Specialty Knives for Your Special Dad
Finding someone the right birthday or holiday present can strain your brain. Here are some ideas for gifts for everything from Father’s Day to Christmas.
What makes good hunting knives? The blade, of course. There is much more to choosing the best tool for camping and hunting than to pick the one with the largest blade possible. You should be aware of different handle variations, the steel used to make the blade and of course the edge that puts your efforts to work. Feel free to stick around if you’re not an expert on the field.
The most important part of any knife you trust your life on is the blade. It’s not the size that matters, but rather the balanced weight distribution and the quality of the steel. Too hard steel is prone to snapping when subject to blunt trauma, while too soft steel is what you have to sharpen every fortnight. Stay away from ‘surgical grade’ steel if you can, or not sure what it means. Surgical steel is designed to be corrosion resistant and to maintain its edge for longer periods. As such it often results in a brittle blade.
The handle is where the rubber meets the road, or more like where you apply the pressure to the tool. When in doubt, hold the knife for a while and see how it feels to the touch. Folding variations will let you store them more conveniently, while fixed blades come with better mechanical properties.
Whichever you decide on at the end, keep in mind that hunting and survival knives are intended for heavy use and should stay with you for quite a while. At $150 a pop they’re not cheap to replace, so take your time and evaluate these factors first and grab your wallet second.
Military survival knives are suited for both precise work around the camp and for outdoor jungle brush whacking. If you find yourself in the wilderness without help in reasonable proximity, you’ll need a pair of dry socks and boots and a good knife you can rely on. Forget double edged versions, they’re unnecessarily dangerous and the second edge will cause more harm than good.
Decide on your budget and start shopping only after you have that figure written down on a piece of paper. Without that you’d most probably stumble upon Buck blades that range from $20 to $1200, if you’re not cautious enough you can end up buying that really sweet one for twice as much as you’d intended.
Even for the man who rarely ventures outside, receiving this gift reaches that special cave man part of his soul. You are bound to be appreciated if you gift someone hunting or survival knives.