Knives you have given away

I gave away a Civivi Baby Banter to an affiliate family member the other night, who I found out didn't have a folder.

It was originally going to be a gift to my girlfriend, but I got her a nicer knife instead. Then I also gave her my CRKT CEO because she didn't want to wreck the nicer knife.
 
OK looking back over the past almost decade...I realized I gave away A LOT OF KNIVES. Not because I wanted to get rid of them but because I saw my relatives and few friends were ungodly equipped even for the most minor set of problems tool wise. The knives I gave away fit what I thought they needed. And Most of the knives I gave away turned their disaster in to a minor discomfort. Mostly like having SOME THING to cut branches and limbs to get under their car wheel to stop from freezing to death in their car one night. And make fire materials that their cigarette lighter was able to make a fire for them. Or how the SP-10 Marauder turned out to be the perfect knife/hatchet when the snowmobile broke down in the literal middle of no where. To needing some thing to be able to cut some four legged thing that insisted on trying to hurt them. To scaring away two leggers who didn't want to deal some one with a 10" bowie knife.

I gave away mostly OKC SP-10s, SP-53s and SP-8s for the bigger tools. Cutting downed trees on roads, clearing areas out and such and helped them get out of some minor situations that would of bin major disasters if they didn't have them.

RD6s and Gerber Strong Arms for the midsize knives that worked as stand alone knives on their own. Lots of the cut limbs and stuff events from these.

The RD Tanto to a few, One was stolen by his son after his dad stole the Ka-Bar and other hunting knife I gave him, and another brother who uses it as well.

The folders I gave away almost my entire hoard...er COLLECTION of them, Gerbers and Bucks...well those were to knephews and kniecses knives I gave away being the unkle, SOME ONE HAD TO!

Yes it was one incident about per less than one knife I gave away, but to me that was a big win not having a friend or family member having a worse situation happen to them.

Do I regret giving some knives away, now that many of the ones I favor will never be made again. Being a knife hoarder...COLLECTOR I am a bit. Like I'm down to one standard Gerber Strongarm and my BDZ1 model one. I'm down to one RD6 left to give away...but seeing the results of my give a ways I'm glad I did it.

The knives I gave away, were reliable, dependable and if need be expendable. (Like holding a rock up some one is pinned under, yes I had to do that a few times in my life.) Not family heirlooms, or uber expensive ones. Those latter two as stated special family pass down knives or special event making ones to me, as I never owned one to give away like that. Wish I did, the sister in law who I like better than the little brother would get it.

Edicus: I see my thread was merged with one with an over a year since it was posted in. Oh well as long as people can learn from such a well deserving thread that don't deserve to be dead and is filled with such significant tellings of peoples.
 
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* Warning, long and boring story to follow

Growing up, my favorite uncle gave me a knife or multi-tool every few years. This would be late 80's, early 90's. He was a Gerber German Steel guy. They came in so incredibly handy many, many times.

At eleven, I headed out one Saturday morning to the Laguna in my little Sunfish sailboat. My parents were in the Gulf scuba diving, and wouldn't be home until 10 pm.

As boys do, I went way out of my agreed boundaries, like fifteen miles up the ship channel.

Wind picked up fast and crazy, sail filled with 50mph wind, I wasn't strong enough to move it at all. Tried turning into the wind, sail swapped, came across so hard it split my wig, sent me straight to sleep. Sail filled right back up again. Boat beached on one of hundreds of tiny spoil islands. Moving so fast it sailed ten feet onto the sand. When I arrived back from dream land, boat was completely beached, sail full, rigging was jammed up in the pulleys. My very best chance at a rescue was the next morning, no way they would find me there at night. Terrifying...

After a couple hours of trying everything I could think of, it hit me. Gerber in the gear bag. Thank you Uncle Ronnie. Took the pulley apart with a screwdriver, got the knot out with the pliers, tied it further back for some breathing room. Sliced the sail in a few strategic spots, which relieved enough force to let me jockey the boat around and get back in business. More happened but you get the point, I made it home. Absolutely couldn't have done it without the tool.

So knives are my very favorite things to gift, always have been since hitting gift giving age. I'd given thousands of dollars of really nice knives away to friends and family for decades, but only had cheap ones myself. My brother, whom is the biggest beneficiary of gifted knives, gave me a Spyderco Chaparral. After edc'ing it for a few years, I gave me permission to spoil myself to the brink of lunacy. lol
 
Gave an Esee knife to an Eagle Scout and a CPK Basic 5 to my step daughter who is going camping for 3 weeks and didn’t have a knife, holy cats I dropped the ball while she was young but worked to fix that recently. She seemed pleased so hopefully I have redeemed myself.
 
Too many to list...some in the Traditional Forum, some to members who had suffered losses, some to relatives and neighbors, some to workmen...both custom and production.

You can't take 'em with you. Sometimes giving them away is as much fun as having owned them.
 
Blues said:
Too many to list...some in the Traditional Forum, some to members who had suffered losses, some to relatives and neighbors, some to workmen...both custom and production.

You can't take 'em with you. Sometimes giving them away is as much fun as having owned them.
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Have I mentioned all the losses I've suffered recently as a traditional workmen over here living next-door to you?

I knew there was a little fuzzy bunny hidden somewhere under all that kevlar and grit Mr. Blues. :)
 
scorpnsnake said:
Have I mentioned all the losses I've suffered recently as a traditional workmen over here living next-door to you?

I knew there was a little fuzzy bunny hidden somewhere under all that kevlar and grit Mr. Blues. :)
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I respond more to the fact that you like Tom Waits. (He's one of a very special breed.)
 
Ken Brock, a good and longtime friend of mine, gifted me a Strider EBLT fixed blade when I deployed to Iraq in 2007. I used it a few times, and found it to be a decent expedient breachers tool. 2 years later I re-gifted it to a friend who was deploying on his first pump to the sandbox. Several years later I had a SnG that I gifted to an EOD guy heading out on crisis response.
 
Blues said:
I respond more to the fact that you like Tom Waits. (He's one of a very special breed.)
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Funny you mention that. I'm leaving work now and already planned to put on "I don't want to grow up", "God's away on business" and "Filipino Box Spring Hog " for the ride.
 
navman said:
Ken Brock, a good and longtime friend of mine, gifted me a Strider EBLT fixed blade when I deployed to Iraq in 2007. I used it a few times, and found it to be a decent expedient breachers tool. 2 years later I re-gifted it to a friend who was deploying on his first pump to the sandbox. Several years later I had a SnG that I gifted to an EOD guy heading out on crisis response.
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Les Adams was an EOD officer for Miami-Dade P.D. SWAT and bomb squad while I was working with their team members back in the 90's and early 2000's.

He made a nice folder. Was wondering if you ever crossed paths, Josh.

(I worked more regularly with the Miami P.D. bomb squad because they were working on a UC operation of mine for a year or so. No knife makers though, that I recall.)
 
Only LEO's I crossed paths with in Miami were local FBI SWAT and a few DHS/HST folks at SOCSOUTH, and a few local boys that drilled at the SOC for reserve duty. And of course, Hilton Yam. I do know a Les who was a former bomb tech, and a knife maker...but that would be Les George, lol.
 
navman said:
Only LEO's I crossed paths with in Miami were local FBI SWAT and a few DHS/HST folks at SOCSOUTH, and a few local boys that drilled at the SOC for reserve duty. And of course, Hilton Yam. I do know a Les who was a former bomb tech, and a knife maker...but that would be Les George, lol.
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You know the KING! I love this place..
 
navman said:
Only LEO's I crossed paths with in Miami were local FBI SWAT and a few DHS/HST folks at SOCSOUTH, and a few local boys that drilled at the SOC for reserve duty. And of course, Hilton Yam. I do know a Les who was a former bomb tech, and a knife maker...but that would be Les George, lol.
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I visited Hilton up at the FBI office one afternoon back in the day. He used to be a regular here on the forums for some time. My office was in the Koger Center with most of the other outfits...Customs, DEA, ATF, Secret Service and the task forces...HIDTA / OCDETF and Florida Joint Task Group.

DHS / HSI was what my outfit became after we transitioned from Treasury to Homeland Security post 9/11.

ETA: I have one of Les George's. I'll be hitting you up for sure.
 
Gave away a few cause sick of looking at them and weren't dangerous looking enough as a kid. Did trade a few folders for firecrackers as they are illegal in my crappy state.
 
Blues said:
Too many to list...some in the Traditional Forum, some to members who had suffered losses, some to relatives and neighbors, some to workmen...both custom and production.

You can't take 'em with you. Sometimes giving them away is as much fun as having owned them.
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Agree. We had family down over the long weekend. It was a 4th of July Blowout Sale with special discount of free to family members.
Daughter: Benchmade Violi; Kabar Dozier Design Folder
Son in Law: Buck 301, Lionsteel Warhorse, Imperial Barlow, Camillus TL29, Case Medium Stockman Amber Bone CV, Bark River 3V Canadian
Oldest Grandson: Case Trapper SS redbone
His Wife: Kabar Dozier Design Folder
Younger Grandson: BM940, CRK Large Inkosi S35VN Insingo, Red Alox Farmer, Spyderco PM3LW

And recently to other Son-in-Law and his son: Randall Model 5, Randall Model 7 in SS with green micarta

Fun for sure.
 
dogstar said:
Share some stories about knives you owned, and have given away.
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I do not generally give away knives that I bought with the intention of keeping. I have, however, bought literally dozens of knives for the purpose of giving away as gifts.

The only two I can think of that I gave away that I had intended to keep for myself were a Cold Steel Bushman and Gerber Harsey Air Ranger II that I gave to my older brother, when he decided he needed some alone time in the woods to help figure out his life. He had lost most of his possessions at that point in his life, and was borrowing money from our mother to buy backpacking gear, so having been recently divorced at the time, I contributed a good amount of gear out of my stash that I wasn't letting my spouse have, in order to reduce the financial burden on my mother.

When I visited family in the Philippines, I brought a bunch of Victorinox Pocket Pal knives to give out to my cousins. One year, I bought up a couple of dozen new old stock vintage Gerber Pro Guide II hunting knives, and gave them away to all my friends as Christmas gifts. I bought my ex a Sterling Silver Victorinox Classic from Tiffany & Co. as a wedding present. My ex was not much into preparedness, but at one point, I got her a Gerber Magnum LST folder and Leatherman Wave for camping. I have bought many other Victorinox knives as gifts, over the years, especially for younger members of the extended family when they came of age. They are always appreciated.
 
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