Pocketknives for my girls

[Dave Markowitz]

My daughters are aged 9 and 7, so last year I felt it was time to introduce them to knife use. They've been using knives at mealtimes for several years, but I want them to be able to use sharp knives. I got each of them a Mora #760 to keep in their hiking bags, and they've taken to them well. It's now time to have them learn how to use folders.

Last weekend I got Amanda - my 7 year old - a Victorinox Recruit at Lowe's. She's strong for her size so I thought she'd be able to open and close it safely, but after getting it home I realized she doesn't have the hand strength to do so without. Not wanting either of my children to be missing any digits, today I picked up a couple Opinel No.6 folders for $15 each at Country Knives in Lancaster, PA.

Here's a couple of pictures of the Opinel No.6 along with the Victorinox Recruit, and and old Victorinox Pioneer, my EDC.



The Opinel is well known as a simple but extremely useful design. It has a single blade and no spring to hold it open or shut. It's held shut by friction. In the No.6 and larger sizes, it locks open via a rotating collar. The blade is made from thin carbon steel and comes very sharp. The steel is relatively soft but this makes it easy to sharpen quickly. I keep a No.8 with my black powder stuff for use as a patch knife. Opinels excel at slicing tasks due to the thin, sharp blades. You can't use one as a prybar but that's OK, it's a knife not a crowbar.

Since there is no spring the Opinel is ideal for people lacking hand strength, such as small kids. The rotating collar lock is easy to lock or unlock.

The comfortable handle is made from wood. Being made from wood, it lends itself to user modification if desired.

While some might prefer stainless steel, the carbon steel reinforces the need to maintain one's tools. If my daughter neglects it, I'll know.

If you're getting a child his or her first knife, take a look at the Opinel line.

 

[hso]

I love SAKs, but if a knife doesn't lock open I don't consider it safe enough for a kid (and barely safe enough for me). For a first SAK I'd recommend one of the Trekkers (one hand or nail nick).

OTOH, Richard at Swissbianco makes custom SAKs and has made mini Farmers and Trekkers without serrations and all sorts of interesting SAK variants that we wish the stodgy Swiss would do.

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Well, they'll have the Opinels, which of course lock open.

FWIW, my first knives were slipjoints - an Imperial Barlow, some kind of Scout knife, and the Pioneer shown above. I didn't even own a lockback until sometime in my teens. The only times I've cut myself with pocketknives have been due to carelessness on my part, and never involved the knife closing on me.

 

[kamagong]

As a knifenut of the first order, my daughter always sees me with knives. Being daddy's little girl, she often wants to play with them. The only ones she gets to touch are slipjoints. The manual dexterity required to open them means that they are the only knives that are toddler safe.

I am going to give her a few as she grows up. I'll probably start with a puukko, then give her a slipjoint later. When she gets older I'll give her a modern folder and a khukuri.

 

[Sam1911]

I love SAKs, but if a knife doesn't lock open I don't consider it safe enough for a kid (and barely safe enough for me). For a first SAK I'd recommend one of the Trekkers (one hand or nail nick).

Roger that. I know it isn't traditional but I don't care for kids using non-locking folders.

Something about my "tween" years ... six stitches to put the two halves of thumb back together, and a seventh through the halves of thumbnail ... kind of turned me off to the idea.

YMMV, but please at least teach GREAT safety practices! I have it on good authority that a parent does NOT enjoy emergency room visits of that sort.

 

[sm]

Dave,
I feel the Opinels are a great choice.

 

[BCCL]

There pretty much is no reason not to love Opinels!

 

[Dave Markowitz]

I feel the Opinels are a great choice.

I knew you would.

 

[JohnKSa]

I like Opinels and I've recommended them, but I'm not sure they're a great choice for an inexperienced user and here's why.

1. The handles are round. There's really nothing to keep the knife from twisting in your hand.

2. There's essentially nothing keeping your hand from slipping down on the blade--no guard, no handle swell, not even any checkering/texturing.

3. The blade locks, but not if you forget to lock it. Frankly, in one sense I'd rather have a blade that doesn't lock at all than one that might be locked or might not be locked. I've run into a few occasions where I've forgotten to spin the collar to lock the blade. So far no cuts to show for it, but it's always a surprise.

4. The collars can get sticky and hard to turn and the blade can get sticky and hard to open. My BIL carries one and uses it a lot on a variety of things and the collar on his is a real pain to try to spin.

I like them and they're a good value, but they wouldn't be my first choice for a beginner knife.

 

[hso]

No hand swell? On an Opi???

I agree that they're not my first choice for a beginner folder either. More for the manual lock and the stickiness issues, but then I'm a safety manager and I'm always thinking about the safety issues and thinking how some engineering control is needed to prevent an transient unsafe use.

 

[Carl Levitian]

Opinels are wonderful knives for a beginner of expert.

The handle shape fits the average human hand very well, and there is a definite swell in the shape. No springs to fight when hands are wet and/or cold. Easy to open and manipulate with gloves on. I've given out several over the years, and the non knife people love them for the simple construction and operation. They have a class all their own.

 

[JohnKSa]

No hand swell? On an Opi???

I'm talking about some kind of swell or flare at the front of the knife to prevent the hand/fingers from slipping forward onto the blade There's nothing like that on an Opi. Of course, the same could be said of most slip-joint knives.

No springs to fight when hands are wet and/or cold.

If the wood swells or the joint gets sticky, then you have to fight to overcome the friction both while opening/closing as well as locking/unlocking. Mine is meticulously maintained and I don't use it in situations where it would get wet or gunk would get in the joint and it still gets stiff to open/close at times.

I like them, I use them, I've given them as gifts, I certainly agree that they have a class all their own, but none of that convinces me that they're a good choice for a beginner's knife.

 

[Carl Levitian]

"If the wood swells or the joint gets sticky, then you have to fight to overcome the friction both while opening/closing as well as locking/unlocking. Mine is meticulously maintained and I don't use it in situations where it would get wet or gunk would get in the joint and it still gets stiff to open/close at times."


It won't if you treat the joint first. Take the new Opinel, and smear Vaseline jelly in the joint with a toothpick or a paper match out of a book, all around on the wood inside. Then fold over a paper towel into 4's, and wipe out all the excess. Your Opinel will now be waterproof. I was told to do this by a friend who was born and raised in Paris, and it worked. I dropped my Opinel into a glass of water, pivot side down, for 20 minutes. Took it out and it opened just fine. In a pinch, Chapstick will also work. Repeat this about once a month, and your Opinel will remain waterproof.

Lubing it with mineral oil once a week will also make it water resistant.

I live in Maryland, and being retired, spend a lot of time on the water. Chesapeake Bay, Potomac river, Local lakes. Sailing, canoing. My Opinel has been wet by salt water from the Chesapeake, fresh water in the Potomac, and it always opens.

Carl.

 

[kBob]

Carl,

you ever see the Cold Steel plastic gripped carbon bladed versions of the Opinel?

Years ago Cold Steel gave them away as freebees if you bought a knife like their Tanto. I kept one in a go bag in my car for a bit.

I wonder how long it would take to make the folks that complain about the round handles on the Opinels happy using a wood rasp and some sand paper.

-kBob

 

[kBob]

Just went to the enexpensive knife thread and saw HSOs link to Knife center.

As it happens I camped out Friday with the 11 year old (camping with pnemonia is , well, interesting) and in checking his gear before heading out the 9 year old daughter asked "when am I going to get a pocket knife?"

Thanks to this thread and that Knife center link I am thinking she might soon be surprised with a 2.25 or 2.5 Opinel in the not too distant future if the Mom/Spousal unit approves.

Some neat little knives on that sight, there is a little French slide knife that looks like just the thing for my Dad.

-kBob

 

[ugaarguy]

Thanks to this thread and that Knife center link I am thinking she might soon be surprised with a 2.25 or 2.5 Opinel in the not too distant future if the Mom/Spousal unit approves.

Just remember the Opinel #5 and smaller don't have the locking collars.

 

[JohnKSa]

I wonder how long it would take to make the folks that complain about the round handles on the Opinels happy using a wood rasp and some sand paper.

He's talking about gifts for inexperienced/new knife users.

Besides, I didn't "complain" about them, I merely pointed out a fact. I use mine the way they come and it doesn't really cause me much problem, but that doesn't mean I'm unable to recognize that it could be an issue for some people.

 

[T.R.]

I've found the four blade Congress pattern to be quite useful for everyday chores.

TR

 

[Deltaboy1984]

SAK's are great for kids. So are Opinels . You just have to teach them how to use them. My first knife was a 3 inch 3 blade Imperial Stockman.