The gift of knives to non knife people

[silenthunterstudios]

I've been fortunate enough to find some really good deals on knives that needed a little TLC. Maybe a little cleaning up, or out, a run on a diamond hone and strop, and a little polishing. I've taken old knives and gifted them to family, friends and acquaintances. I've found these at junk shops, flea markets and stalls, and gotten good deals (I've been swindled a few times too, but I don't hold that against the knife ).

Well, my father and little brother get a knife usually for either Christmas or their birthdays. They kid and poke fun that they already know what they're getting, but my father, instead of saying "No tie?", sometimes has said "No knife?". Well, both of them lose knives at an alarming rate. My mother keeps a space for pocket change on the dryer, and a space for my fathers pocket knives, for my dear old pop. Many have made their way through the spin cycle.

Opinels and SAKs are great gift ideas, most of my cousins have gotten knives, with one asking me, after I gifted her husband with a SAK, asked "What about me?" .

Many give SAKs to promote at least the use of a knife, possibly with the hope that one may succumb over time and join our madness that is knifedom. Let's hear what you have given away. Maybe you've given a custom Tony Bose, maybe you've given a Rough Rider. Let's hear it!

 

[quattromori]

Aside from knives given away here on BF, I've given away a handful of SAK's (mostly Classic's), a few Opinel's, one Global chef knife to a friend who was starting his career as professional cook, a Mora, and who knows what else
I've found that Victorinox Classic's have a tendency to sneak into keyrings and stay there until the former non knife people finds out he's been carrying and using it for weeks

Fausto

 

[zcd]

I usually gift Opinels and Moras because I find them very sheeple friendly. I sharpen the Opinels and show the recipient the "coup du savoyard" and explain a little bit about the knife, always goes over well! Gave the sister-in-law a Mora for her car kit last xmas, and her hubby asked where his was (he got a douzuki). Like you I often get the "Oh its not a knife?" thing, I take it as a compliment

 

[markpmc]

Off the top of my head.
Last year ...

GEC #54 Moose - first knife for friend.
GEC #?? Dog leg Jack in PB - first knife for friend. kind of wish I'd kept the PB
Schrade stockman in ivory to friend for a go to church knife.
Tuna Valley in ebony to friend to replace his lost opinel.

 

[Jack Black]

I've given away some real nice Sheffield-made customs in the past, and at one point set about giving away most of the knives I had, thinking I was cured!

SAKs are always a good gift for non-knife people I find

I've given my girlfriend quite a lot of knives, but I guess that's kind of different. At least she has an interest in them, unlike most of the people I know.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

I've given away Alox SAKs, Case, Buck, Leatherman.... the most recent one was a GEC Outlaw Jack.

 

[roninelh]

The lovely Opinel is the standard gift from me, people don't find them offensive or "dangerous" and because their made in France, people tend to feel like they are special.... which they are. Ive given away a handful of modern folders as well. I got my father in law a Schrade 96Ot, which was hard as heck to find in proper condition.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

I just want to add, I've given my little brother a few Great Easterns, and he takes immaculate care of a 72 lockback with "dogbone" scales I gave him. Most everything else is lost, or he gives it to me to clean up, and it looks like Megatron did the stomp on it.

 

[Woodrow F Call]

The lovely Opinel is the standard gift from me, people don't find them offensive or "dangerous" and because their made in France, people tend to feel like they are special.... which they are. Ive given away a handful of modern folders as well. I got my father in law a Schrade 96Ot, which was hard as heck to find in proper condition.

I plan on giving away some Opinels in the near future. They really are sweet knives and cheap to boot.

 

[jackknife]

SAK's.

Lot's of SAK's. They seem to be the universal choice of non knife people around here. Here, being the big city/suburbia of the Maryland suburbs of Washington D.C. Most of my family that has been born and raised here, are not knife people. Lord knows I've done my best to convert the heathens, but have had limited success. A few of the family have been converted about 50% of the way through the gift of SAK's, and the tool gadget aspect of them seen to have more of a draw than a dedicated knife. My own daughter, Jessica, is a dedicated SAK fan, and always has her classic on her keyring, and a larger SAK in her purse. She loves the Vic camper she kindly talked me out of because it has a corkscrew. She and my son-in law, Olaf the terrible, like wine and often bring a bottle on picnics.

My oldest boy is a SAK fan, and won't carry anything else. He's traveled a lot overseas for business, and maybe that makes sense. My youngest boy is the only other traditional pocket knife person in the famiy aside from my grandson Ryan. They both love Case pocket knives, and the old Marque's the are not around anymore.

Several years ago now, I made a very outright effort to knife up the non knife carrying family members. At Christmas, I gave out classic's as stocking stuffers. It was a huge success. Even cousin Scott, who is a suit type adverting exec, now has his classic on his keychain. It used to be at family get-togethers, he was the one with "Hey Carl, let me see your knife for minute." Now he has his own little SAK. Now I just hear, "Hey Carl, my knife seems a little dull, can you touch it up for me?" Once I showed him the coffee mug trick, that ceased as well.

Cousins Barbara, Bob, and nephew James all carry a SAK. They don't seem to want a knife per se. The women especially seem to love the little SAK's with scissors and nail file on them. My own better half always has her classic near by. I think the combination of the scissors, nail file, and small 'cute' factor make the small SAK's a non threatening keychain tool. Non knife people don't want to be bothered by much of a package, so small and light weight is a good thing. When I tried to give away some of my dedicated knives in my big downsize, I was surprised at how many didn't want them. Some of the family asked, "What am I gonna do with that?" I know that some view me as a bit strange as in "Grandpa has a bit of an obsession abut knives." I do realize that I am one of the cursed, the afflicted and obsessed. A knife knut. But a lot of the family is not, but they seem to appreciate the tool factor of the SAK's and even the smaller Leatherman's like the keychain and pocket size. My granddaughter Christy is a devoted fan of a bright red Leatherman pocket model she carries in her bag. It's got a little pliers, a small knife blade, screw drivers, bottle opener, can opener, and maybe an awl. Loves the thing.

That's it for the jackknife clan.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

Carl, I think I've told you, but the peanut seemed to be a hit with my father. He likes his, and while it's disappeared in the wash a few times, it always seems to reappear in his pocket. I know this because he's stopped asking to borrow my Charlow!

 

[Jack Black]

I just want to add, I've given my little brother a few Great Easterns, and he takes immaculate care of a 72 lockback with "dogbone" scales I gave him. Most everything else is lost, or he gives it to me to clean up, and it looks like Megatron did the stomp on it.

Jack

 

[jc57]

I've gifted a Case Peanut to someone on a different forum, who was quite pleased with it having been prior to that pretty much into modern folders. I gave away a Kershaw Skyline to a friend at work, to replace a very a cheap modern folder that had such a miserable blade edge that I felt sorry for him. He seems to love it. I gave my wife a Leatherman Style PS for her keyring. She says she uses the knife blade on it a fair bit, but I have not as of yet converted her to carrying more of a knife-type knife.

 

[JAlexander]

I've given more knives than I can recall, but my standard is a yellow Case pen or peanut. I did give my wife a Menefee dogleg jack, though.

 

[Peregrin]

My two son's get a traditional pocket knife for Christmas every year, along with their other loot. I've been doing it for a decade or better. Sometimes it's a custom, sometimes a production. Last year I included my new daughter in law. If she wasn't pleased she sure acted like she was. She told me "Now I have my own pocket knife for when Dan and I are out hiking. I won't have to borrow his". She's a smart gal and an attorney, so I'm still wondering if she really liked it.

 

[fatcorgi]

I have given a few SAKs to people, I gave my dad a nice GEC white owl, which he really liked, but I suspect has since lost. When giving people knives I have to double check that these people could really like and use them - I can fall into the trap of buying other people something that I would want to have, rather than thinking about what they would really like.

 

[jackknife]

I have given a few SAKs to people, I gave my dad a nice GEC white owl, which he really liked, but I suspect has since lost. When giving people knives I have to double check that these people could really like and use them - I can fall into the trap of buying other people something that I would want to have, rather than thinking about what they would really like.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

That's a common trap, transposing our likes to others who don't share our obsession. I know that I have been on the reverse side of that, getting something the giver was enthused over and I smiled and thanked them, all the while wondering to myself, "what the heck am I gonna do with this?"

Ya gotta think of the kind of person, the other person is.

Carl.

 

[MerryMadMonk]

[...] Ya gotta think of the kind of person, the other person is.

Carl.

Yep. Some folks would look at a knife like a pig staring at a wristwatch... to the others, I've given small stockmans and pen knives... mostly vintage Schrade & Camillus, and a Buck 300 series here and there. If I know their birth year, they'll also usually get one of these:

 

[rune1279]

Just a few weeks back I offered to give a friend a pocketknife as a gift. He appreciates the quality of nice things, and is coming through a hard time. I had every intention of pulling out all the stops -- Unicorn horn handles, unobtanium blades, handmade in the USA by cutler-monks, that sort of thing. But when I turned him loose on my photobucket gallery to see what he was into, pattern-wise, it was the humble rosewood Boker penknife he liked the best. Well, that was easy -- touched up the edge and off it went. Bet it's in his pocket right now (or if it isn't it's only because he has a job interview with the county today, and who knows what they let in the door.)

Though none of them are knife nuts, a lot of my friends are sort of 'aspiring one-knife guys'. You give them a knife, they're genuinely tickled and they carry them -- oh, it might get lost, or they might fall out of the habit, but it always looks like a good idea to them. (Kind of like me with lighters, watches, or pen-and-paper.)

--Mark

 

[Jack Black]

My two son's get a traditional pocket knife for Christmas every year, along with their other loot. I've been doing it for a decade or better. Sometimes it's a custom, sometimes a production. Last year I included my new daughter in law. If she wasn't pleased she sure acted like she was. She told me "Now I have my own pocket knife for when Dan and I are out hiking. I won't have to borrow his".

Very nice Gary :thumbup:

She's a smart gal and an attorney, so I'm still wondering if she really liked it.

I have given a few SAKs to people, I gave my dad a nice GEC white owl, which he really liked, but I suspect has since lost. When giving people knives I have to double check that these people could really like and use them - I can fall into the trap of buying other people something that I would want to have, rather than thinking about what they would really like.

I think we've all sometimes been guilty of that.

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

That's a common trap, transposing our likes to others who don't share our obsession. I know that I have been on the reverse side of that, getting something the giver was enthused over and I smiled and thanked them, all the while wondering to myself, "what the heck am I gonna do with this?"

Ya gotta think of the kind of person, the other person is.

Carl.

Wise words :thumbup: As always

Yep. Some folks would look at a knife like a pig staring at a wristwatch... to the others, I've given small stockmans and pen knives... mostly vintage Schrade & Camillus, and a Buck 300 series here and there. If I know their birth year, they'll also usually get one of these:

That's a great-looking knife too :thumbup: