Consider giving a Buck Knife as a Christmas gift

This is the first of a three-part series about Christmas gifts for the outdoors-minded people in your family.

Yep, it's the time of year to begin thinking about what to give for Christmas. Several people every year stop me when I'm about town to ask the very question, "Give me an idea about what to give my husband/brother/daughter/son/boss/wife/etc. for Christmas?"

The single most common answer I provide is, "How about giving a knife?"

The caution here is to give a quality knife, as there are a number of inferior or substandard knives on the market. What is the difference? If the knife has a price of $5 it is most likely substandard.

A few names to look for are Kershaw, SOG, Beretta, Remington, Spyderco, Buck, Ka-bar, Case, Smith & Wesson, Gerber, CRKT (which stands for Columbia River Knife and Tool), Victorinox, Wenger, Schrade and Leatherman to name but a few.

My fondness for Buck knives is well known. There are few times when a Buck isn't in my left front pocket or on my hip. Although there is no particular organization to the Buck knives I own, it is a collection. Several old ones were found on e-bay, several were purchased in antique shops and several were given to me as presents.

A few years ago, after receiving some innovative and well-meaning gifts from my mother and sister, they were presented with a request.

"The only item I ever want for Christmas, my birthday or any other gift-giving occasion is a Buck knife," I said. "The least expensive ones are just fine with me."

"But what if you already have the model we give you?" they asked.

"It doesn't matter, I will treasure it just the same."

As a result of my appeal, my collection grows by several Buck knives a year.

There is a way to make a knife special and one-of-a-kind. Simply have it engraved. For example, my wife, Garnet, and I have given several knives as graduation presents.

A Buck knife is the usual gift given by my hunting buddies to each other for Christmas. What's more we usually give each other a knife for our birthday, engraved with the name and year, such as Jerry, 2008, 61. Plus we have what we call a critter knife, engraved with the critters the hunter shot during the season, such as Lani, 2008, 3X3 mule deer, 3 turkeys.

Garnet once gave an engraved Buck knife to her boss as a Christmas present. He opened it and promptly cut his finger.

"That's it," she said. "No more knives for you."

Making the knife even more special would be to get Chairman of the Board Chuck Buck and/or CEO C.J. Buck to sign it. They have an engraving tool to do the job. They can be found signing knives around the country and at the factory.

So imagine this scenario: You purchase a Buck knife locally for your husband and have it engraved: John, Christmas 2008. As part of the gift, you call the Buck Knife Factory in Post Falls, Idaho and arrange for a factory tour.

The tours are conducted three times a day at 10, noon and 2 on four days a week, Monday through Thursday. The tours last about 25 minutes and closed-toe shoes are required. Children 7-years-old and older are welcome. The tours are often filled, so be sure to call ahead to secure a tour slot. However they are taking a couple of weeks off for the holidays. No tours will be conducted from Dec. 23 through Jan. 4.

Perhaps, with prior planning, arrangements could be made to meet Chuck or C.J. at the factory to have a knife or two signed.

Do I own only Buck knives? No, I have several other knife brands as well as Bucks. The Remington Bullet knives have caught my eye and a few of them have made a home at my house. The same goes for a few Kershaws and a smattering of others. But I have more Bucks than any other brand.

Which Buck model is my favorite? This is a difficult question. The 110 Folding Hunter is traditional and I own several. The Model 55 is half the size of its big brother and fits nicely into a pocket.

Several Crosslock models are in my collection. This knife is intended for field dressing game animals. It has a spear-point blade and a second blade with a gut hook on one edge and a saw on the other. What makes this knife special is the blades can be opened and closed easily with one hand.

Three years ago Chuck asked Garnet and me to test a set of cutlery the company was beginning to sell. We used it for a year and returned it, as was the arrangement. The engineering department wanted to look over the knives after a year of use in the kitchen.

We then went to the factory store and I bought Garnet the same set of 10 knives, a fork and the butcher-block holder for her birthday. So it is not stretching the imagination one bit to say we use at least one type of Buck knife every day.

One detail about owning a knife, which is important to me, includes carrying all knives in my collections at least once. The knife may not be used, but it will be carried.

My father was given a knife as a retirement present. He reached into his pocket and handed the giver a coin. I researched the act and found there are several knife superstitions.

In some circles it is customary to give a coin, usually a penny or nickel, to the person who gives you a knife. It is believed this will prevent the cutting or severing of the friendship or relationship. Sometimes the coin is taped to the blade, so the receiver will have a coin to present to the giver.

It may be unlucky to stir anything with a knife, as it is said, "Stir with a knife, stir up strife."

In some crowds it is considered bad luck to hand an open, folding blade knife to someone. Although this may be for safety reasons, it is also considered bad luck to allow someone else to close a folding blade knife that you opened.

To sharpen a knife or any blade after dark is believed to be bad luck in some parts of America. In some parts of the world, giving a knife as a gift is considered a sign of respect and trust.

Next week: More gift giving ideas for the outdoors.