane. He's pushing 80...big deal. Some of us here aren't that far away. Sorry, gents, but this isn't just a young man's sport.
I've had about ten CRK's; I presently own three; just sold one last week. I have three Striders, one expensive DDR custom, and I've had a bit fewer than 30 positive transactions within the last six months. As far as wasting money on him is concerned, I don't own any knives that sell for less than $200, other than one old Caly3, and I'm on Social Security and a cigarette-money pension.
Please get the man a decent blade, a folder, that will hold an edge, particularly if he doesn't have sharpening equipment. A good heat-treated blade is just about as important as the blade-steel. I think a used Sebenza, a Strider Sng or a SJ75, would be a fine gift. My favorite is an old Classic Sebenza that I bought with battle scars. And you might want to check and see if he DOES have a knife already...
Don't get him junk. He won't take pride in it and won't carry it...except when you're visiting him.
Sonny
 
My grandfather always carried a nice slipjoint around. He was a carpenter so he had other slippies he really beat on, but it always seemed like one was his "nice knife" on fruit/vegetable duty...he was always into gardening.

I would look into a nice Case slipjoint.
 
My reccomendation is a spyderco sage 1. Great design with the wire clip and sexy looking carbon fiber with twill texture makes it seem a lot more expensive looking than the ~100 bucks you'll spend on it! With the leftovers maybe throw in a sharpmaker for him to maintain the edge.
 
Definitely something with classic good looks. As much as I love spyderco (and I do love spyderco), i'm not thinking many spyderco designs would be overly attractive to an 80 year old "rich uncle". A nice classy slip joint with some exotic handle materials (mammoth ivory?) would fit the bill nicely and remind him of the pocket knives of his youth. If you want to go with a more modern knife, I'd go with the suggestion to pick up a gently used CRK. Go with the large sebenza if you think he'll actually be using it somewhat hard or a small sebenza or mnandi if you're thinking more along the lines of a small pocket knife.
 
If he has any experience with knives, he might have had a dad or uncle that carried a knife, perhaps some friends back in the day. His experience is probably limited to Swiss Army Knives, or Case knives (just a guess). I would go with either of those brands as he will probably feel the most comfortable carrying and using a knife that he recognizes. As other have mentioned a nice slipjoint is probably a win, and to be honest, I doubt he cares what you pay for it so there is no point blowing a ton of money, something good looking and well built will do the trick.
 
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How about a classy as hell "EZ open" slip joint? Might be easier for an elderly fellow to open. Looks cool, too.
 
Good call on the EZ pull Tripton. I was going to recommend something along those lines, a Case backpocket knife works too. :)
 
I can promise you he would appreciate a classic gentleman's slipjoint such as a GEC Conductor over any of these tacticool freakish looking knives that seem to be all the rage these days. Remember, you're getting a gift for him, so don't make your choice on something that may be appealing to you but would be very foreign to a man in his eighties. And something as light, slim and handsome (and traditional) as the Conductor certainly increases the chances that he may enjoy carrying it all the time. If that should happen, you got him the right knife.
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What about that knife used in The Edge? May be hard to get one as its a custom but it'd very nice and unique
 
Oh, yeah, maybe check out the Buck Custom Shop, too. Actually, that would probably be the best way to go. You'd be able to pick out whatever high end materials you want, while still giving your uncle a knife from a brand he recognizes and respects. And most combinations are within your price range.

ETA: Engraving's available, too.
 
Here's my 2 cents - If your Uncle hasn't carried a knife in the past he's not likely to start at 80 years of age. You might take a look at something like a Mother Of Pearl Case Desk knife. For his Last b-day, I bought my 78 yo dad (who is not a knife guy) a case desk knife for his office at home and he loves it - Mom said he leaves it on his desk and shows the knife to every old buddy that comes by.

At any rate good luck with your search and may your uncle have many more birthdays to celebrate.
(mother of pearl, top pic - abalone shell bottom pic)

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My (2) 70 +/- uncles were VERY happy with the "jack knives" :rolleyes: that I gifted them last year.
I like to keep it simple. I gave one a Delica and the other a little Pacific Salt (Salt 1?). They were amazed by the Spydee holes and the excellent VG-10 and H-1, lol.
Given your uncles age I would definately go with the urine-proof H-1.;)
 
^^ Am I the only one who just went through their catalog? They have some very nice stuff, just kinda forgettable. Those jack knives definably caught my eye. I think given the original posters budget, a custom slip joint with engraving or a personal touch would be another option.
 
"Jack knife" is an old term for folding knives used by my uncle that I hadn't heard in 30 years or so. They have owned lots of slipjoints and traditional knives over the years, but neither have ever owned a modern lockblack. The fact that my uncles had no idea what a Spyderco was, despite shooting and hunting/fishing for over 40 years, kind of backs up my suggestion to keep it modern, simple and EDC friendly. I think a Delica would be more likely to find a home in someone's pocket than a $300 custom. In my family expensive knives go in the gun safe or the sock drawer.:)
 
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