First Knife for Kids

My oldest boy turn 8 today.

What is a good age to give him his first knife?

I hope to do many camping trips this summer and start his outdoor training.

It depends on the abilities and responsibility of the kid.
I know some adults that I won't trust them with a butter knife.

I was allowed to carry a pocket knife if I was with my dad when I was 7 and full time when I was 8.

I made a very nice little fixed blade for my nephew when he turned 8 (with my sisters o.k.). Sized for smaller hands, black linen micarta with some nonslip checkering cut in it, ATS-34 steel, and a hand stiched leather sheath with the belt loop on a swivel ring. He got the whole being responsible speech and how I would take it away if he did anything irresponsible with it. He was very good with it. Had a hiding place where he kept it. I also explained to him how a dull knife could be more dangerous than a sharp knife because it takes more effort to cut something. "So bring it back to me and I'll keep it sharp." He would bring it to me and it would look like he was trying to cut rocks with it! I did keep it sharp for him. He spent a year deployed in Iraq and he had it with him.

I've got a little boy that will be 5 this summer. I'm already planning on the knife I will make him. I've got some hunter orange G10 I think I'll use for the handle. Kinda thinking on making the sheath with a built in LED light and a small firesteel in the handle. Maybe the other way around. However I do it, it will be cool. The kind of thing that stimulates the imagination for adventure.

For a folder, Victornox makes a pretty good first knife for kids. Has a rounded point. Think it's called "my first knife".

They are adults that someone failed to instill responsibility in when they were kids and more easily trained. A knife can be a great way to teach responsibility to a young skull full of mush. Many kids nowdays are not given any responsibility till they're teenagers and then the parents complain and wonder what happened. I think the fact that he's thinking about doing this and having some hands on with camping means his kid will rise up to the responsibility of knife ownership.

I got mine on my 6th birthday, along with a camping trip with Dad.

I was carrying a poket knife before I was 8.

I can only tell you when I got my first knife. It was for my 8th birthday and I believe it was a Cubscout related gift. It was a folding Cub/Boyscout knife with a blade, an awl, a can opener, and a bottle opener/screwdriver. It had a shield with the Boyscout logo on the side. I recently saw one online and I think it was made by Camillus. It didn't lock and I somehow survived. It was a very important day in my life. I wish I still had it....

What joaquin39 said. You have raised your son, you will be the one to know if he is ready for a knife yet. I had my first one (actually several) before I was eight, but I know a lot of kids much older than that who have no business with a knife, or even a baseball bat. If you think that he is ready, I'd suggest that you select several different knives that you think are the best for him, then let him have a hand in picking which one he actually gets...

I've had a lot of experience with boys in Cub Scouts and in Boy Scouts using knives. As the others have said, there is a wide range in maturity and common sense among boys, but an eight year old CAN be mature enough to learn to use knives.

Here is a link with information on the Cub Scout program that I think could help you teach your son. I'm not saying to join Scouts, though that would be a fine think for a young lad - I'm saying to borrow the ideas.

http://www.geocities.com/~pack215/whittlin-chip.html

http://www.crossroadsbsa.org/pathfinder/ptc/KnifeSafety.pdf

I got my first Cub Scout knife when I was seven, I think. It was similar to the one Norad described. I could've been 8 or 9 so, but I seem to remember playing with it in the iceplant, which has California (Fort Ord) written all over it, so I bet I was seven. My Dad was big on responsibility, I was only allowed to carry it here or there, and do this or that with it during those early years.

He got me my first shotgun when I was 12 (Savage bolt-action, 3-round magazine, adjustable choke 12 guage). I couldn;t even take it out to clean it or look at it unless he was present and he'd take me to the Rod &Gun club to shoot skeet and trap. I don;t have either or them any more, and I've often regretted letting them go. I don;t know what happened to my knife, but I sold my shotgun to a friend when I was 22..... I regretted it almost immediately.. and more so as the years went by.

ON EDIT: Almost forgot... my little girl is eight and turns 9 in September. This past Christmas, I bought her a Victorinox SAK. She carries it in her day pack and we find some instructional reason to use it each time we go out practicing survival skills. She can, all by herself since last fall, prepare and start a fire with nothing more than a Doan's magnesium/flint. The SAK doesn;t spark well (and doesn't lock) but I've let her use almost every single knife I have and no cuts or "almosts" yet!!! This Easter, I will giver her a Bark River Mini-Canadian (slightly used) that I have on order from a member of another forum. That one will be VERY sharp, so we'll break her in slow.

I had the same experience as many of the above. Boy scout knife whilst in cubscouts at about age 8. I got my oldest daughter a nice Benchmade Griptillian folder at age 13 - she really wasn't interested until then. I think my other 3 kids are pretty solid people and I will have no hesitation getting and teaching them about a pocket knife when they reach age 7-8. But, like their older sister, I would get them a LOCKING folder rather than that lockless finger guillotine that was all that was available in 1974.

At eight years old, I'll bet the interest will be in a SAK. The more stuff on it, the better. The one's I've had don't have menacing points on the blades either, which is a good thing for kids. Don't buy a cheap imitation model though. There are tons of those around and children could hurt themselves trying to force those stiff cheap blades open and closed. Not to mention nobody wants to put their kid's safety in jeopardy with a cheap piece of junk. They don't need a $100 knife, but they don't deserve a $3.95 one either.

I got my first knife when I was 8 or 9 and after sharpening it just like my uncle did I had it close on my nuckle nearly going to the bone. Needless to say I reccomend getting a LOCKING or fixed blade knife for a first knife. My brother gave his boys locking knives at the age of 8 as well and they have lost them a few times but have been rather responsible with using them.

They have asked me to make them a knife for quite some time but I thought that 10 was a good age for them to look after a super sharp custom knife in an appropriate manner. I made one for my eldest nephiew for his last birthday and I have one I am making for my next nephiews 10th birthday.

This is the knife that I made for him.

THAT is a beautiful knife. I'm sure he'll appreciate that work of art.

I wish I had been more appreciative of the knife, shotgun, and some other things my father gave me, I was appreciative and took good care of them, but in retrospect, had I had more of an eye toward nostalgia, I wouldn;t have sold the shotgun and I'd have some idea what happened to my first knife.

I guess along with what others have said about how ready you think your son is, the the other question we can't answer is how old were you when you got your first knife? Also, is it going to be all his, or "his" and has to get it from you? Is he going to be allowed to carry it in town?

My grandfather and my biological father's father never agreed on much, but they did think I needed to know how to use a knife. My first "all mine" knife, that wasn't a loaner or anything like that was a Vic Huntsman. Still have a wicked scar on the back of my left thumb from having it slip while closing it, but that was the only time it ever bit me. Don't have the knife anymore though, it went missing in a move.

My brightest idea is to give him an IOU-type card, and take him to a good sporting goods store where you've already selected a few items that are in budget and inside your ideas about size, and talked to people there so they know that nothing strange is going on when you bring him to see what fits best in his hand. And if he gets exposed to a smaller, local sporting goods or gun or climbing store where people can go in and just shoot the breeze with someone behind the counter who is clued, it can only be a good thing.

Uncle Macgyver, I am your long lost shirttail nephew from the U.S. I would like mine to look just like that beautiful knife!!!

Can I be your nephew too?

I got a Leatherman Wave as my first knife from my father when I was 8-9 years old. Of course we practiced using it together.

I got my first folder around that age, and immediately cut myself with it. My dad took it away and only much later did i start carrying and using a pocketknife. I suppose the moral of the story is to look for impulsive behavior, does the kid think before acting, which is frequently hard for a kid (and adult).

Kids are going to cut themselves this is part of the lesson.
After the whole safety speech and even if they are very safe sooner later they will cut themselves. This is part of the lesson and a segue into first aid training.

One day my brother who has two great kids (I am single w/ none) called and was feeling bad because his boy cut his eyebrow while playing with DAD (took a fall). My brother felt terrible. First off I told him that playing with your kid and even rough-housing is a GOOD thing and that his son had to earn his lumps; this is what makes us tough. So when they cut themselves remeber YOUR first knife and the first time it drew your blood.

When I give my nephew a knife it will be two; one will be a mini-stockman from Buck (I think it is called the Duece these days)and the other will be some single bladed folder with a lock.
I bought his dad (my Bro) the tiny buck while on a trip while in Jr High school he was about 10 . I was suprised to hear that he still has it and that his son wants to to give it to him. So I will get him one of his own. The locking folder will be a practical user.

Heck, I STILL cut myself from time to time. Work around sharp things, that will happen...

I think I'm going to cut myself right now........

Dad worked life support in the Navy when I was growing up. I got a Navy survival knife in time for my 8th b-day and Brownie Day Camp. We had to earn a "Totin' Chit" - just like the Cub Scouts did(way back in the 60's!) Still have mine; knife not the Chit. Too bad most kids these days aren't allowed to experience the responsibility of carrying a pocket knife. Heck, that goes for too many adults these days, too!

Gave DD14 a SAK when she was almost 9, but she actually gets more practice with knives helping me in the kitchen.

This link shows a pic of ye olde Navy survival folder http://www.uswings.com/images/usmc_pocketknife.jpg


edited to add: some lucky kids to get those gorgeous knives!

My oh My! I didn't realize that I had so many nephiews. Thanks guys.

Something that I didn't mention was that many people give a knife to their kids and, even if supervising them as they use the knife, they don't give proper instruction in healthy knife techniques. Usually I think it is because they don't know them themselves. I didn't know proper knife techniques and different knife grips to prevent injury, and increase control, until I was about 25.

Everyone knows that you generally don't cut towards yourself, but that is just the beginning.

You can still injure yourself, or someone else, real easy cutting away from yourself.

Some easy points that I find useful are these.

*To increase control on fine work use some fingers from your other hand to guide and push the blade. This will prevent dangerous slips because it is also gripping the thing that you are cutting.

*When using one hand to cut keep the cutting arm as straight as possible so if something slips (murphy guarantees that it will ) the knife does not move far at all and you have the most power in that position too.

*If you absolutely must cut toward yourself, use only the wrist to move the knife, if you slip it won't move far either. Or if you have to use the arm, then hold the knife so that if you slip your fore arm or elbow contacts the body first and stops the motion of the knife.

*I also keep a mindset, as I'm sure most of you do, that I consider where the knife will go when it slips. If I could possibly get cut or cut something else I will change my grip or motion of the knife.

If simple rules like this are taught to young kids then they will be safer with their knife than most adults.

I agree with the other comments, teaching a kid to be responsible and to think before he acts with a knife will make a good foundation for many other things in their lives. If they have good motor control, can think things through carefully, and if they obey you, then they are ready for a knife no matter what the age.

I hope that helps someone out there.

That can be a very personal decision based on the maturity of your boy. I know in Cub Scouts, they do not officially earn the cub version of the whittlin chit until Webelos. That is around 9 to 10 for most. Based on my experience, roughly 3/4 will not have had their own knife before Webelos. Most all will have their own knife by the time they graduate from cubs in the 5th grade or 11 years old. My son got his first about the time for crossover from Bear to Webelos.

Thanks for all the advise.

I think I will let him "carry" one of my knifes while camping this summer and teach him how to use it.

Maybe give him one of his own when he turns 9 as a Birthday present if he shows good responsibility this summer.

_____________________

PS:

I am glad I still have my first shotgun (stored at Dads house), which I will most likely pass down to my kids.

The BRKT mini-Canadian I ordered for my daughter came in. What a beauty! She'll get it this Sunday.

While she's been taught what I hope are all the right things about handling knives, I don;t think I'll allow her to carry this knife for awhile unless I'm with her. It's just too scary sharp and I want to be there to observe and witness how she handles this fixed blade.

I didn;t show her much about whittling before now. After reading these posts, it occurs to me that will be an excellent way to show her how to use two-handed pressure and resistance pressure when cutting things. So...I supervised a little whittling session last night on a freshly cut ash branch using one of my medium fixed blades. She's gonna be ok.

Like I told her momma to ease her concerns.... "If we've done all the right things, she'll likely only cut herself once"

Well I changed my mind and purchased a $10 Walmart fixed blade. I gave it to him this weekend on the first camping trip. Showed him how to whittle a stick. He was hooked! All he wanted to do was whittle his stick.

He will remember that knife for the rest of his life, even if someday he owns a bunch of expensive high-end gear. I still have the little Buck folder that my dad gave me back "before electricity" as my son says. The plastic insert on the side is cracked off on one side, but, it's in a box of "stuff" in my bureau that I don't use anymore, but, can't get rid of either.

He removed all the bark from this stick! Happy Boy!

They look so innocent at that age. Just think, in three or four years, he's going to notice girls. Then he's going to start chasing them, and competing with other young males and doing foolish stuff to impress everyone....

I'm so glad I don't have kids

As a bit of a side-note:

In Scouts I've found that a lot of boys lose their pocketnives when the knife falls out of the pocket while the boy is pulling other "stuff" out of their pockets. The other common way is simply by leaving it sitting on a table someplace, especially at summer camp.

These days I recommend to the Scouts that they get a piece of thin twine - preferably a bright color - that is a bit shorter than the distance from their belt to the ground. Tie a bowline knot on each end. Loop one end around their belt or a belt loop, and then loop the other end through the ring on their pocketknife. When not in use the twine is bunched up inside the pocket (preferably not hanging out of their pocket - for safety).

When using the knife this length of twine is plenty long enough to provide sufficient "reach". If the lanyard is short enough to not allow the knife to hit the ground, then if the knife falls out of the pocket they'll feel the tug on their belt (loop).

If the lanyard does catch on something, they'll only get hung-up from their belt or belt loop, so there is little real danger there - compared to a neck lanyard.

The best twine I've found for this is the bright synthetic string used for running the level lines in construction - I don't know the official name of this string though. Home Depot & Ace Hardware sells the stuff. They can use paracord, but it tends to be a bit of overkill and takes lots of room in their pocket. I've also seen the knots in paracord lanyards come untied in pockets - most likely from frequent jostling in their pockets, but this doesn't seem to happen with the level-line string. I've assumed that if the full weight of the boy is on the level-line string that the string would break (great for safety), but I don't KNOW that for a fact.