Youth knife ideas

Six isn't too young, but there are plenty of 30+ year olds (some of them scout leaders even) who aren't grown up enough to use a knife. There is no reason people can't learn good habits early - keys are good habits and proper supervision.

One big concern at this age is fine motor skills. Everyone develops at slightly different rates, and a few months can make a big difference. If he can color (and reload!) he can probably use a knife. Start cutting on a surface (cutting board, etc.) and work up to holding stuff in one hand while cutting with the other (whittling sticks, etc.).

Ragweed forge is a good place to start. Ragnar carries a bunch of knives specifically designed for children (yay Nordic countries) and even more small blades for <$20. If you get something with a wood handle, you can even whittle/sand it down to fit his hand, if needed. Once he's ready to graduate to a folder, I'd recommend an Opinel. They come in small sizes, you can reshape the wooden handle if necessary, and the ring lock doesn't take much strength to operate.

I hope you post some ongoing progress reports. I'd like to hear real stories of small kids becoming responsible knife users.
 
Tohatchi NM said:
...and the ring lock doesn't take much strength to operate....
Click to expand...

:thumbup:True...

Yesterday I gave my cousing his presents (the backpack, the set of spoon/fork/butter-knife and the VIC Rucksak) and I noticed he having trouble disengaging the lock. He didn't have much of a problem opening it though... I am sure he will get better with time but I thought he had a stronger grip. I am now thinking that something with a less powerfull spring (or without spring) and a ring lock (opinel for example) might have been more appropiate.

Mikel
 
This is just my experience i got my first knife when i was 4 or 5 and was tought how to use it.My use was meant to be supervised but beign a kid id find the knife and sneak it out anyway.Thankfuly i never hurt myself but i did get a charge for carrying a knife at 17 although i was just fined now you can get 4 years for simple possesion and most will do time unless your real lucky most people i know that have been cought have done 6mnths on average.
So with my son about to turn 6 i thought id get him his first knife a PSK Bark River.
Everything was OK with him using it when i was around but i kept the knife under my pillow and one night he found it thankfully he didnt hurt himself the only reason i no he even took it was because it was so far rammed into the sheath i couldnt get it out.
So that night i tried to pull it out with all my force i pulled it came out straight across my gut sliced me right open my wife thought i was goin to die there was so much blood my fault however he pushed it in with such force that if it had slid onto him i dont even want to think what would have happened.Now every knife except kitchen knives are in the safe.
And i have decided there is no way hes getting a knife again.
There are also huge problems were i live with people beign stabbed and slashing peoples faces is common practice for all the gangs around hear pathetic but just the way things are there is a facial slashing reported every 65 min roughly in a city of just 600 000 and just one hospital deals with at least 3 stabbings on a quite day.
So because of of all this i cant justify giving my son a knife anymore.
However if i lived in the country or the like i would let him use a blade but when i felt he was old enough to realise the true dangers of a knife and what can happen if cought with one.
 
I used knives in our kitchen from the time I was eight and nine years old.

I used my dad's knives, under his supervision, also during that time.

My dad watched me for a few years, and when he felt I could use one without a) hurting myself, b) doing gratuitous damage around the house, or c) hurting anyone else, he bought me a scout-style Imperial Officer's Ulster for my 12th birthday.

I still managed to cut myself a time or two, and I still managed (as boys will) to do a couple of dumb things with it but, in general, it was one of my prized possessions. It went with me everywhere. Camping, school, road trips, housework.

Twelve was right for me. My son would have been okay at twelve, but my daughter wasn't ready until fourteen (and her stupid friends were still not ready).

I recommend that you teach and train until you know he has the basic KNIFE skills, then (depending on your venue) give him his own.

It's not so much an age thing as a practice and experience thing.

However.

If your son has friends who are NOT ready, you're gonna have to make sure he's not showing it around.

My daughter did that. At fifteen she had a friend who was "troubled" and who would "acquire" anything she felt was "rightfully hers" (including my daughter's camera). At sixteen she had a friend who figured the right way to see if her knife "really was sharp as she said" was to run it across her $700 mattress. Another one of her "friends" decided to "borrow" one of hers, and she didn't get it back for more than a year, when it was confiscated from him.

Your son is very likely the most responsible kid of his age that he knows. You don't have the same inputs and verifications with respect to his friends, so there are no safe assumptions.

All of that having been said . . .

I'm glad you're bringing your son into the community of responsible tool users.

Best of luck.

 
These_Nutz said:
This is just my experience i got my first knife when i was 4 or 5 and was tought how to use it.My use was meant to be supervised but beign a kid id find the knife and sneak it out anyway.Thankfuly i never hurt myself but i did get a charge for carrying a knife at 17 although i was just fined now you can get 4 years for simple possesion and most will do time unless your real lucky most people i know that have been cought have done 6mnths on average.
So with my son about to turn 6 i thought id get him his first knife a PSK Bark River.
Everything was OK with him using it when i was around but i kept the knife under my pillow and one night he found it thankfully he didnt hurt himself the only reason i no he even took it was because it was so far rammed into the sheath i couldnt get it out.
So that night i tried to pull it out with all my force i pulled it came out straight across my gut sliced me right open my wife thought i was goin to die there was so much blood my fault however he pushed it in with such force that if it had slid onto him i dont even want to think what would have happened.Now every knife except kitchen knives are in the safe.
And i have decided there is no way hes getting a knife again.
There are also huge problems were i live with people beign stabbed and slashing peoples faces is common practice for all the gangs around hear pathetic but just the way things are there is a facial slashing reported every 65 min roughly in a city of just 600 000 and just one hospital deals with at least 3 stabbings on a quite day.
So because of of all this i cant justify giving my son a knife anymore.
However if i lived in the country or the like i would let him use a blade but when i felt he was old enough to realise the true dangers of a knife and what can happen if cought with one.
Click to expand...

I am not sure if I want to know where do you live... Well, I do. Seems like a dangerous place to be.

Here in Spain you can't carry any blade on you unless you are doing outdoor stuff or using it for work. But the worst it can get is a 300€ fine... and the knife gone. 6 months for having a knife on you? Wow!:eek:
Mikel
 
These_Nutz said:
The so called knife and murder capital of western Europe.
Glasgow Scotland.
Click to expand...

Sorry to hear that. I thought the law sucked here in Spain but it seems to be much worse there where you live. The face slashing issue and the stabbings really scare the crap out of me...

Mikel
 
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