Best Gifts for Dad, Ranked by How Much He Will Actually Use Them
Best is a slippery word in a gift guide. Best for whom, and best at what? Most lists mean best-selling, which is another way of saying most people gave up and bought the same thing. This list means something narrower: the gifts that get used the most, for the longest. Ranked in that order, with the reasoning.
Everything here is hand-forged steel, marble or horn. If your dad is not that kind of man, the last section says so plainly, and there are other guides for the specific cases: dad who wants nothing, useful gifts for dad, birthday gifts for dad.
1. The pocketknife he should have had years ago
Folding Pocket Knife, 8", Damascus, Bone Handle, $89.99. Used daily, carried for decades, and the one gift on this list that most fathers have quietly wanted and never bought. A name or a date on the blade turns it from a knife into his knife.
2. The hatchet
Hatchet Axe, 16.5", 1095 Steel, $99.99. If he has a fire pit, a yard or a cabin, this is the tool that comes out every weekend from October to March. Nothing else here gets used more.
3. The chef's knife in a box
Chef's Knife, Damascus, $99.99. For the dad who cooks. It replaces the knife that has been dull since the last decade, and it arrives in a presentation box, which matters on the day.
4. The longsword that comes with a knife
Longsword with Knife, 44", 1095 Steel, $199.99. Our best-selling sword, and the reason is in the name: he gets the wall piece and a matching knife he will actually pick up. If you want one gift that is both a statement and a tool, this is it.
5. The kukri
Gurkha Kukri, 15", Damascus, $169.99. The forward-curved Nepalese blade that chops like a hatchet and slices like a knife. Fathers who have never used one become fathers who use nothing else for yard work.
6. The custom knife with his name on it
Customize Your Knife, $149.99. Blade, steel and handle chosen by you, his name and a date cut into the blade in our own Illinois workshop. It ranks here rather than first only because of the clock: four weeks or longer, and it ships unsharpened unless the sharpening option is selected. With the runway, it is the best gift on the page.
7. The horn mug
Viking Horn Mug, Large Tankard, 16 fl oz, $49.99. The cheapest thing here and the one that ends up as his cup. It is on the list because it gets used more than almost anything above it; it is this far down only because it is not steel.
8. The marble chess set
Marble Chess Set, Black and Botticino, 12", $239.99. If he taught you the game, this is the board you play on when you visit. Stone stays out on the table, which is the whole reason it gets played.
9. The Viking axe
Viking Axe, 21", 1095 Steel, $179.99. A bearded axe for the man whose idea of a good Saturday is a woodpile. Works one-handed or two, hangs in the garage between.
10. The gladius
Gladius, Damascus, 28", $199.99. For the dad with the history shelf. Short enough for a desk, and the Roman short sword is the one every reader of the legions wants and never buys.
11. The bundle that leaves nothing to figure out
Longsword Bundle, $249.99. Damascus longsword, stand, sharpener and maintenance kit. The complete gift for a father who would otherwise ask where it goes and how to look after it.
12. The one for the milestone
Customize Your Sword, $199.99. Blade profile, steel, guard, grip, pommel, scabbard and engraving, all chosen by you. Three to eight weeks, expedited two to three on request, unsharpened unless the option is selected. Last on the list because it needs three months' notice; first if you have them.
The part that makes any of these his
Engraving and etching are done in our own Illinois workshop: a name, a date, a line only the two of you would understand. On a stock knife it takes days. It is the difference between a good knife and his knife, and it costs little. Full details in personalized gifts for men.
Give it somewhere to live
A Knife Gift Box is $29.99, a Blade Stand is $29.99, a Wall Mount Sword Stand is $49.99. On a $100 to $250 gift, that is the part that decides whether it is displayed.
When to buy something else
- He will not maintain steel. High carbon and Damascus blades rust if put away wet. If tools live in the truck bed, the horn mug and the chess set are the list.
- He is downsizing. No 44-inch anything. The pocketknife, the chef's knife or the mug.
- You are inside four weeks and want custom. Buy from stock and have it engraved.
- He is not an objects man. Some fathers want a dinner or a day out. You know which one he is.
Also worth thirty seconds: blade laws vary by state and city, most stock blades ship sharpened, and nothing here goes in carry-on. Ship to a home address.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best gift for dad overall?
The Damascus folding pocketknife at $89.99 with his name on it. Used daily, kept for decades, and the thing most fathers wanted and never bought.
What is the best gift for dad under $100?
The pocketknife at $89.99, the hatchet at $99.99, or the chef's knife in a gift box at $99.99, depending on whether he carries, splits or cooks.
What is the best big gift for dad?
The Longsword with Knife at $199.99 if you want one thing that is both a statement and a tool, or the Longsword Bundle at $249.99 if you want nothing left to figure out.
How early do I need to order?
Stock items ship on the normal schedule and engraving adds days. Custom knives take four weeks or longer; custom swords three to eight weeks.
