A question for you Opinel guys out there.

B

bladeboss

Joined
Mar 6, 2012
Messages
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Howdy folks!
Funds are getting tight in the Bladeboss department, so I'm carrying knives I normally dont to keep myself busy. :)
An Opinel No. 6 is one of those knives that never got much love.
I bought it last year and didnt carry it at all because of a very "Nit-Picky issue".
The blade is bent. Not just off center, but bent.
What do you guys think?
Would you:
A-Think its normal
B-Not care anyway and carry it
C-Throw it in a dumpster and buy another one

Any help is appreciated. Ive never owned an Opinel before.
Bladeboss
Opinel002_zpsadeccd9d.jpg

Opinel001_zpscfe9f270.jpg

Opinel003_zpsca82755b.jpg
 
bladeboss said:
Howdy folks!
Funds are getting tight in the Bladeboss department, so I'm carrying knives I normally dont to keep myself busy. :)
An Opinel No. 6 is one of those knives that never got much love.
I bought it last year and didnt carry it at all because of a very "Nit-Picky issue".
The blade is bent. Not just off center, but bent.
What do you guys think?
Would you:
A-Think its normal
B-Not care anyway and carry it
C-Throw it in a dumpster and buy another one

...

Opinel001_zpscfe9f270.jpg
Click to expand...

I'd choose B. Use the heck out of it and see if you can kill it. If you can* then buy a new one.

I have a no. 6 and love. Perfect size for EDC.

-- Mark


* No fair abusing it. Just use it as hard as you would any pocketknife.
 
Hold up there a moment, bladeboss. Don't go tossing it in the trash bin just yet.

First, you won't get any use out of it that way. Total waste of funds. Second, there's no place to return it, so you're kind of stuck with it. This brings us to numb three; which is all of the above are good tbhngs. This is liberating in that you can use the liven' dog poo out of it, and get an idea of what these knives will do and won't do. If it breaks, no big deal, it's been a learning experience.

I'd make sure it was sharp, drop it in pocket and use without any hesitation or restraint. :thumbup:
 
D-Throw it in an envelope with my name and address on it.

Seriously, just use it. It's an inexpensive tool and the blade being bent a tiny bit doesn't matter.
 
Hello,

As the other posters have said, make sure that it is sharp and just use it as it is.

I am sure that you will be pleasantly surprised with this little knife's performance.

These knives are "users", not "safe queens", they are tough.

Remember that Opinel makes millions of knives per year.

Just do it.
 
You ought to be able to tweak that straight merely by gripping it with two pairs of pliers, behind and in front of the bend. Up to you if you want
to put some duct tape on the blade to shield it from the plier jaws.
 
If it were MY knife? I would clamp it in a vise and straighten it out. It doesn't take much force to do and I hate crooked blades.
 
I'll probably just use it. I don't want to risk "waffleing" the blade and make it wavy by trying to fix it. I guess it doesn't hurt anything. :)
 
Markesharp said:
If it were MY knife? I would clamp it in a vise and straighten it out. It doesn't take much force to do and I hate crooked blades.
Click to expand...

I'm with Mark. Is it really bent? could also be a pivot pin issue, which could be a bigger deal to fix.

Regards

Robin
 
bladeboss said:
I'll probably just use it. I don't want to risk "waffleing" the blade and make it wavy by trying to fix it. I guess it doesn't hurt anything. :)
Click to expand...

One of two things will happen when straightening a blade

1. The blade will be straight

2. The blade will break

Ask me how I know? ;):)
 
Last edited:
Pipeman said:
I'm with Mark. Is it really bent? could also be a pivot pin issue, which could be a bigger deal to fix.

Regards

Robin
Click to expand...
Yeah its bent. It stays the same bent shape all throughout openening. You can see the curve in my first picture.
 
Is the blade bent, or is it ground incorrectly? Either way, who cares; it's a $10 knife. Use it till it dies, but another one. Repeat.
 
I have my #6 Carbone in my pocket right now as luck would have it. And looking at it, the blade is bent ever so slightly to the right. Not as much as yours, but there is a very slight curve. I'd chalk it up to a very fine blade moving a little during heat treat. If you wouldn't have posted the picture of yours, I never would have noticed. I don't think it would affect functionality at all. Only thing I could think is it might, might, make it a little trickier to sharpen if you use a flat stone. I use crock-sticks to maintain my knives, so I guess that's why I never noticed. $12 knife. I'd live with it and try with all I could to see at what point the old design would fail me.
 
Does it cut crooked? If not, what's the problem?

The first knife I ever got literally sharp enough to shave my face (I know, because I did it. Three month beard gone without skin irritation) was an Opinel #6.
 
Markesharp said:
One of two things will happen when straightening a blade

1. The blade will be straight

2. The blade will break

Ask me how I know? ;):)
Click to expand...

Correct:)

Yeah, bend it back (carefully). You said funds were tight and you were keeping busy in the knife department. Straightening it would keep you busy and be good practice on an inexpensive knife

Straighten it then mod it
 
I had a No. 7 like that. Never bothered me, I gave it to one of my students after he graduated. I say use it!!
 
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