So I'm going to shit all over everyone's advice (shocker!).

You have three problems here:

1) You want an "everyday carry tool."

2) You want your father to get you a father-son thing.

3) You want to wed (1) to (2).

My father got me a swiss army knife when I was six. It was awesome. I whittled with it. I ended up with a scar or two. It was not sharp.

My father gave me his cast-off Leatherman when I was nine. I used it to pull the engine out of a VW Beetle. But then, you can pull a Beetle engine with a philips screwdriver and a pipe wrench so no big. Ever since he has given me odd little "tools" that usually end up under the motorcycle seat or in the glove box or whatever. He has long since moved on from Leathermen through Gerber and SOG and on beyond Zebra to god only knows what.

I carry keys.

Here's the thing: any multitool does everything badly and nothing well. If I'm out in the woods I'd rather have a Leatherman than nothing but if I'm out in the woods I'd rather have a space blanket, a dozen Powerbars, a pullsaw, some fish hooks and a magnesium firestarter (been there, done that). If I'm somewhere with cell service, I'd rather have a AAA card.

It's not your dad that wants some ridonkulous knifey-thing. It's you. And, by the way:

That's right. A useless nail file, a useless blade, a useless pair of scissors and USB flash storage. Bear Grylls will be psyched.

This bond-thing you're going for? I wholeheartedly endorse it. But take it up with your dad, not the Internet. He's a smart guy. He's got lots of experience. You respect him, otherwise you wouldn't be looking for this. Take what he wants to give you and be glad. It'll count a lot more than whatever red ryder 40-shot with folding-stock and 4x20 scope fantasy you're cooking up here.

And sure. buy a goofy knife. My wife wanted something better than her swiss army knife to help her study (there was lots of sketching and cutting and gluing). She had a Leatherman Micra. No longer need a Micra? Now it's in with the pullsaw and the magnesium and the powerbars. Which knife?

Go to a sporting goods store. Ask to see a few. Buy the one you like. There are no secrets here. A knife is almost the most basic tool you can buy. Flip stuff out and imagine what it would be like to use (or start taking apart the counter - that's fun, too). There is no aspect of a pocket tool as simple as a Leatherman or a SOG or a Gerber or WTFEver that you can't immediately discern if the ergonomics suck ass or not. Most every one of them has a lifetime warranty; my family was so abusive to Leathermans that we had three in constant rotation (PROTIP: you can use them to break the bead on a car tire if you're violent enough). One in my pocket, one in my dad's boot, and one coming or going from Oregon for replacement.

If it's something you really want, you won't be satisfied with the first one anyway. And if it isn't, at least you aren't hanging some intergenerational bullshit on it.

Good luck.