Looking for recommendations

[Oscar mv]

Hi All, I'm brand new to these forums, and relatively new to knives. I would like to buy a nice knife for my father. I went to look at knives a few days ago and almost immediately it became clear to me that I had no idea what I was looking at I'm hoping that some of you that are more well versed in the subject can recommend some of your personal favorites to me.

Here are some general criteria to narrow down the search somewhat:

- I am only interested in folding knives

- Must be legal in California, I am not very familiar with California's knife laws but I have heard that autos and balisongs are illegal and I am sure there is some sort of blade length restriction for folding knives

As far as my price range goes, I would like to keep it under $200

Most likely the knife will not be used as an every day carry

Also I was hoping to get some thoughts on assisted opening knives. In general do they last and remain fully functional as long as unassisted knives? Also what exactly is the benefit of an assisted opening knife?

Someone told me that knives that had partially serrated blades were a pain to sharpen, is this true? What are some of the pro's and con's to having a partially serrated blade?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Oscar

 

[kbog]

I would avoid serrations (unless your father has a particular need for them) and assisted opening. Serrations are harder to sharpen and assisted opening is for faster deployment which is likely unnecessary for your dad in everyday use. In addition, I find that non knife folks are more likely to carry small knives than large ones as they do not weigh down the pocket or the psyche as much.

As a fan of spyderco, I like this one:
http://newgraham.com/store/product/4890/Sage-PE-SC123CFP/

To be honest though, I am not familiar with Cali law.

 

[Oscar mv]

Thank's kbog for the recommendation! I like the look of this knife, but I didn't see any specs listed, do you know what the blade length is? Also I don't know much about different types of steel, how does this knife hold an edge compared to other knives?

 

[Firestrike]

Look into some Stockman type knives or Victorinox, even non-knife people will find use for them.

 

[kbog]

Thank's kbog for the recommendation! I like the look of this knife, but I didn't see any specs listed, do you know what the blade length is? Also I don't know much about different types of steel, how does this knife hold an edge compared to other knives?

http://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=332

It is a premium steel and holds a keen edge. it is not a tiny folder though. Maybe medium sized would be accurate.