Any Opinions on Opinel Knives?

Hard H2O said:
Found it. It is called appropriately "My first Opinel"

Colour N°07 Round tipped knife

N°07 Round-tipped safety knife

I might have to pick up a couple of these for my 9yo daughter, 9yo nephew, 11yo niece, and one to give to my 4yo son when he is old enough. Of course I might as well add a couple pointy ones for me.
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to sheeple who ask me what simple knife they should buy, i allways recommend a carbon opinel
they just cant go wrong, it is cheap ánd razorsharp, for most it will be the first time they actually have a real knife instead of all that kitchen cutlery crap or cheap n blunt "surgical stainless" n sorts

but for kids giving a rounded tip, i dunnno, you might be teaching them wrong reflexes this way and dangerous carelessness for actual sharp tips
if you give them a knife with a proper sharp tip to start with, they'll soon learn to respect it
 
Do they have a kids version with a rounded tip?
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Yes, available at Smoky Mountain. Bought my boy one for when he's older.

I'm a huge Opinel fan. Best value, the set of 10 in a gift box for $60.

Not perfect, but razor sharp, durable, inexpensive and easy to replace, and lightweight enough for hiking/backpacking.
 
They are interesting. They are nice and light to carry, which I like. But they're also bulky, you need fairly big pockets. They sharpen very, very easily, due to excellent geometry. But they don't hold an edge for very long.

At their price point, you really can't go wrong. They cut very well. I still thin the edge on mine out, but I'm weird that way...
 
I just got a number 8 the smallest one they had at my home town sporting goods store. As mentioned they require sharpening. A friend once said these have a convex grind. Mine doesn't seem to, is this true? I'm thinking of putting a normal working edge on it.
 
Peter Parker said:
I just got a number 8 the smallest one they had at my home town sporting goods store. As mentioned they require sharpening. A friend once said these have a convex grind. Mine doesn't seem to, is this true? I'm thinking of putting a normal working edge on it.
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Mine came with a convexed primary bevel and a microbevel.
 
Peter Parker said:
I just got a number 8 the smallest one they had at my home town sporting goods store. As mentioned they require sharpening. A friend once said these have a convex grind. Mine doesn't seem to, is this true? I'm thinking of putting a normal working edge on it.
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They're 2mm thick fully flat-ground blades. Already thin as it is, it slices through everything so easily. Even after carrying so many different knives, this is probably my favorite knife to date. After trying so many designs, I'm always finding myself bringing back the Opinel.
 
powernoodle said:
Very sharp, not spendy, great value, have a strange aesthetic appeal that makes you feel like you are in a French vineyard cutting grape vines,
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I bought my first one while on a motorcycle tour of the European Alps. We happened to pass a farmer's market mid-morning one day while in France, and decided to pick up some picnic stuff (bread, cheese, sausage, pate, wine, etc.,) and one of the vendors was selling these little wooden handled pocket folders for next to no money so I bought one thinking 'just for lunch.' An hour latter found us sitting on a hill in a meadow in Val D'Isare pigging out farmer style. Nice memories and a great pocket tool! I now have half a dozen of them in different sizes, and am committed to spreading the joys of Opinel to the rest of the world! Vive la difference!

Stitchawl
 
Love them. Very natural feeling in the hand. I also prefer the carbon.

I ordered my last one from http://www.discountcutlery.net. They seemed to have an above average selection of different versions, including some cool animal etched models (only in stainless).
 
they are "ok" but not anything i would edc FWIW, the 2 i own went from my collection to the kitchen last week to do duty as steak knives, a role i'm sure they will do fine in.

but with no pocket clip & not being easy to open with one hand i have never had any inclination to ditch my Ti ATR and go to the opinel for edc lol.

for less than $10 not bad for a utility knife if ya dont need a clip or one hand opening, imho a spyderco byrd is a lot better edc though for not a whole lot more $$.
 
opinel knives?
think nuthin' but good!
just luv 'em plenty.
actually find it mighty hard to fault 'em for what they are.
great value and old world charm for a penny knife.
 
I consider them in the same bracket as mora sheath knives: excellent knives for the price. apart from the wood swelling issue, the only other problem I'm aware of is that you have to remember to engage the locking mechanism. when you're used to a linerlock, backlock, framelock or whaterver, that takes a bit of getting used to.

aparently they make good gifts too.
 
they're very sturdy. I have a no.8 in carbon steel and it has zero blade play. With a little bit of practice you can open them with one hand.
 
Man; after an hour or so I got one of the all time scariest edges! Really good carbon steel! These Opinels are really light in weight as well!
 
Hands down one of the best values in the knife world, IMO. Inexpensive, easy to mod, tough little buggers, easy to use, take a razor edge, and very sheeple friendly. You could by the ten-piece boxed set (ten different sizes), give some away, and still have enough to last a lifetime.

The only complaint I've ever heard is that if the joint gets wet (water), it will swell and make opening/closing difficult. It's fine when it dries out. I use boiled linseed oil on the handles, and mineral oil in the joints, and haven't had a problem.

thx - cpr
 
In order to open the knife when the handle swells, I use a trick that a French family taught me. With the blade unlocked, just give the forward point of the butt a firm tap on a tabletop. The blade will pop out a little bit and you can pinch it open.

For situations where there isn't a hard surface immediately available I sanded an "easy open" notch in the handle beneath where the nail pull is. Makes it really easy to pull it open when stuck. :)
 
I've got a carbon steel opinel n°12 and for the price and the construction of the blade, I have nothing to say. Go get one and try it they are simple and great
 
Opinel knives bother me because they are excellent knives at a good price but they leave me nothing to brag about! They just cut when you want to cut and sharpen up in a flash. You can see how that could bother me.
 
powernoodle said:
Very sharp, not spendy, great value, have a strange aesthetic appeal that makes you feel like you are in a French vineyard cutting grape vines, and if you get it wet the wood can swell making it hard to open.

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Theres actually a technique invented for getting the blade out of the swollen handle. I just can't remember what it's called lol.
 
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