THE FIRST KNIFE

CHOOSING THE PERFECT STARTER KNIFE

- JIM COBB

Our first grandchild, a precious baby girl named Ollie, was born a few days ago. Being the avid knife collector and user that I am, I've had her first couple of knives picked out for months already. Every knife person I know has looked forward to gifting the youngsters in their life with their first knives. While I'm sure that the same could be said of those who are passionate about virtually any hobby, the name of the magazine is Knives Illustrated, not Action Figures Monthly or Baseball Card Digest. So, let's talk first knives.

ARE THEY READY?

A common question bandied about in various online forums and social media sites is some variation of, "How old should a child be before they get their first knife?" The thing is, there really isn't a hard and fast rule for this. It isn't like being able to get a license to drive or being allowed to buy a beer at the local pub. There's a saying people like to toss around when they're aging but don't want feel old: "Age is just a number." That applies here as well. Just because a child turns a certain age doesn't automatically mean they're ready for their very own blade.

FIXED OR FOLDER?

In speaking with other knife aficionados, most of them recall receiving a folding knife, as opposed to a fixed blade, for their first knife when they were growing up. Further, most of them felt that a folding knife was a good place to start for a young person.

Sure, a very valid argument can be made in favor of a sheath knife, such as the lack of moving parts and the general durability. However, in this day and age, most young people would be better off carrying a folding knife, something that can ride deep in the pocket and that won't cause alarm if it is seen by an adult. Thus, folders will be the focus of our discussion.