Knife for a kid

[jc000]

My oldest son is 9 and I'd like to get him his first knife. I imagine he'll be using it as boys have used pocket knives since pocket knives have been around. He's reasonably conscientious and seems to be handling food-related knife chores (f.ex. veg prep for soup) quite safely. He will not be using it for hunting or skinning.

I'm considering an Izula / Candiru or Mini-Griptillian. I can get a good price on the BM so cost is pretty much a wash. Without having any kind of formal knife craft instruction, I don't know if it makes more sense to start a boy on a fixed or folding blade. I've owned knives for many years and I know how I would use them, but would appreciate some expert advice on what direction makes the most sense.

[VolGrad]

I have read many times folks say fixed blades are better first knives from a safety standpoint because they eliminate accidents opening and most importantly closing them. I am not completely sold on that argument but it does make sense.

I bought my daughter a Opinel for her first knife. It has a sharp edge but the tip is rounded so it's not pointy. It had a horse themed pic engraved on it. She still loves it and she's 12 now. I think she was around 8 or 9 when I bought it for her. For a boy that's more likely to actually use it the Opinel with the round tip might not accomplish the mission.

I know Mora has a fixed blade with a really good guard that is designed for kids. You might want to look at those.

ESEE Izula or II or Candiru are great choices if you don't do with a "kid" knife. The mini-Grip is also a great choice if you go folder.

[VolGrad]

I forgot - there are tons of great SAKs too. I would recommend a Cadet or Farmer to start off. I might actually recommend one of those before the mini-Grip. As a kid I'd have probably liked the SAK better because it has more gadgets. I have a bunch of Alox Cadets in different colors. Love them. I always have one in my pocket regardless of what else I'm carrying.

[Lost River]

I started my oldest daughter out on a Mora.

Super sharp from the factory. We started with a combined lesson of fire starting in bad weather, and proper knife usage. I had her make "feather sticks", cutting away the wet wood, getting to the dry wood underneath. She made enough tinder to get the fire going properly. A good part of the lesson was cutting AWAY from the body, as well as doing proper prep in fire starting, before you ever try to light the fire.

The reward was hot cocoa, heated by the fire she made herself.

[backtrail540]

I agree with Volgrad above, the opinel scout

http://www2.knifecenter.com/kc_new/s...91&series=3327

Mora safe for a fixed blade

http://www.knifecenter.com/item/FT12...polymer-handle


Or one of the sak options would be where i started. This with the caveat that i don't have kids so it's all in theory to me. Also i believe forum member blues is/was a mod at a big knife forum and probably could provide valuable insight from reading similar threads many times over. My first blade was a sak and it did most of what i needed as a boy.

[Lost River]

A couple years later she was using Moras to help field dress her first deer:






Plus lessons in shelter building, and building wind breaks.

Hanging out on the ridgetops with her "Papa":







The hunting trips provide lots of skill building lesson opportunities.

[blues]

Those photos say everything that needs be said. You are truly blessed to have such a beautiful, happy child. Hats off to you, sir. You've obviously done something right.

[blues]

JC, I started carrying knives given to me in the late 50's by my late grandfather. They were all slipjoints but these days I would recommend either a small fixed blade or a knife with a simple lock (like the axis) or a lockback to allow familiarization with much less chance of an accident.

Shoot me a PM with your info and I'll be happy to pick something out from my collection of knives that might be good for a young man to get started with.

If you like the Izula, I'll send you one given to me as a gift by Jeff Randall of ESEE. Jeff's an old friend of mine and I'm sure he wouldn't mind my providing it to a youngster just getting his knife skills started. (It's been carried and used a little but I've kept the edge quite keen.)

[jc000]

I bought my daughter a Opinel for her first knife. It has a sharp edge but the tip is rounded so it's not pointy. It had a horse themed pic engraved on it. She still loves it and she's 12 now. I think she was around 8 or 9 when I bought it for her. For a boy that's more likely to actually use it the Opinel with the round tip might not accomplish the mission.

My wife has an Opinel – I'm so turned off by the locking mechanism that I really wasn't considering the rounded tip version. Maybe I can find a way to see one in person.

I started my oldest daughter out on a Mora.

Lost River – every post of yours is a pleasure to read either through the general tone or the gorgeous photos you share. I will take your (and the previous) recommendations for the Mora seriously.

Shoot me a PM with your info and I'll be happy to pick something out from my collection of knives that might be good for a young man to get started with.

Wow, how amazingly generous! PM en route.

Thanks all for the great feedback.

[blues]

JC, picked out a couple of knives for your son.

The Izula we already discussed and I think it will make a useful all around knife for him. Good in the woods and for general cutting tasks. Tough and pretty much unbreakable. Might be a fun project for you both to work on wrapping the grip.

The second knife is a small, single blade Case lockback which is no longer made. I picked it up some years ago from an online vendor that still had a few pieces of old stock left in his inventory. The steel is chrome vanadium and the covers synthetic yellow like some of the knives my grandfather would give me when I was a pup. He'll have to learn to keep it clean and oiled to keep it from pitting. The lock is pretty strong and should help avoid accidental closure but of course good training to learn not to rely on locks is still paramount with any knife.

Here's a quick phone image of the two knives. I'll get 'em out to the post office mid week and hopefully you'll have 'em by the weekend.

I hope he'll be pleased with these two American made knives.