This is for a gift exchange. My BIL is 60± years old. He was a shop teacher. He knows his tools.
He is losing his sight. He can no longer drive.
I carry a small Buck lock blade with a plastic handle that I like very much. I have carried a small knife all my life. I know how personal and important a knife can be.
But. Instead of buying my BIL another pair of slippers or something, I think that a nice pocket knife would be great. Nothing more than a 2” blade.
So. I would like to get him something a little special. Say $50-$150. Quality is paramount, and I would also like something that has a bright handle. Perhaps inlaid.
Buck knives have worked for me. But I think there are some dopers here that may have better suggestions.
Swiss Army knife is an excellent choice, but something to think about (though without the requisite bright handle) might be the Leatherman pocket tool - and similar if not better designed clones produced by Gerber and others…
Good thoughts all. I carried a Swiss Army knife for many years. Just a two blade job. Good knife. Though I feel they are a bit weak. Nice and light though. Kept an edge. Loved it.
My first knife was a Browning, with three blades. Many moons ago.
I had this Buck – years ago. It was quite a fine knife. And is the knife I think I will buy for my BIL. Not too big or small.
I now carry a similar Buck knife, but it has a plastic handle. It’s been great,
What does your BIL use a knife for? IMHO, a Swiss Army Knife has it’s uses but *not * for a serious blade guy. For example, you would never use a Swiss Army knife for whittling. It’s a thin stainless steel blade that does not have the strength, endge holding or even sharpness of a real steel blade.
Also, real steel blade knife guys tend to fall in either the two blade or three blade camp. I would recommend getting a knife from whichever camp BIL is in, assuming that steel blades are his preference.
Buck’s can be tricky or involved to sharpen. I think Buck’s naturally fit a certain % of the knife owning population and are meh to another %.
Actually, I haven’t had a good whittling knife for many years. I’d love to see recomendations on this board. Damn airport security sucked up all my pocket knives including 2 whittling knives, swiss army money clip with blade, a couple of swiss army knives, etc. My pet security peeve, why is it so hard to not have an envelope/stamp vending machine and mailbox off to the side? That way the little stuff that won’t go through security can still be mailed and saved. Some of my knives had serious sentimental value, carried them or used them for years, and then the choice is making an international non refundable flight or saving the knife. Bastards.
That last Buck I had was 30 years ago. You needed to sharpen at the correct angle to really put an edge on it. I never really got the hang of how to put on the edge by hand. Buck sold special sharpening case guides to hold the blade at the coorect angle, specialized whet stones and sharpening oil just for the Buck. At that time, I also had a Gerber that was much more a natural fit for me, and way easier to sharpen.
I was used to el cheapo hardware store pocket sized whet stone you could spit on and put a serious whittling edge on a jack knife.
Look over the retail knife sites for anything from Victorinox or Spyderco. A Victorinox Soldier and Spyderco Delica are the two best pocket knives that I’ve owned. And I’ve owned a lot.
Thanks everyone. The Spydercos just don’t look like something my BIL would carry. And though I like Swiss Army, I would prefer to give him a lock back.
Case knives are good quality blades and intermediately priced, they also have some very appealing and fancier handles made of a variety of materials.
If you want a German quality knife at competitive prices I recommend Böker knives. They also have some really beautiful handles in elegant and traditional designs and materials.
Lately, on ebay I have noticed a lot of these 2006 Winchester 3 knife (Gerber) burl handle collector’s boxes. They look like beautiful knives and have been going at very low prices so that might be an option for you. Although, if they are selling cheaply on ebay, then you can proabbly find them at a bargain somewhere else on the internet, so I suggest searching elsewhere before you commit to an ebay auction.
If your BIL is strictly utilitarian, you can’t beat a basic Buck.
If on the other hand he might appreciate a more specialty tool, something a little over-engineered for his needs, consider this:
I’ve carried a small Boker ceramic for years (similar to this All Knives | AGRussell.com). Mine is an early ceramic & not suitable for prying or whittling. But for daily light duty it works slick and has (I think) a certain cachet lacking in a standard Buck lockback.
These folks seem to have the entire Boker line for easy comparison on one page All Knives | AGRussell.com
If ceramic or ceramic Titanium is out, consider they also have a bunch of Damascus blades. Good edge-holding, good strength & very attractive in an understated way.
I’ve got a small Gerber, very thin, with about a 2 inch blade. The bolsters are brass and there are rosewood inserts in the handle. It has a back-lock. I refer to it as my “gentleman’s knife.” Anyway, I’ve had it for 20+ years and wouldn’t take anything for it. Very handy little knife and highly recommended if he has occasional use for a knife but isn’t going to be putting it through hard usage every day.