Suggestions for knife to give my Dad for Christmas

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ferris209

Joined
Nov 24, 2011
Messages
6
Howdy all,

I am seeking input and suggestions in buying my Dad a nice knife for Christmas. My whole life (33 years), he's always carried an old style 2" to 3" Old Timer or Case in his pocket, so I wanted to stick to something of that look and function. I doubt he'd appreciate any larger blades or assisted opening types, plus, I think he likes the old fashioned look of the those knives. As I am not necessarily a knife expert, I hope to get some input from you guys here on getting a nice knife for him, didn't know if there are any obscure knife makers that compete with Case, Old Timer, and Uncle Henry. As far as price I'd like to spend more than $50, but try to keep it under $200.

Thanks in advance fellas!
 
In your price range for traditional pocket knives I think you'll have the best luck with G.E.C., I've been eyeing up a #66 jack knife with the "rotten banana" handles myself. I also recently picked up a case sway back jack in CV (carbon) steel and chestnut bone handles and am absolutely loving it. The sway back jack ran about $65 and is an excellent value at that price.
 
There are several makers of traditional knives in the price range that you are looking for:

Case (Of Course)
Queen Cutlery
Bear & Sons
Schatt & Morgan
Boker Tree Brand
Hen & Rooster (You can find SOME of theirs at the higher end of your budget)

All of these companies make nice traditional style folders.
 
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Get Dad a AG Russell Rancher. It's the perfect size. He'll love it.
 
You could also look at Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC), other brands have already been named. Case, Böker, Buck etc etc... you can´t go wrong with one of these.
 
I'd go with a traditional from GEC, Queen or Canal Street.
 
I would suggest anything by Case or Buck.Does he prefer carbon or stainless,synthetic or natural handle material.If he likes carbon and natural I'd get a Case.If it's stainless I'd give the nod to Buck,their stainless is better(my op).-Jim
 
Thanks for all the suggestions!! There are companies I'd never heard of. My Dad is coming over tomorrow to watch election returns with me, I'll snag his current pocket knife under the guise of sharpening it and photograph it. I can then put it on here to give y'all an idea of what he likes. I'm not real certain myself, I just know every time I borrow it from him I notice it's smaller than most every pocket knife I've ever owned.

I'm thinking of getting a decked out knife. Stainless steel and stag handle, I don't think Dad would care whether or not it's a carbon blade. I want to say his current knife is a fake bone Case knife and some of the fake bone is broken.
 
ferris209 said:
Thanks for all the suggestions!! There are companies I'd never heard of. My Dad is coming over tomorrow to watch election returns with me, I'll snag his current pocket knife under the guise of sharpening it and photograph it. I can then put it on here to give y'all an idea of what he likes. I'm not real certain myself, I just know every time I borrow it from him I notice it's smaller than most every pocket knife I've ever owned.

I'm thinking of getting a decked out knife. Stainless steel and stag handle, I don't think Dad would care whether or not it's a carbon blade. I want to say his current knife is a fake bone Case knife and some of the fake bone is broken.
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when I was at the flemarket I sold alot of case knifes. bone handle on most of them. I never heard of case useing fake bone before. are you sure it is a case knife??
 
richard thurman said:
when I was at the flemarket I sold alot of case knifes. bone handle on most of them. I never heard of case useing fake bone before. are you sure it is a case knife??
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It might be an Old Timer or an Uncle Henry, not really sure it is fake bone necessarily. Like I said, while I love knives, I am no expert. It looks like bone, it could be imitation stag if they make that, but I didn't think a bone or real stag would crack and fall away like his did, which is why I probably incorrectly surmised it was a "fake bone."

I do recall that part of the handle is broken and missing where one of the rivets are. We'll have a lot more information tomorrow when I snag it for a few minutes and get some pictures. This is a recent idea of mine and I hadn't closely observed his knife in the past, I'm running on a few minor recollections, and my aunts input, right now. I just know he hates sharpening it, so it's dull, and it is beat to hell. He's 62, so I really want to get him that highly durable, great knife that he'll have the rest of his life hopefully or at least the next 10-20 years, and that I will have to sharpen rarely. Of course, I'm hoping he hits 100, so here's to him getting 40 more years out of this knife I buy.
 
ferris209 said:
Of course, I'm hoping he hits 100, so here's to him getting 40 more years out of this knife I buy.
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Shouldn't be a problem with any good quality folder. There are still plenty of knives in basically the same style around from the mid to late 1800's.
 
What about a sodbuster a more modern twist on the classic I'm not a fan of these types but the sod buster looks great.
These are by imperial schrade .
 
Nothing at all wrong with a Case. With that being said, your price range puts you into GEC territory and they feature stellar F&F as a whole IMHO. Also Queen and Schatt Morgan make nice , spendy knives as well.
 
ferris209 said:
Howdy all,

I am seeking input and suggestions in buying my Dad a nice knife for Christmas. My whole life (33 years), he's always carried an old style 2" to 3" Old Timer or Case in his pocket, so I wanted to stick to something of that look and function.

Sorry for the late reply. I just saw the post. I am probably close to your dad's age and have carried such knives for a long time. And, probably like your dad, I use a knife daily for just about everything. I recently found a Spyderco Manbug G-10. It has a similar look, with bolsters and a clip style blade. It is truly and excellent knife and the only one that replaced my other pocket knives. Also, Great Eastern Cutlery's Northfield Un-X-Ld are awesome knives. They are beautiful works of art. However they do have carbon steel blades. Your dad may not care as many of us prefer carbon steel. The Manbug is a lockback and very small. This is deceiving as my very large hand will still fit 3 fingers on the handle because of the ergonomics. I mention this because the knife is very small closed and does not look like you can hold securely...but you can. The blade is 2", or VG-10 steel, and so sharp it will scare you. I got my Manbug G-10 for around $65 from Knifeworks.com and a GEC will run you around $80 from various places.
AND, Knifeworks will put your dad's name on the blade for you. If they do not have the option up yet, in the instructions when you order the knife just tell them what to put and they will charge you the difference ($7).
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First I want to commend you for your thoughtful gift to your Dad..he will appreciate and cherish because it came from you.

My Dad who has since gone to be with the Lord carried and used a pocket knife as you describe every day. I used to laugh at him because he'd only get a new one when the blade was getting down to splinter size from sharpening and his knife was always sharp.

I carried a Kershaw gents knife, lock-back with Micarta inlays for more than 25 years..managed to drop it on concrete and jammed up the hinge area..when I was trying to find someone to repair, it was suggested I send to Kershaw. I did and asked them to repair..they sent me a new knife..unexpected and much appreciated. I gave it to my oldest grandson.

In my dotage now I've gravitated to auto knives including a Kershaw Breakout 7000 which has been my EDC for several years now.

Again, your Dad will appreciate a thoughtful gift from his son.

Best.
 
If buying a Schatt and Morgan, I have made the assumption from recent threads that the File and Wire series is very good, but their other lines are not worth the price charged. I would get him something that suits his personal interests and hobbies.

Connor
 
You might want to look and see if anyone is selling an Lloyd knife. John makes very nice custom, handmade, traditional knives and his prices are in your range.
 
A Case Swayback Jack will put a smile on his face and well within your stated price range.
 
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