"You don't give a knife as a gift" ...Umm really!?!

I don't think anybody considers it a superstition, just bad form/etiquette. There's no golem involved.

Personally, I only give knives to people who I know would appreciate it, in which case I think having to explain the penny would just make things awkward.
 
I see this more as a neat tradition, rather than a silly superstition.

I didn't know about this, but will definitely incorporate it into my knife giving services, which I do frequently.
 
BitingSarcasm said:
A Chinese friend said that I was never to give a knife as a wedding, or it would cut the luck of the newlyweds. Chinese New Years was also a no-knife gift time, or it would cut the new luck before it even started. So I gave her a Spyderco Native on a day that was carefully selected to be taboo-free, and we are still friends.
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Maybe she was trying to gently hint that she just didn't want a knife? ;)
 
I'm not superstitious. I've given away many many knives and have never received a coin in return. I've received many many knives as gifts and have never given a coin in return. I don't see that ever changing for me.
 
Just as an aside and perhaps a point some may find interesting. Perhaps not. There are no pennies minted in the USA. The USA mints one cent coins. Cents vs. pennies.
 
I give knives as gifts all the time and never bother with the old superstition. I can appreciate it from an old cultural holdover, but I don't believe in that sort of stuff. I figure that if I ever give one to someone familiar with the superstition then they'll give me a penny. Otherwise I'm just propagating unfounded anxiety. :p
 
I gave my brother-in-law a Persistence, brother a Rat 2, Skyline and Manix 2. My dad a Shuffle 2 and a Skyline, and my sister a Squeak. Oops.

Crap, I gave my mom a Wüsthof Santoku a few years ago as well… Lol.
 
Really weird, just realized I'm no longer in touch with anyone who I've given a knife outside my dad. Once I sold a knife for 10$ and I'm still good friends w that guy. No problems w the others, we just took different forks in the road(shout out yogi). That's odd, I might get superstitious about this one!
 
This is great!
My sons have bought me a couple of knives......very thoughtfully had their initials and the dog's name engraved......no coins changed hands, but guess who paid the CC bill???
Next time I'll have some coins ready!!
Aren't kids great??
 
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This idea is dumb, at least as far as I'm concerned.
a knife is as valid a gift (and without any extra ceremony) as anything else. And if you WANT to attach special significance to the act: "I'm giving you a thing I trust you enough to not kill me or anyone else with"

I've never heard of this custom, my area of texas must not be much concerned with it.
 
Railsplitter said:
There's an old wive's tale that says the receiver is supposed to pay at least a penny for the knife. It's supposed to be bad luck if they don't. Maybe that's what your mom meant.
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Been gifting for years. Is GREAT fun for me; and nice for the receiver. NEVER a bad moment, of course.
 
I remember a similar thread to this a few years ago.

I no longer give knives as gifts because almost nobody I've given them to will carry or use them. Only my older brother and his wife still carry the SAK Classics I gave them years ago, and that's great. But my brother never carried the other knives I gave him prior to that. I know it's not my business what someone does with a gift I give them, but it seems a waste for me to give something that someone doesn't really like. Nobody else in my family is a 'knife person'.

When I lived in Taiwan, I was told about not giving knives at weddings, as it would signify severing the relationship. Also, I was told not to give shoes as gifts, as it would signify to walk away from the friendship/relationship.

Oddly enough, as a kid in the 1970s, the first SAK I bought was a tiny Wenger that came in a clear plastic gift box that also included a coin of some type. I later concluded that the coin was probably meant to be given back to the giver if the knife was a present.

Jim
 
i always heard it a little different.

If you gift a knife to a friend, you're supposed to give a coin with the knife so you dont cut the friendship.

Its interesting to see the different styles of the gift superstition from different places.
 
Don't get it at all... A nice knife, tailored to the intended uses of the future owner is one of the awsomest gifts in my book... If the giftee is (at least a little bit) into knives of course. Sigh...
 
BenchCo Spydermade said:
Really weird, just realized I'm no longer in touch with anyone who I've given a knife outside my dad. Once I sold a knife for 10$ and I'm still good friends w that guy. No problems w the others, we just took different forks in the road(shout out yogi). That's odd, I might get superstitious about this one!
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I had a similar realization, I'll be adopting this tradition from now on. I also have to collect a few pennies, and give one just to be safe, should be a few fun conversations :rolleyes:
 
hazy said:
Yeah so it seems it's a superstition about "cutting the relationship" basically, and yes it seems the idea of paying the giver at least a penny so that it is not technically a gift (I guess) is the counter to it. Pretty funny, I'm really not superstitious at all, but looking back many of the people I have given knives to are no longer in my life, but I always just thought that was because I'm a shitty friend, who knew!?
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That's correct... and interesting about your friends! The other thing you're not supposed to do (at least, in Asian countries) is gift a timepiece (a clock or watch) - that means you want the person to run out of time (i.e., die), and that's not good for the "friendship" either! Hehe...
 
I've never heard this one before. I've been told it's bad luck to cut my hair at night (?), but nothing about giving knives.
I've given folding or fishing or kitchen knives to my wife, son, stepson, father, mother, brother, his wife, aunties, uncles, some friends.
They are all still good to me, no severed relationship I can think off.
Because I'm the one that keeps all those knives sharp. :rolleyes:
 
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