Best Budget Classy Folder

J

just_the_doctor

Joined
Apr 21, 2014
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22
Okapi vs opinel vs douk-douk vs svord peasent vs higonokami. What's your preference and why? Feel free to suggest others, so long as they are budget friendly, classy, old world folders that can do real work.
 
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I bought myself a #6 and #8 opinel a few months ago and those are fantastic! Best food knife I have used. I have been carrying the 6 along with my gec 15 and have been very happy with that combo. An SAK rounds out the trio. But the opinel is very capable alone. Takes a great edge!

Gabe
 
Put my hands on Opinel first ... and stopped looking
Never owned any of the others mentioned

When one of my dogs was a pup, he chewed the Opinel No.8 Slim just a bit :D
Wouldn't change it or get rid of it for nothing ...

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I hate to say this, but I wouldn't call any of those folders you listed as classy. Capable, sure. Inexpensive, certainly. But classy is not an adjective I would use to describe those peasant knives. That's not a knock on them, it's just not a quality the makers concerned themselves with.
 
kamagong said:
I hate to say this, but I wouldn't call any of those folders you listed as classy.
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Some would say Opinels are more classic than classy. Some would say classy, as some of the knifes history and aspects are VERY CLASSY.

Classy Crowned Hand: In 1565, King Charles IX of France ordered each master cutler to add his emblem to his products to guarantee their origin and quality. To follow this tradition, Joseph chose the Crowned Hand emblem in 1909. The blessing hand is that of Saint Jean-Baptiste appearing on the arms of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, the town closest to Albiez-le-Vieux, home of the Opinel family. Joseph Opinel added the crown as a reminder that the Savoie was a duchy. Since, every single Opinel blade and tool is stamped with the Crowned Hand.

Classy Gold Medal: In 1911, Joseph Opinel took part in the Alpine International Exhibition in Turin. For the occasion, he got made a beautiful carved wood display case in which he presented his famous pocket knife in its twelve different sizes, but also the expanded collection of table and kitchen knives, razors, scissors, cheese borers, pruning knives and corkscrews. Bowled over and visibly impressed, the jury gave him the gold medal!

Classy Best Design Award: The Opinel is a popular object used on a daily basis. Its aesthetics and functionality have convinced several generations of users. Unchanged for over a century, its design is one of the most successful of all times. For this reason, Opinel is recognised by the “Victoria and Albert Museum” as being among the 100 best designs. This list includes the Porsche 911 and the Rolex watch.

Classy Dictionary Entry of its own: Opinel is part of the French cultural heritage and is named in several publications. En 1989, it is referenced in the Larousse dictionary, alongside Bic, Frigidaire or Solex as a proprietary name with the following definition: Folding knife with a wooden handle bearing a groove into which is inserted the blade when the knife is closed.

Classy International Designers Award: In the beautiful three-volume set of the "Phaidon Design Classics", the Opinel pocket knife is recognised as one of the 999 most successful designs of all times by a jury of international designers.

Classy Cooking With Opinel Book Wins First (1st) Prize: To celebrate the 150 year anniversary of the French Savoie, Opinel published the “La cuisine à l’Opinel” (Cooking with Opinel) cookery book. A real gourmet’s journey in Opinel's native land: portraits and recipes by 25 Michelin-starred chefs from Savoie, Haute-Savoie, Piedmont and the Nice country, including fascinating anecdotes on the history of Savoie’s gastronomy written by Annie Victor and illustrated by the photographs of Anthony Cottarel. The book received the 1st prize in the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2009, in the Best Corporate Book in France category (published by the Editions Lagon Rouge, out of print).

Classy Virobloc: Nuff said

http://www.opinel.com/en/the-brand/opinel-story

... and hate is a strong word ;)
 
It's hard to beat an Opinel. The only downside is the bulkiness of the larger ones. The folded metal handled knives like the Douk Douk, Higonokami, and Mercator are super slim in the pocket. They aren't very comfortable in the hand for extended use, though. Additionally, the Higonokami has a somewhat thick, almost wedge shaped blade for it's size. I'm also liking this Taramundi that I recently acquired.

Pictured with an Olivewood Opinel.
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I agree with Christian that these are not necessarily classy. Some of them can be found in higher end materials that would make them so, but those versions are not budget friendly.
 
kamagong said:
I hate to say this, but I wouldn't call any of those folders you listed as classy. Capable, sure. Inexpensive, certainly. But classy is not an adjective I would use to describe those peasant knives. That's not a knock on them, it's just not a quality the makers concerned themselves with.
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Class is on the eye of the beholder.
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I think the brass handled Higonokami looks extremely classy when polished/new, but it will not hold that appearance for very long, in my experience. I still think it has an extremely elegant, austere look. Minimalistic and exotic. That would be my pick.
 
BrotherJim said:
Put my hands on Opinel first ... and stopped looking
Never owned any of the others mentioned
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This is my situation exactly. Lightweight, thin blade stock, really good steel, stylish as heck, tough lock, low price ......... simply the best in class. :thumbup:

-- Mark
 
Sosa said:
Class is on the eye of the beholder.
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:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I've seen that pic before, but I love seeing it again. Opinel should market that as a poster!!!

I'd pick an Opinel slim in one of the optional woods like ebony or bubinga and polished blade as a classy budget folder. I think Opinel's are classy because they are so classic. They've been around a very long time and have worked well for all sorts of people in some very harsh parts of this old world. Plus, I don't know many other knife companies that are left over from the the 19th century and still have a member of the original family sitting at the head of the table in the board room. Except for Victorinox.

I like the Douk-Douk, but like all very this metal handle knives, they can be uncomfortable in cold or wet slippery conditions. And nothing slices like an Opinel. Goes through food stuff like magic, whittle wood with slivers so thin you can see through them. Makes a great bushcraft knife for figure 4 traps, whittling a fuzz stick, making some tent pegs to secure a tarp. In civilized surrounding it breaks down cardboard boxes better than a Stanley utility knife, destroys plastic blister packages, and looks so nice even non knife carrying people think it's pretty.

As long as you keep the weak point of the Opinel in mind, that it's not a hacking, prying, batoning tool, it'll be fine. Plus the ultimate thing with the Opinel is, you can break out the sandpaper and make it look anyway you want. Some sandpaper, a little wood stain and varnish or sealer, and you have your own bush league custom folder!:D
 
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From the Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary:
class·y
 (klasÆ", kläÆs"), adj., class·i·er, class·i·est. Informal.
of high class, rank, or grade; stylish; admirably smart; elegant.
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I'd say Opinel fits that definition to a T... :)


David
 
How about Rough Rider? I picked up this armour hide bone stockman for about $10. I'm pretty happy with it.
 
Whether the knives you mentioned are classy or not, it's your call, and I'm not discussing it. :p
The fact you mentioned them makes me assume that you find them all classy.
If you're used to modern folders, I can see why you do. ;)
Anyway, if I have to pick the best one among them, my vote goes for the Opinel without hesitation.

Fausto
:cool:
 
I also vote for Opinel.

At present, of the ones you've listed, I have Opinel and Okapi. The Opinel is the winner, of the two, by far. Very comfortable to use (the Okapi has an external locking mechanism, which can be rough on the hands during extended use), blade geometry is excellent (while the Okapi is ground a bit thicker toward the edge, reducing its slicing efficiency a bit -- although once you reprofile the edge, the Okapi is quite serviceable). You really can't go wrong with either, especially considering the price, but the Opinel gets my vote.

A Douk-douk is definitely on my list to try in the future, though.

Good luck in your quest! :thumbup:
 
I just received a new one a week ago. Haven't taken a picture of it, but this "yellow" one is real sweet.

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Ed J
 
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