Knife Gifts for Dad

What dads actually keep

There is a pattern in what comes back to us years later for sharpening, and it is not the biggest or the most expensive knife. It is the small folder. The one that lived in a coat pocket, went to work, opened parcels, cut string in the garden and came out at every family gathering because somebody needed scissors and nobody could find any.

So if you are choosing between a large impressive fixed blade and a modest folder, the folder is almost always the better gift. A big knife gets admired once and shelved. A three inch folder gets carried for thirty years.

Father's Day, birthdays and the awkward years

Two practical notes. First, if it is a milestone birthday, put the year on the blade rather than a message. Messages date badly; a year does not. Second, if he already owns knives, do not try to beat them on size. Buy something he does not have: a different pattern, a different steel, or the kitchen knife he has never bothered to buy himself.

Our Father's Day collection narrows this down further, and choosing an everyday carry knife explains what makes a folder worth carrying rather than owning.

Care, so it lasts

If you are giving carbon steel Damascus, say one sentence when he opens it: wipe it dry, keep a light film of oil on it, do not store it in the sheath. That is the whole maintenance programme and it is the difference between a blade that improves for decades and one that pits in a garage drawer. If he is not the type to do even that, buy 440C or D2 instead and nothing bad will happen. Our Damascus care guide covers it properly.

What is a good knife gift for a dad? A three to three and a half inch folding pocket knife with his initials or a year engraved on it. It is the knife that actually gets carried. If he hunts, a drop point fixed blade with a leather sheath is the better answer.

Should I buy my dad a big knife or a small one? Small. A large fixed blade gets admired and put on a shelf; a modest folder goes in a pocket and stays there for years. Buy the big one only if he has specifically asked for it.

What should I engrave on a knife for my dad? Initials, a year, or one short line. Up to 20 characters. A milestone year ages better than a message, and it stays meaningful long after the occasion has passed.

Is a Damascus knife too high maintenance for a gift? Only if the person will not wipe it dry. Damascus is carbon steel, so it wants a dry cloth and a light film of oil. If that sounds like more than he will do, choose 440C or D2 and it will look after itself.

What is a good gift for a dad who already has everything? The kitchen knife he has never bought himself, or a Laguiole pattern folder. Both are things men want but rarely buy for themselves, and both are noticeably better than what is already in the house.

How long before Father's Day should I order? Two to three business days to ship if it is in stock and unengraved, around two weeks if it is being engraved. Order by the end of May to be comfortable.

More reading

See also knife gifts for men, gifts for grandpa, retirement gifts, gifts for hunters, or the full gift guide. Please check the recipient's local law before ordering.

Every knife here is forged by Black Mamba Knives in our own American shop.