He FINALLY wants a knife!!!!!!

JD Mandrell

JD Mandrell

Joined
Apr 20, 2001
Messages
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OK fellow forumites, you can help me with something I have waited for for YEARS....

Last night at the family Thanksgiving dinner, my 20 year old nephew, who has previously never shown much interest in knives, told me that for XMASS he wants me to buy him his first "good" pocket knife. He wants a roughly 3 inch blade locking folder with a pocket clip, "something like what you carry" (sadly the one I carry is out of production)...about made me cry it did!!!

anyway, were talking 30-40 dollar range here....suggestions?
 
Anything by CRKT (I like the Lightfoot model) or Spyderco, perhaps a FRN Delica or maybe a SS Dragonfly.
 
The Last Confederate-

A Spyderco Lightweight Native or Native III would be good choices in that price range.

I like your avatar BTW. Stonewall Jackson is my favorite Civil War general. I discovered last year that I have two great-great-grandfathers and a great-great-uncle that served in the Confederate army so I've taken a keen interest in the Civil War.
 
Only way to go would be with a Native.Where else can you get s30v steel and all the other quaility that is in this knife for 40 bucks.
It also has a really nice blade to engrave something on.
 
The Delica or Native...You really don't need to look any further, and of those 2, I'd opt for the Native as it has a stronger tip should he feel the need to pry something with it.
 
If you want to stick to that $40.00 or so upper price limit then I would check out the Spyderco Native III or Delica Lightweight.

Another knife to look at would be the CRKT Lightfoot M1. This is a very good knife, but it is kind of thick and meaty; it is a handful. If that is the kind of knife he would like then give this one a good look.
 
Keep in mind that most people that have not carried knives before would probably like a very thin one to start with.The Native s30v,SS,Delica FRN or SS would fit in the pocket with out him noticeing that he is carrying a knife.I have talked to people that started with a large thick knife clip to the pocket and could not get used to it only to try a smaller thinner one later and love it.No telling how many just gave up on it and never tried a differant thickness or size.
 
Originally posted by The Last Confederate
"something like what you carry" (sadly the one I carry is out of production)...about made me cry it did!!!
Click to expand...

So what do you carry? That might help narrow it down a little.
 
Beat me to the punch there - what do you carry that he wants "like you carry". That would be a big help.

Off the cuff, nothing wrong with the Delica or Native. I'd also throw in the $20 KaBar Dozier hunter, and the sleeper entry - the Beretta Busfield folders available at www.eknifeworks.com for $15, in Micarta, G10, or SS. I like zytel, but you cannot get those better handle materials for anywhere near that price. Plenty good knife for a non-knut gift, and you won't choke him if he loses or destroys it!.
 
Thats great!
What an honor, to do this ocassion justice you should take him to a good knife store and have him handle a bunch of knives.

AN EDC knife is a very personal thing and you should include him in the process to get best results.
Tastes in blade profiles, how handles fit hands and expectaions of performance can be factored in this way.
Probably you will get a lot of information about his tastes that way and can get a better idea of the direction you should take.

It always bugs me when someone doesn't have the same tastes I do but I'd rather help them find sonmething they will love then try to force my tastes on them.

Let me be the first to suggest a Benchmade griptillian. New knife folks unanimously love this knife. And its a real user.
 
dang -- MC Chan beat me to it. the Griptilian would be a great choice, or the mini Grip even. the Delica is another winner. here's a few more i think would make a great first decent knife:

SOG Twitch
Kershaw Leek
CRKT M16 EDC (the slim ones -- these are great and light as a feather!)


abe m.
 
I'd go with a Benchmade Mini-Griptillian. It's a great beginner's knife, plus you get the AXIS lock.
 
Zenghost and the rest that asked, my EDC is a CRKT Large Mirage, I have really never found anything I like better, even some more expensive blades.

I was considering the Spyderco Native or Endure, but I like the suggestions to take him with me. There is a big gun & knife show in Collinsville, IL. Dec. 13-14th that I was going to anyway, I might try to take him with me, and just let him wander and try several ones himself.
 
Spyderco Delica or Native

or

CRKT Crawford/Kasper folder

My brother just picked up a CRKT for Christmas today and I was impressed with it. $45 at the local sports store, it had a very solid lock up, no blade play and it was very smooth. I really liked the feel of it too.
 
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