Recommendation for first knife or dagger for a 9 year old boy?

My personal way of dealing with a similar situation with my 6 year was crkt wooden knife kit, cold steel polypropylene training sword and he got a rough rider sodbuster with a liner lock. The third item is real steel and he gets to use it at dinner with massive supervision. Maybe one of those choices would help. You could buy all three for $50 or less.
 
Victorinox Swiss Army Knife would be my first choice (a folder). He needs to learn how to walk before he can run.

If you are set on a larger knife, I would look at the Schrade line and pick what you think he'd like. He will need some supervision, but he's your son. You would know. You don't have to spend $100 to satisfy a 9 year old kid.

If you want some inexpensive and very sharp.... Mora Companion (fixed blade). I doubt he'd throw that one, but kids are kids.

A knife that I have purchased and gifted to a 9-year old was a SOG Field Pup. Pretty good knife actually. Something better in the SOG line is the Seal Pup Elite.... good knife.
 
If you want to invest in a knife for him I would give a esee for the warrenty replacement no mater what I think I would buy him a air soft gun as that would be safer for a nine yr old unless he's super mature also if you buy him a knife just know this he will cut himself and learn from his mistake as long as that mistake doesn't kill him first
 
Nerf has a whole whack of knives and swords that can used to hit things with, thrown, and so on.

The perfect fit for a 9 year old.

Then for a first pocket knife there is already lots of other good advice here already.
 
marcinek said:
Other than to himself...which is a sure fire way to learn how to use a knife. No doubt many of us have been there.
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Exactly. I still have the scar on my pinky when I learned stabbing my SAK into a picnic table was a dumb idea over 20 years ago.
 
Only you know how responsible he is. I would not assume he is going to be safe. I think a lot of us picked up on him throwing the knife in the back yard and we all know that is a no no.

There have been a lot of great suggestions here. But we all respect knives as tools, not as toys. When you feel he is ready, get him a Swiss army knife. Then make sure someone teaches him to use it properly. Then once you know he respects them, you can consider something more. Otherwise get him a plastic sword that at worst could give someone a bruise or a knot on the head.

I know a lot of us sounded preachy, but we would hate to be responsible for a serious injury.
 
craytab said:
Exactly. I still have the scar on my pinky when I learned stabbing my SAK into a picnic table was a dumb idea over 20 years ago.
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I did the same. Hand slipped and sliced my pinky to the bone. One of the major stepping stones of my knife education.
 
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by reading only the title, I would say no dagger for a 9-year old child whatsoever.
 
get him a set of cheap throwing knives to throw and an old timer knife off amazon and watch videos to teach him. to yall sayin hes to young its parents choice ive had that stuff since i was 5
 
marcinek said:
Other than to himself...which is a sure fire way to learn how to use a knife. No doubt many of us have been there.
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Yup. When I was but a wee lad, I let the blade close on my fingers and got a good boo-boo. I learned a valuable lesson about slip joints sprinting closed when the blade is close to the closed position.
 
onojoe said:
I know a lot of us sounded preachy, but we would hate to be responsible for a serious injury.
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Especially when an injury at a young age could turn a kid off knives forever, which would be a real loss.
 
This was my solution when my 2 year old kept saying "daddy make me a knife". ... it is fully heat treated but unsharpened no more dangerous than a kids butter knife you can get at Walmart.... when he can sharpen it himself he can make it so and have a beloved skinner he carries from toddlerhood until he is an old man.

1040233_717790265017276_600647020956457991_o.jpg
 
BethanyDawnM24 said:
Well, I may hold off on a knife or dagger for now until he is a little older, but the dagger that he had before was kept at his nana's house and his daddy supervised him outside playing with the dagger and his first bow and arrow. Don't worry, he isn't playing with dangerous weapons by himself. ;) Thanks for all the suggestions!
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I didnt want to make it sound like getting a knife was a bad idea, just that it needs to be supervised.
 
A real folding knife is likely to he hard to control for a 9-year-old, especially on closing. Too much force in the spring. I'd recommend the "training sword" approach until he gets past the swashbucking stage.

Then try him on an Opinel, perhaps even the My First Opinel, which has a rounded point. Opinels have no spring, so they open and close safely with kid hand-strength. And they can also be locked open and closed.

But parental custody of the knife is needed at all times. He uses it only when you hand it to him and observe what he does, and he returns it to you for keeping afterward. And both you and Dad have to be on the exact same page in regard to handling a knife. The young 'un gets the same story and same rules both places.
 
not2sharp said:
That is not a bad thought. I would suggest getting him a wooden or polymer training sword (aka wasters).

Something like these:
swords-wooden.jpg


therionarms_c1169l.jpg


They are inexpensive, blunt and designed to take a lot of abuse.

n2s
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That was going to be my suggestion too. That whole set of Cold Steels on the bottom can be had for less than the $100 mark. The also make several Japanese "samurai" style trainers, if he's into that. I had numerous wooden swords between the ages of maybe 6 and 10 that my grandfather made for me. I had tons of fun with those and never suffered any serious injuries or did any serious damage to anything. :thumbup: These polypropylene swords take that "childhood wooden sword" concept to a whole new level, being essentially indestructible and more realistic looking and feeling than the stuff many of us had at that age. :cool:
 
Step 1: Go to Flea Market.

Step 2: Find a stand that sells knives.

Step 3: Buy a knife for $1.99.

It isn't going to be very sharp or durable, but he will be able to say he has a knife. Chances are, he isn't going to be cutting too much, just showing it off and playing around with it. Give him proper safety information and enforce it. He'll be perfectly fine as long as he's safe with the knife, and with it being a cheap knife, you won't be too upset if he loses it. If he does lose it or doesn't take proper care of it, or as proper care as a nine year old believes a knife needs, then take it away. If he does take proper care of it and is safe with it, then maybe move him up to a $20 knife in a few months or a year.

I'm sure some folks will disagree with me, but I got my first knife at five or so and I barely used it. I liked showing it off, but didn't cut much with it. I kept it all the way up until a few years ago and gave it to a friend that had lost his knife.
 
DemonicMind666 said:
Step 1: Go to Flea Market.

Step 2: Find a stand that sells knives.

Step 3: Buy a knife for $1.99.

It isn't going to be very sharp or durable, but he will be able to say he has a knife. Chances are, he isn't going to be cutting too much, just showing it off and playing around with it. Give him proper safety information and enforce it. He'll be perfectly fine as long as he's safe with the knife, and with it being a cheap knife, you won't be too upset if he loses it. If he does lose it or doesn't take proper care of it, or as proper care as a nine year old believes a knife needs, then take it away. If he does take proper care of it and is safe with it, then maybe move him up to a $20 knife in a few months or a year.

I'm sure some folks will disagree with me, but I got my first knife at five or so and I barely used it. I liked showing it off, but didn't cut much with it. I kept it all the way up until a few years ago and gave it to a friend that had lost his knife.
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thats what my first edc was. i musta gotten good batch because back then i didnt know sharpening and i was cutting for months.
 
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