Went by the pawn shop today to find a pocket knife for my Nephew who will be turning 12 soon. His Mother said we could give him a pocket knife, so I started the hunt for one.

In a case filled six inches deep with pocket knives, I found two keepers, a Buck 110 and a G.I. Camillus. Now, these two knives may not be perfect for a 12 year old, certainly not the Buck (not yet, anyway), but they spoke to me. I am a sucker for Buck 110's and I was issued the Camillus knife back in my Navy days.

The Buck is marked on the wooden handles "Union Pacific Fuels", and has a date mark of 1991. Anybody heard of one of these?

The G.I. Camillus is marked 1988. Here's a pic:

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I don't know if the hunt is over for the perfect boy's pocket knife, but I would be happy to keep each of these. Nephew may wind up with a Swiss Army knife!

I just gave a new Buck 110 to my grandson.

He likes is now but will appreciate in later.

My sons were allowed to carry a pocket knife responsibly at the Christian school they went to. They started in the fifth or sixth grade. When they are young, they like a knife that will do many things, so go for the US Military or SAK. When they get in the 15 to 18 range they go for the larger single blades. Except for my youngest, he went for a good Balisong "Butterfly" knife in 7th or 8th grade and stayed with it until college. He is now the head of Maintenance for 1/3 of a college, and now carries a small 3 blade knife and a 110 in the tool box. The oldest is a civilian contractor on an Army base and carries no knife on his person, but has a few in the mechanics box. The middle son was/is a Marine, so he's sharp edge crazy! Being in computer programming won't require a knife often, but I'm sure there are several within reach! My wife and daughter both have SAKs in the purse/diaper bag! Ivan

How about a Mini-Buck? I have carried one for years. I carry a regular size Buck when hunting.

I think the Camillus would be a perfect knife for a boy. No pointed blade and enough gadgets to keep his mind busy. My eldest grandson is getting the exact knife this year for his 7th birthday.

Boys should carry pocket knives! Good job!

However, if I gave my grandsons knives to carry around they'd be arrested in no time - they live in NYC! Talk about Draconian rules!

But my almost 19 year old nephew in Colorado has been getting knives from me since he was 12 or so - he's got a great collection! Last one I gave him from my collection was a 4 inch custom blade in a rattlesnake sheath designed as a push knife. I uploaded the pictures even though I gave it to him:

Smith & Wesson Forum - ISCS Yoda's Album: Blades - Picture

I think his dad likes it more than he does!

***GRJ***

It was a different time back then, 1957-58. When I was a kid, this knife was everywhere. Not particularly prized, because you could always get another. Every kid had one or more at one time or another. I must have had three over the years. The SAK was prized, but almost too sophisticated by comparison.

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Not in jail.

I started with an official Cub Scout pocketknife, then the Boy Scout version. Lots of my fellow Scouts had the GI version, but that was not allowed for me. My dad was an officer, and the environment was not good. Anything that could be construed as having been "expropriated" from an Army quartermaster was not in my stuff unless the situation justified it and was known to all.

I still have both. Over the years, having lived and traveled all over the world, I collected a drawer full of Swiss Army knives. One of those is nearby all the time.

I bought my first Buck 110 last year. One night I was going by the WM ammo counter to peruse the empty shelves. The usual guy called me over. They had a couple of the anniversary kits (just the nylon sheath, but ...) that had the packages mangled beyond hope, so marked down a bit. He had put one aside for me.

That GI knife would be great for a boy. Tough knife with several tools. I had one as a lad but my oldest daughter took it when she left home. I found another one the other day at a pawn shop so I snagged it. They are a classic.

I've never liked the GI knives. They don't hold an edge too well and are heavy. Sturdy, though.

I think a conventional Boy Scout or Swiss Army knife is the answer, probably a Victorinox like the Sportsman or the Spartan. If you don't like him having a corkscrew, the Tinker is the same knife except that the corkscrew is replaced by a Phillips-head screwdriver.

My son's first knife was a fancy Camillus-made Scout pattern with Delrin scales that looked like stag. He was six, so needed help opening the knife when needed.

I think my first one was a Cub Scout model, probably made by Camillus or Imperial. No idea what became of it. I still have my first sheath knife, a Bavarian pattern hunting knife with real stag. The thin belt loop wore off the sheath, but I have the main sheath. It's from Solingen, the company that used the head of Othello as a trademark, the Anton Wingen company. I think I was 8 when I got it. The blade is also marked Henley & Co., Germany, apparently the importer. It was many years before I learned that Wingen used that Othello logo.