Son joining Marines - Best knife for gift?????

Originally posted by Roadrunner
Well, I'm in the army, not the Marines, but the rules regarding knives are fairly similar from what I understand. First off, something really nice like a Reeve or Randall or any other good sized fixed blade will likely cause problems. I brought a Ka-Bar here to Korea with me based on erroneous advice and had it confiscated at customs. It won't be confiscated in the States, but it would have to be stored in the arms room.
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Ridiculous, soldiers can't carry knives!!??? WTF? Is this the U.S. Army we're talking about or the Salvation Army? Most absurd thing I've ever heard.:confused:
 
Ridiculous, soldiers can't carry knives!!??? WTF? Is this the U.S. Army we're talking about or the Salvation Army? Most absurd thing I've ever heard.
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You wouldn't want our soldiers to fight and hurt someone, would you?:confused: :barf: :confused:
 
Never send a soldier someplace you can send soldier with a big blade instead! No....wait. That's not the way it goes....? :confused:
 
I spent a couple months in Afghanistan this summer. I had a Busse Natural Outlaw, a classic Sebbie, and a Leatherman Wave. The Outlaw got stolen, I used every single blade on the Leatherman, and the Sebbie filled the gaps. Draw your own conclusions. I really miss the NO as it was the perfect size for me; big enough for defense/fighting, small enough for utility.
 
I would recommend a multi-tool--specificly the Leatherman SuperTool.

A multi-tool will of much more use than a fixed-blade. Not to mention, there is a considerable stigma attached to guys who carry large fixed-blades. The only guys I ever saw in the military who carried around a large fixed-blade (not counting the issued bayonet, machete, or ax) were considered young inexperienced "Rambo wannabes". They were inevitably given nicknames like "Psycho, Killer, Sgt. Slaughter, Rambo, Jason, ect".
Only when I was in Saudi and Iraq was it "okay" to carry a large fixed-blade, and even then it was mostly just extra weight to lug around (as if we did'nt have to carry enough crap!).

I was a Soldier for six years, serving in an infantry company, an armor company, a combat engineer company, and a medical company (and was briefly assigned to an artillery battery too).
I also have two brothers, one who is retired from the USMC and the other is currently in Okinawa. We've talked about this issue before and they agree--a large fixed-blade just aint worth carrying the extra weight around.

Besides, his CO, 1ST Sgt, or Platoon Sgt. might be not even let him carry a large fixed-blade in the field. Some don't care what you pack so long as you can carry it, others are real strick on packing list and frown upon extra items.

One word of advice on expensive knives: use caution before giving him Sebenza or other high dollar knife. There is a good chance he might lose it in the field, and even greater chance he might have it stolen in the barracks. Theft is an artform in the military.

Semper Fi and Drive On!
Allen
 
get him a nice spyderco military, great knife with great utlity use for him.... put it in the package with a sog powerlock and he will have all the tools he need in the field.
 
get him a leather man Supertool he'll use every one of the blades. He need's stout and stainless he'll be in a salt water and sand enviroment check the S1 out, it was designed for Swedish Marines, also look at the A1 or the F1 easy maintaince all. Most of the use's will be mundane not hand to hand combat. He will have enough gear to carry around so weight is a factor, keep em ' short no more than 7 inches. Akabu {former FMF Marine} http://www.fallkniven.com
 
The KaBar in D2 from AGR would be a fine choice. Good material, great company, great design that won't attract undue attention. I love this pattern, have for years. So has the military.

I agree about military policy. Confiscating knives? Sheesh. You can send a plane load of explosives out to blow up a village, but it is absolutely verboten to write "F*CK you Osama" on any of the bombs, because that may be deemed "offensive". The hypocrisy of the upper echelons never ceases to amaze me.
 
As an aside put together a PSK [Personal Survival Kit] for him while he's away at boot camp.Get him a good small waterproof LED light with a red LED or red cover that use's AA batt. Check http://www.equipped.org for some info.
 
Mostly good advice on this thread, plenty of experience here. Wait until after he graduates boot camp before you give him any sharp objects, or he may have them confiscated.

For junior enlisted, keeping anything nice can be tough. You live pretty much 24/7 with your buddies or your supervisors, and you don't get much space. Tough to secure your gear effectively also. There are usually plenty of restrictions on weapons in living quarters, and you have no choice where you live, at least initially.

A quality multi tool is a GREAT idea. He'll use it a lot, and never get a second look. If it gets lost or stolen, no biggie.

A nice flashlight is another good idea, one of the nitrolon SureFires or maybe a Streamlight Scorpion. Buy the red filters, so he can use them in the field.

For a knife, a quality folder is probably your best bet. A Sebenza is probably too much money given the risk of theft or loss. A Spyderco Military, Emerson CQC7 or Mini Commander, or Benchmade AFCK Axis would serve him well and not draw undue attention.

If he does have to deploy to a war zone... a good fixed blade will be a must. Upon deployment to real a real combat zone - not a training exercise - attitudes towards knives change. When your kit consists of live grenades, AP mines and belts of machine gun ammo, knives don't attract as much attention and supervisors have more important things to do than nitpick your accessories.

For a real deployment, the Busse Natural Outlaw would be a welcome companion, or one of the fixed blades from Strider. You could also give him a good fixed blade as a promotion gift in the future, once he has a better feel for his working conditions. I would agree with the poster above that for PEACETIME military operations, a big fixed blade attracts unwarranted attention. Once the shooting starts, a big knife can be comforting.

Best wishes for you and your son, I still remember with great fondness my father BEAMING as I graduated basic training at Ft. Benning GA in 1984 - it was a terrific feeling, for both of us, and remains one of my favorite moments with my father.
 
Knife regulations vary from post to post.

Example:
Ft Bragg regulation-You can have a Fixed Blade, but the blade can be no more than 3" but you can have a folder with a blade up to 5"......go figure. :rolleyes:

However some units on Bragg seem to allow thier soldiers to carry larger fixed blades. Some units will fully enforce the reg. Some look and see if you can be trusted to carry a larger blade and go by that.
It all depends on what your Chain of Command says. I would recommend a folding knife for your son after he is done with his training. I don't recommend anything thats shiny....he will get earfuls about shiny knives from his superiors. Also thier are some Units that don't allow Fixed blades but allow folders. Some units I've been in won't allow any folding knife that locks(liner locks, lockbacks) allowing only knives like swiss army type. A Strider AR will fit the need.....Strider made the AR as a "folding fixed blade" for those places that don't allow Fixed blades.

Best of Luck to your son!
 
From my experiences in the army and what I found to be useful:

A big blade is cool, but pretty much useless. It can be used to cut branches or split wood, but not good for other stuff. An ax is better for both of those as well. It's not as if one has to fight with a knife in the army! Plus a big blade is extra baggage you don't need...

A smaller utility blade is absolutely necessary. I used a crappy knife that I wouldn't cry about if it got banged up as a result of abuse (and we abused knives a lot!) or lost. If you want to buy a higher-end knife, I think the Fällkniven F1 would be exellent, since the size is perfect for general use and it's known to be a tough blade.

A lot of people had multitools as well (I didn't!), they're useful for sure, maybe not as useful as a basic knife though.

One last thing: don't get a folder! A folding knife isn't as useful as a fixed blade. Folders usually aren't good for whittling and such and they will get dirty and you might not have time or the tools to clean them.
 
Congrats to your son. I spent 4yrs in the Army Infantry. Get him a high quality,large framed multi tool. I went thru 3 leathermans in my 4yrs. They are an all around knif/tool.
 
Congrats and great job to you for raising the type of son that is willing to become a Marine. Good Job Dad.


GO TO HIS GRADUATION ! You being there will make it so much more special and meaningful to him and you. Do whatever it takes to be there!

As for the knife, you have lots of advice here, but I'd say a high quality multitool ( I can't kill my SOG Paratool)as a start and as his enlistment continues he'll let you know what is appropriate for his MOS and command.

Only advice for prepping for boot would be for your son to be running alot and get his "wind" built up. If he can breeze through a 5 mile run before he goes, it will be much easier on him.

SEMPER FI
 
Wow, hot thread! OK, I've thought a little more so here's my list:

- Sebenza, large or small, would be awesome if you can afford it. Theft could be an issue though, so keep in mind how careful your son is with his possessions.

- For a little less, the Fallkniven P1 would be pretty nice too. It doesn't have a pocket clip though.

- The Spyderco Military would be nice, but again I don't know what your son't sharpening skill are. CPM 440V isn't hard to sharpen if you have the right tools and a little know-how, but otherwise forget about it.

- And for the least money, a CRKT M16M would really fit the bill, or the original M16 if you think he would prefer a plain-edge option.

All of the above folders can be seen at www.1sks.com

With a little more thought, I wouldn't reccomend a muli-tool as a gift, at least not by itself. Multi-tools are easy to get and cheap at the PX, he can easily get one himself if he feels he needs it. Getting a nice knife from Dad that he might not want to spend the money on for himself would be really nice for him. That's my rationale anyway, but getting a nice multi-tool and a nice knife would also be cool. Budget's a concern though.

And then there's the possibility of going in to harm's way, actually the likelihood in today's world. I'd want a medium sized fixed blade if I were going to war in Iraq or Afghanistan. Here's my picks, based on what I've seen and read reviews about, I don't actually own any of them, but I'd really like to.

- Busse Steel Heart E. I'd take one of these in a heartbeat. www.bussecombat.com

- Simonich Knives LLC Raven combat knife. This looks like an excellent combat knife to me. Nice and simple. www.simonichknives.com

- The Swamp Rat Knives Camp Tramp looks great too. Made in the same factory as Busse for half the price. www.swampratknives.com

- Becker BK7. I've heard nothing but good things about these and they're cheap.

Those are all of the knives that I personally would buy and use if I were going to a combat zone. Well, I wouldn't take them all, but I would take any one of them based on all that I've heard about their performance. Which one to get would be based on personal preference, availability and budget concerns.

Also, I'll second Angus' suggestion that your son get in shape before going to boot camp. I was a runner in high school before I went to Basic and it made things SO much easier at PT. It's just one fewer thing that a drill sergeant can use to mess with you about. Plus you hurt a lot less. Passing your first PT test is a big plus with drill sergeants.

Knifedaddy, Velitrius and burkstar, you're right on the money, some of the policies in the military are totally ridiculous. I won't go into the issue on this thread because it would be way off topic and I don't want to adversely affect MJB's search for a good gift for his son. If you'd like to discuss it in e-mail or another thread though, feel free to e-mail me. Once again MJB, best of luck to your son.
 
I am a British ex-infantry soldier. Weight is an important factor.
I would suggest a Spyderco folder - maybe a Military or a Delica/Endura. A Fallkniven F1 is ideal if you want a fixed blade - a lovely knife and not too "Rambo". I think an Arc AAA LED flashlight would prove to be very useful also.
 
Thanks to everyone for their comments. You've all given me a lot to consider...things I just wouldn't have thought of. Special thanks to those who have already served. To Angus: Thanks for the advice on the PT. Right now, he's running 5 miles very easiy and can do about 25 pull ups. I'll be there when he graduates...no matter what.

Thanks again to everyone.

It's interesting to note that most, if not all, the men who commented who have served in the military don't think a large, fixed-blade knife is of much use...contrary to some of the advertising of some knifemakers...very informative. Your comments helped me avoid a mistake.

Again, my appreciation.

Mike
 
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