First pocket knife for kid

[RugerNurse]

Any ideas? I have a few years before my sons are ready for one but suggestions are appreciated. Swiss Army knives come to mind because they don’t open easily unless you use 2 hands but they don’t lock. Any Spyderco thoughts? Maybe the delica if it fits their hands ok

[JSumm]

I bought a Dragonfly for both of my youngest.

[riclaw]

SAK, Case knife, or Leatherman multi-tool.

[Manixguy@1994]

Dragonfly Salt . MG2

[Meadowlark]

Dragonfly has my vote, too. Gave to my daughter for her first knife around 11 years old.

Never owned one but the roadie might be a good idea if a slip joint is a consideration.

[Makunochimaster]

Opinel kindermesser

[RugerNurse]

That Opinel looks nice. How did the dragonfly work as a first knife? Were they able to manipulate it ok?

[squirrel]

Smallfly 2 or Squeak. Unless you're boring and practical then maybe Grasshopper or Honeybee.ClipiTool is affordaboring. Can't go wrong really.

[Doc Dan]

Some SAK's do lock. My S111 Evolution, for example. A lot of the Evolution series lock, if that is important. I never use it. I use the regular slip joints. With a SAK like my S111 or a regular SAK a boy will learn proper knife discipline and learn to sharpen because they are not hard to sharpen and he won't get frustrated like he would with a more upscale steel.

If I were going Spyderco I'd get a Delica or a UKPK. It is larger enough for tasks and small enough to pocket.

[James Y]

It would depend on the kid, and how mature and responsible they are. Some kids are ready for knives at a young age; whereas others should never be given a pocketknife.

I would suggest a small SAK. Something not too expensive, because kids have a tendency to lose things, including knives. Also, a slipjoint like an SAK helps to reinforce the knife safety tips you teach them. Slipjoints like SAKs teach them mindfulness, and to not always rely on a blade lock when handling knives.

Jim

[TomAiello]

The Junior is actually a really good choice if you can find one.

Of current production, I'd go with a Dragonfly.

[vivi]

I took mine to New Graham when she was 5 and let her browse. She picked a hawkbill Ladybug. The blade shape made me nervous but she's managed to never cut herself with it. Her next one was an FRN Dragonfly Salt. She picked yellow so we could try to dye them pink & purple.

Size isn't the only thing to consider. The larger the knife the harder the lock release can be on kids hands, at least with lockbacks. Something I didn't really think about until she had trouble unlocking the Dragonfly Tattoo, which was her first choice.

[TkoK83Spy]

Manbug!

[SaltyCaribbeanDfly]

Dragonfly Salt PE

[aicolainen]

Dragonfly gets my vote too.
I gave both my kids a Manbug, which has worked out very well for my daughter. My son is a bit more impulsive and has managed to slide his hand forward onto the blade. Well, slide is maybe not the best description, as it was an indexing issue and not the result of too much force applied. After that incident I gave him my orange VG-10 DF2 and never had an issue since.

I think most kids will adapt to just about any type of knife, but with what I now know I feel that a easy to use lock, like a back lock, and a well defined choil with jimping to give the user some feedback on where the fingers are relative to the edge (a guard will serve the same purpose), are both too useful to give up. It limits choice, but they’ll potentially have a knife for life. DF2 just happens to be my favorite as well :)

[ladybug93]

victorinox huntsman is the knife i chose for each of my kids' first knives. it's a capable edc and woods tool, but it also has scissors, so they can learn to use the most appropriate tool for the job and use the knife less often. it's also versatile enough to still be a backup knife when they move on to something more advanced. you can't go wrong with a sak.

[ChrisinHove]

The “My First Victorinox” springs to mind.

https://www.victorinox.com/uk/en/Childr ... ket-knives

I’m not sure why they have cap lifters, though….

[kennethsime]

Mine was a Victorinox Sportsman. I think that’s just about right.

For Spyderco, I think the Dragonfly is a fantastic first knife.

[Frozenspyder]

My kid's favorite is his Para 3 lightweight. He's got a handful of Spyderco and Byrd knives, but that one is almost always his first choice.

[Halfneck]

Once both my boys got their Whittling Chip in Cub Scouts I got them the same thing - A Victorinox Spartan & an Opinel #8. Eventually they ended up with some various Kershaw Flippers & a bunch of inexpensive Condor Knife & Tool stuff (courtesy of Joe Flowers).