If he's used to traditionals I'd recommend to stay away from any fancy modern locks like Benchmade's Axis lock. I would think a Spyderco lockback wouldn't be too far of a stretch from what he likes. Checkout the Spyderco Caly 3.5 or any other Japanese Spyderco for that matter.
http://www.bladehq.com/item--Spyderco-Caly-35-Black--6638
I couldn't agree more. Though what you're saying of him, he may not care for the blade design too much at first. If he'd actually use it though, he'd more than likely come to fancy it.
