Knife noobie needs help finding a gift for a USCGA graduate

H

HARD10

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Mar 21, 2013
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As the title says, I am in the market for a knife for a very good friend who will be graduating from the USCGA this May. He will be on the 270' Campbell out of Portsmouth, NH. I wanted to get him something honoring his achievement and give him something that would be practical and provide years of use on his boat. He will be graduating as an officer so he probably doesn't need a knife for everyday rope use like that of a deckie. I know the boat goes to the Caribbean for a few months on more tactical assignments. I want this gift to be a surprise because he would never look at knives in the $300+ price range and I want the knife to be something of that quality... not some military issued, generic knife.

So my thread is two fold. First if anyone has information of what is "standard" or better yet, "allowed" on a USCG boat, that information would be helpful as it would obviously effect my knife buying decision. From what I managed to find online is that it must be a folder and have a blade not more than 4" long. So that is what I have been looking at over the past week. My budget will top off at $750 and I would prefer a custom knife. I would like to support the individual knife makers if possible and I think $750 can buy a nice blade for an officer in the USCG.

Some of the knives I've looked at are (in no specific order): Crawford Custom Kasper, Willumsen Frankie, Brous-Willumsen Reloader, Chris Reeve Large Sebenza, LionSteel SR-1, Strider SNG, Microtech Socom Elite or DOC and the ZT 0560 Hinderer.

Again....any help on the USCG regulations and knife options would be appreciated. Graduation is May 22 so I will have to make my decision soon.

Thanks....
 
I don't have any experience with knives in that price rang.
But I personally wouldn't get him any thing that expensive, I would get him somthing that he wouldn't be afraid to use (and somthing that if lost would be replaceable) I know from experience that things get lost (on boats especially) I'd get him a higher end benchmade/spyderco/emerson that he can use and love but not be afraid to use.......just my 0.02 on the subject.

Also I'd definitely get him a good multy tool, to go with the knife!
 
@ 9blades..... i do understand your point about not buying an expensive knife for a working USCG boat but i would expect this to be an EDC knife for him and my wife and i want to give him something more special then a $100 knife from Cabela's.

open to suggestions....
 
First off, you may want to stick to the production/mid-tech arena. Having a custom made by May will be next to impossible unless you plan to snag one that's already made (which can be as difficult).

That being said, the SR-1 and the ZT 560 are my picks out of the ones you listed. The SR-1 in Ti is pretty heavy though so if that's an issue either get the aluminum SR-1 or the ZT.

The Calavera Cutlery El Patron might be worth a look too. Hard use, full custom and may be able to be delivered by your deadline.
 
The best I have used onboard a boat is a Leatherman Charge multitool!

For a nice folder I would avoid models in the 750$ range.
Knives onboard boats do disappear on occasion into the sea.

My first Kershaw Folding Field rests on the seabed...

At 230$ the Fällkniven Gentlemans Pocketknife isn't cheap, but has a good production quality.
It's already a lot for a boatknife, but I intend to use it as such.

View attachment 338261View attachment 338262

Regards
Mikael
 
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.....the $750 is a max spending limit..... By custom I meant something already in inventory like the Frankie on BladeHQ. I think the CR21 would be a classic knife but since my friend is 6'5", not sure the small would fit good in his hands. The Brous-Willumsen Reloader looks like a nice compromise but isn't getting any backing here.
 
Looked up the Brous-Willumsen Reloader and peoples taste differs.
Nothing wrong with that knife, but not my taste at all.
Guess I'm too stuck with timeless traditional designs, but I like Lion steel.

Regards
Mikael
 
Spyderco's Salt series knives might be worth looking into. Specifically designed for marine use. Nice knives too!
 
Take a look at the Grayman Dua. I recently got one, and absolutely love it!
 
Now the suggestions are coming in.

How about the Spartan Akribis? Full Ti plus G-10. Only 5.2. Mid $400 mark.
 
Hard to go wrong with a Large Seb. Maybe find one with a nice graphic or the micarta for added grip.
 
+1 for the Salt knives (or anything else in H1 steel). They basically don't rust. If it were me, I would rather have a niceish knife for the sea and a mid tech or custom that is slightly less expensive for land. If you're looking to spend $750, the $600-650 that you would have left after getting something nice from the Salt series will still buy one hell of a knife!
 
Lots of options. The ZT0560 is a nice one. Depending on what his personal preferences are you might even get a ZT030X.

In any case, I would also get an Opinel engraved with graduating class info, name, date etc. Opinel has engraving options on their website. I think that you can get almost any of their knives engraved.
 
I am having a hard time getting my head around the kind of cutting tasks you would come up against as an officer on a CG boat. I don't see the need for a 700$ prybar, a 100$ prybar will do the job just as well and he'll worry less about mucking up the finish. Perhaps a nice long slip-joint suitable for food prep might come in handy. Agile_1's suggestion of an engraved opinel sounds like a winner on that front.

From a practical standpoint, he might be better served with a nice flashlight (headlamp) and multi-tool, or maybe a watch.
 
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I too am looking for a knife recommendation. I would like some input for a knife that is handmade in the U.S., with the proceeds going to a good cause. There is a collector, near and dear to me that has a bazillion knives (or so it seems), but not one of them handmade. The importance here is that it be handmade in the U.S., and, the proceeds must go to a good cause, a donation if you will. Any ideas?
 
Seems to be a slight hijack of my thread but I'll let that go.

My wanting to buy him a special knife is like buying a son a Rolex watch for college graduation. While a timex or fossil watch will certainly keep time, it also lacks the quality and craftsmanship I'm trying to find in a gift. Replace watch with knife and that's my point.

I do understand that he might need his knife everyday...especially as an officer but do upu need a Rolex to tell you the time when 99.9% of us have our smartphones by our side 24/7.

The more I look at the Spartan Akribis...the more I like it. It won't break my budget. It's no super large or heavy. It's Ti framed with G10 or CF. Its a new knife and not many will have it making it seem more custom. And the workmanship of the knife looks like it will last from years to come.

That or the CR seem to be the "go to knife".

I appreciate the suggestions....please keep them coming. The kids are home all next week and I'll need some google searching suggestions to keep me busy.
 
inistis said:
Spyderco's Salt series knives might be worth looking into. Specifically designed for marine use. Nice knives too!
Click to expand...
This was my first thought also. Salt-water won't hurt it.


choombak said:
Take a look at the Grayman Dua. I recently got one, and absolutely love it!
Click to expand...
I just got one of these also. The interesting part of the Dua is that it's midway (in handle size) between the Small and Large Sebenza, and yet has many of the same engineering strong-points of the Sebenza. Pivot, female standoff design, etc. Blade is 3.15" long. I really like it. It is certainly up to heavy-duty applications.
Here is a link: Dua in the middle of small and large Sebenzas. What really impresses me is the simple fact that I cannot use the small Sebenza; it's too small for my hand to hang onto, so I normally carry the Large Sebenza. But the Dua fits my hand just fine, and I can operate it open and closed easily, probably due to the large grip. Whatever it means, it looks like a small Sebenza, but it fits me whereas the small Sebenza does not.
The Dua will likely NOT slice as nicely as a Sebenza, since the dua blade thickness is 0.165" instead of the 0.125" of the more traditional Sebenzas.
But the Dua will be a better prybar if that's called for.

GraymanDUAandSebs_zpsc3ed9d41.jpg
 
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HARD10 said:
Now the suggestions are coming in.

How about the Spartan Akribis? Full Ti plus G-10. Only 5.2. Mid $400 mark.
Click to expand...

That is a beautiful design. It caught my eye a while ago, and I've been wanting to handle one for a while.
 
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