OK - here is an odd one - I'm asking a knife question! (I own too many to count)

My daughter's birthday is this week (she'll be 10- same age I got MY first knife) - and I think it's time she got her own knife, and learned to use it under supervision (and use includes sharpening)

The question is.. Which one? Yeah, I know she won't be able to EDC it (in fact she still tends to wear pants without pockets), plus public schools tend not to allow carry these days...

get her a nice little swiss army knife , they come in all sorts of colors and tool options. i remember having fun with all the gadgets.

At about that age I bought several lower cost knives, including a simple SAK and several locking blade knives (yeah, my wife was thrilled), and let my kids use each one. The one they preferred was the Gerber LST II for about $19. It was smallish (2.56" blade), had a locking blade, and they found it easy enough to open with one hand (which is sometimes tough for a kid). It does not have a clip, which is fine with me as I feared the younger kids would have lost it when clipped.

Now my son, who will be 12 years old in two months and in Boy Socuts, but taller than his mother and wearing size 13 shoes, is carrying a Kabar "Folding Spear", which has a bit longer blade (3") and a clip, and had a Victorinox StayGlow Yellow Climber from knifecenter.com in his daypack. He very recently completed his First Class rank and so I gave him a Leatherman Wave as a long promised reward.

My daughter, who is 10, still much prefers the Gerber LST II to the Kabar Folding Spear that I also bought her, and also carries a Victorinox StayGlow Yellow Climber in her daypack.

Whatever knife you get, assuming it will be a folder, just be sure that it has a locking blade. Blades will fold up on kids just as easily as they will on adults. I am personally not a fan of the SAK's, prefering a single blade or a Leatherman, but that is just me. If you have a cutlery shop nearby, or any store with a good selection, you might take her by and let her "play" with a bunch, it should be pretty easy to see which one(s) she falls in love with...

i'll suggest that you have a look at Ragweed Forge.
they have knives from Sweden that are made just for kids..
i bought my daughter a Swiss Army knife when she was in
scouts...many..many..years ago and she had problems picking
the blades open so i was going to suggest a fix blade..
however i have not really looked around for a knife lately
so the newer ones might easy to open...the best idea i read
here was to take her to a knife shop..the malls here in
Minnesota have shops with wall to wall knives....and let her
pick one..with Dads advice..."you know dear that Rambo model
with the teeth on it might be a bit too much for right now"

X2. My first knife was a SAK, and I too remember how much I liked all of its little gadgets. If she were to carry it, I think the PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. would be a little more accepting of a small SAK. SAKs are classics and I think PHRASECENSOREDPOSTERSHOULDKNOWBETTER. see them more as tools / key-chain-gadgets and not so much as being dangerous.

However, like OBG, I also see the value of having a locking blade. But I'll throw in that when my dad gave me my SAK he told me about the dangers of the knife folding up on me, and I never had a problem with it. Just my $.02

Thinking about it - yeah, a small sak or maybe a LST II - I forgot I actually have one in my travel shaving kit - give her that, and replace it with one of my other knives.

Never really loved the LST, I found the steel lacking, but for her, it should be good - or maybe I'll give her a Micra or Squirt from leatherman....

My first real knife was an Official Boy Scout Knife, by Camilus. It is not a locking blade, and I have a few scars on my fingers that are directly attributable to unexpected folding. That is why I preferred my kids to use locking folders.

Be a little cautious with LM knives with "internal" blades. I've seen young Scouts cut themselves while trying to manipulate the handles with the blade sticking out. That is one reason I gave my son the Wave. It is one of the LM models that has "external" blades.

A SAK or a small fixed blade (3" or so) that fits her hand, just because they are safer.

With respect to the other replies, fixed/not fixed is a personal choice. I recieved the basic SAK on my 6th birthday (you know, blade, file, scissors), and promptly lost it that weekend on a camping trip with my father. I still carry a SAK as my backpacking knife, with a sheath however... The ONLY time in 28 years I've been cut with a knife was 4 months ago, with a locking folder! Since a non locker can only fold on you if you bang the top of the blade, you must be screwing up to cut yourself.

Anyway, yeah, I think a cheap SAK would be a great choice. Gadgets are fun, it's small sized so it's not intimidating, shiny metal (as opposed to a bead blasted or black blade), and they come in enough colors that she'll probably find one she likes.