I think a 4" Mora is a little large for kids that age. I got my similar-aged sons 2" Kershaw lockblades - $10 from Stuff-Mart. That size seems about right for them.

Swiss army knife, one of the mid-sized one like a Tinker. Or a classic folder like a Case Stockman. Nothing too expensive because odds are they break, destroy or lose one or two. It is to be expected so don't freak out when they do. Have them buy the second out of their allowance or in return for chores. It's a knife, and expendable, no matter how special a symbol you want it to be to them, it isn't the Holy Grail.

Show them how to work with it, supervise a couple of times, and show them how to sharpen their knife on a simple carborundum stone with spit. Boys love the spit part. Also how to wash out the inevitable cuts with soap and water and apply a bandaid. Again, don't freak out. Cutting yourself is a normal part of learning to uses a knife.

Cuts will heal faster with a sharp blade and are less likely if the kid isn't trying to force a dull blade to work.

Simple, inexpensive pocket knife, supervise the first couple of uses, teach sharpening with a stone, and how to deal with cuts.

I did a topic on this and from what I gathered, there are minimal differences! Link to my topic!

I'd suggest teaching fixed blade skills first, and then Moras are the way to go, imho.

For a folder I'd go cheap, locking and for me, not one hand opening (I wouldn't want my son (7) trying to open something that involves a blade and a spring with one hand when he isn't strong / dextrous / sensible enough - to much chance of slippage)

Just my $0.02

I too stick with fixed blades.

This so-called "scouting knife" has long traditions around here. http://www.helle.no/Default.aspx?tabid=4947&language=en-US

The plus side:
- Reasonable good steel with good reputation.
- Comfortable handle
- Finger guard
- Good control
- OK Sharpness out of the box
- OK price

The negative: I don't like the sheat.
- Too easy to loose the knife: If the button is undone or not properly "clicked in", the knife will topple over and drop out of the sheat (top heavy due to the thick handle).

- Too easy to insert the wrong way. In my scouting days, I cut through the seam holding the knife together when I inserted this the wrong way. The rivets will help prevent this, a redesign that was highly needed.

My wife bought this for our son for his 5th birthday, and as I had no other good alternatives immediately nearby I went with it. The good (good handle, sharp, good quality) outweights the bad assuming proper parental guidance, at least for now. On his birthday, he actually had to do 2 stitches due to a momentary glimpse in parental guidance, but that is another story.

Mostly--that must be the knife in the Ragweed Forge catalog,he describes it as having a Girl or Boy Scout imprinted on the sheath.
he also said removing the guard was a rite of passage,know anything about that?..good link to the knife site,i'll go back and look at that in detail.

I like this opinel.

locking blade but is less hazardous to close.

http://www.opinel-usa.com/categories.asp?cat=Opinel+%22Scout%22

Yup, same thing - Helle is the brand (factory), and "speiderkniven" (scout knife) is the type.



I have never heard about THAT before - but it is certainly a grand idea! I'll remember that one when my kids grow older

Most likely, the knife will be lost long before that anyway. Happened to mine - the button closure thing is a lousy patent. I'll see if I can work out something better with a rubber band or something.

About the sheet: They have been modified. Now there are more rivets and a plastic insert. This minimizes the danger of what happened when I inserted the knife backwards into the sheat: It cut through the seam and bit me in the thigh when I sat down. I got just a little pink prick, but I still remember the horrid realization when I understood how bad I could have been cut - easily. Luckily, I don't see how that could happen with the new version of the sheat.

to just open this up a bit more, look at the GI Issue pocket knife, with the blade, can opener, awl, screwdriver. Great beginner multi-tool. large enough to not get lost, inoffensive enough to pass muster with non-knife folks.

I got my son started out on a fixed blade...butter knife to cut up his waffles at breakfast, and to make his own PB&J sandwiches. This way he gets practice using a knife several times a week. Then after he had been using a butter knife for a while we let him start using a steak knife at dinner time. This way he can practice his knife skills at home in a controlled setting, and he gets practice almost daily.

-Robert