Traditional Recommendation for an Old Man

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Brew-Jitsu

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My grandfather is 90 years old, and he just lost his SAK - he's losing a bit more than that these days, but that's another story.

I'd like to get him a traditional folder, with one blade, and the main thing is that it has to be easy for him to open. I don't have any experience with traditionals, unless you count Opinel and SAK, so I'm leaning on y'all for some suggestions.

Though I'd rather get him carbon, I think he's going to have difficulty with the maintenance, so perhaps stainless would be best?

Thanks, in advance, for any assistance.
 
I think A CASE Sod Buster in SS would be perfect....it's available in a "Jr" size too, perfect for a pocket!
 
"Traditional Recommendation for an Old Man"

A younger woman? ;)

sorry, couldn't resist, but a I'd agree a Sodbuster would be a nice size too and a great all around blade shape.

possibly a yellow handled one to make it easier to keep track of too, see this Link to Blade HQ

or better yet this nice bone scaled one Here

G2
 
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GEC Tidioute "Boys Knife" with the sheepfoot blade and easy open notch. Not stainless, but easy to pinch open and has a user friendly blade (hard to stab yourself with). I don't think maintenance would be a problem unless he bathes with it. lol

I am trying to think of an EO knife with a stainless blade, but coming up blank. Perhaps an older (90's) Schatt & Morgan EO teardrop could be found. They are stainless and open fairly easily.
 
I second the Boy's Knife suggestion, mine is perfect in a pocket. If you don't like that, though, another SAK isn't a bad idea ;)
 
gunstockjack said:
GEC Tidioute "Boys Knife" with the sheepfoot blade and easy open notch. Not stainless, but easy to pinch open and has a user friendly blade (hard to stab yourself with). I don't think maintenance would be a problem unless he bathes with it. lol

I am trying to think of an EO knife with a stainless blade, but coming up blank. Perhaps an older (90's) Schatt & Morgan EO teardrop could be found. They are stainless and open fairly easily.
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GEC 15 Boys Knife Easy Open gets my vote too :thumbup:
 
I would suggest the Case Copperlock - either the larger or the mini version (the latter would be about the size of a typical 3.5” SAK).
Easier to open than most slipjoints, and once open, the lock provides additional safety against accidental closing.
 
I recommended the Sod Buster because my Dad is 80 and when he lost 2 Schrade USA 8OT's in a row we switched to Taylor made Schrade 8OT's so if he lost it, it was a 25.00 knife versus a 75-100.00 knife. He likes them fine and we can afford to keep him in knives.

A Case Soddie is comparatively cheap to replace.
 
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Case Slimline Trapper's really easy to pinch open. Queen used to make an easy-open variant, but it's become hard to find. D2's nearly stainless- I used my Queen for 3 summers working and it has only one spot of smoke-grey patina the size of a pencil eraser tip. The blade on a Buck 302 is easy as pie, as well, and even stainless.

If he'd be okay with a lock, that opens up the Bucks, particularly the 500 and 505. Both are stainless and locking.

I'd lean to the slimline trapper. It doesn't have a lock to confuse/frustrate him (trust me, I know what that's like with an older family member), and is still dead easy to pinch.

Case and Queen are split to me. Buck is a close third.

Queen Positives
  1. D2 is semi-stainless, very low maintenance.
  2. Equal ease to Case in pinching open

Queen Negatives
  1. D2 is much harder to sharpen than CV, at least using the media he'd be used to.
  2. Cost- Queen utility knives are about $50-60 new if he loses one.

Case Positives
  1. Easier to sharpen.
  2. Cheaper- can be replaced for about $30.

Case Negatives
  1. CV, so it can rust if not cared for.

Looking at the other ideas written while I was researching this, I'd have to come down on the side against the small sodbuster. My two (one CV, one SS) are both well worn in and oiled, and I can't pinch either anywhere nearly as easy as the slimline. If that's a major concern, my nod goes to the slimline.
 
The Canal Street Half Moon Trapper is a 3-3/4" single blade trapper frame with excellent stainless steel blade.
They typically come with very smooth pulls which are easy to open.

Alex, I sent you a link in PM.
 
Awesome suggestions, everyone - much appreciated - it sounds like I can use the overlap in recommendations to narrow down the selection to 2 or 3.

Again, many thanks.
 
Stick with what he likes, but instead of a regular SAK, get him an alox SAK. The EO options sound great, but the SAK has a consistent pull. The boys knives and Charlows I own are fine, and I have diabetic neuropathy and pinched nerves in my hands.
 
I'll second the recommendations for the #15 Boys Knife EO and the Canal Street Half Moon Trapper, as well as, Gary's suggestion. :thumbup:
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Stick with what he likes, but instead of a regular SAK, get him an alox SAK. The EO options sound great, but the SAK has a consistent pull. The boys knives and Charlows I own are fine, and I have diabetic neuropathy and pinched nerves in my hands.
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Seconded. It may be Romantic to give your grandpa a nicely made, carbon steel slipjoint, but is it something he will like, or is it your own ego/ mage of what a grandfather should have? If he has carried and is used to a SAK, I would get him a replacement, or the next best iteration of what he carried. If easy open is an issue, you can easily create a notch on an Alox SAK with creative use of a Dremel.
 
Older people really aren't fond of change.
I would try to replace his lost SAK with the same model.
 
I was going to get him another SAK, but my great aunt said to get him a single blade that's easy to open. He doesn't have the dexterity to fiddle with the other tools (opening them from the folder).

Maybe I should get him a couple - can't go wrong with that!
 
AlexWitte said:
Maybe I should get him a couple - can't go wrong with that!
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The knife knut answer.

You might look at the Buck 302. A single blade 3 7/8" single blade. I have never owned a Buck traditional with strong springs. All of mine have good snap, but are about 3-4 on a scale of 10, with a Victorinox Tinker being a 5.
 
AlexWitte said:
I was going to get him another SAK, but my great aunt said to get him a single blade that's easy to open. He doesn't have the dexterity to fiddle with the other tools (opening them from the folder).

Maybe I should get him a couple - can't go wrong with that!
Click to expand...

It's isn't very traditional looking, but a larger SAK like an Alpineer is an easy open, single blade that locks...and they are fairly cheap...

They are red too so maybe harder to lose but are around 4 1/4" closed. If he likes SAKs he might like it.

http://www.sakwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page=Alpineer
 
knarfeng said:
The knife knut answer.

You might look at the Buck 302. A single blade 3 7/8" single blade. I have never owned a Buck traditional with strong springs. All of mine have good snap, but are about 3-4 on a scale of 10, with a Victorinox Tinker being a 5.
Click to expand...
I'll second the vote for a Buck 300 series. I have a 301 and a 303 and both have very easy opening blades on all 3 blades. I don't know how they do it. They all click soundly into place when open, but are just easy to pull open.

I don't agree with the use of lockback knives unless he still has good hand strength. They may be easier to open but some can be tough to squeeze in the lock to begin to close it.

The easy open knives from GEC might be a good bet as well. If you are willing to search a bit you can find EO versions of older Case knives too.
 
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