knife as a present for a 12 yr old

VorpelSword said:
What I would do is go to the local area Scout supply store and buy a nice, up=sale pocketknife with the BSA logo on it, then have the Keepsake shop at a mall engrave the blade. Another part of this was a gift box for the knife. I'd get a cigar box from "Drew Estates" from their "ACID" line of flavored cigars. They are made rom thick Mahogany with finger jointed corners, but marked with gummed labels, not impressed into the wood. They cost little to nothing to get and refinish nicely. I'd write up some sort of dedication on the computer in script and decoupage it into the inside of the lid. Years later on, someome had lost the knife but still had the box!
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Love those boxes, they are really good.
 
Boattale said:
Opinel No. 8 is what is in my pocket right now and would be 100% appropriate for a 12 year old.
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Yup, my oldest grandson got one for his 9th birthday.

For a 12 year old, why not start with the basics, like most kids did at one time, and get a Boy Scout type camp knife and a Norton stone to sharpen it?
 
I got my first blades when I was 13. I went on a solo trip to Canada and bought myself a SAK-like knife at Banff. Before that trip, I had already developed an interest in medieval history and specifically medieval weapons such as swords and daggers. When I came back my parents took me to the Queen Mary. Inside there happened to be a shop where they sold some blades and there they bought me 'Odin's Dagger'. A wall hanger, still a dangerous object nontheless. I never hurt anyone with my dagger nor did I do anything stupid with it. Probably mostly because I treasured it and didn't know when/if I would get another one. I also happened to be a very prudent teen believe it or not. My dagger was my first safe-queen. A precursor to all of my other daggers I have now which are all safe-queens. I still have it at my parent's house.

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Is it a good idea to give something like this to a 13 year old? On average probably not. Like I mentioned, I was very prudent at that age and I will always be grateful to my parents for supporting my interests and trusting me with this. The SAK? should be ok for a 12 year old probably. I couldn't even open mine at that age and didn't like that it didn't have a locking blade(felt unsafe). The SAK I broke and then lost.

I think ultimately it is a case to case basis and up to the parents. They know their children better. I also think that If younglings have a strong interest in blades they need to earn their own and it shouldn't be readily handed to them like any other toy because blades are definitely not toys. They need to learn to treat blades with the respect they deserve.
 
mickb said:
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?
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Well, my first knife at age 7 or 8 was a buck 110. I did everything with that knife even cleaned fish like sun fish and crappie.
These days, I'd say it's still a good option for a 12 year old. There's just so many options. I just like the tradition of buck as a first knife..so my kids will get a buck first ti learn on
 
I too probably would recommend a regular 91mm red scaled SAK as a first knife, if there is someone can teach him how to safely use a slipjoint. Otherwise a Leatherman MT with no one hand opening chassis would probably be great gift too, such as Bond or Rebar.
 
Opinel/MAM seems like a good way to go. Close to disposable, good knife to learn to sharpen with, robust enough for things they should use it for. Won't be forgiving if they misuse it, which I'd say is a bonus. Keep it carbon steel so that if they neglect the blade there's a semi-permanent record that eventually becomes integrated into the developing patina. At first it will remind them of the error, later it will be a fond memory of the lesson. If they're so inclined they're also good knives to personalize with the basic wood handles. Can carve them, dye them, etc. That plus the patina on the carbon steel makes the knife entirely unique and identifiable even as it changes over time.
 
mickb said:
What sayeth the learned members on this one?
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This thread had me thinking about my first knife, 40+ years ago, as well as my second. My first was a Swiss Army knife at age 5 or 6. I believe it was a 91mm (hard telling when you have the hands of a small child), but I do remember the excitement quite well. I thought I could fix anything with that knife.
My 2nd was a 10th birthday gift…a 110 just like my father’s, and again what stands out is the pure excitement of having my own Buck knife.
2 paragraphs later I’m gonna get to the point…whatever you decide to get your nephew, make it a memorable experience. An Alox Swiss Army knife is classy, a Buck 112 (better suited for smaller hands imo) is also classy. It’s something he’ll remember for a very long time, so I say give him something to be proud of.
 
I wish I were 12 years old but that's life. In any case here is what I keep on my key ring and I think it would be perfect for for a 12 year old for daily carry. It is amazing how often this top rated, five stars little beast comes into play.

 
Im jumping on the SAK alox train, a Pioneer or one with the saw (farmer) or scissors (X). It’s much easier to carry and use a lot vs a fixed blade, a Buck 110/112, or even the larger SAK’s with locking blades. The extra tools should inspire the kid to want to use it all the time which is good for teaching proper ways to hold the knife in many different situations. It’s easy to sharpen and pretty darn maintenance free too.
 
mickb said:
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?
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One of the best gifts you can give. A knife is a great tool to teach responsibility. Make sure its one that has a solid locking mechanism if its a budget folder, kids do dumb shit like stab into heavy cardboard, wood, and their bedroom walls. Ask me how I know.........
 
In my opinion 12 years old is plenty old to give a kid any sort of knife or unmotorized tool (motorized after a bit of training). I can't recall when I got my first knife but I believe it was a Swiss army knife of one variety or another. However by 12 I was carrying a regular one handed knife and tromping through the woods with my pellet rifle. I MAY have had my first .22 long rifle.
But to answer your question, I think maybe I'd see what kind of knife would be most useful for the kids interests. They'll probably say a switchblade katana or some such thing though. Probably a multitool like a Leatherman/Gerber/Victorinox, a Swiss army knife, or maybe a single bladed knife like a Opinel or a Buck 112.
However if they're outdoorsy they'll probably very soon be wanting a fixed blade. A Mora would be perfect.
 
I'm interested in the diverse recommendations.

Why are people so against a standard slipjoint knife? The standard camp knife (boyscout knife) has been used for generations of boys. A SAK isn't much different.

I find the locking knives so much less useful for day to day things. And a fixed blade is not something a boy should be carrying around regularly.

If you carry a SAK to school, you can get in trouble. If you carry a fixed blade or buck 110 to school, you will get in trouble.
 
gentleman_edc said:
I'm interested in the diverse recommendations.

Why are people so against a standard slipjoint knife? The standard camp knife (boyscout knife) has been used for generations of boys. A SAK isn't much different.

I find the locking knives so much less useful for day to day things. And a fixed blade is not something a boy should be carrying around regularly.

If you carry a SAK to school, you can get in trouble. If you carry a fixed blade or buck 110 to school, you will get in trouble.
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It depends on the circumstances. If the kid is outdoorsy likes the fish likes the hike likes to do other activities outside with supervision a fixed blade is fine. But if he's going to carry it around for whittling or sharpening pencils then I agree with you
 
Interesting topic. I EDC’d a folding knife as a young kid (even to school) without concern or incident, but I struggle to figure what the right age is for my son’s first knife (now 10). So much depends on the kid and his general day-to-day lifestyle.
 
mickb said:
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?
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I think a multi tool is a great idea. It will get used for thousands of silly, fun kid projects, be handy in the outdoors and, in my experience, pliers based multi tools tend not to read as a knife to people that might otherwise clutch their pearls over a kid toting a knife.
 
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