Gifts for a boyfriend is a search that usually means one of two things. Either you know exactly what he likes and want a better version of it, or you have run out of ideas and are hoping something will jump out. A forged blade works in both cases, because it is a real object with weight and it does not look like it came from a gift guide.
What is here
The tag covers folding pocket knives, gut hook and skinning knives, seax knives, chef knives, bearded axes and a Viking sword or two. Steel is mostly Damascus of 1095 and 15N20, forge welded and acid etched at 58 to 60 HRC, with plain 1095 high carbon at 54 to 58 HRC on the axes and seax patterns and stainless on some display pieces. Blades run from 2.75 inches on a folder to 8 on a hunter, with axes around 19 inches overall and swords from about 35 to 38. Handles are stag horn, rosewood, olive wood, buffalo horn and camel bone.
Choosing by what he actually does
If he cooks, buy a knife for the kitchen. If he camps or hunts, buy a fixed blade with a sheath he can wear. If he mostly plays games about Vikings and has a bare wall, buy an axe or a sword and accept that it is decoration, which is a perfectly good reason to buy something. Avoid buying the biggest thing in the range on the theory that bigger is better. A 38 inch sword needs a wall and a bracket, and if he lives in a shared flat it will end up under a bed. Engraving his initials is 19 dollars and it is the single cheapest thing you can do to make a catalogue item feel chosen. For the everyday option start with the folding pocket knives, for the wall option the Viking swords, and see the engraving page for what fits where.
Sizes worth knowing before you order
Folders open to about 6.5 to 9 inches. Fixed blades sit at 8 to 13 overall and need a belt. Axes are around 19 inches and want a wall or a woodpile. Swords at 35 inches and up need a bracket and a room that can take one. None of that is a reason to buy small, but it is a reason to know where the thing is going to live before it arrives.
Free US shipping
On most pieces. Heavier and oversized ones carry a flat charge.
Hand Forged
Heated, hammered and ground by hand.
Engraving available
Names, dates or Norse runes on most pieces.
