First knife for my boy.

I'd say the Victorinox because it would be more convenient for him to carry around with him. Though the leatherman sure is more useful, I had a both (or similar) when I was a kid and the swiss army went with me everywhere. The cabelas brand 'leatherman' I had was a little big so I only had that when I had my 'adventure' bag. I wish my swiss army knife would have had a saw on it, I would've used it all the time.

I'd say the leatherman cause it is not so easy to carry. With schools now a pocket knife means suspension. Leatherman has a cool can opener he could use to help mom and the scissors are nice. I don't like a combination serrated and straight blade.

When I was 6 years old my father gave me my first pocket knife. Told me it was the best tool a man could carry. " Don't ever be without it". I've had one in my pocket every day of my life since. Get your child some thing simple and easy to carry. Don't over do it. I carry a single blade Buck now and it works for me just fine.

Things have changed. Boys can't carry knives now.

A GI/Boy Scout style---SAK makes nice ones---will certainly be useful for any lad.
IIRC there are pretty good Spanish made versions that don't cost much that might be worth considering.
Easier on the wallet if the knife is "misplaced."

The SAK is more iconic and certainly more of a "knife". However, I have always found the LM to be much handier. It just depends on what he will use it for.

Good choice either way. Good dad

You didn't say hold old he was. I carry a Leatherman SideKick on me, along with a Micra and a regular knife. The Sidekick is the same tool as the Wingman except that it has a plain edged blade and a saw instead of the scissors. I have scissors on my Micra, which is attached to my keys. The Sidekick weights seven ounces, so that might be a bit heavy for him depending on age and build. I think a Swiss army knife would be best, a basic one that is easy to carry and handle.

Anything but a Benchmade. ;-)

A Leatherman tool is somewhat less likely to have a genital-hat wearing androgene in comfortable shoes calling out SWAT.

SAK would be good, I liked having one as a kid.
Then again, it drives me crazy when someone uses my knife for a second and can’t figure out how to close a basic liner lock knife like a leatherman or my Kershaw or my Buck folders. So there’s always a need to educate your son on that too!

To be honest, you May be well served by also giving him a Streamlight Protac2L or for a bit less money a Coast PX20. He will quickly learn that a knife and a light are essentials that will be used multiple times daily. Another thing I can’t stand is folks trying to get by with an iPhone light (which you can’t even aim at your work piece holding it in your mouth).

I guess it depends on how you think he might use it.

I bought a wingman to carry in my back pocket on days when I had a gun on my right hip. I found myself flashing the gun too often, trying to get my leatherman out of the pouch. Its nice tool, and carried easily for me until the pocket clip broke (now I just carry a leatherman surge on my left hip and a gun on my right). The knife blade doesn't hold an edge that well, but sharpens up pretty good. He won't be able to do much whittling with it though as the serrations take up most of the blade. The pliers are a little small for my liking, but come in handy, and the screwdrivers actually work pretty well. Basically, its a pretty good multi tool but only so so as a knife. If he likes to fix things or does farm type work its a good choice.

If he's less interested in mechanical type stuff and more prone to be doing outdoor things like whittling,starting camp fires, hunting/fishing etc. then the SAK would probably be a better choice as its primarily a knife with other tools available.

How mature is he? For the youngest boys, I suggest not more than a Victorinox Classic or Rally. I personally prefer the Rally with a phillips screwdriver instead of the scissors. A good alternative that is a better knife by far is the "My First Opinel." It is a better knife, but not necessarily a better gift for someone who might appreciate the other gadgets on the SAK.

For a more mature boy, say one who is closer to double-digit ages or who has demonstrated competence with a knife like those I just mentioned, there are innumerable fixed and folding blades about three inches in length which is an ideal size until their hands grow to their full-size. And to be sure, none of the knives I've mentioned are ever totally outgrown.

My personal favorites for 2 to 3" folders have been classic Case slip-joints, but there are a number of good intermediate size SAK's that are very good too, like the Pioneer. As pocket knives, these are fine tools, but they come short for dressing game or processing wood. A fixed blade has obvious advantages, but unfortunately, many states' legislation creates problems for anyone willing to conceal a fixed blade. As an EDC item, fixed blades can be legally troublesome. But a Morakniv is a good one for most any purpose. Fox River maybe for game in particular. The Victorinox Hunter looks like a fine knife for this. I was coveting one of those or one of the newer Buck 110's in SV30. In my mind, these blades are a bit big for everyday purposes. I carry a small slip-joint and it's pen-knife blade is the most used. I also carry a bigger knife, but it's rarely used. Wouldn't want to be without it though.

I'm rarely without my SAK Nomad and pliers.
But I really miss my leatherman skeletool.
Does he like to fish?
The Leatherman needle nose pliers are really handy for fishing.
Wingman, Wave, and Skeletool all have belt clips.(maybe an accessory on Wave)
I'm certain that you will choose wisely.

With Leatherman and BenchMade both being outed anti-gun.....................jes' sayin'........

Doc7 said:

To be honest, you May be well served by also giving him a Streamlight Protac2L or for a bit less money a Coast PX20. He will quickly learn that a knife and a light are essentials that will be used multiple times daily. Another thing I can’t stand is folks trying to get by with an iPhone light (which you can’t even aim at your work piece holding it in your mouth).

Click to expand...

There are far better lights than both Streamlight and Coast at similar prices to both. MnFats, if you want to get him a flashlight, let me know and I'll help you out with some options that don't have unknown LEDs with crappy blue tints.

My first knife was a Swiss Army knife (around 8yrs old). I loved it and used it a lot. When my oldest turned 8 I gave him mine. I had it 20 some odd yrs without losing the plastic toothpick or tweezers, and he manages to lose the toothpick in less than 5 (not sure when he lost, but it isn’t there anymore). Oh well... I hope it means something to him because I could have just bought him his own.

My son's Boy Scout troop required that the knives the boys carried have some sort of blade lock, so I got him a Buck 110 after he got his whittling chip. After that he got SAK as for Xmas and then the next year a leatherman. He got the most use out of the leatherman.