Knives for sons: Recommendations? Advice?

Although outside of the patterns which you've yet considered, and perhaps not the ideal EDC, I would recommend a pair of puukko for your progeny. Puukko knives have long been given as gifts, and this history might endow the heirlooms with an added sense of significance. I'm of Finnish lineage though- so the puukko is my answer to everything, really.
 
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pjackst said:
Although outside of the patterns about which you've yet considered, and perhaps not the ideal EDC, I would recommend a pair of puukko for your progeny. Puukko knives have long been given as gifts, and this history might endow the heirlooms with an added sense of significance. Im from Finnish lineage though- so the puukko's my answer to everything, really.
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I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think fixed blades are really what I'm looking for. I lack any Finnish heritage, so the significance is lost on me. My paternal clan is dutch-french, and maternal is Scotch/Native American, but both sides have been in the US for a few hundred years.
 
So you all are American as a Case Trapper ;) Maybe a lil Opinel might fit alongside as well. I am a bit into historo-geographic relevance when it comes to knives.
 
Those Great Easterns are perfect 'heritage' knives for when the kids are older.

In the meantime,
71pp5HhAEML._SX425_.jpg
 
bleh said:
I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think fixed blades are really what I'm looking for. I lack any Finnish heritage, so the significance is lost on me. My paternal clan is dutch-french, and maternal is Scotch/Native American, but both sides have been in the US for a few hundred years.
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My young son (age 9) carries a fixed blade. I think for children they're safer and easier to use.
When he was born I started his collection with a youth Mora (has guards), and last year Santa brought a KaBar Bird and Trout (stacked leather, made in Taiwan).
Of course he has folders too, starting with the youth models from Victorinox and Opinel, and later receiving pocketknives from Great Eastern, Boker, CRKT, and Case. Got some news from a little birdy that Santa is bringing a Leatherman this year. :)
 
Bob W said:
My young son (age 9) carries a fixed blade. I think for children they're safer and easier to use.
When he was born I started his collection with a youth Mora (has guards), and last year Santa brought a KaBar Bird and Trout (stacked leather, made in Taiwan).
Of course he has folders too, starting with the youth models from Victorinox and Opinel, and later receiving pocketknives from Great Eastern, Boker, CRKT, and Case. Got some news from a little birdy that Santa is bringing a Leatherman this year. :)
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That's a fair point, and I'm not saying they'll never have fixed blades. I'm saying I use a folding knife and I'd like them to have something like mine. Or more to the point, something they've seen me use time and time again. I don't carry or use fixed blades.

Bob W said:
Those Great Easterns are perfect 'heritage' knives for when the kids are older.

In the meantime,
71pp5HhAEML._SX425_.jpg
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I have one of those sitting in my Amazon wishlist!

Now I'm having the issue that
GEC didn't make any appropriately sized stockman/whittler knives in 2014. :\
 
bleh said:
That's a fair point, and I'm not saying they'll never have fixed blades. I'm saying I use a folding knife and I'd like them to have something like mine. Or more to the point, something they've seen me use time and time again. I don't carry or use fixed blades.
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For older kids (teenagers) it doesn't matter (as much). Even if they snap a blade on their fingers, it can be chalked up as, "Lesson learned, don't do it again."
But for the youngsters, some pocketknife with a strong snap could act as a guillotine on their small fingers with severe and permanent damage. And Great Eastern is known for 'confident' springs.

There's a good reason why companies produce and market youth models.
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P1010937.jpg

Photo borrowed from this similar discussion: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/869823-I-have-turned-some-one-to-the-darkside!

Here's a good choice, if you insist on a folder. Opinel knives lock open and don't have springs. The standard knives have a very sharp and pointy tip; the youth model has a rounded end that won't stab through their palm.
CARTON_MPO_ROUGE.jpg
 
Bob W said:
For older kids (teenagers) it doesn't matter (as much). Even if they snap a blade on their fingers, it can be chalked up as, "Lesson learned, don't do it again."
But for the youngsters, some pocketknife with a strong snap could act as a guillotine on their small fingers with severe and permanent damage. And Great Eastern is known for 'confident' springs.

There's a good reason why companies produce and market youth models.


Photo borrowed from this similar discussion: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/869823-I-have-turned-some-one-to-the-darkside!

Here's a good choice, if you insist on a folder. Opinel knives lock open and don't have springs. The standard knives have a very sharp and pointy tip; the youth model has a rounded end that won't stab through their palm.
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I appreciate what you're saying, but I think you're misunderstanding my point. I'm not looking for knives for them to learn how to use, I'm looking for knives to give them as heirlooms/keepsakes when they've learned how to use a knife. I got my Stockman when I was about 8 I believe. When I earned my totin' chip in scouts, which requires passing a test on knife safety and knowledge. The knife was a gift from my grandmother, and as such is very special to me. I'm looking to replicate that experience for my sons.

That said, I'm now considering going with some Case stockman/whittlers since the year of birth thing doesn't look like it's going to work out. I also think something a bit more modest would probably be best. I'll let them have the nice knives I acquire over time when I'm old and possibly dead. Don't want to spoil them too early!
 
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I understand now. Yep, the kids should have both. Great Eastern is perhaps the best choice quality-wise, but for something more 'modest' maybe grab an unused Schrade Old Timer while they're still common. Look for "USA" on the tang stamp to ensure you're getting a genuine Schrade product; Schrade went bankrupt in 2004 and new Old Timers are imported by an unrelated company.

34OTtangstamps.jpg


Their stockman patterns make good whittling knives, with three distinctly different blade shapes. A large number of different sizes and model variations.

858OTsizecomparison.jpg
 
Sean,

My kids are high school age, nearing college age so I've through this "I want them to have something of meaning from their Dad" thing - including knives, skis and bikes and other stuff.

One of the things I've learned is that when they are younger, they sought to emulate me, liking the things I liked. As they got older, they started to like things THEY liked and we saw that as a good thing.

Another thing I've learned is that gifting knives is hard as there's just no way to know what the receiver will treasure.

Kids love Dads who love their kids. Give them love and give them your time. Give them adventure. Carry knives that you love and keep track of them. When it's time, give them one of your knives and they'll own something that neither Case nor GEC can make - that is, "one of Dad's knives". Buy what you like. Use it, leave your marks on it, make it your knife authentically. And then give that.
 
That's some solid advice pinnah. The reason I'm doing this is because my knives tend to be a revolving door. I figure if I attach a son to each of the knives, I'll be less likely to sell them to fund the next run of Charlows ;)
 
My first knife was a Barlow. Love that knife and still have it 40 years later.
 
Sean, I respect what you are doing. You have lots good suggestions. I think you have a good goal of attaching them to a particular knife. I recently purchased a SAK for my 8 year old. He loves it. I often ask if I can borrow his knife, even though I have several SAK. I can see him swell with pride when I ask. He races off to retrieve his knife for me to use. My hope is that he will remember me using his knife. Maybe one day he will tell his son how grandpa (me) used his knife when he was a boy.
 
Case mini copperlock is a nice young man's folder. Available in all flavors of handle material, some with CV if you want patina.
 
bleh- This would have been an easier question years ago. Today, the knife choices are many and they run the gamut. I'd ask each Son, what do they like in a knife.
Have fun.
rolf
 
All I can say is that when each of my children reached their twelfth birthday, they each received an SAK small tinker. That was over a dozen years ago for my youngest.

It was enough for me to teach them the proper and safe opening, closing, and use of a pocket knife. Neither of them became knife knuts, though my daughter does now own several knives.
 
All I can say is that when each of my children reached their twelfth birthday, they each received an SAK small tinker. That was over a dozen years ago for my youngest.

It was enough for me to teach them the proper and safe opening, closing, and use of a pocket knife. Neither of them became knife knuts, though my daughter does now own several knives.
 
pinnah said:
Kids love Dads who love their kids. Give them love and give them your time. Give them adventure. Carry knives that you love and keep track of them. When it's time, give them one of your knives and they'll own something that neither Case nor GEC can make - that is, "one of Dad's knives". Buy what you like. Use it, leave your marks on it, make it your knife authentically. And then give that.
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+1 :)
Thanks to Pinnah for expressing my thoughts better than I could have done.
No one knows what sort of knives your son will ever carry, and whether he will be into knives or not.
But his dad's knife will be special anyway. :)

Fausto
:cool:
 
What I've done is allow my kids access to pick my knives for me most days. That way I've seen what they like, and they get to have an active role in my knife choices. I still get to run the gambit of knives as I like carrying diversity, and they attach special meanings to their favorites. Then when the time is right I pass the knife along to the new owner, who developed the connection on their own, and still have memories attached of me carrying it.
 
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