What do men like???

Dragonfly ZDP-189 for sure. I love mine. Its the little knife that could.
 
I'd go for the spyderco dragonfly in g10... That thing is quality, super good looking, and small enough to keep on him at all times. I'm not sure, but I think the ZDP blades only come with FRN scales. I'd forgo the the ZDP in favor of the G10 scales because it's such a small knife and the VG-10 steel (on the green g10 version) is pretty good too.
 
How about a gift certificate from a merchant dealing only in knives? That way he couldn't buy anything but a knife and you'll know he likes it because he picked it out himself.
 
Thanks for the ideas - the only reason I'm going with knives and not a MT is cause he brought me to a hunting shop once and stayed at the pocket/hunting knives section for about 30 mins and didn't really show much interest in the Victorinox which was right beside it. In saying that, true that MT will be more useful - knives are bit of a hit or miss :/
 
The ZDP-189 sells for $155NZD compared to the normal version which is $115 still doable hm is the difference worth $40?
Thanks for mentioning the law side of it, I guess he wouldn't have much luck carrying the bigger ones with him to uni...


Nap said:
Well, I don't know what sex has to do with it, but of those, the Dragonfly seems best suited to your requirements. If it's in your budget (100 NZD is about 60 USD, so probably not), get one in ZDP-189 steel.

The Dragonfly is large enough to be useful for most everyday carry (EDC) tasks, but small enough that it should be as legal as one can be carrying a knife in NZ, and the least likely to scare people when he uses it. A cursory glance of NZ knife law tells me that your country has a UK-style "unlawful, but it is a defence to prosecution that ..." statute that says that if it comes up, you need to explain to the police why you need that specific item for that specific task, and it's up to their judgment (or, if you choose to fight it, the court's) about whether it's confiscated and/or you're prosecuted. In other words, while you're permitted to bring a knife with you to a picnic, if they decide that your scary-looking, all-black folder is inappropriate for the task of slicing apples, you're in trouble.

The Leek and Flash are far more likely to get him into trouble, given that they both "flick" open; the Endura and Buck 110 are both fantastic knives, but too large to carry in that environment. For that matter, the Dragonfly can be opened with one hand and locks open, so even that could be problematic. If you want to avoid the hassle, it may be better to buy him a Swiss Army Knife.
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Thanks Bob, it seems that most people still recommends the multi-tool or a smaller knife to start off with. I will keep that in mind cheer.

Bob6794 said:
This is equivalent to going on a car or gun forum and asking what kind of cars/guns do men like. We all have different preferences. If he is not a knife person a multi-tool type of knife like a swiss army knife or leatherman will get a lot of use over most. My recommendation would probably be for a Victorinox Compact as it has a lot of useful tools to help in normal day to day life. But you really can't go wrong with a Victoninox, Wenger, or Leatherman when it comes to multi-tools, just pick one based on his need.

From your list I can tell you they are all good knives you picked out but I would avoid the Buck 110 if your not sure if they would carry a knife as it's quite big and heavy and definitely requires the sheath. The larger size of the Flash II and Edura may be a bit of an annoyance to someone who didn't have a interest in carrying a knife before as well. The Dragonfly and Leek will probably remain unnoticed while carrying it till he needs it and would be my picks based on your 5.
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Hey thanks for your comment, I've looked through our local site and is a little confused. Are any of those ones the G10 scales?
https://secure.zeald.com/blademaster/results.html?q=spyderco+dragonfly
https://secure.zeald.com/topgear/results.html?q=spyderco+dragonfly

TrojanSteel said:
I'd go for the spyderco dragonfly in g10... That thing is quality, super good looking, and small enough to keep on him at all times. I'm not sure, but I think the ZDP blades only come with FRN scales. I'd forgo the the ZDP in favor of the G10 scales because it's such a small knife and the VG-10 steel (on the green g10 version) is pretty good too.
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Think about him trying to surprise you with a new pair of shoes... if you're anything like my girl it would be pretty much impossible! She'd be polite about it but I could never find a pair on my own that she really liked. A guys knife is a similar personal deal. What color, shape, size... what locking mechanism, how heavy is it, how does it feel in the hand and in the pocket, etc etc...??

Best thing to do is be patient and expect to spend some real time looking at stuff. Maybe even go to more than one store. Make an afternoon out of it if he's up for that. I know I would be...
 
That could be an option. Maybe I could get him a cheaper SAK that would be useful for everyday and a 100 dollar voucher for him to decide what he wants.
Railsplitter said:
How about a gift certificate from a merchant dealing only in knives? That way he couldn't buy anything but a knife and you'll know he likes it because he picked it out himself.
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Railsplitter said:
How about a gift certificate from a merchant dealing only in knives? That way he couldn't buy anything but a knife and you'll know he likes it because he picked it out himself.
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What if he buys something stupid and she dumps him for being tasteless?
 
elva826 said:
That could be an option. Maybe I could get him a cheaper SAK that would be useful for everyday and a 100 dollar voucher for him to decide what he wants.
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The three-four layer 91mm SAKs like the Climber, Explorer, Yeoman, Trail Guide, Huntsman, and Compact are all phenomenal.
 
Railsplitter said:
How about a gift certificate from a merchant dealing only in knives? That way he couldn't buy anything but a knife and you'll know he likes it because he picked it out himself.
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Bingo. If you are unsure, nothing spells LOVE more than CASH. ;) I've got most of the knives mentioned here, and they are all very different. Let him pick out the first, and you will soon hear what he likes/dislikes about it. Then maybe you'll have a better idea for....Christmas!
 
You could always buy him something at the local knife shop, and make sure of their return policies, so he could exchange it for something else.

Based on the list from your original post:

1. Kershaw Leek Folding Knife Black - I bought one of these for my wife (purple handles). She didn't like the assisted opening. It's not a bad knife but it really doesn't work for me either as something I want to carry.

2. SOG Flash II - quite like the camo handle $ - I know nothing about this brand
3. Spyderco Dragonfly - See below
4. Spyderco Endura4 - Dragonfly is too small for me, Endura is too big. Delica is just right. One of my favorite knives.
5. Buck 110 50th anniversary A classic knife, but they are rather heavy. Definitely need to carry it in the belt sheath. I have one from 1979 that I used to carry. Haven't carried it since about 1990. Just too heavy for what I need.
 
elva826 said:
The ZDP-189 sells for $155NZD compared to the normal version which is $115 still doable hm is the difference worth $40?
Thanks for mentioning the law side of it, I guess he wouldn't have much luck carrying the bigger ones with him to uni...
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Well, you've heard two people weigh in in favor of the ZDP-189 version, and one person who says that he'd prefer the VG-10 version because the ZDP version doesn't have an option for G-10 (plastic) handle scales (grips). Personally, I much prefer the grippiness of the dark green FRN (another kind of plastic) handles that come with the ZDP version, so that part's down to personal preference.

Regarding the steel itself, ZDP-189 is a high-performing steel that takes a very good edge and holds it for a long time. Some people say that it's difficult to sharpen when it finally does dull (or, as I think is usually the case, if they're doing something funny with to their edges), but this has not been my experience, and I think it's one of those oft-repeated things people regurgitate as gospel because it sounds convincing, and they've read it so many times from people who were also repeating it from elsewhere. (There, now I've gone and provoked a war.)

I will say that VG-10 will also do perfectly fine at its task: cutting things. Your guy probably wouldn't even notice the difference in actual, everyday performance, but if he's the type to care about such things, or just wants to brag to his friends and whatnot, there you have it.

I had a couple more paragraphs typed out about my further investigation into your country's knife laws, but I think we can leave it at: use your best judgment. If you really want the detailed analysis, let me know, but I need to be careful about dispensing anything that could be confused with professional advice, and this post is long enough already.
 
Elva826, picking out a knife for someone is really a very, very personal decision. Odds are, he's the only one that really knows what he wants. My recommendation would be to get him an engraved, Alox SAK Classic (inexpensive but classy keychain knife that is very high quality and most here would agree that everyone needs at least one) along with a gift certificate at the local knife store. Not only will he get what he wants but, if he's anything like most of us here, shopping for a knife is almost as enjoyable as using it. Odds are, 20 years down the line, long after he has lost the knife, he will still have and use the Classic.
 
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