Too Sharp - - To Give as Gift ? ?

[MassMatt]

Am I the only one jealous I don't have a friend giving me a great Spyderco Native? That one is actually on my "buy that next" list, which of course grows almost daily.

Give 'em a warning, maybe a demo of you think they are extra thick. With any luck they will come to appreciate just how handy having a sharp knife is.

 

[topher]

I know the argument about overcompensating for dullness by utilizing too much force...but how often does injury really happen as a result of this?

After spending almost 5 years moonlighting as a bartender in various restaurants, I've seen it happen quite a few times. A lot of restaurants do a poor job of maintaining their knife edges. . . I've seen way too many cases where someone was trying to cut something with a dull knife, had difficulty, tried to force it, and ended up cutting themselves.

If you're using proper knife handling and cutting techniques, theoretically you wouldn't cut yourself even with a dull knife, but it seems like the frustration and difficulty of cutting with a dull knife tends to encourage people to do things they might not otherwise do in order to force through and get the job done.

Personally, I will admit that I've cut myself more frequently with very sharp knives, but I've never cut myself as bad as some of the cuts I've seen resulting from dull knives. The cuts I get are usually just little nicks, not deep cuts.

 

[rocky_taco]

I had a sharp liner lock knife that one of my old bosses wanted to see. I showed him how to open close it. He opened it fine with one hand and then in one smooth motion unlocked and closed the blade like a guillotine and chopped about 1/8" off the end of his thumb. Now, maybe he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. But, if I were giving a very sharp knife to a person not into knives, I'd get one with a more intuitive and safer lock system. Maybe something like the Axis where your thumb isn't in front of the blade.

 

[cdf]

Just include a bandaid in the packaging , along with the traditional penny . Warn em , usually the delight from using a sharp tool will counteract the sting from a couple of well deserved nicks .

The biggest risk is that you will get roped into maintaining the beast . Most NKP dont have the proper tackle .

Chris

 

[Pointshoot777]

Am I the only one jealous I don't have a friend giving me a great Spyderco Native? That one is actually on my "buy that next" list, which of course grows almost daily.

Give 'em a warning, maybe a demo of you think they are extra thick. With any luck they will come to appreciate just how handy having a sharp knife is.

I really like this knife You probably know this already, but (like I did) you can pick up a Native at Walmart for just a few pennies under $ 40. (A terrific deal IMO for an S30V steel folder.) I've seen them online for $10 or more above that. If your local WallyWorld doesnt have one in stock they'll ship it to the local store for no extra costs. (Pardon me if I'm repeating info you already know, but thought I'd just mention it in case not.) Regards, - -

 

[knarfeng]

- - - - - -
Ever hold back on giving a particular knife to someone because you thought it may be too sharp for them and that they'll cut themselves ? , - - - - - - -

Nope.

I might not give a knife to someone who doesn't care for knives just because I think he would rather get something else, but sharpness of a blade doesn't enter into it.

 

[SOLEIL]

It's funny...I read this claim all the time, but in my almost 60 years of life I have never seen an actual example of this involving anyone...it's always a sharp knife...plus anytime I cut myself, it's always with a very sharp knife.

I know the argument about overcompensating for dullness by utilizing too much force...but how often does injury really happen as a result of this?

Ray

I'm with Topher on the explanation. Too much force, knife slips and causes a worse wound that can also be deep. The skin is ripped and torn as opposed to cut cleanly which will heal quicker even when deeper. If the knife was sharp then it would have cut easily without exerting so much force to make it slip. I have seen many bad cuts and rips from dull knives and tools.

 

[Smash05]

The Native is an excellent knife for a gift. Just make sure you give it for the right reasons. Often times I think of giving a knife, and then realize that it will not be appreciated with the same enthusiasm as I give it. My suggestion is to give a Vic Farmer or Tinker. People appreciate them as tools and as sentiment without thinking "what the hell do I need this for." There are maybe three people in my life who would appreciate a knife as a gift, but they would not nearly understand a particular knife as well as I would. I try to make the knife specific to them. I bought a friend a Hop knife from Old Hickory because he is a Brewer. I bought a couple of Vic's for some friends and had their names engraved on them. Low and behold they carry them to this day. I bought my fiance a Kershaw Chive and she peels and cuts oranges with it but nothing else. Its all in who it is for.

 

[Lurker]

The Native is an excellent knife for a gift. Just make sure you give it for the right reasons. Often times I think of giving a knife, and then realize that it will not be appreciated with the same enthusiasm as I give it. My suggestion is to give a Vic Farmer or Tinker. People appreciate them as tools and as sentiment without thinking "what the hell do I need this for." There are maybe three people in my life who would appreciate a knife as a gift, but they would not nearly understand a particular knife as well as I would. I try to make the knife specific to them. I bought a friend a Hop knife from Old Hickory because he is a Brewer. I bought a couple of Vic's for some friends and had their names engraved on them. Low and behold they carry them to this day. I bought my fiance a Kershaw Chive and she peels and cuts oranges with it but nothing else. Its all in who it is for.

I think this is excellent advice. We like knives so much it is easy to forget that most others might see them with indifference.

It's like the monogrammed humidor full of Cuban cigars I received once at a wedding. Awesome gift and I appreciated the sentiment, but there was no way I was going to put one of those stinkers in my mouth and light it. I'm just not a smoker and in fact can't stand to be around it. It was clear that the gift was chosen with no regard for what I might like.

 

[texastonydobbs]

And someone who has never had a sharp knife will soon show off "Hey, look at this new knife I got. Watch, it'll shave my arm. Ouch." You might also give a band-aid with each knife to emphasize your point.

I did that once, I gave a Uncle Henry slip joint (usa) back in the early 90's to a non knife friend and in the UH box I slipped in a few band aids as a joke with 5 minutes he actually used one, damn, I wish I had that knife now....