Recommend a whittling folder

There was an avid Whittler at Case that used a Seahorse whittler.
He swore by those.
And he did some amazing work with it!! 🫣
John 🥾🥾
 
My .02 a Case seahorse might be easiest to find. I have a GEC 38 whittler and a GEC 62 pocket carver and really like the small wharncliffe blades on the pocket carver.
 
If he is already using a mora, my question is, what does he want to do? A flex cut carving knife and a Kevlar glove might be a solution, if he wants to get serious.
 
I second the Case seahorse whittler. Great knife, and noticeably better and more comfy to use than the Rough Rider copy.
A Swiss Army knife is also a good one that he can use for anything, or a good stockman/congress make a good all around whittler.
 
I’m not much of a whittler, but do occasionally enjoy carving designs into walking sticks. I prefer a congress pattern best for carving, even more than a dedicated whittler. I find the swayback design perfect for comfort and the blades are typically thin and flexible while also offering the best range of shapes and sizes.
 
My favorite carving only knives are the 62 pocket carver and the 38 English whittler both by GEC.

I carve with a straight edge blade so anything with a thin straight blade I will use. The has led me to cattle knives and stockman. The 35 cattle knife is great, so is the 82 stockman, and the 53 cuban. A surprisingly good one is the 53 electrician from earlier this year, 2 sheepsfoot. A good sized stockman will serve him in several rolls.

I agree with most here 1095 carbon steel.
 
I like the idea of making it a complete "kit" -- knife, two-sided stone, and glove.
I bought several whittling knives before discovering that I have no talent at all. 😁 Rough Rider makes a couple of split-back whittler patterns, the 106 and the 375, although I don't know if they are still in production. The Case Seahorse is also a split-back design (main runs on both backsprings and the two secondaries on one backspring each). One nice thing about the Seahorse is that the flat sided Wharncliffe is quite thick, giving lots of steel so that the blade easily can be reprofiled to a narrow angle while retaining plenty of strength, and a wide spine so you can get lots of pushing force with your thumb. I like the ergonomics of the Seahorse and wish I had the talent to make use of it! Whatever you get, plan on reprofiling the blades for best results.
 
Do not get caught up in the whittler name, there are many "whittlers" that are not good for carving.

Think thin blades, the less material to push through the wood is better.

If one is carving with great force, it is dangerous and will lead to getting cut. A short thin blade will give you more power to the tip regardless. If you need more power than that, sharpen your knife and take smaller bites.

A longer thicker handle will give less hand fatigue and make it more enjoyable.

Here are some that I use often.
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I use several knives but I find a stockman to be the most useful. A Case with carbon steel blades would be my choice if buying new.

I’ve used an Old Timer 34OT a lot, and it does quite well.

I have a GEC 62 Pocket Carver and it’s great for some things, but I wouldn’t want it as my only whittling knife.

Knowing how to sharpen and strop are extremely important. I learned to strip on my palm intermittently when whittling to keep my edge keen.

Here’s my whittling thread: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/what-have-you-been-whittling-with-your-traditionals.1877093/
 
I use a Case 75 pattern (Jumbo) stockman most of the time for my whittling needs. It's stainless, and I don't prefer that, but I believe in dancing with the one ya brought. I do plan to replace my stainless 75 with a carbon steel 75 when I'm able.
 
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