Valentine's Gifts for Him

What to buy, and what to skip

Engraving: keep it short

A date reads better than a message. Initials read better than a nickname. Up to 20 characters, engraved in our own shop before the knife is boxed, as a paid option before checkout. The pieces people are happiest with a decade later are the ones with the least text on them.

Questions

Is a knife a good Valentine's gift for him? If he carries one, cooks, hunts or camps, yes, and it beats anything else in the February aisle. If he genuinely has no use for a blade, buy something else.

Are knives bad luck to give a partner? The old superstition says a blade cuts the bond, and the traditional fix is that he hands back a coin so the knife counts as bought. Tape a penny to the box and it is settled.

What should I engrave for Valentine's Day? A date, or two sets of initials. Short beats clever. Twenty characters maximum.

How late can I order? Two weeks before the fourteenth if you want engraving. Stock pieces ship faster. Ask and we will give you a straight answer rather than a guess.

Can we get matching knives? Yes. Ask for a matched pair and we cut both from one Damascus billet, so the pattern runs across the two.

Does it arrive gift ready? Presentation box as standard, and a hand-stitched leather sheath with every fixed blade.

More reading

See the gifts for him, the anniversary gifts, the pearl shell knives or the personalized gifts.

Why a knife works as a Valentine's gift, and when it does not

It works when he is a person who uses tools, cooks, hunts, camps or collects. It does not work as a surprise for someone with no interest in any of that, and no amount of engraving fixes that. If you are not sure which he is, look at what is already in his pockets and on his kitchen counter.

Matching pairs, since people ask

His and hers knives work because two blades cut from the same billet share a related pattern. They are not identical, because pattern welded steel never is, but they came from the same piece of steel on the same day, which is a better metaphor than most Valentine's gifts manage. Two names, two dates, or one line split across the pair.

Ordering in time

Valentine's Day is the second busiest engraving window of our year after Christmas. Unengraved knives in stock ship in two to three business days; engraving adds around two weeks including proof approval. Order by the last week of January to be comfortable.

Is a knife a good Valentine's gift for him? If he uses tools, cooks, hunts or collects, it is one of the few Valentine's gifts still in use a decade later. If none of those apply, it becomes a decoration, and there are better decorations.

What should I engrave on a Valentine's knife? A date, initials, or one short word that means something between you. Twenty characters. Short beats clever, and a date is the thing people are gladdest about years later.

Can you make matching his and hers knives? Yes. A pair cut from the same billet shares a related pattern, and each can be engraved separately. Tell us it is a pair when you order so they are made together.

When do I need to order for Valentine's Day? By the last week of January for anything engraved. Unengraved knives in stock ship in two to three business days.

What is a good Valentine's gift for a boyfriend who likes knives? A balisong or a karambit if his local law allows it, or a D2 folder if you want the safe answer. Both are things men look at online and rarely buy for themselves.

More reading

See also knife gifts for a boyfriend, gifts for a husband, anniversary gifts, personalised gifts, or the full gift guide. Please check the recipient's local law before ordering.