How old do you have to be to edc a folder?

I started carrying a pocket knife when i was 8 and i turned out alright, as to where and when it is appropriate to do so that depends on your local knife laws.
 
I had small slip joint pocket knives and SAKs from around 7 or 8 years old. Then a small fixed blade bowie knife when I was around 11.

One of my sons likes knives - he got his SAK aged 8 (and now wants a Warthog upgrade- the little bugger!). We don't let him take it to school or anywhere we aren't with him (eg playing on his own with friends).
 
1. Depends on the maturity of the person. I say mid teens is a good time.
2. Most anywhere except school.
3. I would suggest something with a lock unless your local laws forbid a locking knife. I love SAKs but a young knife owner might have a knife close on their fingers. I know some SAKs lock but I'd just suggest a small back lock to get started.

Which knife would I suggest? It depends on the budget. A Kabar Dozier or mini Dozier at $18-20 is a good first inexpensive knife for someone with small hands. Or maybe one of the smaller Bucks with a lock back.
 
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As has already been said,I think it is the parents decision. I graduated high school on 95,all my friends carried pocketknives. I carried a small stockman by case I found while trout fishing. It was a different time. I can remember one shop teacher asking for my knife all the time. So sad morals have gotten so bad in our nation to the point fear has gripped our hearts
 
I got a Camillus Cub Scout knife when I was 7 and carried it everywhere.
Obviously these days a knife in school is a nogo but otherwise you should be fine.

As a first edc carry I would suggest something like a SAK Tinker or if you want something more modern a Kabar Dozier.
 
3fifty7 said:
Check your local laws, they vary state by state and possibly areas within the state.
I’d suggest a locking single blade folder for starters.

What’s your location, budget, and interests(knife wise)?
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Pretty much this. ALWAYS ALWAYS check your local laws.

As for me, I was about 12 when I got my trusty Endura 4. My old man just taught me not to do stupid things with it LMAO. I’m in college now and I still have the Endura to this day.

Is there a particular style of knife that you find yourself drawn to?
 
Depends on your local laws really, here in London you can legally carry a non locking folder as a child, I don't think there is actually a legal age restriction, if there is it's hard to find any wording on the law. You have to be 18 to buy one from a shop. But your parents can give you a knife that you can carry, so technically if you are say 11 you can probably legally carry a folder here. But you can't take it to school with you, but boy scouts and young kids have knives. I have tried to look up the laws on youngest age allowed to carry a knife and couldn't find anything, so I assume it's up to parents decisions.
I got my son his first folder when he was 3 years old to teach him how to open and close a knife, it's a button lock knife, and I ground the blade dull so he doesn't cut his fingers open while learning. He can handle it well enough now. I got him his first non locking opinel a little while after and ground the tip off and slightly dulled the edge again. So he carries that around in his pocket now when we go out, he turns 4 next week.
Next when he has proved himself to use them safely I will allow him a slighly sharp working edge, so he can get used to that, then when he is a little older I will allow him a better edge and teach him to sharpen a knife himself.
Once I am satisfied that he can be trusted to not jump around with the knife open and act stupid with it I will allow him to have a sharp point on the knife, because I don't think I can trust him yet to have a sharp point on a knife, in case he pokes his eye out or falls over on the tip. So for now he has rounded safety tips and modified edges that I make safe for him.
I got him his first Mora not long after the opinel, because he wanted a sheath knife after watching me whittle and do bushcraft, so I did the same thing and ground the tip off and made it dull with a 1mm edge thickness.
He is actually getting quite responsible with them, and I haven't taught him to sharpen a knife yet, not because I don't think he can do it, but because I fear he might end up apexing correctly and forming an actual cutting edge, then I'll have to hide all my whetstones and ceramic rods and checking his knives are still as dull as I made them.
I am aiming to have him able to handle sharp blades responsibly by around the age of 6-7.
He's already asking for his own fully sharp live sword, and I made him a blunt metal bar with a handle in the shape of a sword, he tried to cut a bottle with it on my cutting stand, and he was mad and he knew it wasn't the real deal, I told him no way, you just can't have a real sword yet, you aren't losing a foot on my watch.
 
I must have been 9 or so when I got my first knife and 11 when I started carrying one. I wish I'd discovered the SAK at that age, I would have enjoyed having one through my teenage years. My wife started carrying a SAK at age 14. I gave my daughter her first SAK at age 12 and she loves it.
 
I was probably 7or 8 . I remember having pocket knives in cub scouts. Pretty sure my first knife was a case slip joint stockman.
A spyderco dragonfly would be a decent first knife I think.
 
I have no idea-you are going to need to check local laws and regulations. Schools seem to be out as are many state, county, and federal buildings as well as airports. Think it out and be sure the child understands todays limitations on carrying a knife, as well as proper handing and care.
I got my 1st around 5 and you could carry it anywhere. If you had the money you could buy. Not only could you carry knives in school(with proper behavior), but I won one as a prize from the school. All my friends EDCed knives also. Times have changed.
 
You will want to look at the laws of your state or country, because it varies.

I was 8 when I was given my first knife, back in 1980. I carried it everywhere. Now in the same area, it is illegal for a child under 16 to possess a “dangerous knife”. You guess is as good as mine on what constitutes “dangerous” because the law doesn’t specify.
 
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It all depends on you, your family, where you live, and where you go. As others have said, check with your parents and look up the applicable laws for your state and locality. Schools often have ridiculous but enforceable restrictions so be mindful of those.

While you might not need to be told this, I think it's worth sharing explicitly. Stay out of trouble, keep your record clean, and be a responsible young person. Some people view benign EDC items such as Swiss army knives, multi-tools, and small key-chain tools as "weapons". Those people might be wrong, misinformed, or downright frivolous but they can sometimes be in positions of power over you or your future. It's always best to minimize your risk by making sure you are following the rules and maintaining a good reputation. This can be doubly true if you ever want to carry an actual defensive tool at some point in the future.

Once you know when, where, and what you can carry; you can begin work on finding out what kinds of things you'd like to carry.
 
You should consider carrying a folder as soon as you begin wearing pants and can use it responsibly and safely.
 
Every city and state has its own laws so I would check that first. If you can legally carry one, a Spyderco Delica in your favorite color is the perfect knife for a beginner and more advanced users. You will not outgrow it, though you may acquire more knives. Also, a Victorinox Recruit is a good starter SAK, as is the Tinker.
 
I used to carry a Rigid knife I got from USA . I had left school , and was about 19. I changed that to a Gerber folder as it was too heavy and it wore a hole in my Levi's .
Since then I always carried a folder. At work and in my jeans pocket , when not at work.
I am now a retired old git , and still carry. Now I have a spyderco Para 3 s110V knife.
I have many knives at home. Its a shame we/the society are paranoid about knives today. More are killed daily by motor vehicles , but no one cares about those statistics.
Stay safe ...
 
If it was still the 20th century, I'd say as soon as the kid was responsible enuff! Could have been anywhere from 5 - 15!
Unfortunately it seems that in the 21st century 95% of kids today can't even walk to a school on their own! In high school even still have mommy driving them! So I wouldn't want to see any of them with anything sharper than a spoon for their own safety!
The pussification of America started.In the nineties somewhere and is now full blown!

Sad state.of affairs.
 
My son is 8 and is rarely seen without his Buck 110 on his belt, he has been carrying a knife for a few years now and has quite a collection, including fixed blades, axes, throwing knives, and a few smaller machetes.

I bought him a .22 rifle around age 6, a 20ga shotgun and a .22 revolver at 7.
He has access to all three. He outshoots many of the adults when we go to the range, and we had one old timer ask us what shooting league we were in, he thought we were a father and son team of competition shooters (we aren’t) because of his accuracy and proficiency.
That day he was shooting my SKS, .357 mag, and marlin .30-30.

I recently got my daughter her first knife, a very small opinel with a purple handle that she loves. She is 4 years old and keeps it in her baby doll diaper bag that she usually has nearby.

I was too young to remember what age I started carrying a knife, but probably somewhere around my kids age.
 
BJE said:
My son is 8 and is rarely seen without his Buck 110 on his belt, he has been carrying a knife for a few years now and has quite a collection, including fixed blades, axes, throwing knives, and a few smaller machetes.

He got his first air guns around 4 or 5 years old which he shot nearly everyday and untold amounts of ammo through.

I bought him a .22 rifle around age 6, a 20ga shotgun and a .22 revolver at 7.
He has access to all three. He outshoots many of the adults when we go to the range, and we had one old timer ask us what shooting league we were in, he thought we were a father and son team of competition shooters (we aren’t) because of his accuracy and proficiency.
That day he was shooting my SKS, .357 mag, and marlin .30-30.

I recently got my daughter her first knife, a very small opinel with a purple handle that she loves. She is 4 years old and keeps it in her baby doll diaper bag that she usually has nearby.

I was too young to remember what age I started carrying a knife, but probably somewhere around my kids age.

Recently my wife and kids attended a baby shower for a family member a couple hours away, when they returned she was so proud of our son as there were many packages to open and he saved the day with his Buck 110 that he always has with him when not at school.

I was the same way at family functions as a kid, everyone always came to me when something needed to be cut.

Now the kids in my neighborhood and other kids from my sons school around the same age, I wouldn’t let near a plastic spork without supervision, but my kids are different because I raised them to be that way, most kids are just as capable if the parents aren’t morons and properly instruct the future generation.
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