Sharply Appointed Presents
Knives Illustrated|December 2019
HOW TO SELECT AND GIFT THE PERFECT KNIFE
Jim Cobb
Sharply Appointed Presents

That very first knife — shortly after finding out that a heavy branch could clobber an animal on the head for dinner, mankind discovered that certain rocks, if smashed the right way, created a sharp edge that sliced cleanly through the skin and meat of their prey. Ever since that momentous revelation, we’ve made and refined blades to better suit our needs and desires when it comes to a cutting tool.

The most modern knife today, made with heat-treated super steel and an edge so finely ground it could shave atoms, has a direct lineage to those primitive knives made from knapped flint or obsidian. And they are certainly more expensive, too.

Do you remember your first real knife? Not some gas station piece of garbage that might last an afternoon opening boxes, at best, before it falls apart. I’m talking about the first knife that you knew you could rely upon, no matter what. A knife made to be used, maybe even abused, and come back looking for more.

Like an awful lot of people, my first real knife was a Buck 110. This was an upgrade from a Pakistani lookalike, and it was a gift from someone whom I looked to as an older brother. Since then, I have been gifted with many more knives and I’ve also given knives to others. Years ago, I started something of a tradition in my family — when my sons turned 13, I give them each a nice folding knife. When they graduate high school, they receive a fixed blade knife. These aren’t the only knives they have, of course. But, these are milestone events in their lives, and I recognize them with the gift of knives.

When you gift someone a knife, you are giving the recipient a tool to use virtually every day, and also something that, quite literally, could save his or her life one day. As such, there’s a bit of responsibility involved on your part. Let’s walk through some considerations to keep in mind when gifting a knife.

This story is from the December 2019 edition of Knives Illustrated.

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This story is from the December 2019 edition of Knives Illustrated.

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