Went camping the other week and showed the young'un the swiss army knife and he used it to select the walking stick etc. He's 9.5.

Is accepatble for a kid this age to have a knife and used under observation.

I had a 8 sheath knife at 7 and never did any harm.

Thoughts peeps 🙂

yes i think it is..i was out an about from 9 with allsorts of knives..10" survival knife at one point(rambo would of been proud)..my boys keep asking for one..so long as they are taught how and what they are used for everythings fine.

As a parent and a teacher i'd of said 10ish but as with most things it depends on the individual, imho it's acceptable under supervision.

As with you i had a 5 inch sheath knife when i was 10ish in fact i've still got it and i've never stabbed anyone!

I reckon all small boys should have a pocket knife my eldest had his swiss army knife at about the same age as the OPs boy

I think by 9 I had both a sheath knife and an air rifle. I think it's fine if they no how to use it properly. a Swiss army knife is a very good starting point and those cuts you get when you first take all the blades out and try to get them in again are a good reminder that it's not a toy.

Sign of the times I'm afraid. I'm sure your lad is responsible but he could get done (for carrying an offensive weapon) if he carries a pocket knife about.

My 10 year old daughter just came back from brownie camp, now when I was 10 and went on cub camp part of our kit list was a sheath knife, my grandad gave me his knife, I still have it, and jokingly asked her if she needed it you'd have thought I'd offered her a severed head in a tesco bag from the shock on her face! I don't know, given the state of the modern "yoof" if I am pleased about her attitude or not. I do know that using my knife tought me more than just not to cut my fingers off, it's all about responsibility, safety, care of your tools etc which I'm sure would be good for your boy. So I say go for it, teach him well, which I'm sure you do.

maybe I'm behaving unnaturaly, but do swiss army knives do a model without a blade? Its a useful tool to carry and wont get him in any trouble (not that I'm suggesting your son will stab people, but i live in a city where stop and search is a regular business)

As a parent and a teacher i'd of said 10ish

I think you mean, "I'd have said 10ish". I hope you don't teach English….!

😉

My kids had (blunt) knives from an earlier age, when 'in the woods'.

And tbh they go off with their air-guns when at my folks (have permission of next-door private estate 'laird').

Obviously already taught and demonstrated the importance of safety etc.

When I was about 12, a friend bought me a big knife back from holiday as a present.

So we went outside to chop some things up with it. As I was hacking away at some wood, I hit my finger with the blade right on the joint and it went right in.

We both examined the wound which was only bleeding slightly. We could see veins and bones, it was *very* interesting. Then one of the veins burst and it started spraying blood out in a pleasing arc, IN TIME WITH MY HEART BEAT!

We both agreed it was one of the coolest things we'd ever seen.

It's around this point that things started to go wrong. I tried to make the bleeding go away (failed), so I put a big plaster round it. Which fell off soaked in blood after about 2 seconds. So I grabbed my mums best tea towel off the line and wrapped that round it. That too was soaked in a few seconds.

Hmmm, we were going to miss Thunderbirds at this rate so my mate suggested putting my hand in a bin bag. The bleeding would stop eventually and I'd stop leaving this sticky red stuff everywhere. Brilliant!

Top tip.
A child can watch most of an episode of Thunderbirds while bleeding profusely from his finger before passing out.

lol @ samuri very funny!

Another LOL for Flashy too. Pedantic but funny!

Kids need to be comfortable with sharp knives.
My lad is 12 this week. Might be getting this if he is good:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Victorinox-Swiss-Swisschamp-Knife-Black/dp/B0024FA900/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=sports&qid=1275852520&sr=8-5

I had the same one at the same age. Tought me to appreciate good quality materials, and to look after tools and to not push the blade into a tree trunk really hard, as it doesn't lock and you get a really deep cut on your index finger when the blade closes.

it's the sharp version of

better drowned than duffers, if not duffers won't drown

All young lads should have a knife,otherwise how on earth are they going to play "splits"….. 8)

splits?

My girl was using a nice when she was 5. Mind you I live in Sweden and they seem a bit more into out door stuff here and less into safety at all costs.

We called it splits – Stand facing each other,each with a knife.Then you have to throw it as close to the other lads foot without hitting him,it also has to stick in the ground,you then have to move your foot out to where the knife is in the ground.Each of you takes a turn till eventualy one of you falls over & the other is the winner.There was also something about getting it to stick in the ground between the other lad's legs but my memory aint what it was & I forget….

Samuri,was the episode of THUNDERBIRDS,the one with the oil rig blowing up, and strangely no one died,(just like BP is pretending no one died in theirs) and THUNDERBIRD 2 was launched,and THUNDERBIRD 4 was used to drag a large square plate with legs like an upturned table was used to seal the well,using explosive bolts that fired into the sea bed, there was no polution either.

Fantastic series and so real to life now,but a bit far fetched then.

emac65, if you can stick it between the other players legs you can bring your feet back together. Great game that is!

Isn't there a maximum knife blade size now and limitations on when you can be carrying them? I think it it's 3'' but I may be wrong. That was the excuse my old man gave me when I was younger. I had a fair few knives from the age of 7 although they were never that sharp until my grandfather taught me to sharpen the kitchen knives on a stone… mine followed… I cut myself! Ha. Still got them and every now and agai. Will still use ten to make wood whistles for my nephews

Indeed Project. I *think* the episode had people in a brand new airliner which crashed, but since I was slowly passing out, they could have showed plastic toys dangling from threads and i'd have believed it.

better drowned than duffers, if not duffers won't drown

I've only just read that book – superb isn't it? Made me feel about 8 again.

That knife game was called 'Split the kipper' in North Manchester.
Very popular in the 70's – as were canvas baseball boots. Don't remember many kids with missing toes though. 🙂

We all had sheath knives in the Scouts. We were taught how to use them safely and no one really hurt themselves.
Penknives with a non locking blade are bloody dangerous IMO, need good technique to use properly without harming yourself.

You are correct Taff 3” maximum blade and the knife has to be a none locking folding knife. Fixed blades, spring knives, locking knives and throwing knives are all illegal to carry. Its also illegal to use it as a weapon. Even the threat of using it as a weapon is illegal.

I was trying to explain 'split the kippper' to a bunch of under 30's, at a bbq over the weekend. They were horrified! 🙄

It's not illegal to carry fixed blades or locking knives. You have to jaust cause for carrying one i.e. Fishing.

I was 9 when my uncle gave me a Swiss army knife for my birthday.

I remember my mother showing me how to close it "carefully" and promptly slicing her finger open. Which even at that age was pretty funny.

If he's a sensible sort, I'd say he's old enough, but possibly under supervision, and certainly with some ground rules explaining (ie he Does. NOT. take it to school etc). Personally would say locking blades are safer, as they don't tend to fold up on your fingers when trying to prise stuff out with it.

I'd let him have one when you go camping, but when you weren't camping, i'd have it tucked away somewhere safe.

I would have said it was fine. I had my first pen knife around 10 (and they are fun for girls too, not just for boys) but had to spend ages working my parents around to it, as they thought I 'might cut myself'. Ironic as they left me to use billhooks, hatchets and hackers on my own from… well I cant ever remember not having access to them as a young child. I could have cut whole hands and feet off with those. Parents!

My son is 9, and is really due his first pen knife for camping etc, but not to carry or use the rest of the time. He's used to my swiss army knife being around, so to him it is no big deal to use one or have one somewhere around.

Thanks chaps. I reckon a Victoinox Classic for his next camping trip 🙂

I think I had one from around 9/10 years old, when I was in cubs.
Cut my fingers on many occassions.
You might want to dull the blade a bit so it hurts more and he learns the lesson quicker, and he has scars to show his mates.
(I don't have kids by the way)

I was about 8 or 9 when I got mine, was in cubs at the time, very similar to this one in fact. Within an hour of getting home with it I'd managed to cut my finger open (still got the scar in fact), it's sat in a draw not more than 10 feet from where I'm sat right now.