Xmas gift for a few non knife guy friends?

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SomeNewGuy

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I got some friends who aren't knife guys but i hear them comment on how much they think a knife would be useful. Well what would be a good non knife guy gift? They will most likely abuse them so i don't want to spend too much and it should be pretty i guess durable.

Like a no maintenance knife (yea i know everything needs to be maintained but these guys wont) that if they happen to break it wont be a big loss.
 
breadman said:
A SAK or perhaps a Kershaw Chive.
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Im not sure if assisted would be good for them, i could see them breaking the assist and just chucking it in the trash instead of getting a new one for free or getting it replaced by kai.
 
an ontario rat 1 would be a great knife for that, i got one of my non knife guy friends a tenacious and it made him a knife guy!
 
A SAK, or a Spyderco Salt knife. Those are low maintenance rust proof knives.
 
SomeNewGuy said:
sub 30.

Seems like everyone seems to think some sort of a sak.
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I'm thinking Cold Steel Pocket Bushman, then. Svord Peasant. Buck 110 (or other Buck folder). Might as well get 'em something cool that may eventually spark a long term interest in knives. Spyderco Persistence.

Or, for something completely different:

Gerber Artifact

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I would highly recommend the Ontario Utilitac II... It is in the $30 and I have been super impressed with it. Almost as smooth as butter and super solid lock up (no blade play in any direction). And they have several different configurations if you look... I would probably get a serrated one for non knife people :-) anyway, I wanted to share some of the goodness I have found!

kb7412ontario.jpg
 
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SomeNewGuy said:
I got some friends who aren't knife guys but i hear them comment on how much they think a knife would be useful. Well what would be a good non knife guy gift? They will most likely abuse them so i don't want to spend too much and it should be pretty i guess durable.

Like a no maintenance knife (yea i know everything needs to be maintained but these guys wont) that if they happen to break it wont be a big loss.
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I think the two considerations are size, and type of knife. If your buddies work in an office setting, buy them a huge folder and they'll never carry it. Likewise, if they're construction workers, a tiny penknife's probably not a good fit. As to type, some guys think of a pocketknife as basically an old school, non-locking folder. Maybe a Victorinox SAK or Case. This kind of guy is not likely to take to a really modern knife. At the same time there are loads of guys who would never think of carrying a knife "like Grandpa's." You need figure out where your buddies fit in this.

Personally, when choosing a knife to give as a present to a non-knife knut I tend to pick something on the small end of the range. I'd rather they tote my gift every day vs. fondling it from time to time, then putting it back in the box.
 
SomeNewGuy said:
sub 30.

Seems like everyone seems to think some sort of a sak.
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You can easily get a Victorinox SAK in that range. I'd suggest a Tinker or one of the alox models. For a darn tough single-blade option, check out A.G. Russel's Rancher knives. Basically a modern take on a sodbuster.
 
Kershaw Tremor, Clash or some of their other chinese knives. The assist should last a long time, I have a blur thats going on 7 or 8 years of use and is doing fine. SAK's are ok but I dont like them personally and I dont them drawing anyone into knives.
 
Kershaw Tactical Pack with Kershaw Brawler, a flashlight and a pen. At your local Mall-wart in their holiday package boxes in the outdoors/knife section. I've heard a lot of places have now sold out already even though there have been a number of haters. I figured they would sell pretty well, given the massive sales volume of the Crowns last year, but it still surprises me they are selling out this quickly. So other people must be thinking it is a good value for a gift as well.

There are better knives for about the same price (Skyline and others), but the SpeedAssist seems to draw people in. Serious users may see it as a bit of a novelty, but it's that novelty that attracts non-knife people but will get them in and interested in other knives both assisted and manual. As Bob said, the assists last so I wouldn't worry about them breaking right away.
 
Buck Vantage 345 Paperstone should fit the bill ... I carry mine regularly - a great knife for a good price and made in the US :)
 
I'd probably get them the $5.00 folder next to the cash register at the hardware store unless I had a better inkling of what they would use or enjoy.

While I don't care for them myself my step-son prefers one of the folding razor blade knives for use at work. He hasn't quite captured the concept of the right tool for the job and has broken the tips off promotional Leeks using them as prybars or screwdrivers. If your friends would likely "destroy" a higher end knife, I would purchase something that if it were broken would not hurt your feelings or cause a seed of bitterness to grow over their "carelessness"/ignorance.
 
Someone else mentioned this, but yes, take their job into account. If they sit behind a desk then they probably don't need a big "tactical" looking knife in their pocket all day. I'd also stay away from assisted openers. A kershaw skyline comes to mind. Not too big (hopefully not too small either). That or a Spyderco Persistence.
 
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