knife as a present for a 12 yr old

M

mickb

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Jan 21, 2016
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Someone asked me being ex-army and an outdoors person whether a knife is an appropriate birthday gift for their sensible lad of 12 years. I thought I would throw it out to you guys for comment too as I am only a 3 or 4 knife guy and no kids. I was thinking of suggesting maybe a multi-tool type knife like a smaller leathermans or even a cheaper victorinox.Their family is not overly outdoorsy themselves but the kid has shown an interest in hiking and field craft with his dad recently. What sayeth the learned members on this one?
 
At that age I had an LB7 or 110 in a pocket. I grew up in the time when it was acceptable and almost expected for a boy that age to have at least one knife. I also grew up in a small farming community in the deep south.
Since the young man shows outdoor pursuit interest the multi tool would be a good choice in my mind
 
The victorinox hunter would be my suggestion. I still carry mine frequently and use the scissors and saw very frequently. If you don't need the saw, you can try a super tinker, or maybe even an explorer (another favorite of mine).

If it's just a knife you want, try Mora Eldris, buck 112, Case Sobuster (jr), along those lines.

Good luck! I wish someone gave me knives when I was a kid, but I mostly got books and socks...
 
Lee D said:
Im going to suggest two.
A Victorinox…let him select the model, he might want specific tools, and either a Mora fixed blade or if you’re willing to spend a bit more, an ESEE Izula fixed blade with the optional scales. They will make the knife 100 times more comfortable to use, and will cost you somewhere around $15. Money well spent.
Click to expand...

Just realized I recommended 3
Bare with me, I’m on my first cup of coffee 😂
 
The young man is 12. Give im something substantial that will still not be a tragedy if lost or broke. So, not a high dollar Randall or Chris Reeve etc.

Don't know your budget, but here goes . . . .


One suggestion: A Buck 110 or 112 are heavy in the hand and shiny . . .and a good enough knife. He will like one of these. Also start him off with a Lansky sharpening kit or similar with just a few stones, so he has something to do with his knife that isn't cutting. This can be a good male bonding activity with opportunities for instruction by example and so on.

Another suggestion: A multi tool from Gerber or Leatherman. The above supporting remarks apply here as well.
 
I'm a fan of giving a youngster a locking knife as their first knife. Yes, I understand that thousands/millions of kids over the decades have learned to use a slip joint as their first knife and some say that "if you close a knife on a finger, you will learn not to do that again". Kids can do some unpredictable things and I just think a locking blade makes the most sense as a first knife. YMMV.

I'd suggest a Buck Bantam or 112. For $20-30, you won't cry much if they lose it.

I could also understand a small multi-tool (most tools lock) if you think they would get a kick out of the tools.
 
I got my first knife at 7 or 8. It was a brass bolstered lockback - probably comparable in size to a Buck 505. (I still remember the display at Two Guys, lol. There were 5 sizes and, naturally, I wanted the biggest from the start...I went through ranks, though). I suspect they were Westerns.

I can't help but go back to my roots, and suggest a Buck 503 or even a 501, since he's older/bigger.

As was mentioned above, these are different times, and bringing a knife to school is a major problem. Heck, a good friend's son brought his knife to school (against explicit instructions) in the mid-late 90s and he was lucky to get off with just getting suspended... and that was a fairly rural community.
 
Assuming he has to do dishes, access to the kitchen knives, etc., 12 is old enough for anything. A SAK and/or a ~4" fixed blade ("Fahrtenmesser") is what I would have wanted most at that age, if I remember. Carried SAKs since I was 6.
 
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