Knife for son?

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Bigbluefish

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My 10-year old son is wanting a small pocket knife. He already has a Vic SAK, and this, like the Vic, would only be used under adult supervision, fishing, doing some food prep, etc. He has expressed a particular interest in something that would be suitable for whittling. Having never whittled in my life, I have no clue. He's pretty artistic, and good with his hands, so I suspect he'd be quite good at it.

I was thinking something small, with a 2.25 -3.0" blade. Not sure if I should get a traditional slipjoint or small lock-back. I know he likes my Spyderco's, so maybe a Delica or Dragonfly? On the traditional side, I'd really need some help, as I don't know one from another yet.

Thanks for your input.
 
i actually went with a small fixed blade for my 9 year old daughter...but if your son can work the lock on a lock back or a slide lock thats the way i would go...a peanut is great but i dont trust a non locking type blade in a kids hand lol..becker remora would be a great choice..or a esee izula
 
Opinel. Strong, sharp, low priced, great value.
 
Why not a Buck 112? They are the right size, cheap, and one of the best you can buy.
 
budazz said:
i actually went with a small fixed blade for my 9 year old daughter...but if your son can work the lock on a lock back or a slide lock thats the way i would go...a peanut is great but i dont trust a non locking type blade in a kids hand lol..becker remora would be a great choice..or a esee izula
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He has a vic SAK so he should know how to handle a non-locking knife. It will also teach him good habits so he isn't starting silly spine-whack, lock strength threads later on.

I think it should almost be mandatory to whittle with a traditional.

I think a multi-blade like a stockman pattern would be good.
 
I would definitely recommend a locking blade, or a fixed blade. A slip joint just seems dangerous for a child to use. Most fixed blades around 3 inches will do the job.
 
Scurvy092 said:
He has a vic SAK so he should know how to handle a non-locking knife. It will also teach him good habits so he isn't starting silly spine-whack, lock strength threads later on.

I think it should almost be mandatory to whittle with a traditional.

I think a multi-blade like a stockman pattern would be good.
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I agree with most of this^^^^
I like a full congress for whittling, although I often use a stockman pattern. I am not a good whittler myself - still I often pass the time on hikes whittling while my boys play in the creek.
 
I haven't tackled this particular problem in some time. If your son is as sharp as his knife he's going to be OK with either a trad or a locker for whittling. I think the blades on a whittler will be smaller than what you mention.

A.)You can get him a traditional....the customary thing for a father son knife gift...and he can carry it well into the 21st Century as a "Dad" memory like so many have, and whittle with it too. He'll likely see the end of the custom in his lifetime anyway.

B.)You can get him a specific 'whittling' knife most of which are going to be like trads anyway.

Either way, consider getting him a gift card or dad-credit a few days before his b/d at one of the major retailers--A.G. Russell would probably have a number of good whittlers sorted to be easily shopable--and you could shop together online making it a total experience. It could be delivered on his b/d.

If he's like my kid though by the time you've shopped for an hour you'll be looking at Busse battle knives. Good luck.
 
A good old school slip joint would be good. I understand where everyone is coming from about getting a locking blade for safety reasons but then again, he's 10. I think I was 5 when I got my first pocket knife. It was an old carbon steel peanut. I think a stockman pattern would work well for whittling. Also, a Mora 2/0 would be pretty good too. It's the smaller version of the classic. I've used mine for carving slingshots and it works great
 
I'd go with a small traditionall stockman. I started with a garage sale Old Timer stockman slipjoint when I was 7 or so and learned how to safely handle a knife. Did it close on me when I was doing stupid kid stuff? Totally, but I learned not to make the same mistake twice.
Having the differernt blades will let him learn the strength/weaknesses of different blade shapes and sizes.
 
I gave my 9 year old a Spyderco Grasshopper with the same rules, only under supervision. He was fine with it until last month. One day while "helping" me cut up some cardboard he got it a little jammed up and while trying to adjust it, the blade closed as it came out and nicked his finger. freaked him out quite a bit, and after that he wouldn't touch the Grasshopper. It took him a couple weeks before he wanted to try again, but this time he wanted my Dragonfly because it locks. Now it's his knife and he loves it (he's still a little nervous, but gets better with every use). Best part of the story is that I then needed a new small EDC so I upgraded to a Curtiss Nano:D.
 
Thanks for all of the suggestions.

If I go slipjoint, perhaps a Case Mini Trapper? Looks like about 2.25" blades. How is the quality on Case knives? I guess GEC is a step up, but might be a bit over-budget at this point. Though some of the #15 Boy's Knife models are tempting.

For a small lockback, I was thinking of picking up a Lone Wolf Mini Landslade for myself for a small saltwater fish knife; maybe one of these would also work well for my son? Or a Zancudo...though I don't know as he really needs 3" of blade for whittling, or anything else.
 
NJBillK said:
Opinel. Strong, sharp, low priced, great value.
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I carve with my Opinels. Great geometry for it.

Of course, a small coping blade is nice too (which is why I have a few traditional slip joints with coping/warnclif secondaries).

You could buy him two Opinels and make one a warncliff (grind it down).

They run about $14 or so.

Stainless holds the better edge. You have to be able to sharpen them initially. Locking ring, and no snap open or closed so easy on the fingers, no chance of snapping closed.

If you are looking to spend more money, get a GEC whittler. The improved trapper with a warncliff secondary blade should be great.

A medium stockman from GEC would work perfect too. Flat grind on the blades makes them better at carving.


I don't like hollow grinds for working wood at all.
 
I like a wharncliffe/sheepsfoot blade for whittling. I feel that the straight edge allows me to perform the precise and detailed cuts sometimes needed in whittling. And if he's as artistic as you say, he'll probably want to perform precise and detailed cuts at some point.

If you feel comfortable with a slipjoint, then it's hard to go wrong with a GEC. There are several patterns that have a wharncliffe/sheepsfoot blade, not the least of which would be the stockman patterns. I like my #79 though. If you don't want to spend quite so much money, then Case is another great option.

If you prefer a blade that locks, then you might want to check out the Cold Steel Tuff Lite. I don't own one yet, but there are a lot of people who highly recommend it for whittling. Another advantage is that it's relatively inexpensive.

If you'd rather get him a fixed blade, then Mora has some nice options. Check out the #122. Just beware. Mora carving knives are insanely sharp; which leads me to another bit of advice. It might be a good idea to get him a good carving glove for protection.
 
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I would definitely get something that locks.

For whittling I always liked something with a fine tip (but not to fine) cuz I can get some really fine details done with it.
Id also go with some that has a nice fat handle so he's got a good grip.

If you want to go traditional I'd go with:

Buck 505 knight
Buck 504 prince
Buck 501 squire
Buck 55 the 55

For something a lil more modern id go with:

Buck 727 mini spitfire
Buck vantage small
leatherman leap "locking multitool made for kids"
Buck nobleman
Maybe a buck 290 rush it's ASAP assisted "my first knife"


Hope this helps best of luck.

ZTD.
 
Here is my boy holding his congress (he's only four, so he does not do too much with it yet)...

b6ym34.jpg
 
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