You're the best judge regarding the maturity of your boy; many are pretty careless at that age but not all. I entrusted my son with a $200+ Emerson when he was around 10 or 11 years old...he still has it and I gifted him the Emerson Sheepdog when he graduated Infantry boot camp.

My only recommendation is to make the gifting event significant. Kids don't understand value without money coming out of  their own pocket. Tie the gift to a memorable event to give it more meaning...

ROCK6