A Father’s Day Knife Story: Knife Depot COO Warren Sager Talks About Passing Down His First Knife to His Son

At Knife Depot, we know that Father’s Day represents a great opportunity for connection between father and son. Recently, I was able to talk to Warren Sager, Knife Depot’s Chief Operating Officer, about his experience passing down his first knife to his son. 

DL:  Tell me about your first knife.  How did you get it?

WS:  I got it out of “Boy’s Life” when I was 10. This was about 30 years ago when the back of the catalogue was full of ads. I was in Cub Scouts at the time and in the back of the magazine I saw this ad for this really awesome survival knife. In the handle, it had all sorts of additional survival materials as well, so I really wanted it.  I saved up the money and then I waited.

DL:  Then what?

WS:  Well, then I waited some more. Remember, this is pre-Internet, so I had to wait for my money order to get there and then had to wait for weeks for it to arrive. The anticipation drove me crazy. Finally the package came.

DL:  How was the knife? Did it live up to your expectation?

WS: Yeah, for a 10-year-old kid, it was the coolest knife in the world. One thing I remember is that like a lot of knives that come out of the factory, it wasn’t very sharp, so my father and I went down into our basement where we had a grinding wheel and got the blade extremely sharp. It still has all of these scratches from being sharpened that way.

DL:  Did you use it much?

WS: Yeah, absolutely. I grew up on a farm in New York, so it was great for carrying around. I’d take it out when I went hunting or just hanging out with friends.

DL: So, then the knife kind of disappeared for a while, right?

WS: Yeah, it got packed away with one of my boxes when I left home. After my mom passed away, I found a box labeled “Warren” and it was in there. I don’t hold onto many things–I’m definitely not a pack rat — but I wanted to hold onto it to give to my son, Ian, when I felt it was time for him to have a knife. It just brought back so many great memories.

DL: So, Ian, had you seen the knife before your Dad gave it to you?

IS: No, never.  He gave it to to me for Boy Scouts, which was great because I’ve been saying that I really needed a knife. It’s cool because it has a personal connection.

DL: Do you use it often?

IS:  Mostly on high adventure trips or wilderness campouts. I’m really active in Boy Scouts. I’ve been doing it since first grade and I’m a patrol leader and I enjoy it because I learn so many things, like how to set up tents, start fires, wilderness skills. The knife is awesome because not only is it great to use, but it has a sentimental value as well.  My Dad and I will be going on a 10-day adventure trip next year and I’ll bring it.  It’s something that connects me to my Dad and to the outdoors.

Have a great Father and Son knife story?  Send it to tim@knife-depot. Who knows, you may even get a new knife out of it.