My kid's first knife

[Guest confidence]

My youngin' is about to get his first knife ever. He is very excited. What kind of things should I teach him as far as knife safety? It is a folding knife, so I will work with him on not getting his finger in it when closing and not waving it around where he could hurt someone. I also will teach him not to be walking or running around with it. What else should I teach him?

 

Also, should I teach him anything about self defense? I prefer not to disclose his age, but I will just say that he is under 12. I was leaning towards not teaching him about self defense, but the thing is that he will think of it on his own, I'm sure anyway! I suppose I should especially cover what *not* to do as far as self defense, too, because I don't want him thinking he can pull his knife on another kid just because they pushed him, or something.

 

This is new territory for me, so please help me with suggestions! (Am I over-thinking this?) Thanks!

[Guest CCPT]

Teach him to always cut in a direction away from himself. Also just to respect the knife and how much damage it can inflict. But a knife is only as dangerous as the person holding it. Don't make him afraid of it.

[Moped]

If I were you, I would get a hold of a Boy Scout Scout Master Guide and use that to teach him.  A Scout earning his "Tot'en Chip", Is time tested and proven.  Bars of soap are excellent media to learn to carve and whittle on. Both of you should sit down and carve and whittle together. Bring a box of band-aids to the party.  It's not a matter of "if", but "when".  And when it happens, don't make a big deal about it.  It will be a big deal in his life, when he gets his first knife.  Make it special!

[Guest tangojuliet]

ah i remember my first knife a swiss army tinker  was trying to act cool and close it one handed and BAM came down on my trigger finger and now 11 years later (i was 10 at the time) i have a nice scar still there reminding me dont act stupid with blades ...

[jtluttrell]

 

 

Teach him to always cut in a direction away from himself. 

 

This. Learned that one the hard way when I was young. Also, I'd make doubly sure it never "accidentally" goes to school with him. 

[daddyo]

Since you didn't say what age your son is, this might be worth considering:

 

http://www.amazon.com/First-Opinel-Junior-Folding-Knife/dp/B002QQMTJG

[TrickyNicky]

Those Opinels are sweet. Pretty a folding razor out of the box, at least all mine were 15 years ago when I got a few. Be doubly carefull with those.

[UncleJak]

I bought my daughter her first pocket knife three years ago. The second time she had it out, she cut herself. I did the same as a kid too.I guess it's one of those things that has to be learned.

sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

[DaveTN]

I know no one else here probably did this; but I snuck stuff out of the house and took it to school when I wasn’t supposed to. With “Zero Tolerance” out of control these days I would want to make sure they knew that doing that could lead not only to suspension, but expulsion with a criminal record.

[Murgatroy]

My first knife was a Buck 105 Pathfinder. I was 5. Times were different back then.

 

It is my daughters now.

[Guest tdoccrossvilletn]

I recommend either a buck 110 or 112 model. I still have both of mine.

Sent from my mind using ninja telepathy.

[Oh Shoot]

I recommend either a buck 110 or 112 model. I still have both of mine.

 

Lotta knife for a under 12 kid to "learn" on IMO.

 

- OS

Edited September 15, 2013 by Oh Shoot

[Moped]

Personally, I'd go slip joint.  Something like a stockman, copperhead, peanut or whittler, for a first knife. A buck 110 or 112 is just too big for a young feller.  If you want to go with a locking single blade design, then look at an Opinel No. 6.  You get a smaller, nimble blade that is easier to handle for smaller hands.  The locking ring is easy to manipulate and requires no strength.  Here is an example.  You can also get this monogramed. And if he loses it, then you are not out a huge amount of money.

 

http://www.opinel-usa.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Opinel-knives-No-6-carbon-steel-folding-knife-folding-knife

[UncleJak]

I wanted to add: my son got his first knife at 5 and gun at 6. He has always been safe. I drilled proper safety methods in his head. He did great. My daughter was the same and despite her cutting herself she has always done well with safety. Accidents will happen but proper training will always win!

sent barefoot from the hills of Tennessee

[Moped]

Heck, I still cut myself from time to time.

[peejman]

Make darn sure he doesn't take it to school....

[bigbabysweets]

I make knives with and for people on a daily basis. We teach to cut away from any part of yourself. I know a guy who was skinning an elk. He was cutting away from his body when the knife was snared. He ripped through and into arm he hadn't thought to watch out for. Now his whole arm is dying, even after multiple surgeries. So, not just away but make sure it never comes toward any part.

We tell them how to pass a knife. If it's a folder, it might not seem dangerous but this is the start of his knife handling experiences. Might as well cover all the proper skills. He might want a fixed blade soon enough!

Keeping the knife maintained is important. Cleaning, oiling, maintain a sharp cutting edge, and sharpening. If you maintain the edge before you HAVE to sharpen it, you'll save time and increase the life of the knife.

Like anything else, self defense is your call. A knife is just a tool, it's how he uses it. If you think the need may arise I'd teach him. For me it's better they're educated about it. If he was gonna pull a knife on kid, not teaching him self defense would only make it worse. Boys will be boys....

Give it to him from time to time when you can supervise if it makes you feel more comfortable. Observe how he uses it. Give him some chores to do while camping and observe without him really noticing. Cutting wood for a fire, cutting rope for tents, etc.

[jgradyc]

I'd choose a knife that can be opened and closed without risk of cutting oneself. I kinda like the big hole in the Spyderco for this reason for opening or the old style fingernail slot to open. I'd also choose a grip that would help prevent the hand from sliding forward onto the blade.

 

I'd also choose a short blade. There's really no reason for a blade longer than 2 1/4 inches UNLESS you go to a bigger knife to get a more secure grip.

 

I wouldn't go with an expensive knife. Kids won't know the difference or appreciate it if you tell them. I got my nephew a pretty nice knife for Christmas his senior year in high school. I carefully explained how to sharpen it... and then watched as he did exactly what I told him NOT to do.

 

Kids... :shrug:

[Murgatroy]

A good old fashioned Swiss Army Knife is always a favorite too. I understand that MacGuyver might be old and fat now, but when I was the target audience, having a SAK was freaking awesome.

 

To add, my wife's first knife was a SAK I bought her a couple of years ago and it has been her daily carry since.

[MacGyver]

Hard to go wrong with a classic Swiss Army Knife. I've still got mine that I got when I was 8.

I'd personally skip the self defense part with a child and really work on proper handling.

[daddyo]

A knife is a poor self-defense weapon anyway if you aren't proficient in knife fighting tactics.

[Spots]

A knife is a poor self-defense weapon anyway if you aren't proficient in knife fighting tactics.

This. It takes practice and training to have a solid grasp on defending yourself with a blade. I'd pick up a cheap folding knife, probably a single blade in the 2" range. Look at the rough rider series. Super cheap and decent little knives for the money. I carry a 3 blade case stockman everyday for work and I dont think the biggest blade is over 2". If you need a knife much bigger than that, you really need a fixed blade. And either keep it sharp or if your worried about him getting cut, then it needs to be completely ground dull. Like the edge is flat and incapable of cutting. A knife in between those two doesn't cut well so it requires excessive pressure which then leads to accidents and cuts. And a ground out edge won't cut anything. If you decide you want a fixed blade for him let me know. Ill make him up a little 2.5" fixed blade that would work well. Free of charge of course, cause every young man should have a good knife. Like this




Tapatalk ate my spelling.

[Moped]

I think Rough Riders are an awesome value!!!  Good advice Spots!

[JAB]

I have talked in another thread about the tiny 'Bearcat' lock blade knife that my dad gave me as my first carry knife.  One of my early 'serious' carry knives, however, was a Case Sodbuster, Jr. that a neighbor gave me when I was in middle school.  I loved the style, then and am still a fan of the Sodbuster style, now.  If I am not mistaken, Rough Rider makes a version of the Sodbuster style that is a lock blade.  I kinda want one of those, myself, and think it would be a good 'starter' knife.

 

I also think the idea of a real SAK is a good one.  My current EDC is a 'Tinker' and it has been my main carry knife for a couple of years, now.  I personally think that an SAK - because of the screwdrivers and so on - not only increases usefulness but also helps bolster the idea of 'knife as a tool just like a screwdriver' rather than the idea of 'knife as weapon'.

 

Victorinox is now even making SAK models that offer a locking blade that has a large, Spyderco style thumb hole - see link below for one example.

 

http://www.victorinox.com/us/product/Swiss-Army-Knives/Category/Hunting/One-Hand-Trekker-NS/54875