Is there a better, more time-honored holiday gift than a knife? How many of us received our first knife as a kid? Do you remember opening the wrapping paper, sliding the box open, the tactile glee of its finish, and feeling like you’ve achieved a milestone toward adulthood? Was it a Swiss Army or Buck?
In my family, knives are an easy gift to give, but that doesn’t mean they’re given without consideration. Giving a knife as a gift requires knowledge of the recipient, and how that blade will help better their lives. The best knife gifts are not just the prettiest, but the ones that will make the recipient feel just like you did when you opened that box as a kid. From hunters and anglers to chefs and party hosts, this list will help you find the best knife gifts for everyone on your list.
Best Gift For Deer Hunters: The Whitetail Skinner
Whether you’re an avid hunter or have no idea what gift a hunter will enjoy, you can be confident in gifting a great hunting knife to the deer hunter in your life. A great hunting knife makes field dressing and skinning so much easier, more efficient, and safer. Any hunter will appreciate the saved time and effort that comes along with a great cutting tool. The Williams Knife Co. Whitetail Skinner was designed for the surgical precision and durability needed to make accurate cuts around organs and survive the abuse any well-used hunting knife will receive in the field.
Best Gift for Bird Hunters: The Bird Knife
Like any tool, the Williams Knife Co. Bird Knife was created to simplify tasks. This bird knife makes a thoughtful gift no matter which type of bird your hunter targets. From Texas teal to chukar, bird hunters of all varieties will love this knife’s sturdy materials and agile blade design. If you’re stumped on a gift for a turkey hunter or duck hunter, consider the Bird Knife your best choice.
Best Gift for Anglers: The Inshore Fillet Knife
While some anglers say they enjoy cleaning and processing their catch, few would prefer spending time doing so when they could be fishing, cooking, or relaxing with a plate of their day’s catch and a cold beverage. A high-quality fishing knife, like our Inshore Fillet Knife, makes the perfect gift for any fisherman or woman who harvests their catch. The long, flexible blade makes precision cuts easier, which, in turn, prevents the accidental loss of the meat you’d like to keep. Ice-fishing walleye anglers in Wisconsin and floodtide redfish anglers in South Carolina will equally enjoy this knife’s performance. And while you may be unsure what to get them for their tackle box, the Inshore Fillet Knife makes the perfect gift for when they’re back on land.
Best Gift for Chefs: The Petty Knife
Like hunters and anglers, professional and aspiring chefs can be difficult to shop for. They know what they like and even if you’re knowledgeable of their little corner of the world, you may still feel like you’re throwing darts blindfolded when trying to shop for them. But a short-blade knife, like the Petty Knife, is one of those blades that many chefs won’t have in their knife block but will find a million uses for it once they have one. And if there’s one thing chefs appreciate, it’s the quality of their tools. They obsess over their favorite pans, and more than any other tools, their knives. So why not give them the best short knife they could hope to own — one forged with Elmax steel and created by a knife maker with a storied history?
Best Gift for Home Cooks: The Big Chef Knife
In many cases, home cooks can be as particular about their knives as professional chefs. But many have yet to venture into the realm of high-quality chefs’ knives. If you want to see your home chef’s eyes light up this holiday season, give them the Williams Knife Co. Big Chef Knife. This 9-inch blade will simplify their prep work so they can focus on the more fun and creative aspects of cooking.
Best Gift for the Outdoorsman: The Paracord Tactical Knife
If you have a bushcrafter, overlander, or general outdoorsman on your list, the Williams Knife Co. Paracord Tactical Knife makes the perfect gift. Woodsmen love simplicity and utility and the minimalistic Paracord Knife doesn’t cut any corners when it comes to performance. These knives combine a nimble 3.5-inch, M390 steel blade with a paracord-wrapped handle, for a lightweight design that’s easy to wear on a belt and always ready for the next task.
Best Gift for Hikers: An Everyday Carry Knife
Most hikers are continuously refining their gear to develop their perfect pack load-out. Some may be weight-weenies (focused on the lightest gear), while others only want the toughest stuff. Our Everyday Carry Knives are the best of both worlds, making them the perfect gifts for hikers. They’ll love these knives for their uses around camp and on the trail, and even those focused on weight will happily throw the Glide Folder 6.5" lightweight knife in their pack or on their hipbelt.
The Best Host Gift for the Holidays: The Edisto Oyster Knife
We love tradition even if it’s a difficult one. And finding a gift for a holiday dinner host is right up there with the most difficult of the polite social traditions. Often, finding the best gift for a host comes down to picking something that’s incredibly high-quality (for the “wow factor”), and is something they’ll actually use (you don’t want it ending up in the junk drawer). If they love to host then it’s likely they fancy having all of the tools needed to be a good host, and an oyster knife is one of those things that they probably don’t already have but have always wanted. Our Edisto Oyster Knife is quite literally the finest in the world and makes for one of those host gifts they’ll be talking about for decades to come.
The Best Gift for the Guy or Gal Who Has Everything: A Legacy Knife
Going back to that feeling you had when you opened your first knife: How would you like to give that same feeling to someone who already has a collection of knives? A handmade Legacy Knife from Williams Knife Co. comes about as close to that feeling as any gift imaginable. As a true handmade work of art, you can be confident your recipient has nothing like it, even if they already have everything.
And one final note on gifting knives:
Is It Bad Luck to Gift a Knife?
You may have heard that some cultures consider gifting knives to bring bad luck. While you may have missed your shot on that trophy buck the season after getting a knife as a gift, that’s your own fault and has nothing to do with the gift. Gifting a knife brings neither bad nor good luck, but it is one of the best gifts you can give to just about anyone.