Groomsman gift(s)?

A

ARod2000

Joined
Nov 3, 2012
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This is my second post in the forum. I'm getting married next spring and was thinking to get each groomsman individual gifts. My best man has been a life long hunting buddy. We've been going archery hunting in Kansas for almost 10 years now and some of the best memories of my life have happened there. Anyway, great guy and I wouldn't have the Kansas hook-up if not for him (hunt for free on some of the best land anywhere). So, yes, I do want to get him a great gift.

I'm thinking a high-end, great-quality knife. I'd spend $100 to $300. I'm thinking something that could be engraved, probably on the handle. A general purpose hunting/pocket knife. None of these guidelines are set in stone so please share any and all suggestions. The only thing that's mandatory is good quality steel. This is something he will use and use regularly.

btw, I'm not a big knife person so feel free to talk to me like I know nothing. I've had a Buck, a Scharade, a Gerber gator and a KA-Bar forever and recently picked up a Kershaw. Thanks all.
 
Check out Benchmade's website and play around with customizing a Griptilian. You choose handle color, blade steel and shape, hardware colors, and you can also have images and text laser marked onto both sides of the blade. With all the top options its around $150. There are tons of other options in your price range, though. Just an idea.
 
I'm thinking a high-end, great-quality knife. I'd spend $100 to $300. I'm thinking something that could be engraved, probably on the handle. A general purpose hunting/pocket knife.
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You can get many many many suggestions with this criteria. I'll give you a few :)

Fixed blade: Becker BK16, BK15, BK17,
Folding: T.L has the right idea, Benchmade will engrave the blade with anything you want. ANYTHING. I'd vote for the BM15020 though, it's the Bone Collector knife with D2 steel. The knife is a solid beast. You don't have to buy direct from Benchamde, you can mail them any Benchmade knife and they will engrave.



btw, I'm not a big knife person so feel free to talk to me like I know nothing. I've had a Buck, a Scharade, a Gerber gator and a KA-Bar forever and recently picked up a Kershaw. Thanks all.
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Welcome to the forum then! Hope you stay a while and find what the forum has to offer.
 
Howdy ARod2000! Congrats on your upcoming nuptials and welcome to the Forums!

I'd recommend visiting Buck Knives' Custom Shop and creating a nice customised 110 model (perhaps with S30V steel?) The 110 is, after all, a classic and beautiful knife. You can also get it engraved right from the shop.

Good luck, fella! :)
 
I plan on doing a pocket knife as well.

Engraved on the blades though, so I will be paying attention to this thread.
 
You might be able to get a custom order with Great Eastern Cutlery. They have lots of models to choose from. When I first saw this I was going to suggest Case peanuts.
 
Go classy, none of those tactical blah blahs.

Get something from Great Eastern Cutlery, Northwoods, or Queen Cutlery.
They all make great traditional pocket knives, with good steel.
Knives Ship Free carries them, and I believe they do engraving.
Pair it with a good bottle of whiskey, like Booker's, and you'll be golden.
 
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I'm gonna echo the GEC comments, they make some nifty, unique and useful knives that are near perfect for gifting IMHO.
 
What knives does he already have? (Specific models, preferably.) If he's a traditional guy he would probably hate the Mini-Grip, and if he prefers modern knives, I doubt he'd be too crazy about the GEC. On top of that, knowing what knives he already has will give us an idea of his preferred features. And how much does he already know about knives? Could he sharpen a modern, high-carbide steel? Or even any steel? If he happily uses flea market crap for skinning, getting him a nice knife would just be a waste of money. The knives that've been suggested so far are all nice, but without knowing more, it's pretty much a shot in the dark when it comes to suggesting anything specific.
Another thing to consider is that hunting knives are typically 4-5" fixed blades, while EDC knives are usually 3-3.5" folders. A folder will skin a deer, but it could get gunked up, and folder handles usually aren't as ergonomic as those of well designed fixed blades. And a 4-5" fixed blade could be EDC'd, but it would probably be kind of a hassle, and legality would come into play. If you're set on getting him a knife that can function well for both EDC and skinning, a 3" fixed blade would probably be best. But it would still take up more space than a folder, and your friend might not enjoy carrying it because of that.
Why not just get the guy two knives?
 
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Thanks all, good info. I think of the suggestions above the Benchmade and the mini-grip most appeal to me. I'm not a huge fan of the traditional styles. I was reading around the forums and came across a good bit of info on the Hinderer xm-18 & the Umnumzaan. I thought these look great, I'll get the Hinderer (which I'd never heard of). Holy smokes there's some expensive knives out there!!!!! :eek: They damn sure look....uh....sharp? :D That's probably the style I'd go with and size, probably 2.5 to 3.5 inch folding. As far as his experience - it's about like mine. He's much more of an outdoorsman than a knife person. So, yes, he can sharpen a steel blade well. Not sure about a high-carbide steel as I don't even know the difference. (I'm learning, patience). The knife he's used most in the last few years is a Gerber Gator. I know, it's nothing special but it's been a decent knife. Thanks again for your help, please keep the suggestions coming.
 
If you really like the Hinderer look why not go with a ZT 550 or 560. Both are great knives, are made with great steel and are within your price range. I'm not sure about getting them engraved but I have seen some with engraving on them so I'm sure you could get them done somewhere.

Also, great idea for a groomsman gift! Wish some of my friends had this idea
 
erhodes said:
If you really like the Hinderer look why not go with a ZT 550 or 560. Both are great knives, are made with great steel and are within your price range.
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Great suggestions, thank you. I think the 560 is in the lead for my best man. I didn't know about that knife. Like I said I'm pretty green with knives and there are so many options to research. Thanks again. What else ya'll suggest?
 
First thing to come to mind is something from Bark River Knives.
I really like the Classic Drop Point Hunter and Fox River.
 
Congrats on the upcoming wedding.

With that said:

With a budget between $100 and $300 you will have a large selection of great knives to choose from. You've already received some good suggestions and with so many knives available in that range I will suggest you look at some websites so that you can get a visual idea of what you want. A. G. Russell, knifecenter, etc. have some very user friendly websites. Browsing through their online stores and taking note of the brands and styles of knives you like will aid you greatly in picking the correct ones for your groomsmen. Once you have the choices narrowed down, you may want to create another post requesting opinions on the several knives you have selected as contenders. The friendly and knowledgeable users here at bladeforums will likely point out positives and negatives for each knife selected.
 
For that price range, consider getting a Benchmade 710 (M390 version) or a Spyderco Gayle Bradley.

I especially recommend the Gayle Bradley. It is one of the most classy, functional, and strong knives on the market.
 
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