Hey fellas, i need some advice on giving my son his 1st knife...

SAK's are the most useful and also appear the most harmless to NKP's. However, an SAK was not my first knife and I'm glad it wasn't.

This is why I'm glad the first knife my father gave me was not an SAK:

1) SAK's are 'generic' and will not stand out in a knife collection. (Your son will probably have more than one if he also becomes a knife knut.)

2) I still have the first knife my father gave me and it holds a special and distinctive place in my knife collection. It's a pearl/celluloid 2 inch slipjoint by Frontier.

3) When I pass this knife on to my son when he is old enough, it will be distinctinctive in and of itself, not just because 'dad gave it to me.'


Just my two cents,
Mike
 
really great tips guys. for the record, my 1st knife (Christmas gift from dad) was a buck 110. by the time he gave it to me, he had already taken my mom on multiple hunting, fishing, camping, & target shooting trips. i guess that helped with the "break-in" process. the dilemma is that i'm much more of the suburban slicker than he is; my dad is your typical alphamountainmanbeast. i'll definitely use much of the tips given so far, gracias all. i'll also talk to the progenitor himself & see what tactics we can come up with.
 
get him a real knife and not a dull practice one. if he does have a dull knife he will develope bad habits. you can tell a person hundreds of times not to tuch the blade but once you get cut you will never do it again

how about opeinel it is wood and is shepple friendly
 
Many other posters have pointed to SAKs as great first knives, and I agree. I would also point out that there are at least two Victorinox SAKs that are designed for young and first-time knive users ("My 1st Victorinox" [blunt blade and combo tool blade] and "My 1st Victorinox Plus" [blunt blade, combo tool, saw]).

I've never handled either one, but I've yet to come across a poorly made Victorinox (poorly designed, yes -- I hate their alleged one-hand openers, which really aren't), but both models are under $20 on eBay and elsewhere.
 
Which Victorinoxes are supposed to be 1 handed openers? (Course all of them technically are if you work hard enough).
 
might as well toss in my 2 cents too...

Got my first knife when I was 5, my grandfather taught me to sharpen it by hand when it went dull. Spent the next few years asking every now and then to see it to check the edge & lockup.
I recieved probably a dozen small slipjoints over the years from him, my father wasn't big on knives though he carried a small lockback. The only knife I lost I those days was a SAK that I got around 7-8yrs, fell out of my pocket at the park.

Got my first lockback when I was 12, the first one I bought with my own money.
Was in scouts canada from 5-12, and air cadets from 12-18... I had picked up a few decent knives, but hadn't gotten into quality until my delica at 16.

I did emerg first aid training at 12 with scouts(was required to go to CJ '97)... and then with cadets I've lost count how many times I was the one patching ppl up. It was either going to an officer and explaining it or coming to me and getting it fixed quick. I've seen everything from slicing the thumb pad wide open(testing a knife I just sharpened), to sharpening a stick towards the body and getting the thigh, to axe & hatchet mishaps. Got retrained at 15 for field med with cadets, since I ended up doing most of it. That stuff is burned into my brain.

What does this all mean? Look into a decent slipjoint with good solid lockup(I have one with about 30lbs resistance), teach him how to sharpen by hand, and either teach him or get him into a firstaid class when he's ready for that. It's one thing to cut yourself, it's another to be able to patch yourself and other ppl up without freaking out from blood. Locking knives are a gift after you can handle a knife without a lock. You learn not to rely on the lock and do stupid stuff.
 
as a boy (7) my first knife was a small 2 blade jack knife (sp) or pen knife as they were called, then I moved up to the bigger jack knives, then an old Barlow pocket knife, and finally got an SAK at about age 16 and haven't been without an SAK since, I prefer the tinker or the Mechanic from Victorinox. As to how to soften up the wife, maybe buying her a small SaK (blade, scissors, nail file type) and at the same time buy your boy one and explain that it will be his when he is responsible enough by both your and her standards. Remember the old Daisy BB gun ads.... if you want a BB gun show your parents you are responsible... or some such wording, that would help maybe to make her less vehement toward the idea of getting your boy a pocket knife.

hope it helps, and glad to see someone in a like state of mind,teach em young and they will learn. I know the worst punishment I ever endured is when I did something irresponsible and would get my knife taken away.
 
I agree with a SAK, preferably a good one made by Victorinox. If not that, maby something like a hobo knife, a small stockman, nothing tactical or fixed blade. Teach him how to use a knife, that it isn't a weapon(you can tell him that you can use a knife as a weapon when he is 15). If it didn't cost you that much, I would grind the tip off the blade, if you decide to give him the knife when he's 10, if it is when he is 13, I would guess it wouldn't matter. If he likes watching movies where people are fighting with swords, knives etc, buy him a toy sword or knife, and let him beat the hell out of that. My father got me a couple of toy swords, which I promptly destroyed. After a while, he just told me to find sticks in the woods, and my friends had many stick battles when I was a kid. I would put a lanyard on the knife, so the kid doesn't lose it, I keep thinking "dull the blade a little" also, to the other members, what's your take on dulling it? I'm torn, I think that it would not be beneficial in the long run for the kid, he might not have as much respect for the knife.
 
Migo,

Victorinox makes a number of models with a main blade featuring a thumbhole (like a Spyderco), including the "Parachutist," "Trailmaster," "Trekker," and "Fireman." Like all Victorinox knives I've seen, they're well made, but I have three big issues with them (I briefly owned a Trekker and have handled two other one-handed models):

1. The blade are all serrated, which I don't care for, but they're serrated on the 1/2 of the blade nearest the point, rather than the more common serrations on the 1/2 of the blade nearest the grip.

2. For a right-handed user, the linerlock has to be PULLED rather than pushed, as is the case with every other linerlock I've ever seen.

3. For a right-handed user, the main blade (with thumb hole) is alongside the "reverse side" scale rather than the obverse side scale, which means your thumb has to move past all the other tool blade to get to the main blade. I have large hands and long fingers, and I could never open the blade smoothly.

In fairness, a lefty might well fall in love with these SAKs (I just realized lefties have had to "reverse" how they use linerlock knives all along). Also, the Victorinox knives with thumbhole main blades also feature linerlocks for their large flat screwdriver blade, which might be a nice feature for some.
 
Garlic:

As a therapist, and a knife nut / collector, I can share with you my experiences. As a kid my dad owned a fishing tackle store. I would often walk through the store and marvel at the knife displays. Of course, I wanted a knife way before I was old enough to respect and handle one. My dad obviously knew this and gave me my first knife, err, tool, around boy scout age. I still have it. It may be the one I give my scout (he's 6).

As far as giving your son a knife is concerned, don't even worry about it for now. When the time is right, you'll know. Chances are your experience as a parent between now and then will have taught you enough that your approach then may be different than what you would do now. Seeing he is one, you have lots of time on your hands to wait.

As far as how to avoid having a knockdown dragout. You'll first need to accept that your wife is not ever likely to understand why you like to own, carry and collect knives any more than you will ever understand why she and other women own (collect) so many shoes and clothes. (or go public bathrooms in groups....) You get the idea. The best way to avoid the knockdown dragout is to tell your wife that you don't expect her to understand why you enjoy knives (and to keep the big scary looking ones away from her).

oh yea, one other thing, try not to cut yourself too often while playing with, cleaning, sharpening and holding your knives. As I type this I am recovering from a serious slice to my left thumb from cleaning my locking SAK!!! Wives tend to see this as additional reasons for knives to be negatively viewed.


That's all I got, best of luck----

GIDDYUP!!!!!!

COSMO
 
My Dad actually carved me a dagger-style knife from a thin slat of wood with his SAK when I was 4 or 5, he drew on a blood groove, guard & chequered handle with a biro & I treasured that knife! I even remember strapping it to my leg like a "frogman" when I went swimming on a family holiday in Abersoch, Wales! LOL
But my first real knife was a SAK, just like my dads, I was about 6, MY Mum wasnt keen either, but my knife went on all my "wilderness" adventures in the woods & fields and was used to make Dens, Forts, spears, bows & arrows & all the other things that young lads do!
I cut myself afew times, but it taught me to be more careful & when these war wounds were shown to my Dad, the usual response was "Dont be mard! (Dont be a baby!) thats just a scratch!!"
Get your lad a SAK, I think theyre timeless & I still carry a SAK Explorer now!
 
MG_Saldivar said:
Migo,

Victorinox makes a number of models with a main blade featuring a thumbhole (like a Spyderco), including the "Parachutist," "Trailmaster," "Trekker," and "Fireman." Like all Victorinox knives I've seen, they're well made, but I have three big issues with them (I briefly owned a Trekker and have handled two other one-handed models):

1. The blade are all serrated, which I don't care for, but they're serrated on the 1/2 of the blade nearest the point, rather than the more common serrations on the 1/2 of the blade nearest the grip.

2. For a right-handed user, the linerlock has to be PULLED rather than pushed, as is the case with every other linerlock I've ever seen.

3. For a right-handed user, the main blade (with thumb hole) is alongside the "reverse side" scale rather than the obverse side scale, which means your thumb has to move past all the other tool blade to get to the main blade. I have large hands and long fingers, and I could never open the blade smoothly.

In fairness, a lefty might well fall in love with these SAKs (I just realized lefties have had to "reverse" how they use linerlock knives all along). Also, the Victorinox knives with thumbhole main blades also feature linerlocks for their large flat screwdriver blade, which might be a nice feature for some.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the overview, it's interesting that they decided to make it lefty-friendly
 
Wait until he's at least 8 years old.

I wouldn't think of giving a kid that's 1 year old a knife.

I hope that you were just kidding about that :)
 
SAK I think everyone had as a kid including me. I suggest the Camillus Boyscout knife. It's functional, and I don't think your wife would have a cow over it. There's lots of neat little functions on it and the steel is better than SAK's IMO. Just my .02 :D
 
As a father of four I'm going to give you a different tack on your question.

A first birthday is special and I'd want to give my own kids something they could always remember and be proud of throughout their lives. A William-Henry or similar quality blade with bone, stone or wood inlay would be what I would get my kids. Whatever you get, your child will be too young to use for years, so putting it away with "look but don't touch) privileges shouldn't be too tough.

For the second birthday they would get the Victorinox plastic toy knife to practice cutting on. My daughter loved hers--comes with pliers and a saw and everything.

Then, at age 5, 6, or whenever you think the time is right, get a SAK "user" knife which will be the first that your child ever uses on their own. It can be practiced on, used, and important lessons can be learned. Then, during the teen years the "Keepsake 1st birthday knife" can reemerge as a user to be treasured throughout life.
 
Semi on topic.

I just watch a "ancient cultures" documentary about tribes in South America without contact to the modern world. A kid about 5 years old had a 7" fixed blade in his hand and didn't look like he was going to hurt himself or others.


I was probably 7 or 8 when I started helping my grandma kill and clean chickens...taking over the chore by the time I was 10. And we didn't even live on a farm, we lived in the City.

my 2cents, if you get your son involved early on with chores that involve a knife - kitchen work, fixing things etc. the concept of your kid owning his own knife won't be so foreign to your wife.

my daughter is 4 and she cuts her own food at the table with round tip serrated dinner knives. I'll wait a bit longer before introducing her to the 8" chefs knife though.
 
I carry a knife and so does my wife (her knives are bigger than mine, BTW ;)). So we consider prerfectly normal to educate our children to carry knives. I made some plastic folders for them to play with. I think it's a good and safe thing that my boys (1, respectively 3 years old) already know that you shouldn't touch the blade of a knife, neither carry a folder open, nor point or gesture with the tip of the blade (a thing I have seen many adults do at the table or in the middle of a conversation). :(
My boys don't have access to live knives (naturally), but I do let them to play now and then with my folders - always in close position and under my direct surveillance. They will have their own knives, that's for sure, but after another few years. I don't think that giving a knife to a young person will make him a natural born killer. I am trying to educate my children to see a knife merely as a tool rather than a weapon. Besides, they only see us using our knives for common cutting chores and this is the best example I can think of.
 
Well, I'm not of an age to discuss what knives to give to my children, but when I was eight my first knife was a pretty simple Buck lockback. I understand the point of not having a locking mechanism as a method of teaching safety and all, and can't say I really have an opinion one way or another. Just something simple, and relatively cheap. Kids lose things. I lost mine about sixty times just between my eighth and ninth birthdays. So I wouldn't be going out and buying a Strider folder or anything... even if you do want it to be a keepsake...
 
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