I gave my son a mora when he was 7 which was about the same age I got my first knife. Coincidentially the same model. (Yeah I,m from Sweden so there is a slight bias towards Mora)
First knife
- Thread starter Jusali
- Start date
My first knife was a small carnival prize, about age 3. My first _real_ knife was a bone handles scout utility knife when I was about 7 , in Cub Scouts. By the time I was 10 I had a sheath knife- a 5 inch bowie style that I found, and Grandfather helped me rehandle.
Since I was camping with Dad and Grandfather from the time I was 3-4 years old, I never had any doubt about how to safely handle and use a knife as a tool. The kids in my elementary nearly all had a pocket knife by third or fourth grade- even the girls often had one.
No one ever thought of using one as a weapon- we had our fights, but they were always one on one, fists and wrestling.Times have changed....
Since I was camping with Dad and Grandfather from the time I was 3-4 years old, I never had any doubt about how to safely handle and use a knife as a tool. The kids in my elementary nearly all had a pocket knife by third or fourth grade- even the girls often had one.
No one ever thought of using one as a weapon- we had our fights, but they were always one on one, fists and wrestling.Times have changed....
Whittler Kev
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Cheap swiss army copy from my parents when I was about 17. My 2 elder brothes got one as well (all still got them 33 years later) although we had knifes and other sharps on the farm for as long as I can remember
When I was about 10 my grandfather gave me a Victorinox Black Climber. I loved that knife for about two years until I lost it. Now I make up for that heartache by collecting Swiss Army Knives.
I was bought one of these when I was about 7, and absolutely loved it. It's probably still somewhere in my parent's attic as they never throw anything away!
No way! I had one of those too! It was made of virtually un-sharpenable steel..........or I was doing it wrong.
Around 6 years old, and still have it.
Its an old fasioned bone handled pen knife with two shortish blades.
Used to buy a different one, such as SAK copies with holiday money when away with the family, and no one had a problem with it, and luckily I was accident free.
Used to use them up the fields/woods when making dens, and messing around with fires ect.
My 4 year old has a wooden one to learn the basics of safe handling and basic cutting strokes, and when theres a need to have one and shes safe, I'll get her a nice small folder.
Its an old fasioned bone handled pen knife with two shortish blades.
Used to buy a different one, such as SAK copies with holiday money when away with the family, and no one had a problem with it, and luckily I was accident free.
Used to use them up the fields/woods when making dens, and messing around with fires ect.
My 4 year old has a wooden one to learn the basics of safe handling and basic cutting strokes, and when theres a need to have one and shes safe, I'll get her a nice small folder.
For my eighth birthday, my grandfather gave me a Swiss Army Knife, a Wenger Backpacker II. http://www.smartknives.com/Wenger-Knives/Wenger-Backpacker-II.htm
It's sitting in front of me. The drawing of the backpacker it had on the scales was worn off long ago. I carry all sorts of pocket knives and belt knives now, but this one always finds itself nestled down in my pocket. It's a functional good luck charm!
It's sitting in front of me. The drawing of the backpacker it had on the scales was worn off long ago. I carry all sorts of pocket knives and belt knives now, but this one always finds itself nestled down in my pocket. It's a functional good luck charm!
I ran off with my monthly allowance at 12 and got myself a knife with a weird plastic sheath from a closing down supermarket. I played with it for a few days and got bored with it because it did not look anything like Rambo's big a#* knife.
I chucked it away.
Today I regreted that so much coz it is actually a blue handled Mora!!
I owned a great knife back then and probably too young to realise that!
I chucked it away.
Today I regreted that so much coz it is actually a blue handled Mora!!
I owned a great knife back then and probably too young to realise that!
I got my first folding knife when I was 6 or 7. Used to carry it with me all the time. Would give to the teacher in the morning and pick it up as I left at the end of the day. Couldnt get away with it now. You are the best judge as far as your childs ability. Start them young and teach them well and a knife will be a tool and not a weapon.
Got mine about that age as well - second, third or fourth hand with two blades and blunt enough to bruise butter - loved it! Interesting that you used to give it to the teacher - as you say, couldn't do it today yet on the Brisa website they have a whole section dedicated to scout groups and schools. I wonder, sometimes, how much we contribute to the culture of fear around knives by our knee-jerk reaction to banning/controlling them. I have spent thirty years handing out chisels, stanley knives and other sharp stuff to kids from 11 to 18 and none of them have led to a stabbing. Am I doing it wrong? Or do I live in a different country to the Daily Mail?
Yea Kerne I grew up with guns and knives and even baseball bats and have never used any to hurt anyone. If a child grows up with them they have no mystery and are shown as a tool and with a gun once the trigger is pulled you cant get it back. Accidents due happen as with anything in life. But knowledge helps to keep that from happening.
Yes I know what you mean - I had to get my dad to sharpen mine! He took it into his garage and applied some heavy-duty power tools to it, and it came back nice and sharp again!
I have just bought my 6 year old daughter and 9 year old son one of these each for Christmas:
It's a Mora, and seems to be designed with children in mind - with the top and bottom guards, and the plastic re-inforcing on the back of the shealth. I got them from Clas Ohlson for £9.99 each... which was nice
About 10 when I got mine...It was a British Army clasp knife One of these
that got a right hammering. It lasted till I joined the Army then someone purloined it..go figure !!. However I bought another and still have that.
This was the first knife I was given as well! It was my dads police issue pocket knife and I was 8? It is still going strong, however now it lives on a lanyard in the shed for pottering in the garden.
About 10 when I got mine...It was a British Army clasp knife One of these
that got a right hammering. It lasted till I joined the Army then someone purloined it..go figure !!. However I bought another and still have that.
i was given one of those made in 1945 by my dad. - must have been about 8 or 9
- funnily enough i was after a small folding knife for my nephew to learn with and found one of those exact knives at the local market for a fiver.
bargain.
i had my first little "knife" which was about the size of the tiny keyring size sak and didn't hold an edge atall and then when i was 8 i got a victorinox sak and loved it but i'm not sure where that has gone now. and then was i was about 12 maybe 13 i got a mora clipper and the collection has grown from there
You all seem to have had a very robust and honest introduction to knives.
I never.
I was never given a knife by my parents. Don't know why. It was either because my father was a policeman and didn't like the idea of children having knives, or else they just didn't trust me.
I certainly wanted one.
I'm not sure which was my first knife. It was one of two - either a flick knife I bought on a school-trip to France, or else a wooden-handled one (from which the blade kept slipping out) given to me by a friend. The flick-knife one was just a piece of tat. Can't remember what happened to it. Mind you, that was an absolute class trip to Boulogne we had. First time I ever saw the inside of a sex shop as well. Taking school kids on days out must be a nighmare.
The wood-handled one was a much better knife. Although I mainly used it for opening tins of airfix paints.
When I was about 14 or 15 I seriously got into miniature wargames and role playing. And with that, quite naturally, came a knife/sword/weapon obsession. There was a local shop (called 'Pettits', if I recall) and the shop owner didn't care what he sold or who he sold it to. Yup, cheap, tacky, throwing knives, pistol crossbows, machetes and all that kind of thing became ours! My parents never knew.
That's how I was introduced to knives. Nothing decent or robust, I'm afraid. Just mischief.
I never.
I was never given a knife by my parents. Don't know why. It was either because my father was a policeman and didn't like the idea of children having knives, or else they just didn't trust me.
I certainly wanted one.
I'm not sure which was my first knife. It was one of two - either a flick knife I bought on a school-trip to France, or else a wooden-handled one (from which the blade kept slipping out) given to me by a friend. The flick-knife one was just a piece of tat. Can't remember what happened to it. Mind you, that was an absolute class trip to Boulogne we had. First time I ever saw the inside of a sex shop as well. Taking school kids on days out must be a nighmare.
The wood-handled one was a much better knife. Although I mainly used it for opening tins of airfix paints.
When I was about 14 or 15 I seriously got into miniature wargames and role playing. And with that, quite naturally, came a knife/sword/weapon obsession. There was a local shop (called 'Pettits', if I recall) and the shop owner didn't care what he sold or who he sold it to. Yup, cheap, tacky, throwing knives, pistol crossbows, machetes and all that kind of thing became ours! My parents never knew.
That's how I was introduced to knives. Nothing decent or robust, I'm afraid. Just mischief.
