Wife Knife?

M

mr_dove

Joined
Apr 12, 2004
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I'm looking for a knife to give to my wife as a gift. She's not a big knife junkie but she needs one none the less.

I'm looking for a small folder. The legal limit in my state is 3.5 inches although something significantly smaller may be better for her (maybe 2"-2.5").

Here are my factors:

smaller than 3.5" blade
easy to open (opening assist?)
won't scare the sheeple

That's all I can think of for now. It would need the opening assist because it will only take once of slicing her thumb open while trying to flip it open to make her toss the knife in a drawer.

I'd also like something that wouldn't look out of place if she wanted to use it in the office for opening boxes or or mail. This will probably mean that it needs a bright, happy, non-scary color.

I really like the Kershaw Ken Onion folders. I've been looking at the Chive and Scallion most recently. They have auto assist with little flipper buttons on the back to keep your thumb clear.

What else should I consider?
 
A few years ago I put one of the small Gerber LSTs on my wife's keychain. I think the blade is just over 1". She understands, but does not share my obsession with knives but I wanted her to have something handy. She has actually used it quite a bit. It has served her well opening boxes, packages and the occasional rabid blister-packed office supply.

One thing that makes her willing to use it is that she understands the operation of a lock-back knife and is comfortable with it. She can use my liner, plunge and axis locks, but she prefers a good lock back for her. Gerber makes several LSTs that are small enough to ride on a keychain or in a pocket. I think the sizes are comparable to the Chive, Scallion and Leek.

Another option may be a Leatherman? There is a lot to choose from in the smaller sizes now and all sorts of "pretty colors". A small screwdriver, knife blade (albeit small and a sacrifice) and scissors are pretty useful. Just an idea.

One thing that comes to mind is even thought the assisted opening is cool, some people are not comfortable with the blade doing anything on its own. Hence my wife's preference for a nail nicked lockback. She can fire my autos, but she tells me that she likes to control the blade opening, not some button.

Just my two cents, good luck with your decision.

WT
 
The benchmade Benchmite 310 would seem to fit that bill quite nicely. 2" 154CM blade, anodized titanium handle. It locks in and out, and flips open easily with the flick of the wrist. Or it is also available in full auto, if your local laws allow. I believe the full auto is model 3100.
 
My wife carries a Spyderco Ladybug on her keychain. She has been happy with it. I wanted to upgrade her to a Spyderco Salsa(it has the Cobra hood for easy opening), but she didn't want a knife that big. :) The Salsa sounds like the knife your wife might like.



Blades
 
I know this is larger than you are looking for, but my wife carries a BM 710 in her purse. It is a bit heavy, but she likes that fact that it is a full size and very easy to open with one hand.

Be careful with the assisted opening blades in your wifes purse. Your wife cannot forget to put the lock on, or it can easily open.
 
my wife has the luxury (or curse) of spending almost every hour of the day with me... her knife, is what I am carrying.
 
Rather than assisted opening I would go for a basic SAK using two hand opening and no lock. What my wife used a lot is a basic Victorinox Classic. It has things that women use, scissors and a nail file, along with a small knife blade that can open mail and packages. It fits nicely on a key ring and is available in alternate colors. If you order from swiss-knife.com you can get features hard to find in the USA. There is a model that also includes a built in pen and LED flashlight. That is something that a woman would really grow to love. Take a look:

http://www.swiss-knife.com/asp/detail.asp?lan=EN&code=0.6226.T4&shop=SK
 
My wife was eying a POS ripoff of the Dragonfly that the local Safeway was selling (interesting conflict in terms, that) for $3.95. Fortunately, she asked me about it before she bought one. I went with her and did a spine-whack test on the thing and it folded right up as if there had been no lock at all. I then showed the amount of play, up, down, and sideways, at the blade pivot and compared it to a Spydie Cricket that I had brought along. She immediately got the picture. I gave her my Cricket to carry, instead. I then set about locating a Cricket for her to use permanently. I found one upon which Vess, a member here, had done some very nice file working and polishing and bought that for her. She is very happy with it, but she did need to learn that the big hole in the blade is NOT a place to attach a key ring clip(!). I made a nice little fob for it out of leather lacing and she now uses that for the clip.

BTW, she likes the mini-talon shape of the blade because it is great for picking out stitches and other such fine work.
 
Might be a little bigger than you want (~3"), but consider an AG Russell one-hand knife. Non-threatening, and closing it one-handed leaves your fingers totally out of the way the whole time. (I think at one time he offered a smaller version...)
 
If you can find one, the Spyderco Navigator has much to recommend it. I gave one to my wife in her stocking for Christmas (ain't I romantic ;) ). It is small and light, but the ergonomics are great.
 
My wife carries a small SAK in her Explorer. However, I think her favorite is actually a multi-tool, a Leatherman Mini she "borrowed" from me a few years ago. Haven't seen it since. You might want to take a look at something like the Leatherman Juice.

--Josh
 
Mr Dove,

I'd stay-away from the assist-openers for your wife, as it's pretty easy to have the thumb follow the blade onto the cutting edge...OUCH! (At least that's been MY experience...:(.).

You might want to take a look at the FRN Spyderco Delica, or one of the Benchmade Mini-Griptilians...With the Mini-Grip, she'd have a choice between dual thumb-studs or an opening hole, and some cool "lady-like" colors.
 
My true love has always been kinda sheepish around BM's, large Spydies, Striders etc...so, I gave her a Browning gent's lockback with mop/abalone scales.
At first she just carried it around in her purse...it took some time, but it eventually became her daily mail opener.

However, just to show how unpredictable they can be....last week I left a Busse Groovemaster laying on the kitchen counter...she found it and announced that she'd "bonded" with it and now I can't get it back..go figure.
 
I picked up the signature lite for my mom at REI for $20ish. Great keychain knife, availiable in different colors.
 
I just looked at the CRKT Rollock at the Backwoods store. Nice little knife with a pretty satin finish. Guaranteed to not close on her fingers.
Check it out. It might be the one. :eek:
 
Here is a possible good knife for your wife: 2TheHilt is having a 1/2 price sale. Check it out on the Knife Exchange portion of this forum.

Then go to For Sale: Production Knives (Dealer)

They have a Al Mar Flacon Ultralight Talon X1 for $43
 
I have to agree with all who say the Spyderco Dragonfly, whether in FRN or SS.

It was the knife I purchased for my now ex-girlfriend. She liked it and carried it either IWB or in her purse. Small, lightweight yet will cut like a big knife. It's a full flat grind too so sharpening is dead easy on this knife.

I highly recommend this one.

Edit - and I agree completely with Glockman about the speed assisted stuff.
 
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