Should I give my little brother a brand new scary sharp knife/SAK?

silenthunterstudios

silenthunterstudios

Slipjoint Addict
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Feb 2, 2005
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I was going to give my little brother a loose slipjoint Buck Cadet I had bought off of eBay earlier in the year, but decided not to. For his birthday, I gave him my Boker congress with the hunting dogs on it, and he carries it everywhere. He uses it to whittle (very good carving for his age), and while it is a little tight but supersharp, he hasn't cut himself yet (he's 11, and pretty mature for his age, more mature than I was). I'm going to get him either a slipjoint or a SAK. I was going to give him a Victorinox Recruit, something small and simple, or a Buck Cadet stockman from Walmart. He already has a small Frost collection (don't worry, he'll change that eventually). Looking to keep it around twenty bucks.
 
The recruit is a good choice, as would be the smaller version of the tinker. The Soldier is always an option too.
 
Get him a SAK...that he can beat up. They are inexpensive, but well-made and tough. If he manages to mess it up, the warranty will cover repair or replacement.

The Recruit is a good choice. You might also consider one of the Alox models like a Cadet, Soldier, or Farmer.

--Bob Q
 
It sounds like he can actually use the knife properly if he's whittling. Don't buy him a piece of junk that could break on him and end up hurting him. Get him a nice SAK, or if he really likes to whilttle check out the Queen slipjoints in D2. I think they having a whittling model. This would be a bit pricier option though. :)
 
Don't get him a crummy POS knife. Instead, get him started on the right track while he's still young. He'll probably thank you now, but he'll really thank you later as he begins to understand that quality matters.

I don't mean to break your budget, but I've read here recently that some WalMarts now have Spyderco Natives (US-made w/S30V blade) for $40. You could devise a cutting challenge with his Frosts to demonstrate that better steel and edge geometry matter.

Another option would be for $23 get him one of those Buck 110s that come in a pretty cool tin.

I think a responsible 11-year old could be trusted with either knife. When he was 12, my son saved his money and bought a CUDA MAXX 5.5. :eek: He's owned numerous large folders and has never done anything irresponsible with any of them. I got my first real knife when I was 10, and it was a good one (John Primble congress). It's very worn, but I still have it.
 
WadeF said:
if he really likes to whilttle check out the Queen slipjoints in D2. I think they having a whittling model. This would be a bit pricier option though. :)
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I like that idea too. I've got a Queen whittler and it is actually a great knife for whittling. The D2 holds an edge for a long time. You'd probably have to sharpen it for him though -- most of the Queens I've bought have come with dull, obtuse edges.

$35 from Cumberland:

http://www.cumberlandknifeworks.com...ce.cgi?product=cherry_smooth&keywords=&next=9
 
A Vic Recruit is a great choice, though I really like my Tinker. Why not both a Recruit and a Buck Cadet? Also, have you considered sharpening stones (sharpening system) of some kind, maybe even a Sharpmaker? Maybe get him into free-hand sharpening. Like others have stated, no crappy knives and a responsible 11 year old is perfectly fine for knives.
 
If he has a congress model you have covered his multiblade whittling knife need pretty well. You should get him something that covers a different range of uses. I would suggest a Victorinox Tinker model SAK. This has a large and small knife blade so it works well for whittling and box cutting. It has three screwdriver tips (large flat blade on a cap-lifter, small flat blade on a can opener, and a phillips that comes out the backside). As indicated it also has a cap lifter which is often good for other kinds or prying and a can opener which can be good for scraping when you don't want to wreck your knife edges. It has an awl blade on the back side which is great for making wood screw starter holes as well as other holes in wood, leather, plastic, or aluminum. It has a toothpick and a pair of tweezers in the handle. All this is in a knife that is light and only two spring-channels thick. This will really help him develop his sense of a knife as an indespensible tool. The Victorinox quality will also help to improve his taste in knives. This is also a knife that is less likely to get him in trouble when it is found in his possesion.

Another possibility is a good, yet compact multitool. Something like the original PST. You want something small and light enough to carry all the time in a pocker.
 
Great thread. This is the heart of knife collecting. :)

I agree with the SAK at this point, since he already has a good slipjoint he uses.
 
Get him a Victorinox SAK.

How about a Climber? Maybe even something like an Electrician Plus or Soldier in Alox?
 
Definitely buy him a SAK if he doesn't already have one. Or any quality knife of a different style than what he aleady owns. Being exposed to a wide variety of knife styles and brands will help him to become a more well-rounded knife person.

Best Wishes,
Bob
 
My brother has a Frost whittler that I gave to my father, and my father gave to my little bro. (My father has access to high quality shop shears and razorblades, he has about five knives that I know of, I was going to get him one for Xmas, and he told me not to get him any, he says I don't even have a real need for my collection, but he sure likes my traditional and custom pieces ;) ). He also has a no name Colonial Barlow, and a Coca Cola Schrade piece that was my grandfathers (my fathers father, my grandmother gave it to my little brother, he proudly exclaimed that Nana was giving him Jogies collection :eek: ).

I had some good stuff, like the Boker, and some others. I left some really good stuff out in the dirt when I was a kid. I think he is far and above more mature than I was at his age, so I'm not too wary about him getting anything good, also, I don't want him to get hurt on junk. He knows not to take his collection to school, he'd probably get expelled. He also knows that knives are to be respected, just like guns.

I'm going to have to get something soon, if I don't want to go the Walmart or Target etc route. There are a couple of knife shops near me, I would really like to support the guy who I've been going to for the past couple years. Unfortunately, the only good knives he had were ones he was selling from his collection, and all he has now are junkers that he bought out of the Smokey Mtn catalog.
 
I would also recomend the SAK. My first knife when i was 7 was one of the little keychain SAK's and i loved it. I feel starting out with a SAK early lets you learn how to respect a knife and use one without any of the fancy locks that are supposed to be a SAFETY not turn your folder into a fixed blade. My favorite SAK is the Tinker just because it seems like the most all around knife. Another vote for the SAK here! :thumbup:
 
I would not recommend a Queen Whittler for an 11 year old. I have one and it is not exactly a breeze to open. The backspring is very strong and the nail nick is too close to the pivot. Small hands of a child may have problems with it. I'd go for a SAK.
 
Get him a Boker Canoe, the canoe is a classic, useful, and easy to carry knife. They are also easy to open. A CASE Canoe was my first knife and I still have it. BUT today the Boker Canoes are still may the old fashioned way with one big backspring and fairly thick blades, Cases Canoes now have two thin backsprings and blades.

If you go with a SAK get the one with the most useful main blade, a Soldier. I wouldn't buy a Native or any other "tactical" knife for an 11-year old but that is your decision.
 
Spydiefan04 said:
I wouldn't buy a Native or any other "tactical" knife for an 11-year old but that is your decision.
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He's not getting any tacticals, just good old traditionals for right now ;) .
 
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