Knife for son?

Case knives are great quality almost every bit as good as GEC . For the money I like Case better and I have both , Case and GEC with a couple Buck 110s from yesteryear . Case Mini Trapper would make a fine whittler .
 
and here he is holding his double liner lock GEC #23 pioneer... a safer, but much bigger knife...
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Aias , sure wish I had a Dad like you . You sure picked some nice heirlooms for your son . I'm going to be a Grandfather in about 6 months . Sure hoping it's a boy , and I can't wait till he or she is old enough for her 1st whittler . A good Barlow is an excellent 1st knife too , as I'm sure a bunch of us had one as our 1st knives .
 
Get him a Buck Cadet. He can do all of the things you mentioned with that knife and it is easy to care for. These are not expensive but they are good. I like the standard black scaled version, but they do have some that are a bit nicer. As for the other knife, I would get him a Spyderco Chicago.
 
RustyZ said:
Aias , sure wish I had a Dad like you . You sure picked some nice heirlooms for your son . I'm going to be a Grandfather in about 6 months . Sure hoping it's a boy , and I can't wait till he or she is old enough for her 1st whittler . A good Barlow is an excellent 1st knife too , as I'm sure a bunch of us had one as our 1st knives .
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Thanks RustyZ; there are a few others I have put aside (I've got three kids, and counting...)--each one has a folder or two coming to them. Agreed about the Barlows, there are some really nice ones out there. Congrats on becoming a Grandpa! Good times ahead!
 
If he seems to be really into wood working you may consider the Flexcut Detail Jack, among folding and one of Mora carving knives with finger protection: the #105 and the #73-164PS.

These three are specific for woodcarving though and if he will get the carving bug you'll soon get him a guardless knife, which are way more versatile and enables to work extremely close to the work piece, increasing the preciseness.

Speaking of safety you might consider to get him a protective glove for his supporting hand which is more likley to get cut, holding the work piece.
 
Safety first, of course. That mostly means paying attention. Not relying on fancy locks or armored gauntlets.

Clearly you're already on the right track with this kid. That is a wonderful thing :thumbup: :)

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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Totally agree. I like the traditional "trapper" pattern better, but obviously we're on the same page.

Scurvy092 said:
I think it should almost be mandatory to whittle with a traditional.
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Absolutely! Also, clean/fillet a fish and/or field-dress/skin a small game animal with it (or even a big game animal; it CAN be done with a bit of patience and care), pare/prep/slice/chop veggies and meat for a home-cooked meal, trim/clean your fingernails, cut your steak or chops at dinnertime in a fancy restaraunt, sharpen a pencil, open your mail or a package of whatever from the grocery store, trim a wayward thread off your dress shirt, cut open that hard plastic clam-pack of whatever you bought from WallyWorld, and so forth.

These are basic life skills that every human should get comfortable with.

Keep it old-school. Keep it simple. Keep it to knives with blades that are thin and cut well almost by default, and keep it to steels that are easy to sharpen and maintain. Also, there are LOTS of American-made traditionals that are honestly good enough to use with pleasure for decades, but also inexpensive enough that it's not a heart-breaker if you somehow misplace or break 'em.

I make custom/handmade knives with expensive high-end steel for a living, and I beat the living snot out of them as part of my job/R&D... but I still own, often carry and fully enjoy the least-expensive Case Trapper you can get. I paid about $30 for it, with shipping ;) Why? It works. I have to sharpen it often, but so what? It keeps me grounded and reminds me of what this whole industry is really about... Get off the couch and use your knife. Have some fun with it. :thumbup:

Starting with the very basics - "cut away from yourself", "don't abuse it" etc etc is good for children and adults alike. Again... sounds like you've already gotten this youngster off to a good start. I applaud that :)

There will be plenty of time later (it may only take a few months, if the kid continues to show interest and embraces taking care of his knife) to introduce him to more modern designs and materials.

On the other hand, if the kid (not you; let him find his own way) shows a genuine interest in the more "modern" manufacturers/designs, don't hold him back. There are plenty of good, affordable options in that realm, too. If he's excited about it, he'll want to use it all the time, hopefully he'll learn from it, and that's not a bad thing.
 
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Honestly most Spydercos suck for whittling due to their broad blades. If he wants to get into carving a thin short blade offers the most versatility.

That said, my boys wanted and got Spydercos for their first. Let me try and fig up the old videos...
http://youtu.be/7z43ttBKJd8

http://youtu.be/YtBT-v0V_QE

Drew was a bit younger when he started and he struggled with tight springed slip joints. The compression lock suited/suits him well.
 
A fixed blade with a scandi grind is up for the task. A small Mora with a wooden handle shouldn't cost to much.
 
Get him a lock back whittler. Rough rider has them for under $20 shipped. Two small blades and a lock back clip.
 
Bigbluefish said:
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.
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What you're talking about is strictly a knife. Aside from scaring people and maybe peeling the bark off trees and slicing rope they have very limited uses. If your boy already has a SAK, and uses and enjoys it, then get on to teaching him about the sharpening of blades and exploring the what-all million useful things you can actually do with one. Reaming pipe, opening cans, turning Philips/Robertson and Common screws are just a few.
 
The first knives I ever owned were gifted by my grandfather; Barlows and SAKs. I was tought young to respect my knife and never get too comfortable or it would bite me. Never had a blade close on me for one simple reason, education. Everyone should learn with a slip joint first until you are COMPLETELY confident and competent in your ability. IMO a lock can give a novice a false sense of security. Stick with a traditional (I like Case and GEC). It will be so when my son becomes of age.
 
Bigbluefish said:
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.
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Delicate is a great choice, why at 10 years does the boy need adult supervision. If you have taught him values, judgement, respect of others, and the law he should be left to experience the world.

IMHO parent today keep the training wheels on the kids to long, coddle them, and baby them too much. How is a child to learn to ride the neighborhood, town city, or world. If you have keep the darn training wheels on the child?
 
Thanks for all your input, guys.

We looked at quite a few knives online, then at some Case traditionals and Buck lockbacks at a brick and mortar store while on vacation, and discovered that the mid-size and smaller traditionals were too small for him, while the full size trapper stiles were larger than what he wanted. We also discovered that liner locks and frame locks, though "cool" in the "tacti-cool" kind of way were very difficult for him to close, so he decided he didn't want one of those. I don't even remember those being around when I was his age (back in '75 or so) just slip joints and lockbacks. But he fell in love with the Buck 55, it's only competition being the Buck Prince, so that's what I got him. He hasn't had much chance to use it, other than cutting some fishing line, but is very happy with it.

He also was gifted another knife by his grandmother when he visited, a like-new SAK which was owned by her late husband, so now he has two of those.
 
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