knife gift you regret

I gave a Kabar Dozier Folder to my fishing buddy. He lost it on the first trip with it and then accused me of stealing it from him. Now that didn't set too well with me for some reason.
Edit: former fishing buddy
 
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I have given away many knives to friends. I regret all of them because I love the knives and my friends aren't knife fans. I have an original Timberline specwar to a friend over 15 years ago, I doubt it's been out of its sheath. I gave a Busse battlemistres LE to another friend many years ago and I doubt he has ever looked at it. No regrets. My friends are deserving
 
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Cobalt said:
I have given away many knives to friends. I regret all of them because I love the knives and my friends aren't knife fans. I have an original Timberline specwar to a friend over 15 years ago, I doubt it's been out of its sheath. I gave a Busse battlemistres LE to another friend many years ago and I doubt he has ever looked at it. No regrets. My friends are deserving
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Can I be your friend? 😁
 
I gave a blade to one of my best friends and he gave it to his uncle when he didn’t have anything to give him for his birthday.

I was pissed at first, but Unc is a good guy, uses the knife, and loves it. I gave my bud an even nicer one to replace the one he gave Unc when he was ass out. All good.

Never regretted any knife I’ve ever given to a family member. They’re all very appreciative and more than capable of caring for them and using them well.
 
I gifted a custom Josh Fisher (https://www.jnfisherknives.com) hunting knife and sheath to my brother-in-law who is an avid hunter. He hasn’t used it yet (as far as I know) so I worry he thinks it is “too nice” to use in the field. I’m not a hunter but I’m going to invite myself on a trip with him next year to force him to break it out. 🤪

Josh’s daughter Karis Fisher also makes wonderful fixed blades. She won Best EDC Custom Fixed Blade award at Blade Show Texas 2024. Check out her instagram if you’re not familiar with her stuff.
 
My father passed a couple of years back from end stage Alzheimer’s. Shortly before his passing we were working on his room and found a Microtech UDT I had given him 20 years earlier. The knife had been used and abused in the trades and was barely recognizable. The blade was dull, the action was caked with grime and debris and no longer fired, every surface was marred and scratched, and about 50% of the finish was completely gone. So, I sharpened it up, cleaned it up as best I could and showed it to my father. He had lost his speech by that point, but he clearly recognized it, smiled and slipped it into his pocket.

The knife was lost over the next hectic months leading to his passing. But, it was good to see that the knife had been appreciated to the end. It was one of the few positive moments for me during that final rough period.

N2s
 
TC said:
I gave out Opinel #8s for Christmas some years back, and everyone still likes them - no regret there. Got a Helle Eggen for my brother who visits friends in Sweden regularly - no regret there either, though the slight irony may have not been understood.

Collected a few Laguioles and one particular knife - light-colored horn - caught the eye of my 85-year-old mother, so I gifted it to her instantly - absolutely no regret there either. She uses it mostly in the kitchen, but almost daily. I keep it sharp.

So - no regrets at all. Since I'm ahead here, I'm calling it quits. No more knife gifts, ever.
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Opinel #8 is such a great gift knife. I gave the Opinel Oyster knives to my coastal cousins for Christmas last year. Excellent inexpensive and tough folding oyster shell poppers!
 
I have given far more knives away over the years than I can remember to friends and family. As an adult Scouter in the BSA for many years, I've given a ton of knives to boys who might not otherwise have been able to have a knife, and it has brought me joy every time. I've also given knives to friends here countless times, and don't regret any of 'em.

So, thinking about it, probably the one regret* I have is that I gave a Buck 110 to my Uncle seven or eight years ago. He's not a knife guy, but thinks the Buck 110 is the most beautiful knife he's ever seen, and because A. I'm his favorite nephew (LOL) and B. a huge knife guy, he mentally assigned it FAAAAAAARRRRRR more value than it's worth because clearly if I had given it to him and I'm a big knife guy, this thing has to be amazing, right?? Siiiighhhhh.....so he has refused to open it and use it all these years because it's "too nice to mess up". So, last Christmas, I had bought a couple of knives here on BF from a buddy, and one of 'em was a Buck 110. Already out of the package, slight patina on the bolsters, it's ready. READY. So, I figured it would be amusing to give him one that he'd have no excuses against this time, because BOOM, it's already used! I gave it to him last Christmas and he was over the moon with it. He kept taking it out during Christmas and opening and closing it, just looking at it every which way, you know how it is.

Fast forward. This year, the guy carried it on his belt a few times, and now it's on display right next to the one still in its package on a shelf in his living near his favorite chair. He told me this at our family Thanksgiving last week, and he was so happy about it. "I look at them every day!!!!"

(rubs forehead) "....You know....you know what, that's great! I'm glad you love 'em, man." Gave 'im a hug and then we headed to the table. It takes all kinds, and hell, I'm just glad they bring him enjoyment after a fashion, even if it's not what I intended. So, I regret that they aren't being used, but don't regret giving them to him because he loves them dearly. I'll take the win.



* Eh, regret is probably too strong a word, it's just a headshake and a chuckle sort of thing at this point.
 
I've learned that when it comes to giving gifts you have to have a "They're gonna do with it as they will" mindset. Some things will be appreciated and others taken for granted and in the end that's their business.

Of course "Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me" can come in to play after that.
 
Redmeadow Knives said:
I've learned that when it comes to giving gifts you have to have a "They're gonna do with it as they will" mindset. Some things will be appreciated and others taken for granted and in the end that's their business.

Of course "Fool me once, shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me" can come in to play after that.
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Truer words never said..👍
 
Mike Stewart of Bark River (I know, I know) once sent me a knife with “Sheep Horn” handles because I mentioned a fund raiser event that I was donating a GEC knife to for a silent auction. The Bark River was even nicer than the GEC, in my opinion.

The folks managing the fundraiser tossed both knives into a basket with a bunch of cheap gas station knives and auctioned off the basket as a single item. I don’t remember what the basket sold for but it was less than the cost of either of my donated knives.

When I gift a knife to someone, I consider it theirs to do with as they please but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard to keep my mouth shut on that one.
 
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