Knife collecting advice

[Lyle Spiegel]

Sorry to be off topic.
My son is a knife collector.he has milestone birthday (40) coming up. For a gift I'd like to get him a knife but I have no clue about what to select. I looked on Amazon and eBay and am overwhelmed by choices. Hoping someone on  SH has recommendations.
Thanks, Lyle

[Dan McEntee]

   Does he collect just pocket knives, or knives in general? I have met a few collectors in my time, some specialize. Pocket knives can include any with advertising on them also and some of the older ones are really nice quality. I have a fairly small collection of pocket knives I have accumulated over the years and have some in a small display case. Case and Barlow are two of the most common names I can think of. Look into what he has and get an idea from what you see. I would avoid the "commemorative" flashy knives that you see in the magazine adds. I have carried a pocket knife my entire life, even to school and on air liners when that was still allowed. I gravitated towards the electrician's knife as it has a locking screw driver blade and I used that a lot when I was working and still use it a lot in everyday life. If he is the "McGiver" type, there are all sorts of different Swiss Army knives. I would bet there are some small specialty shops in your area that would have something unique along with gun shops and the big box stores like Cabela's and Bass Pro would be worth a look. I would think your decision is to get something just to add to his collection, or something really nice that he could also carry every day. I'm sure there are collectors web sites on the internet and facebook also.
  Have fun and good luck with the task,
    Dan McEntee

[Robert Zambelli]

Lyle - try Stone Mountain Knife Works.
I've visited the store and they have the most amazing assortment of knives I've ever seen.
You can probably shop online.

   https://www.smkw.com/

  Bob Z.

[Abi]

Take a look at https://www.knifecenter.com/ . They have a lot of interesting knives.
If you want something special, take a look at "Bradford Knives", or "TOPS".
If you really want something rare(read expensive), take a look at Bobby House Custom Knives: they are very rare and also made in the US.
If "Made in USA" matters to you, check out ESEE, Gerber, or Ontario Knife.

My favorite knives are Ontario and ESSE but I do have a couple of TOPS in my collection.

[Arlan McKee]

Benchmade knives are nice and made in the USA. My son gave me a Mel Pardue Benchmade several years ago and it is a very well made knife with a heavy blade that flips out with my thumb so effortlessly that it is addictive. They have Assisted and Automatic knives also.
They do laser engraving and custom order knives as well.

[PerttiMe]

Yep. Does he have a theme for what he collects, or anything goes?

[Motorman]

I like the Kershaw Kuro for everyday carry.

https://www.amazon.com/Kershaw-1835TBLKST-Partially-Black-Oxide-Glass-Filled/dp/B0074FDKN8


Motorman

[Jim Kraft]

My son use to be a knife maker, When I changed out the double row chain on my Harley, he beat it into a bar of steel in a forge, then made me a knife from it. Very cool hunting knife. You can still see the remnants of the chain links in the blade.

[Dan McEntee]

My son use to be a knife maker, When I changed out the double row chain on my Harley, he beat it into a bar of steel in a forge, then made me a knife from it. Very cool hunting knife. You can still see the remnants of the chain links in the blade.

   That interests me also. I have my late little brother's anvil, and next trip to visit my sister in law I need to bring home his forge.
 Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

[Dennis Adamisin]

   That interests me also. I have my late little brother's anvil, and next trip to visit my sister in law I need to bring home his forge.
 Type at you later,
  Dan McEntee

We'll be watching for you on "Forged in Fire"

[Dan McEntee]

We'll be watching for you on "Forged in Fire"

  No you won't!! I tried to get into that show and I think it's a wonder that some one hasn't really hurt themselves or someone else! I wasn't expecting it to be a game show for a bunch of blacksmith wannabes!! I thought it would be more instructional. I saw another program that was a one time deal I guess that was more what I was looking for. On that show , a guy trying to earn some money for something else took a length of large diameter steel cable and forged into a Damascus type steel bar and then made the knife. It was pretty cool, but just one more thing I wouldn't have time for before retirement, and now that I am there, I need to get my brother's forge up here from Atlanta and then figure things out from there. No plans to try and do anything to sell, just for my own enjoyment. Learning how to heat treat stuff would be handy! It a great way to relieve stress, pounding the snot out of a piece of steel!!
  Type at you later,
   Dan McEntee

[Lyle Spiegel]

I've been reading everyone's  great comments and appreciate all the input. After looking at the many different options, and consulting with my daughter in law, narrowed down the choice to blades witch are Damascus Steel. Since I'm a metallurgist (now retired) I did more reading, and learned that all knives sold as "Damascus" are not the same, and that there are many cheap imitations especially on Amazon. I finally
I landed on a Knife store.
"Knife Depot"- they have a good selection and we're even offering Labor Day specials. I settled on two different offerings, both branded as " White Deer". One is a "skinner" , limited edition with Rosewood & Olive-Wood handle. Other is described as " hunting knife" with a Buffalo Horn handle.
There were many other options, some really ecsqusite Bowie knives , and others are folders.
The prices are all over the place, custom made , made in USA are highest,  those were not in my price range.
Before placing order I sent descriptions of both to daughter in law and she confirmed it was just what he would enjoy.
I've learned a great deal from this adventure, even thinking I might collect a few for myself.
Just what I need besides my fleet of airplanes, lol.

[Lyle Spiegel]

Update: I should have researched this Knife Depot business more carefully.
Just found this link with a lot of negative info about them. Lesson learned! Buyer Beware.
Lucky thing I can submit a dispute with Visa if they take my $ don't ship my order

[phil c]

Update: I should have researched this Knife Depot business more carefully.
Just found this link with a lot of negative info about them. Lesson learned! Buyer Beware.
Lucky thing I can submit a dispute with Visa if they take my $ don't ship my order

You always need to check, Lyle.

Buck Knives makes a scad of very high quality knives.  They are in Post Falls, Idaho, so visiting the shop is kind of restricted.\

Phil C

[Lyle Spiegel]

update, After placing my order I sent an email ro their customer service. I included a link to the negative reviews. I asked for their response.
I quickly got a very polite return response explaining that all the negative was due to mis management of the business by previous owners, and the the new owner was committed to turn things around. I was reassured my order would be processed in timely fashion, and they would send me updates.
2 days later another email came to update me with shipping details and a USPS tracking number.
Sure enough, the package was delivered on schedule. Imeadiately unpacked and inspected and found two beautiful knives with damascus steel blades, exactly what I ordered.
I sent back a very friendly note of thankyou and reassured them I would consider another order for holiday gifts.
All turned out well after all. This was quite an adventure and I learned a great deal about the world of knife collecting.

[PerttiMe]

Good to hear!
I suppose a positive review might be an idea - if they are on a site where you are willing to post.